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The ground -water system in the Twin Cities area contains five aquifers <br />(Guswa and others, 1982, table 1). Two of these aquifers, the Prairie du <br />Chien -Jordan and Mount Simon -Hinckley, supply about and 10 percent, respec- <br />tively, of the ground -water pumped in the 3,000 mi seven -county area (fig. <br />1). 7his report describes water levels and water -level changes in these <br />aquifers in the Twin Cities during the period 1971-80. <br />State and local agencies, industries, and municipalities need information <br />on water levels and water -level changes caused by pumping to anticipate the <br />effects of increased pumping on the aquifers. For example, ground -water with- <br />drawals have caused water -level declines of about 200 ft in the Mount Simon - <br />Hinckley aquifer and 90 ft in the Prairie du Chien -Jordan aquifer since 1885 <br />(Reeder, 1966; Norvitch and others, 1973, p. 118). In addition, water, levels <br />decline sharply during summer as pumping increases and recover during winter as <br />pumping decreases. To provide the needed water -level data, the U.S. Geological <br />Survey, in cooperation with the Metropolitan Council of the 'twin Cities and the <br />Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, measured water levels in wells <br />throughout the Twin Cities area during winter and summer 1965, 1971, and 1980, <br />summer 1977, and winter 1978. These water -level data will also be used to <br />calibrate a digital ground -water -flow model of the Twin Cities area (Guswa and <br />others, 1982). <br />This report documents water -level data collee--d during winter and summer <br />1980 for the Prairie du Chien -Jordan and Mount Simon -Hinckley aquifers and <br />compares the data with those collected during winter 1971. Specific objectives <br />are to (1) compare short-term and long-term changes in water levels in the two <br />aquifers, (2) examine the effects of major pumping centers on water levels over <br />the 1971-80 period, and (3) describe ground -water -flow patterns in the two <br />aquifers. This report contains a trief description of the hydrologic setting, <br />a description of the water -level observation network and methods used to col- <br />lect data, water -level mapb for winter 1971 and winter and summer 1980 for both <br />aquifers, seasonal and long-term water -level -change maps, and hydrographs of <br />selected wells. Water -level data for 1971 and 1980 were analyzed in detail <br />because this was the calibration period chosen for the ground -water -flow model. <br />In 1966, the U.S. Geological Survey released 14 maps depicting histor :al <br />water levels and water -level changes for the Prairie du Chien -Jordan and Mount <br />Simon -Hinckley aquifers in Uie Minneapolis -St. Paul Metropolitan Area Reeder, <br />1966). The maps show water levels for both aquifers for 1885, 1949, 1959, and <br />1%5 and changes in water levels from 1885 to each of the subsequent years. <br />Norvitch and others (1973) provide water -level maps for both aquifers for <br />winter 1970-71 and for the Prairie du Chien -Jordan for August 1971, and water - <br />level -change maps for the Prairie du Chien -Jordan for December 1970 to August <br />1971 and winter 1%5 to winter 1970-71. Hult and Schoenberg (1981) p ovide <br />more detailed water -level data for both aquifers for 1979 in a 110-mi area <br />surrounding St. Louis Park, a western suburb of Minneapolis. In addition, a <br />