|
|
|
Ground-Water Monitoring-Well Project in Snake Valley and Adjacent Areas
Project DescriptionUGS’ Ground-Water
Monitoring Project in Utah’s West Desert (pdf) Overview
In early 2007 the Utah State Legislature requested the UGS to establish a ground-water monitoring-well network in Utah’s west desert, in response to proposed water-development projects in east-central Nevada and west-central Utah. The general objectives of this program are to improve our understanding of the ground-water flow systems and resources, characterize baseline ground-water levels and chemistry, and measure future changes in these parameters. The links listed below describe the project in more detail and present basic drilling data and other work that the UGS has performed in the area during the past several years. The monitor-well-drilling project is in progress and is expected to continue through mid-2009. Some plans, dates, and data reported here may change. Data on this website will be updated periodically, chiefly at the end of drilling phases and after water-chemistry data become available. Several of the maps and tables provided here are preliminary and for planning purposes; these may change substantially during the course of the project. Drilling InformationDrilling Update
The first phase of monitor-well drilling occurred from early July to early December 2007. Monitor wells were installed at 8 sites, including 11 boreholes and 19 piezometers (a piezometer is a 2.0-inch or 2.5-inch-diameter PVC pipe that is slotted and, therefore, open to the aquifer, over a limited depth range) (see drilling data table). The U.S. Geological Survey’s Western Region Research Drilling Program completed the first 6 sites from early July to mid-October, and in late November to mid-December the U.S. Geological Survey’s Central Region Research Drilling Program completed one site and nearly another before extreme cold and snow forced us to shut down until next spring. These well sites are in central Snake Valley, northern Hamlin Valley, and west-central Tule Valley (see project map). We plan to continue drilling periodically from late March through mid-November 2008. We plan to drill two more monitor-well sites in the carbonate aquifer in Snake Valley; develop one or two aquifer-test sites (pumping well plus monitor wells) in Snake Valley; install nested piezometers within areas of current agricultural pumping; and install monitor wells at sites in southern Hamlin, Pine, and Wah Wah Valleys (see project map). This update represents our best knowledge of the results and plans at the date of writing. We are constantly re-evaluating our plans, ideas, and budget, so project details may change in future updates. Not all of the data from the first phase of drilling are currently available; new data will be added to this website as it becomes available. We plan to publish a basic-data report that summarizes the results of phase 1 in early to mid-2008. Drilling Data
Project Map
Project PhotosProject PersonnelMain Project Contact: Mike Lowe - Ground-Water and Paleontology Program Manager Previous UGS Work in Snake ValleyHydrogeologic setting of
the Snake Valley Hydrologic Basin, Millard County, Utah, and White
Pine and Lincoln Counties, Nevada -- Implications for possible effects
of proposed water wells (pdf - 88MB) Related LinksBasin and Range Carbonate Aquifer System Study (BARCAS), U.S. Geological Survey Groundwater Development Projects, Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) Environmental Impact Statement process for SNWA ground-water development project in eastern Nevada, U.S. Bureau of Land Management Nevada Division of Water Resources Current Issues (including Snake Valley), Utah Division of Water Rights |
