Reports
Availability of ground water in Charles County, Maryland
1968, Slaughter, T.H., Otton, E.G., and Laughlin, C.P.
Bulletin 30
Abstract
This report is an appraisal of the ground-water resources of an important segment of the Maryland Coastal Plain. Its purpose is to guide engineers, planning agencies, and local residents concerned with the development and planning of ground-water supplies.
Charles County covers an area of 457 square miles and is bounded on the west and south by the Potomac River, on the north by Prince Georges County, and on the east by the Patuxent River and St. Marys County.
The area is in the temperate, humid climatic belt of the eastern United States. On the average it receives about 46 inches of precipitation. The average annual temperature is about 56°F. The population of the county was about 35,600 in 1960.
The estimated use of ground water during 1962 was about 3.8 mgd (million gallons per day). The largest single user of ground water was the U. S. Naval Propellant Plant at Indian Head.
The county is underlain by a wedge-shaped mass of sedimentary strata ranging in thickness from 600 to 2,000 feet. Several important aquifers are present throughout the county; based on rough estimates, these aquifers may be capable of yielding at least 55 mgd (million gallons per day) of water to properly spaced drilled and dug wells.
An appraisal of the ground water available from five separate areas of anticipated future economic and population growth indicates that about 3 mgd of ground water can be obtained in the area of lowest potential to about 16 mgd in the area of greatest potential. However, proper management of the groundwater resource will be necessary for optimum development to take place. The Waldorf area in the northcentral part of the county appears to be most favorable for the development of large additional supplies.
The chemical quality of the ground water is satisfactory for most uses, although, locally, treatment for iron removal may be required.
