One of the best methods for determining ground water aquifer characteristics is the pump test. A pump test not only provides information such as the potential yield and capacity for a given well; but it can also provide hydraulic information about the entire aquifer. This information can then be used to determine the effects of additional similarly-placed wells penetrating the same groundwater system. Hence, the environmental effects of certain water uses, depending on pumping rates, volumes, and recoveries can be ascertained.

Some of the predictive values of aquifer/pump testing include:

1. The effect of new withdrawals on existing wells.
2. The potential yield of future wells.
3. The future drawdown of these wells at varying discharges.
4. The radius of the cone of depression for individual wells or multiple well systems.
5. The environmental impacts of well drawdown and water usage.

Potential uses for ground water at the Kingbrook Site include snowmaking, irrigation, and a potable source of drinking water (even though potable supply is to be furnished by the town of Yorkshire). This section reviews some of the general principles of groundwater hydrology for those readers who have limited knowledge of the subject or who require background information to aid in the evaluation of subsequent sections of the report.

There are actually several groundwater systems operating at the Kingbrook Site. These include unconfined water table aquifers near the surface, a deeper confined very high yield aquifer in the Cattaraugus Creek Valley, and fractured bedrock aquifers beneath the two mountains at the site. A brief review of basic ground water hydraulics and terminology as well as a comparison between these various aquifer types will suffice in preparing the general reader to understand the results of the well testing and aquifer analyses of the Kingbrook Site that follow. A review of the Site Geology section of this report is also recommended since the surface and subsurface geology of the Kingbrook Site determine the ways and means by which water flows into, through, and out of these subterranean reservoirs.

Ground Water Hydraulics

Permeability is the natural inherent capability of a soil or rock unit to transmit fluids. The degree of permeability depends upon the size and shape of the pore spaces between grains of soil or rock and the degree of interconnectedness of these pores. It is measured by the rate at which a fluid of

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