Preliminary assessment of ground-water resources of Lauderdale County, Tennessee

The ground-water resource in Lauderdale County is in a rudimentary stage of development. The principal shallow aquifers are the Mississippi alluvial deposits of Quaternary age and the Cockfield Formation, Memphis Sand, and Fort Pillow Sand of Tertiary age. Water levels fluctuate seasonally. High water levels generally occur in the winter, spring, or early summer, and low water levels occur in the fall or early winter. Water from the Mississippi alluvial deposits, Cockfield Formation, and Memphis Sand is a calcium bicarbonate type and is generally of good quality. Undesirable parameters from the standpoint of use are hardness and concentrations of dissolved iron and dissolved solids. The Fort Pillow Sand, as yet untapped, has potential to yield a sodium bicarbonate type of water of somewhat better quality than is available from the shallow aquifers. Estimated values of transmissivity from single-well pumping tests are highest for the Mississippi alluvial deposits and lowest for the Cockfield. Several north-northeast and west-northwest trending faults cross the country. (USGS)