Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

This thesis presents the results of an investigation into the effect of the Pitch and Tar Swamp on the hydrology and geochemistry of the Jamestown aquifer, VA. Determination of stratigraphy was accomplished by completing boring logs and constructing cross sections. Hydrology was determined by means of monitoring a well field and constructing contour maps. Major cation and anion geochemistry (Na’, K", Mg”", Ca**, NH,*, Cl, SO4”, Br) for 14 wells and the surface waters of the Pitch and Tar Swamp and the James River was determined by ion chromatography. Arsenic concentrations were determined by Hach kit, a semi-quantitative measure. Alkalinity was also measured. Jamestown Island was the site of the first permanent English colony in America. This colony experienced a 70% death rate in the first eighteen years of colonization (Stahle et al 1998). The colonists complained of a lack of fresh drinking water and suspected that this was the cause of the rampant sickness and death. The results show that the Pitch and Tar Swamp is a dominant contributor of salt water and chemical constituents to the aquifer. Levels of sodium (1310.8 ppm), chloride (2197.3 ppm), sulfate (307.4 ppm), and arsenic (30 ppb) which exceed recommended levels were found. Major cations and anions appear to be highest in wells near the swamp and the James and there is a gradient from these two bodies toward the aquifer. Arsenic appears to be highest in wells near the swamp although it is also high in some wells near the James. This appears to indicate that sodium chloride, sulfate, and arsenic in combination was an important cause of illness in the first years of settlement of colonial Jamestown and that the Pitch and Tar Swamp was an important contributor of those constituents.

Date Awarded

2009

Department

Geology

Advisor 1

Gregory S. Hancock

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