Science of Artesian Wells

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United States Geological Survey (USGS) fieldworker Harvie Pollard using a camera log to view the inside of the pipe at the Chase St. Spring, Gary, IN. Taken on June 18, 2020.

Learn more about the science of artesian wells by listening to excerpts from an interview with Dr. Kristin Huysken, an Associate Professor of Geology at Indiana University Northwest, and United States Geological Survey (USGS) fieldworker Harvie Pollard.


Kristin Huysken: "It has to be like...a sandwich"

Professor Kristin Huysken, an Associate Professor of Geology and Chairperson in the Department of Geosciences at Indiana University Northwest, explains the proper conditions necessary for an artesian well to flow. "It has to be like...a sandwich," she says. "You have to have an impermeable layer...with a permeable layer between it," that filters the water. "The second criterion," she explains, "is that the recharge area...where the rain is coming in and charging, the system, has to be higher than the discharge area." 

Found at 08:41 in the interview transcript |  Listen to the complete interview 


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A page from Professor Huysken's class handout on artesian wells, which includes a diagram of how they are formed.


Kristin Huysken: "It always comes up...is this stuff safe to drink?"

Professor Kristin Huysken discusses the science of artesian wells. She says that the purity of the water in these springs is dependent upon the amount of time the water spends in the aquifer. "The aquifer itself acts as a filter," she says. "The longer time the water can spend in that aquifer," she explains, "If the pore spaces are small enough and you know it takes enough time to get through, that's good. It means you're drinking old water."

Found at 15:05 in the interview transcript |  Listen to the complete interview 


To gain information for the spring remediation project, United States Geological Survey (USGS) fieldworker Harvie Pollard conducted fieldwork at the spring site. The video shows camera logging and measuring the spring’s flow in gallons per minute.