Water Resources of the Raft River Basin Idaho-Utah
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Water Resources of the Raft River Basin Idaho-Utah GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 1587 Prepared in cooperation with%the Idaho Department of Reclamation Water Resources of the Raft River Basin Idaho-Utah By R. L. NACE and others GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 1587 Prepared in cooperation with the Idaho Department of Reclamation UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1961 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR STEWART L. UDALL, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Thomas B. Nolan, Director The library catalog-card data for this publication follow the index. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington 25, D.C. CONTENTS Page Abstract_______________________________________________________ 1 Introduction..__________________________________________________ 4 Purpose and scope.____________________________________________ 4 Location of the area___________________________________________ 6 Previous investigations.________________________________________ 8 Acknowledgments.---__.---_.______--___-_________________-_ 8 Well-numbering system..____________________________________ 8 Geography______________________________________________________ 10 Mountain ranges.____-__-______-___--_____-____-__________-__- 10 Principal valleys and subbasins________________________________ 11 Drainage.____________________________________________________ 12 Climate.___________________________________ 13 Precipitation_ ___________________________________________ 13 Temperature, evaporation, and humidity_____________________ 14 Vegetation__________________________________________________ 16 Population and agriculture___________________________________ 17 Water use.___________________________________________________ 17 General geology_________________________________1_________________ 18 Rock units__________________________________________________ 18 Structure. ____________________________________________________ 24 Physiographic development.____________________________________ 25 Hydrologic role of The Narrows.-------------------------------- 28 Water resources.__________________________________________________ 29 Volume of precipitation, by W. B. Langbein and R. L. Nace._________ 30 Evapotranspiration. ___________________________________________ 32 Thornthwaite method of estimation________________________ 32 Simplified method of estimation, by W. B. Langbein-___________ 36 Credibility of the results, by R. L. Nace____--_----_----_----- 47 Surface water.________________________________________________ 48 Discharge._____________________________________________ 48 Loss and gain in the Raft River, by S. W. Fader and R. L. Nace. _ 50 Ground water.________________________________________________ 60 Occurrence and movement________________________________ 60 Form and position of the water table______________________ 62 Water-level fluctuations, by R. L. Nace and S. W. Fader. _______ 63 Recharge_________________________________________________ 73 Discharge._______________________________________________ 74 Chemical quality and temperature_________________-_____-------- 76 Suitability of water for irrigation_______________________-_-___--_ 77 Water development anditseffectS-_____--____-_-__-----_-----_--- 79 Ground-water pumpage, by S. W. Fader and H. G. Sisco_____ 79 Water depletion and net water yield_____-__-_____--_-----_--- 79 Potential development______________________---__--_-----_ 81 The water budget.-_________________-___-____-____--------- 81 in IV CONTENTS Page Factors that would limit water development.-.--.-------------------- 82 Ability of aquifers to yield water, by J. W. Stewart and S. W. Fader. _ 83 Principles of aquifer tests-________-_----_-__---------------- 85 Test of Dunn irrigation well--_--_--__----------------------- 86 Test of Malta Land and Irrigation Co. well ____________________ 87 Summary of aquifer tests----------------------------------- 91 Evaluation of tests and aquifers, by R. L. Nace._-_-____-____-_ 92 Yield from wells_________________________ _______ 96 Ability to intercept water_________________-__-__-______-__--_- 98 Chemical suitability for irrigation.____________________--_---_-_-- 99 Safe perennial water yield of the basm___________-__-_--_--_-----_ 100 Competition for water________________________________________ 101 Local.-___________________________._____ 101 Regional.-.-_________________________.-_ 102 Summary of principal conclusions-__-___-_-______-_--_---------_--_-_ 104 Suggestions.----________-_______-___--__---__-_--_-------_-------- 106 References____________________________________________________ 107 Basic data__--_--__-_________________-__-__-__-_----_--_------_--_ 110 Logs of wells, by R. L. Nace, S. W. Fader, H. G. Sisco and A. E. Peckham___________________.____________. Ill Characteristics of wells, by S. W. Fader, R. W. Mower, and H. G. Sisco__-_.-_-____..____-______________._-__ 121 Index,__________________________________________ 135 ILLUSTRATIONS [Plates are in pocket] PLATE 1. Generalized geologic map of the Raft River basin. 2. Provisional isohyetal map of the Raft River basin. 3. Provisional water-yield map of the Raft River basin. 4. Location of wells and stream-measuring stations. 5. Water-table contours in the Raft River valley. 6. Pumping rates of irrigation wells in the Raft River valley. Page FIGURE 1. Index map of southern Idaho and northern Utah showing area covered by this report-___-__-_____-__-_--__-_--_ 7 2. Well-numbering system.___________ _________________ 9 3. Relation between altitude and precipitation in the Raft River basin and vicinity_____-_----_----_--_--------_---___ 31 4. Nomogram for estimating unadjusted potential evapotrans- piration at three locations in Idaho.___________________ 33 5. Estimated potential evapotranspiration compared to pre cipitation at three stations in southern Idaho ___________ 36 6. Relation between temperature and altitude _______________ 38 7. Relation between mean annual temperature and potential evapotranspiration in North America __________________ 39 8. Relation of annual water yield to precipitation and potential evapotranspiration in representative river basins._______ 41 9. Relation between altitude and water yield in principal sub divisions of the Raft River basin._____________________ 44 CONTENTS V Page FIGURE 10. Losses, gains, and diversions of Raft River below Peterson Ranch, September 13-20, 1949____________-__ 53 11. Losses, gains, and diversions of Raft River below Peterson Ranch, April 24-26, 1950.___-----_-_--------_ 54 12. Losses, gains, and diversions of Raft River below Peterson Ranch, June 28-July 5, 1950_______.-________ 55 13. Losses, gains, and diversions of Raft River below Peterson Ranch, July 31-August 2, 1950________________ 56 14. Hydrographs of wells in the Raft River valley, 1948-51-__- 64 15. Hydrographs of wells in the Raft River valley, 1952-56. ___ 65 16. Hydrographs of Lake Walcott and wells in the Northern Plains section_____________-________________-_-_--___ 66 17. Hydrograph of well 16S-27E-26bal, and Clear Creek near Naf, compared with precipitation and runoff.___________ 67 18. Hydrographs of wells in the central Snake River Plain. ____ 73 19. Fluctuations of water level in well 10S-27E-3dal caused by pumping well 10S-27E-2cbl________.________ 86 20. Drawdown of water level in observation well 10S-27E-3dal, September 4-5, 1952________________ _ 87 21. Drawdown and recovery of water levels in wells 14S-27E- ad2, 7ad3, and 7ac2, caused by pumping well 7adl______ 88 22. Drawdown of water level in observation well 14S-27E-7ad2, October 16-19, 1952..__._______.._..__-_. ... 89 23. Drawdown of water level in observation well 14S-27E-7ad3, October 16-18, 1952..__________._________ 89 24. Drawdown of water level in observation well 14S-27E-7ac2, October 16-18, 1952.._.__...____._._-.__-___ 90 25. Distance-drawdown graph for observation wells during test of well 14S-27E-7adl, October 17-18, 1952__-.--..___ 90 26. Recovery of water level in well 14S-27E-7adl, October 18-19, 1952_.-.-_._._.__._.____._.____...-_- 91 TABLES Page TABLE 1. Estimated average annual precipitation in upland areas.._____ 14 2. Average monthly and annual precipitation in lowland areas.. _ _ 15 3. Mean monthly and annual temperature in lowland areas. _____ 15 4. Evaporation from class A land pan at Minidoka Dam.______ 16 5. Estimated average yearly volume of precipitation and water yield in Raft River basin. _ _____________________________ 31 6. Potential evapotranspiration at Strevell, Idaho-__-_-----_-_ 34 7. Potential evapotranspiration at Oakley, Idaho____________ 34 8. Potential evapotranspiration at Albion, Idaho._____________ 35 9. Computation of water yield from precipitation in the Raft River basin._________________________________________ 42 10. Mean annual precipitation, potential water loss by evapo transpiration, and water yield in representative stream basins in North America. ______________________________ 43 11. Yearly runoff of streams in the Raft River basin. ____________ 49 VI CONTENTS Page TABLE 12. Summary of losses and gains in reaches of the Raft River from Peterson Ranch to mouth-___--____--_--_-__----------- 52 13. Discharge, losses, and gains in the Raft River from Peterson Ranch to mouth _____________________________________ 57 14. Daily mean discharge of the Raft River at Peterson Ranch during periods of special measurements _____-__---------_- 60 15. Spring and fall water levels in observation wells__--_---____ 69 16. Chemical analyses of ground water