n 199 1, the U.S. Geological Survey A major de ign feature of the AWQA and Uinta Mountai ns above about 8,000 ft, (USGS) began implementing a full Program will enable water-qu ality to areas above th e timberline at I 0,000 to I scale ati onal Water-Quality Assess in fo rmation at di fferent areal cales to be l 2,000 ft. ment (NAWQA) Program. integrated. A major component of the program is study-unit in vesti gati on , whi ch The headwater of the Bear, the Weber, The long-term goals of th e NAWQA are the principal building block of th e and the Provo Ri ver are in the western Program are to describe the status and trends program upon whi ch national-level end of the Uinta Mountains. These streams in the quality of a large, representati ve part a e sment ac ti vitie will be based. The 60 fl ow th rough the wider vall eys east of the of the ati on's surface- and ground-water study- unit in ves ti gations that make up the Wa atch Range, emerge th rough the Range resources and to provide a ound , sc ientific program are hydrologic systems th at include to the west, and di scharge into Great Salt under tanding of th e primary natural and principal river basins and aquifer systems Lake. human factor that affect the quality of these throughout the Nation. These tudy unit resource . In meeting these goals, the cover area from less than l ,000 to greater The western ide of the AWQA study program will produce a wealth of water than 60,000 mi 2 and incorporate from about unit i in the Bas in and Range Physio quality informati on th at will be useful to 60 to 70 percent of the ari on's water use graphic Prov ince and the eastern side is in poli cy makers and managers at Federal, and popul ati on served by public water the Middle Rocky Mountains Ph ysiograpruc State, and local level . supply. In 1993, assessment activitie began Provin ce. Th e strati graphy is vari ed and in the Great Salt Lake Bas in NAWQA includes fo rmati on from many geologic tudy unit. eras and peri ods and most types of roc ks.
11 2" 111 " Limestone and dolomitic rock have the Description of the Great mo t effect on the natural chemi stry of Salt Lake Basins study unit ground and surface waters. Most of th e ground-water suppl y in th e study area i Most of the 14,500 mj 2 Great Salt Lake prov ided by aquifers in either th e uncon Basins study unit is in Utah but also includes Bear River so lidated basin-fill deposits along the Basin areas in Idaho and Wyoming. The study Wasatch Front, which i along the mountain unit encompasses three major river systems front on the western side of th e Wasatch that enter Great Salt Lake; the Bear, the Range, or in un co nso lidated va ll ey-fill Weber, and the Jordan. The Provo Ri ver deposits along the major stream and and the Spani h Fork are large tributary structural valleys east of the Wasatch Range. drai nages to Utah Lake, which is considered to be the headwaters of the Jordan River. Annual precipitation ranges from less The Jordan Ri ver flow no11hward from than 12 inches (in .) in the vall ey west of Utah Lake through th e Salt Lake City the Wasatch Range to greater than 50 in. metropolitan area before di scharging to in the Wasatch Range l 0 to 15 mil es ea t. Provo Ri ver Great Salt Lake. Ba in About 85 percent of the annual precipitati on o curs as now, whi ch accumul ates during The study area includes Utah's three October to April. Most of the run off from large t citi es (the Salt Lake City metro the melting snowpack occurs during May politan area, Ogden, and Provo) and about to Jul y. l .4 million peopl e, or 85 percent of the popul ati on of th e State. The popu lati on i Most of the urbani zed area in the Great expected to grow nearly 50 percent in th e Salt Lake Bas in s NAWQA study unit is next 20 years with most of the increase along th e Wa atch Front near the mouths occurring in the tud y area. of th e major ri ver . Although grazing on 25 50 MILES desert hrubl and and open woodl and is the 25 50 KILOMETE RS The NAWQA tudy unit includes an principal land use in the Bear River Bas in , area of diverse topograph y, geomorphology, farming and grazing on irrigated land are natural vegetati on, geology, and clim ate. the uses that most affect wa ter quality in Alti tude and types of vegetati on range from the Bas in. Al ong the hi ghly populated barren mud fl ats and de en hrubs near the Wasatch Front , urban and industrial land shore of Great Salt Lake at about 4,200 feet uses most affect the quality of grou nd water, (ft), to conifer forests in the Wasatch Range and stonn-water and wa tewater discharge wastewater from stonn sewers and treatment Communication and affects the quality of the Jordan River. plant , have everely affected the ground Coordination and surface-water resource in Salt Lake The estimated total quantity of water Valley. Communication and coordination withdrawals (off-stream) in the Great Salt between USGS personnel and other Lake Basins NA WQA study uni t was On th e basis of previous and ongoi ng interested scientists and water-management 3, II 0 million gall ons per day (Mgal/d) in studie and on discussions at the first li aison organization are critical component of 1990. Of the total water withdrawals, 528 committee meeti ng, the following i ue the NAWQA Program. Each of the rudy Mgal/d ( 17 percent) was from ground have been identified: unit investigation will have a local liai on water sources (wells and springs) and 2,582 committee that consi ts of representative • Contamination fro m industrial and urban Mgal/d (83 percent) was from surface from Federal, State, and local agencie , land use in ground-water recharge areas water sources. Hydroelectric water u e uni versitie , and the private sector. Specific along th e Wasatch Front; (on-stream) was estimated to be I ,708 activities of each li aison committee will include the exchange of in formation about Mgal/d in 1990. • Leachate from mine and uranium tailing water-quality issues of regional and local and waste from metals refineri es in the interest, identification and exchange of Bear Lake and several of the major hi ghl y urbani zed areas of the Wasatch sources of data and information, assistance reservoirs in the NAWQA study unit are Front; operated for hydroelectric power, irri gation, in the de ign and cope of project product , public water upply, recreation, flood • Contan1i nant in sediment and water in and review of project-pl anning documents control, and fis h propagati on. The new wetl and areas; and report . The li aison committee for the Jordanell e Re ervoir was developed as Great Salt Lake Basin s study unit was • Effects of trans basin diversions in to the formed in 1994. part of the Central Utah Project and is Provo River and the Utah Lake expected to provide, when fill ed to drainages; operational level, about I 00,000 acre-feet References of water per year fo r municipal and • Sediments eroded from stream banks as Fenneman, N .M ., 193 1, Physiography of industri al uses to several countie along a result of flu ctuating treamflow th e western United States: ew York, the Wasatch Front. downstream from hydroelectri c plants, McGraw-Hill , 534 p. modification of land cover, hydrologic Water-quality issues changes that resul t from road Toole, T. W., 1992, State of Utah Water development , and urbanization; Quality Assessment for 1992: Utah on point sources of pollution are the Department of Environmental Quality, major impediment to u e of stream and • Bacterial contamination that results from Di vision of Water Quality, Section lakes in th e study area. The major grazin g, feedlots, and wastewater; and 305(b) Report. pollutants that affect the use of streams by • Hi gh concentration of nitrogen and aquatic li fe are meta ls and nutrients. The phosphorus as a result of graz ing, major pollu tant that affects the use of feed lots, and natural factors causes - Kidd M. Waddell and Robert L. Baskin streams for agriculture is di olved solids. eutrophi cation, the process by whi ch Excessive nutrient levels have caused surface waters increase in biological eutrophi cati on in major reservoirs in the productivity in respon e to natural or NAWQA study area. Point and nonpoint man-induced nutrient enri chment. sources of pollution, inclu ding leachates from mining and mi ll tailings, urban acti vities, industri al activiti es, and
Information on technical reports and Type of Estimated Estimated hydrologic data related to the water surface-water ground-water Total NAWQA Program can be use withdrawals withdrawals withdrawals obtained from: (million (million (million gallons gallons gallons per day) per day) per day) Di trict Chief Water Re ources Divi ion Irrigation 2,355 (94%) 155 (6%) 2,510 U.S. Geological Survey Public supply 190 (43%) 251 (57%) 441 1745 West 1700 South Other1 37 (23%) 122 (77%) 159 Salt Lake City, Utah 84104
10ther is self-supplied domestic, self-supplied commercial, self-supplied industrial, and mining, fossil-fuel, and livestock/animal specialties.
December, 1994 FS 94--046