James J. Butler, Jr.

Kansas Geological Survey

1930 Constant Avenue

Lawrence, KS 66047-3724

Phone: (785) 864-2116; Fax: (785) 864-7728

E-mail: jbutler@kgs.ku.edu

ResearcherID and Google Scholar

Education

• B.S. (Geology), College of William and Mary, 1978
• M.S. (Applied Hydrogeology), Stanford University, 1982
• Ph.D. (Applied Hydrogeology), Stanford University, 1987

Employment

• Geohydrology Section, Kansas Geological Survey, 1986-present
• Cox Visiting Professor, Dept. of Geophysics, Stanford University, April-June 2017.
• Visiting Researcher, Hydrogeology Group, Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia, Spain, Sept-Dec. 2012, March-June 2022.
• Courtesy Faculty Member, Dept. of Geology, University of Kansas, 1988-present
• Visiting Scientist, Center of Applied Geoscience, University of Tuebingen, Germany, June-Aug. 2003
• Visiting Scientist, Sandia National Laboratory, Jan.-June 1995

Interests and Expertise

• Well hydraulics
• Direct-push methods for hydrostratigraphic characterization
• The future of aquifers supporting irrigated agriculture
• Ground-water flow and transport in heterogeneous formations
• Stream-aquifer interactions
• Phreatophytes

Selected Professional Activities and Awards

• M. King Hubbert Award, National Ground Water Association (2020)
• President, International Commission on Ground Water, International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS), 2013-2014
• Elected Member, Board of Directors, Scientists and Engineers Division, National Ground Water Association, 2010-2013
• Pioneers in Groundwater Award, American Society of Civil Engineers--Environmental and Water Resources Institute (2009).
• 2008 Editors' Citation for Excellence in Refereeing for Water Resources Research
• 2007 Henry Darcy Distinguished Lecturer, National Ground Water Association.
• Member, Groundwater Committee, American Geophysical Union, 1994-2009 (Chair 2004-2006).
• Associate Editor, Hydrological Sciences Journal, Aug. 2011-Aug. 2012
• Associate Editor, Hydrogeology Journal, April 2006-Dec. 2009
• Associate Editor, Ground Water, Jan. 2002-Dec. 2017
• Associate Editor, Journal of Hydrology, Jan. 2000-Dec. 2005
• Associate Editor, Water Resources Research, Oct. 1995-Dec. 2001

Selected Recent Presentations

• Butler, J.J., Jr., Testimony to the Kansas House Committee on Water, Topeka, KS, Jan. 19, 2023 (video, beginning at 69 minutes).
• Butler, J.J., Jr., Invited panelist presentation, Groundwater Recharge and Flow Workshop, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Washington, D.C., July 27, 2019 (video at https://youtu.be/uLs6unlxCNw).
• Butler, J.J., Jr., The High Plains aquifer in Kasnsas: Current status and future prospects, Science on Screen, Salina Arts Center Cinema, Salina, KS, April 1, 2019 (video at https://youtu.be/jVvFxiw0rfE).

Selected Recent Publications

• Butler, J.J., Jr., G.C. Bohling, S.P. Perkins, D.O. Whittemore, G. Liu, and B.B. Wilson, Net inflow: An important target on the path to aquifer sustainability, Groundwater, v. 61, no. 1, doi: 10.1111/gwat.13233, 2023.
• Glose, T.J., S. Zipper, D.W. Hyndman, A.D. Kendall, J.M. Deines, and J.J. Butler, Jr., Quantifying the impact of lagged hydrological responses on the effectiveness of groundwater conservation, Water Resour. Res., v. 58, doi: 10.1029/2022WR032295, 2022.
• Yang, W., D. Long, B.R. Scanlon, B. Burek, C. Zhang, Z. Han, J.J. Butler, Jr., Y. Pan, X. Lei, and Y. Wada, Human intervention will stabilize groundwater storage across the North China Plain, Water Resour. Res., v. 58, no. 2, doi: 10.1029/2021WR030884, 2022.
• Liu, G., B.B. Wilson, G.C. Bohling, D.O. Whittemore, and J.J. Butler, Jr., Estimation of specific yield for regional groundwater models: Pitfalls, ramifications, and a promising path forward, Water Resour. Res., v. 58, no. 1, doi: 10.1029/2021WR030761, 2022.
• Butler, J.J., Jr., J.J. Gomez-Hernandez, D. Perrone, and D. Hyndman, Introduction to special section: The quest for sustainability of heavily stressed aquifers at regional to global scales, Water Resour. Res., v. 57, no. 8, doi: 10.1029/2021WR030446, 2021.
• Butler, J.J., Jr., S. Knobbe, E.C. Reboulet, D.O. Whittemore, B.B. Wilson, and G.C. Bohling, Water well hydrographs: An underutilized resource for characterizing subsurface conditions, Groundwater, v. 59, no. 6, 808-818, doi: 10.1111/gwat.13119, 2021.
• Bohling, G.C., J.J. Butler Jr., D.O. Whittemore, and B. B. Wilson, Evaluation of data needs for assessments of aquifers supporting irrigated agriculture, Water Resour. Res., v. 57, no. 4, doi: 10.1029/2020WR028320, 2021.
• Kendrick, A., R. Knight, C.D. Johnson, G. Liu, S. Knobbe, R.J. Hunt, and J. J. Butler, Jr., Assessment of NMR logging for estimating hydraulic conductivity in glacial aquifers, Groundwater, v. 59, no. 1, 31-48, doi: 10.1111/gwat.13014, 2021.
• Deines, J.M., A.D. Kendall, J.J. Butler, Jr., B. Basso, and D.W. Hyndman, Combining remote sensing and crop models to assess the sustainability of stakeholder-driven groundwater management in the US High Plains Aquifer, Water Resour. Res., v. 57, no. 3, doi: 10.1029/ 2020WR027756, 2021 [online abstract]
• Majumdar, S., R. Smith, J.J. Butler Jr., V. Lakshmi, Groundwater withdrawal prediction using integrated multi-temporal remote sensing datasets and machine learning, Water Resour. Res., v. 56, no. 11, doi: 10.1029/2020WR028059, 2020 [online abstract]
• Butler, J.J., Jr., G.C. Bohling, D.O. Whittemore, and B.B. Wilson, Charting pathways towards sustainability for aquifers supporting irrigated agriculture, Water Resour. Res., v. 56, no. 10, doi: 10.1029/2020WR027961, 2020 [online abstract]
• Butler, J.J., Jr., G.C. Bohling, D.O. Whittemore, and B.B. Wilson, A roadblock on the path to aquifer sustainability: Underestimating the impact of pumping reductions, Environ. Res. Lett., 15, 014003, doi:10.1088/1748-9326/ab6002, 2020 [available online].
• Butler, J.J., Jr., The Design, Performance, and Analysis of Slug Tests (2nd edition), CRC Press, Boca Raton, 266 pp., 2019. [Front Material and Introduction] [Online Info] [Errata] [Data for all examples]
• Deines, J.M., A.D. Kendall, J.J. Butler, Jr., and D.W. Hyndman, Quantifying irrigation adaptation strategies in response to stakeholder-driven groundwater management in the US High Plains Aquifer, Environ. Res. Lett., 14, 044014, doi:10.1088/1748-9326/aafe39, 2019. [available online]
• Butler, J.J., Jr., D.O. Whittemore, B.B. Wilson, and G.C. Bohling, Sustainability of aquifers supporting irrigated agriculture: A case study of the High Plains aquifer in Kansas, Water International, v. 43, no. 6, pp. 815-828, doi: 10.1080/02508060.2018.1515566, 2018. [available online]
• Liu, G., R. Borden, and J.J. Butler, Jr., Simulation assessment of direct push injection logging for high resolution aquifer characterization, Groundwater, doi: 10.1111/gwat.12826, 2018. [available online]
• Griggs, B.W., and J.J. Butler, Jr., Groundwater in the American West: How to harness hydrogeological analysis to improve groundwater management; in, The Water Problem: Climate Change and Water Policy in the United States, edited by P. Mulroy, Brookings Institution Press, 113-144, 2017.
• Gomez-Hernandez, J.J., J.J. Butler, Jr., A. Fiori, D. Bolster, V. Cvetkovic, G. Dagan, and D. Hyndman, Introduction to special section on "Modeling highly heterogeneous aquifers: Lessons learned in the last 30 years from the MADE experiments and others", Water Resour. Res., v. 53, 2581-2584, doi: 10.1002/2017WR020774, 2017. [available online]
• Bohling, G.C., G. Liu, P. Dietrich, and J.J. Butler, Jr., Reassessing the MADE direct-push hydraulic conductivity data using a revised calibration procedure, Water Resour. Res.,v. 52, no. 11, pp. 8790-8985, doi: 10.1002/2016WR019008, 2016. [available online]
• Butler, J.J., Jr., D.O. Whittemore, B.B. Wilson, and G.C. Bohling, A new approach for assessing the future of aquifers supporting irrigated agriculture, Geophys. Res. Lett., v. 43, no. 5, pp. 2004-2010, doi:10.1002/2016GL067879, 2016. [abstract online]
• Knight, R., D.O. Walsh, J.J. Butler, Jr., E. Grunewald, G. Liu, A.D. Parsekian, E.C. Reboulet, S. Knobbe, and M. Barrows, NMR Logging to estimate hydraulic conductivity in unconsolidated aquifers, Groundwater, v. 54, no. 1, pp. 104-114, doi:10.1111/gwat.12324, 2016. [abstract online]
• Liu, G., S. Knobbe, E.C. Reboulet, D.O. Whittemore, F. Handel, and J.J. Butler, Jr., Field investigation of a new artificial recharge approach for ASR projects in near-surface aquifers, Groundwater, v. 54, no. 3, pp. 425-433, doi:10.1111/gwat.12363, 2016. [abstract online]
• Whittemore, D.O, J.J. Butler, Jr., and B.B. Wilson, Assessing the major drivers of water-level declines: New insights into the future of heavily stressed aquifers, Hydrological Sciences Journal, v. 61, no. 1, pp. 134-145, doi:10.1080/02626667.2014.959958, 2016. [abstract online]
• Parsekian, A., K. Dlubac, E. Grunewald, J.J. Butler, Jr., R. Knight, and D.O. Walsh, Bootstrap calibration and uncertainty estimation of downhole NMR hydraulic conductivity estimates in an unconsolidated aquifer, Groundwater, v. 53, no. 1, pp. 111-121, 2015. [abstract online]
• Butler, J.J., Jr., G.C. Bohling, A.E. Brookfield, G. Liu, D.O.Whittemore, and B.B. Wilson, Importance of a sound hydrologic foundation for assessing the future of the High Plains Aquifer in Kansas, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States, v. 111, no. 5, p. E531, 2014.
• Dogan, M., R.L. Van Dam, G. Liu, M.M. Meerschaert, J.J. Butler, Jr., G.C. Bohling, D.A. Benson, and D.W. Hyndman, Predicting flow and transport in highly heterogeneous alluvial aquifers, Geophys. Res. Lett., 41(21), pp. 7560-7565, doi: 10.1002/2014GL061800, 2014. [abstract online]
• Händel, F., G. Liu, P. Dietrich, R. Liedl, and J.J. Butler, Jr., Numerical assessment of ASR recharge using small-diameter wells and surface basins, Journal of Hydrology, v. 517, pp. 54-63, 2014. [abstract online]
• Liu, G., Knobbe, S., and Butler, J.J., Jr., Resolving centimeter-scale flows in aquifers and their hydrostratigraphic controls, Geophys. Res. Lett., v. 40, pp. 1098-1103, doi:10.1002/grl.50282, 2013. [abstract online]
• Zschornack, L., Bohling, G.C., Butler, J.J., Jr., and Dietrich, P., Hydraulic profiling with the direct-push permeameter: Assessment of probe configuration and analysis methodology, Journal of Hydrology, v. 496, pp. 195-204, 2013. [abstract online]
• Butler, J.J., Jr., Slug tests in wells screened across the water table: Some additional considerations, Ground Water, v. 52, no. 2, pp. 311-316, 2014. [abstract online]
• Walsh, D., Turner, P., Grunewald, E., Zhang, H., Butler, J.J., Jr., Reboulet, E., Knobbe, S., Christy, T., Lane, J.W., Jr., Johnson, C.D., Munday, T., and Fitzpatrick, A., A small-diameter NMR logging tool for groundwater investigations, Ground Water, v. 51, no. 6, pp. 914-926, 2013. [abstract online]
• Butler, J.J., Jr., Stotler, R., Whittemore, D.O., and Reboulet, E., Interpretation of water-level changes in the High Plains aquifer in western Kansas, Ground Water, v. 51, no. 2, pp. 180-190, doi: 10.1111/j.1745-6584.2012.00988.x, 2013. [abstract online]
• Liu, G., Butler, J.J., Jr., Reboulet, E., and Knobbe, S., Hydraulic conductivity profiling with direct-push methods, Grundwasser, v. 17, no. 1, pp. 19-29, doi:10.1007/s00767-011-0182-9, 2012.
• Bohling, G. C., Liu, G., Knobbe, S., Reboulet, E., Hyndman, D. W., Dietrich, P., and Butler, J.J., Jr., Geostatistical analysis of centimeter-scale hydraulic conductivity variations at the MADE site, Water Resour. Res., v. 48, W02525, doi:10.1029/2011WR010791, 2012.
• Butler, J.J., Jr., Jin, W., Mohammed, G.A., and Reboulet, E.C., New insights from well responses to fluctuations in barometric pressure, Ground Water, v. 49, no. 4, pp. 525-533, 2011.
• Dogan, M., Van Dam, R.L., Bohling, G.C., Butler, J.J., Jr., and Hyndman, D.W., Hydrostratigraphic analysis of the MADE Site with full-resolution GPR and direct-push hydraulic profiling, Geophys. Res. Lett., v. 38, L06405, doi:10.1029/2010GL046439, 2011. [abstract online]
• Bohling, G.C., and Butler, J.J., Jr., Inherent limitations of hydraulic tomography, Ground Water, v. 48, no. 6, pp. 809-824, 2010.
• Liu, G., Zheng, C., Tick, G.R., Butler, J.J., Jr., and Gorelick, S.M., Relative importance of dispersion and rate-limited mass transfer in highly heterogeneous porous media: Analysis of a new tracer test at the MADE Site, Water Resour. Res., 46, W03524, doi:10.1029/2009WR008430, 2010. [Abstract online]
• Nippert, J.B., Butler, J.J., Jr., Kluitenberg, G.J., Whittemore, D.O., Arnold, D., Spal, S.E., and Ward, J.K., Patterns of Tamarix water use during a record drought, Oecologia, v. 162, no. 2, doi: 10.1007/s00442-009-1455-1, 2010. Online
• Liu, G., Butler, J.J., Jr., Bohling, G.C., Reboulet, E., Knobbe, S., and Hyndman, D.W., A new method for high-resolution characterization of hydraulic conductivity, Water Resour. Res., v. 45, W08202, DOI:10.1029/2009WR008319, 2009. [Abstract online]
• Butler, J.J., Jr., Pumping tests for aquifer evaluation--Time for a change? Ground Water, DOI: 10.1111/j.1745-6584.2008.00488.x, 2009. Online
• Liu, G., Bohling, G.C., and Butler, J.J., Jr., Simulation assessment of the direct-push permeameter for characterizing vertical variations in hydraulic conductivity, Water Resour. Res., v. 44, W02432, DOI: 10.1029/2007WR006078, 2008. [Abstract online]
• Dietrich, P., Butler, J.J,, Jr., and Faiß, K., A rapid method for hydraulic profiling in unconsolidated formations, Ground Water, v. 46, no. 2, pp. 323-328, DOI: 10.1111/j.1745-6584.2007.00377.x, 2008. Online
• Butler, J.J., Jr., Dietrich, P., Wittig, V., and Christy, T., Characterizing hydraulic conductivity with the direct-push permeameter, Ground Water, v. 45, no. 4, pp. 409-419, DOI: 10.1111/j.1745-6584.2007.00300.x, 2007. Online
• Bohling, G.C., Butler, J.J., Jr., Zhan, X., and Knoll, M.D., A field assessment of the value of steady-shape hydraulic tomography for characterization of aquifer heterogeneities, Water Resour. Res., v. 43, W05430, DOI: 10.1029/2006WR004932, 2007. [Abstract online]
• Butler, J.J., Jr., Zhan, X., and Zlotnik, V.A., Pumping-induced drawdown and stream depletion in a leaky aquifer system, Ground Water, v. 45, no. 2, pp. 178-186, DOI: 10.1111/j.1745-6584.2006.00272.x, 2007. Online
• Butler, J.J., Jr., Kluitenberg, G.J., Whittemore, D.O., Loheide, S.P., II, Jin, W., Billinger, M.A.. and Zhan, X., A field investigation of phreatophyte-induced fluctuations in the water table, Water Resour. Res., v. 43, W02404, DOI: 10.1029/2005WR004627, 2007. [Abstract online]
• Loheide, S.P., II, Butler, J.J., Jr., and S.M. Gorelick, Estimation of groundwater consumption by phreatophytes using diurnal water table fluctuations: A saturated-unsaturated flow assessment, Water Resour. Res., W07030, DOI: 10.1029/2005WR003942, 2005. [Abstract online]
• Sellwood, S.M., Healey, J.M., Birk, S., and Butler, J.J., Jr., Direct-push hydrostratigraphic profiling: Coupling electrical logging and slug tests, Ground Water, v. 43, no. 1, 19-29, 2005. [PDF online]
• Butler, J.J., Jr., Hydrogeological methods for estimation of hydraulic conductivity, in Hydrogeophysics, edited by Y. Rubin and S. Hubbard, Springer, The Netherlands, pp. 23-58, 2005.
• Butler, J.J., Jr., and X. Zhan, Hydraulic tests in highly permeable aquifers, Water Resour. Res., v. 40, W12402, DOI: 10.1029/2003WR002998, 2004. [Abstract online]
• Cain, S., Davis, G.A., Loheide, S.P., II., Butler, J.J., Jr., Noise in pressure transducer readings produced by variations in solar radiation, Ground Water, v. 42, no. 6, 939-944, 2004. [PDF online]
• Schulmeister, M.K., Butler, J.J., Jr., Franseen, E.K., Wysocki, D.A., and Doolittle, J.A., High-resolution stratigraphic characterization of unconsolidated deposits using direct-push electrical conductivity logging: A floodplain margin example, in Aquifer Characterization, SEPM Concepts in Hydrogeology and Environmental Geology Vol. 2, edited by J. S. Bridge, and D.W. Hyndman, SEPM, pp. 67-78, 2004. [Abstract online]
• Schulmeister, M.K., Healey, J.M., Butler, J.J., Jr., and McCall, G.W., Direct-push geochemical profiling for assessment of inorganic chemical heterogeneity in aquifers, Jour. of Contaminant Hydrology, v. 69, no. 3-4, pp. 215-232, 2003.
• Butler, J.J., Jr., and Tsou, M.-S., Pumping-induced leakage in a bounded aquifer: An example of a scale-invariant phenomenon, Water Resour. Res., v. 39, no. 12, 10.1029/2002WR001484, 2003. [Abstract online]
• Schulmeister, M.K., Butler, J.J., Jr., Healey, J.M., Zheng, L., Wysocki, D.A., and McCall, W., Direct-push electrical conductivity logging for high-resolution hydrostratigraphic characterization, Ground Water Monit. and Remed., v. 23, no. 3, pp. 52-62, 2003. [PDF online]
• Butler, J.J., Jr., Garnett, E.J., and Healey, J.M., Analysis of slug tests in formations of high hydraulic conductivity, Ground Water, v. 41, no. 5, pp. 620-630, 2003. [Abstract online]
• Bohling, G.C., Zhan, X., Butler, J.J., Jr., and Zheng, L., Steady-shape analysis of tomographic pumping tests for characterization of aquifer heterogeneities, Water Resour. Res., v. 38, no. 12, 10.1029/2001WR001176, 2002. [Abstract online]
• Butler, J.J., Jr., A simple correction for slug tests in small-diameter wells, Ground Water, v. 40, no. 3, pp. 303-307, 2002.
• McCall, W., Butler, J.J., Jr., Healey, J.M., Lanier, A.A., Sellwood, S.M., and Garnett, E.J., A dual-tube direct-push method for vertical profiling of hydraulic conductivity in unconsolidated formations, Environmental & Engineering Geoscience, v. 8, no. 2, pp. 75-84, 2002.
• Butler, J.J., Jr., Healey, J.M., McCall, G.W., Garnett, E.J., and Loheide, S.P., II, Hydraulic tests with direct-push equipment, Ground Water, 40(1), pp. 25-36, 2002.
• Butler, J.J., Jr., Zlotnik, V.A., and Tsou, M.-S., Drawdown and stream depletion produced by pumping in the vicinity of a partially penetrating stream, Ground Water, 39(5), pp. 651-659, 2001. [Abstract online]
• Zurbuchen, B.R., Zlotnik, V.A., Butler, J.J., Jr., Dynamic interpretation of slug tests in highly permeable aquifers, Water Resources Research, 38(3), 2002.
• Butler, J.J., Jr., Lanier, A.A., Healey, J.M., Sellwood, S.M., McCall, W., and Garnett, E., Direct-push hydraulic profiling in an unconsolidated alluvial aquifer, Kansas Geological Survey Open-File Rept. 2000-62, 2000 [Available online].
• Butler, J.J., Jr., Healey, J.M., Zheng, L., McCall, W., and Schulmeister, M.K., Hydrostratigraphic Characterization of Unconsolidated Alluvial Deposits with Direct-Push Sensor Technology, Kansas Geological Survey Open-File Rept. 99-40, 1999 [Available online:].
• Butler, J.J., Jr., McElwee, C., and Bohling, G., Pumping Tests in Networks of Multilevel Sampling Wells: Motivation and Methodology: Water Resources Research, v. 35, no. 11, pp. 3553-3560, 1999 [Abstract]
• Butler, J.J., Jr., and Healey, J.M., Relationship between pumping-test and slug-test parameters: Scale effect or artifact? Ground Water, 36(2), pp. 305-313, 1998. [Abstract]
• Butler, J.J., Jr., Healey, J.M., Zlotnik, V.A., and Zurbuchen, B.R., 1998, The dipole flow test for site characterization: Some practical considerations, Eos, v. 79, no. 17, p. S153 [Also: Kansas Geological Survey Open-File Report 98-20, 23 pp.].
• Butler, J.J., Jr., The Design, Performance, and Analysis of Slug Tests, Lewis Pub., 252 pp, 1997.
  • (Errata in Microsoft Word) or (Errata in RTF)

Kansas Geological Survey, Geohydrology Section
Updated September 14, 2020
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