[en] Hole UE-17a was drilled as part of a study to evaluate the suitability of Unit J of the Eleana Formation of Mississippian age as a medium for storage of nuclear wastes. The 1214-foot (370-meter) hole penetrated alluvium of Quaternary age, a thrust plate of the Tippipah Limestone of Pennsylvania and Permian age, and 668 feet (204 meters) of the Eleana Formation. A small amount of groundwater occurs in fractured quartzites and limestones of the Eleana Formation; jetting produced only 20 gallons per minute (1.3 liters per second) from the completed hole. Approximate transmissivity, calculated from jetting test results, is 1.2 feet squared per day (0.11 meters squared per day). The hydraulic head has almost steadily declined in the hole since September 29, 1976, a few days after the hole was completed. Water from the Eleana Formation is a sodium bicarbonate and sodium sulfate type