Document Type
Thesis
Abstract
The Jamestown Colony, on an island in the James River, suffered from extremely high mortality rates potentially linked to drinking water quality. Studies suggest that the colony’s location at an oligohaline zone in the James River, a severe drought, and an unconfined aquifer limited the colonists to drinking saline water from the Jamestown Aquifer. Previous studies have shown that water flowing into the aquifer originates in the Pitch and Tar Swamp, so the specific purpose of this study is to explore what influences the water in the Pitch and Tar Swamp to determine if the river, drought conditions, and the unconfined aquifer are to blame for high mortality rates. We compared water elevation, water conductivity, and precipitation data from the James River, the Pitch and Tar Swamp, and the Jamestown Aquifer to determine what affects the water quality of the Pitch and Tar Swamp. We found that elevation in the James River is a significant factor in the elevation response of the swamp, and when the James River reaches an elevation above about 0.2 meters above the swamp, the swamp’s elevation mimics tidal elevation changes. In addition, precipitation instantaneously increases the elevation of the Pitch and Tar Swamp. Conductivity in the Pitch and Tar Swamp follows trends in the James River with a two to three month delay. A channel links the Pitch and Tar Swamp and James River and there is clear evidence that the James River has a great deal of influence on the elevation and long-term conductivity of the Pitch and Tar Swamp that is the source of salinity to the Jamestown Settlement.
Date Awarded
2014
Department
Geology
Advisor 1
Gregory S. Hancock
Advisor 2
James M. Kaste
Recommended Citation
Saccoccia, Liz, "Linking Water Elevation and Salinity in the Pitch and Tar Swamp to the James River and the Shallow Jamestown Aquifer" (2014). Geology Senior Theses. William & Mary. Paper 326.
https://scholarworks.wm.edu/geologyseniors/326
