Reports
The water resources of Calvert County
1951, Bennion, V.R., Dougherty, D.F., and Overbeck, R.M.
Bulletin 8
Abstract
Calvert County is in southern Maryland, and hence in the Western Shore portion of the Coastal Plain province. The Chesapeake Bay lies along the eastern side of the county and the Patuxent River along its western side. Rocks that crop out in Calvert County are of Pleistocene, Miocene, and Eocene age. The Pleistocene formations consist of sand and sandy clay, but certain minor amounts of gravel; those of Miocene age consist chiefly of sandy clay, and at places are very fossiliferous and diatomaceous; the outcropping Eocene formation (Nanjemoy) consists chiefly of greensand. The Miocene and Eocene formations have strikes varying between north and east and very low dips to the east and south. The Pleistocene deposits are generally terrace deposits.
The sediments from which ground water is being produced in Calvert County are of Pleistocene, Jackson, Nanjemoy, and Aquia age. Cretaceous rocks underlie the county and are a possible source of water for deep wells. It is estimated that about 2,000,000 gallons of ground water are used per day in the county. This water is for domestic and farm purposes chiefly, as there are no large industries in the county. The Nanjemoy formation is the source of most of the water in the northeastern and eastern parts of the county, and the Nanjemoy formation and rocks of Jackson age in the southern part. The Aquia formation is the source in the northern and western parts of the county and for a few wells in the southern part.
The aquifers yield water that is satisfactory for most uses.
