USGS-Illinois Water Science Center Professional Page for Patrick C. Mills

PATRICK C. MILLS
Hydrologist

EDUCATION
Emory University - AB Psychology, 1973
Georgia State University - MEd School Psychometry, 1975
University of Illinois - MS Geology, 1983

Thesis: Geology of the Lower Permian Rocks of the Bird Spring Group, Wamp Spring Area, Las Vegas Range, Clark County, Nevada

STARTED WITH THE USGS -- 1982

AREAS OF EXPERTISE
Hydrogeologic and ground-water-quality data collection, Unsaturated-zone data collection, Descriptive ground-water hydrology, borehole geophysics, aquifer testing and analysis, ground-water modeling

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
Illinois Groundwater Association

CURRENT PROJECTS

Ground-water Flow and Water Quality in the Aquifers Underlying Belvidere, Illinois, 1992-2002
Herbicides and Their Transformation Products in Aquifers Tapped for Public Supply in Illinois
Characterization of lithologies and ground-water levels and quality in unconsolidated deposits using a direct-push (Geoprobe) data-collection method
Characterization of hydrogeology and water quality in unconsolidated deposits in Kendall County, Illinois

PREVIOUS PROJECTS

Ground-water Flow in the Galena-Platteville aquifer in North-Central Illinois with assessment of methods of study
Water and tritium movement in the unsaturated zone at a low-level radioactive-waste disposal site near Sheffield, Illinois, 1981-87
Agricultural chemicals in ground-water in the midwestern United States, 1990-93
Water-level response to reduction in regional Pumping of the Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer, Argonne National Laboratory near Chicago, Illinois, 1997
Water quality in the glacial drift and bedrock aquifers underlying Siauliai, Lithuania, 1995-97

GROUND-WATER EDUCATION (CO-INSTRUCTOR)

Aquifer Testing and Analysis Workshop for USEPA personnel (Chicago, Illinois)
Field Methods for Characterizing Ground-water Contamination at Hazardous Sites, Workshop presented by USEPA for Republic of Lithuania, (Siauliai, Lithuania)
Field Methods in Hydrology, College of Engineering, University of Illinois (Urbana, Illinois)
Coordinator of USGS, Illinois Water Science Center participation in Groundwater Guardian program

PUBLICATIONS

Kay, R.T., Mills, P.C., Dunning, C.P., Yeskis, D.J., Ursic, J.R., and Vendl, M., 2005, A Cross-Site Comparison of Methods Used for Hydrogeologic Characterization of the Galena-Platteville Aquifer in Illinois and Wisconsin, With Examples from Selected Superfund Sites, U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2004-5136.

Kay, R.T., Mills, P.C., Hogan, J.L., and Arnold, T.L., 2005, Surface-Water and Ground-Water Resources of Kendall County, Illinois, U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2005-5122.

Mills, P.C., and McMillan, W.D., 2004, Herbicides and Their Transformation Products in Source-Water Aquifers Tapped by Public-Supply Wells in Illinois, 2001-02, U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 03-4226.

Mills, P.C., in press, Hydrogeologic and ground-water-quality data of Belvidere, Illinois, and vicinity, 2001-02: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 03-206.

Mills, P.C., Nazimek, J.E., Halford, K.J., and Yeskis, D.J., 2002, Hydrogeology and simulation of ground-water flow in the aquifers underlying Belvidere, Illinois: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 01-4100, 103 p.

Mills, P.C., Halford, K.J., and Cobb, R.P., 2002, Delineation of the Troy Bedrock Valley and particle-tracking analysis of ground-water flow underlying Belvidere, Illinois: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 02-4062, 46 p.

Kay, R.T., Yeskis, D.J., Lane, Jr., J.W., Mills, P.C., Joesten, P.K., Cygan, G.M., and Ursic, J.R., 2000, Geology, hydrology, and ground-water quality of the upper part of the Galena-Platteville aquifer at the Parson's Casket Hardware Superfund site in Belvidere, Illinois: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 99-4138.

Mills, P.C., Yeskis, D.J., Brown, T.A., Kay, R.T., and Thomas, C.A., 1999, Potentiometric levels and water quality in the aquifers underlying Belvidere, Ill.: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 98-4220, 106 p.

Warner, K.L., and Mills, P.C., 1999, USGS outreach in water education: in Proceedings of Illinois Water '98, Urbana, Ill., November 16-17, 1998, 1 p.

Mills, P.C and Yeskis, D.J., 1998, Do samples collected by packer systems represent aquifer water quality?: in Proceedings of Illinois Water '98, Urbana, Ill., November 16-17, 1998, 1 p.

Mills, P.C., Kay, R.T., Brown, T.A., and Yeskis, D.J., 1999, Areal studies aid ground-water protection in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconson: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 98-4143, 12 p.

Mills, P.C., Yeskis, D.J., and Straub, T.S., 1998, Geologic, hydrologic, and ground-water-quality data from selected wells in Belvidere, Illinois, 1989-96: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 97-242, 151 p.

Batten, W.G., Brown, T.A., Mills, P.C., and Sabin, T.J., 1997, Rock-stratigraphic nomenclature, lithology, and subcrop area of the Galena-Platteville bedrock unit in Illinois and Wisconsin: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 97-5054-B, 1 pl.

Brown, T.A. and Mills, P.C., 1995, Well-construction, hydrogeologic, and ground-water-quality data in the vicinity of Belvidere, Illinois: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 94-515, 34 p.

Mills, P.C., 1994, Ground-water flow and water quality in glacial and shallow bedrock aquifers underlying Belvidere, Illinois: in Proceedings of the Illinois Groundwater Association, St. Charles, Ill., March 31, 1994, 1 p.

Mills, P.C., Ursic, James, Kay, R.T., and Yeskis, D.J., 1994, Use of geophysical logs in hydrogeologic investigations at selected Superfund sites in north-central Illinois: in Paillet, F.L. and Williams, J.H., in Proceedings of the U.S. Geological Survey workshop on the application of borehole geophysics to ground-water investigations, Albany New York, June 2-4, 1992: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 94-4103, p. 49-53.

Mills, P.C., Yeskis, D.J., Kay, R.T., and Howard, J.M., 1993, A preliminary conceptual hydrogeologic model of the Galena-Platteville aquifer in northern Illinois: in Program and Abstracts , 38th Annual Midwest Ground Water Conference, Champaign, Illinois, October 6-8, 1993, p. 65.

Mills, P.C., 1993, Water movement and water chemistry in the unsaturated zone at a low-level radioactive-waste disposal site near Sheffield, Illinois, 1986-87: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 2398, 66 p.

Mills, P.C., and Healy, R.W., 1993, Water and tritium movement through the unsaturated zone at a low-level radioactive-waste disposal site near Sheffield, Illinois, 1981-85: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 2386, 72 p.

Mills, P.C., 1993, Hydrogeology and water quality of the Galena-Platteville aquifer at the Parson's Casket Hardware Superfund site, Belvidere, Illinois, 1991-92, U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 93-404, 29 p.

Mills, P.C., 1993, Hydrogeology and water quality of the Galena-Platteville aquifer at the Parson's Casket Hardware Superfund site, Belvidere, Illinois, 1991, U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 93-403, 86 p.

Mills, P.C., 1993, Vertical distribution of hydraulic characteristics and water quality in three boreholes in the Galena-Platteville aquifer at the Parson's Casket Hardware Superfund site, Belvidere, Illinois,1990: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 93-402, 36 p.

Mills, P.C., 1991, Water and tritium movement in the unsaturated zone, in B.J. Ryan, ed., Results of hydrologic research at a low-level radioactive- waste disposal site near Sheffield, Illinois: U.S. Geological Survey Water- Supply Paper 2367, 73 p.

Peters, C.A., Striegl, R.G., Mills, P.C., and Healy, R.W., 1992, Effects of low-level radioactive-waste disposal on water chemistry in the unsaturated zone at a disposal site near Sheffield, Illinois: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 2390, 74 p.

Healy, R.W, and Mills, P.C., 1991, Variability in properties of an unsaturated sand unit underlying a radioactive-waste trench: Soil Science Society of America Journal, v. 55, pp. 899-907

Mansue, L.J., and Mills, P.C., 1991, Well construction and hydrogeologic data data for observation wells in the vicinity of a low-level radioactive-waste disposal site near Sheffield, Illinois: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 90-382, 117 p.

Healy, R.W., Gray, J.R., deVries, M.P., and Mills, P.C., 1989, Water balance at a low-level radioactive-waste disposal site in Illinois: Water Resources Bulletin, v. 25, no. 2, p. 381-389.

Mills, P.C., and deVries, M.P., 1988, Leachate movement through unsaturated sand at a low-level radioactive-waste disposal site in northwestern Illinois, in Proceedings of the Tenth Annual DOE Low-level Waste Management Conference, August 30-September 1, 1988, Denver, Colorado: Department of Energy, session III, p. 54-68.

Healy, R.W. and Mills, P.C., 1987, Variability in properties of an unsaturated sand lense, in EOS, Transactions of American Geophysical Union, v. 68, n. 44, p. 1265

Mills, P.C., and Healy, R.W., 1987, Water and tritium movement in variably saturated glacial deposits near Sheffield, Illinois, in Proceedings of the FOCUS Conference on Midwestern Ground Water Issues, April 21-23, 1987, Indianapolis, Indiana: National Water Well Association, p. 169-186.

Mills, P.C., and Langenheim, R.L., Jr., 1986, Wolfcampian Brachiopods from the Bird Spring group, Wamp Spring area, Las Vegas Range, Clark County Nevada: Journal of Paleontology, v. 61, n. 1, p. 32-55

Garklavs, George, Gray, J.R., deVries, M.P., Peters, C.A., Striegl, R.G., Mills, P.C., Healy, R.W., and Johnson, Tom, 1985, Guidebook to field investigations at the low-level radioactive-waste disposal site near Sheffield Illinois: DeKalb, Illinois, Geological Society of America Field Trip, Proceedings of Meetings (unpublished), 72 p.

Healy, R.W., Peters, C.A., deVries, M.P., Mills, P.C., and Moffett, D.L., 1984, Study of the unsaturated zone at a low-level radioactive-waste disposal site, in Proceedings of the Conference on Characterization and Monitoring of the Vadose (Unsaturated) Zone: National Water Well Association, Las Vegas, Nevada, 1983, p. 820-831.

Mills, P.C., 1983, Genesis and diagnostic value of soft-sediment deformation structures-a review: Sedimentary Geology, v. 35, p. 83-104

Mills, P.C., 1983, Geology of the Lower Permian Rocks of the Bird Spring Group, Wamp Spring Area, Las Vegas Range, Clark County, Nevada: unpublished thesis, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, 162 p.

Mills, P.C., and Langenheim, R.L., Jr., 1983, Comparison of Bird Spring (Nevada) and West Texas Permian Basins: Geological Society of America, Abstract with Programs, v. 15, n. 6, p. 645.

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