PINE RIVER-It has taken three years to complete the first half of Cass County's portion of the Minnesota Geological Survey and likely will take another three years to finish the second half, according to Robert Tipping, University of Minnesota.
He outlined progress so far on the project designed to bring together data on soils and distance to bedrock, plus an analysis of groundwater.
The university was in charge of completing the soils half of the project. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will complete the water half, he explained.
County staff helped locate 13,200 private and public water wells within the county. Minnesota Department of Health records were used to help determine soil types found when wells were drilled and at what depth those soils are located. Wells used in the study were mainly drilled after 1976.
Additional scientific wells were drilled to add data. Over 600 surface samples were analyzed.
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The results now give cross section maps of the layers of different types of soils beneath the surface throughout the county. They also show variations in soils from one part of the county to another.
Maps show varying depths to bedrock beneath the soils and variations in the types of bedrock. The shallowest depth to bedrock in Cass is at least 800 feet deep, except a small area in northwest Cass near the Hubbard County line where it is about 750 feet deep. Most bedrock under Cass lies between 1,000 and 1,250 feet below the surface.
Tipping said the DNR portion of the study now beginning will focus on determining mineral content in water at varying levels below the surface and water quality and quantity.
