DOCSLIB.ORG

THE SPOKANE AQUIFER, WASHINGTON: Its Geologic Origin

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
THE SPOKANE AQUIFER, WASHINGTON: Its Geologic Origin THE SPOKANE AQUIFER, WASHINGTON: Its Geologic Origin and Water-Bearing and Water-Quality Characteristics Cover: Aerial view of the Spokane Flood sweep­ ing southwesterly across the study area (outlined in red) and vicinity. THE SPOKANE AQUIFER, WASHINGTON: Its Geologic Origin and Water-Bearing and Water-Quality Characteristics By Dee Molenaar U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 2265 DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR DONALD PAULHODEL, Secretary U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Dallas L. Peck, Director UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1988 For sale by the Books and Open-File Reports Section, U.S. Geological Survey, Federal Center, Box 25425, Denver, CO 80225 Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Molenaar, Dee. The Spokane aquifer, Washington. (U.S. Geological Survey water-supply paper; 2265) Bibliography: p. Supt.ofDocs.no. : 119.13:2265 1. Aquifers Washington (State) Spokane Region. I. Title. II. Series. GB1199.3.W2M651987 553.7'9'0979737 84-600259 PREFACE: WHY THIS REPORT WAS WRITTEN This report was prepared to provide a non­ The description of the Spokane aquifer technical description and understanding of the includes the geologic story behind its origin Spokane aquifer, one of the world's most pro­ and its part in the Spokane Valley's hydrologic ductive water-bearing formations. Because the setting. Discussed are the relation among pre­ aquifer also has a most fascinating geologic ori­ cipitation over the area (mostly in the head­ gin, a discussion of the geologic story of the waters of the Spokane River basin), the flow of Spokane area is presented. This should enhance the Spokane River, and the movement of the reader's appreciation of the natural proces­ water to, through, and from the aquifer. Also ses that shape the Earth and provide a descrip­ discussed are the concerns of local citizens and tion of the nearly unique geohydrologic setting water-management agencies regarding the ef­ of the Spokane aquifer. fects of man's activities on the quality of water From time to time, the U.S. Geological Sur­ in the aquifer and on the Spokane River. This vey publishes reports for the express purpose of includes a summary of the types of land use sharing with the general public the results of its and developments on the land surface above scientific findings in a manner that will appeal to the aquifer and an evaluation of water quality layreader interest. Until now, the Spokane in the aquifer and the river. Included is an in­ aquifer has been discussed only in technical re­ troduction to the use of ground-water models ports designed primarily for scientists and (mathematical or digital) as a water-manage­ mostly with the purpose of summarizing and in­ ment tool to aid in describing existing hydro- terpreting hydrologic data for the development logic and water-quality conditions in an of policies and decisions by water-management aquifer and for predicting future changes in agencies. However, in view of the importance of the aquifer when subjected to changes in the Spokane aquifer as the principal source of man's activities and "stresses" on the system. good-quality water for the people and industries The location of further information is sum­ of the Spokane Valley, there have been both an marized (Appendix A). Also summarized are increasing public interest in the aquifer and its the statutes and requirements of the State of physical characteristics and concern about its Washington relative to the management and potential contamination by man's activities. Of protection of the surface- and ground-water special interest is the close connection (hydrau­ resources (Appendix B) and the well- and lo­ lic continuity) between the aquifer and the cation-numbering system (Appendix C). Spokane River, which is the only year-round, The information presented in this report through-flowing stream in the Spokane Valley. is based primarily on previously published Ground water as an important source of technical reports of the U.S. Geological Survey supply has gained considerable public recog­ and other selected reports and maps. A list of nition in recent years, as has the term these references is given at the end of the re­ "aquifer." However, how ground water occurs port. We hope that the reader will gain from and moves in an aquifer and the great variety the information provided in this report and of aquifer types are little understood by the from the manner of presentation with non­ general public. For this reason, this report in­ technical terms and attractive, easily under­ cludes a discussion of not only the Spokane stood illustrations. The report should enhance aquifer but of aquifers in general. Also dis­ the reader's understanding of the geologic and cussed are the occurrence of ground water hydrologic processes that provide man with within various aquifer types and its movement the resources necessary for his existence on into (recharge), through, and from (discharge) the planet Earth. an aquifer as part of the hydrologic cycle. Preface III CONTENTS Preface: Why this report was written III The Spokane aquifer: Its physical and hydro- Abstract 1 logical characteristics Continued About this book: Acknowledgments of help in Specific yield: An index to the amount of its preparation 1 water available from an aquifer 37 A bird's-eye view of the Spokane Valley 2 Use of water from the Spokane aquifer 38 The size and shape of the study area 2 Quality of water in the Spokane aquifer 38 Climate 5 General statement about water quality 38 Water on the land: Streams and lakes 5 Concerns about the quality of water in the The valley's culture and economy 5 aquifer 43 A closer view: The geologic story 7 Water-quality criteria: What makes the water The pre-Miocene landscape 8 drinkable? 43 The Miocene landscape 8 Dissolved solids 44 The Pleistocene landscape 10 Chloride 44 Ice sheets and glacial lakes 10 Nitrate nitrogen 44 The Spokane Floods 11 Potential causes of poor water quality 45 The Holocene landscape 13 Land use over the aquifer 45 The hydrologic cycle: Where does the water Water spread over the land surface 45 come from and where does it go? 15 Point-source contamination 45 The Spokane River: Principal avenue of Results of the water-quality analyses 48 discharge to and from the Spokane Specific conductance and dissolved solids: aquifer 20 The mineral content 48 Flow duration: How much water and for Chloride: How salty is the water? 50 how long? 21 Nitrate nitrogen: Has the water been Low-flow frequency: Late-summer polluted? 52 flows 21 Quality of water in the Spokane River 52 High-flow frequency: Amount, how long, Principal constituents 56 and how often 22 Coliform bacteria 57 Water in the ground: Aquifer definition and Ground-water quality: Can it be types 25 protected? 58 The Spokane aquifer: Its physical and hydro- Ground-water modeling: A water-management logical characteristics 26 tool 61 Occurrence of water in the aquifer 27 Metric conversion factors 64 Areal extent and thickness of the Glossary of technical terms 65 aquifer 27 Bibliography 67 Recharge and discharge: Replenishing and Appendix A. Where additional information on losing the ground water 29 ground water can be obtained 71 The water table 30 Appendix B. Water law in the State of Direction of ground-water flow 30 Washington 72 Water-level changes 31 Appendix C. Well- and location-numbering Permeability and transmissivity: The rate of system 74 ground-water flow 34 Contents FIGURES 18. Recurrence intervals of annual 1-2. Maps showing: low flows for selected periods of 1. Location of the Spokane aquifer consecutive days, Spokane River study area and the Spokane near Post Falls, 1954-78 water River drainage basin upstream years 28 from the study area 3 19. Recurrence intervals of annual 2. Topographic setting of the study high flows for selected periods area, showing drainage, principal of consecutive days, Spokane towns and highways, and areas River near Post Falls, 1954-78 of developed land 4 water years 29 3. Graphs showing average monthly 20. Diagrams showing generalized occur­ precipitation and air temperature at rence of ground water in various types Spokane Airport 6 of aquifers 30 4. Diagram showing generalized geologic 21. Diagram showing confined and un- time scale 7 confined aquifers 31 5. Oblique-view maps of generalized 22. Map showing saturated thickness of landscapes of the Spokane area during the Spokane aquifer 32 pre-Miocene through late Miocene 23. Map of Spokane Valley showing types time 8 and quantities of ground-water re­ 6. Photographs showing exposures of charge and discharge within the the Latah Formation and basalt flows aquifer area and along principal mar­ of the Columbia River Basalt ginal zones 33 24. Diagrammatic sketch showing the Group 10 7. Views of the ponding effects of the water table of an unconfined aquifer Cordilleran Ice Sheet 12 and the general hydraulic relations 8. Maps showing the Pacific Northwest with losing and gaining streams 34 during late Pleistocene time 14 25. Map showing water-table contours and the direction of ground-water 9. Photographs of the surface exposures flow in the Spokane aquifer, May of materials deposited during the Spokane Floods 16 1978 35 26. Water levels in selected wells, dis­ 10. Cutaway block diagram showing charge of the Spokane River above generalized geology of the Spokane Valley region 18 Liberty Bridge, and monthly precipi­ 11. Photographs showing aerial views of tation at Spokane Airport 36 the Spokane Valley, the Spokane 27. Diagrammatic sketches providing explanations of permeability and River, and the principal lakes 19 transmissivity in an unconfined 12. Diagrammatic sketch of the natural aquifer 37 hydrologic cycle in the Spokane 28. Diagrammatic sketches comparing Valley 20 13.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Flood Basalts and Glacier Floods—Roadside Geology
    u 0 by Robert J. Carson and Kevin R. Pogue WASHINGTON DIVISION OF GEOLOGY AND EARTH RESOURCES Information Circular 90 January 1996 WASHINGTON STATE DEPARTMENTOF Natural Resources Jennifer M. Belcher - Commissioner of Public Lands Kaleen Cottingham - Supervisor FLOOD BASALTS AND GLACIER FLOODS: Roadside Geology of Parts of Walla Walla, Franklin, and Columbia Counties, Washington by Robert J. Carson and Kevin R. Pogue WASHINGTON DIVISION OF GEOLOGY AND EARTH RESOURCES Information Circular 90 January 1996 Kaleen Cottingham - Supervisor Division of Geology and Earth Resources WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES Jennifer M. Belcher-Commissio11er of Public Lands Kaleeo Cottingham-Supervisor DMSION OF GEOLOGY AND EARTH RESOURCES Raymond Lasmanis-State Geologist J. Eric Schuster-Assistant State Geologist William S. Lingley, Jr.-Assistant State Geologist This report is available from: Publications Washington Department of Natural Resources Division of Geology and Earth Resources P.O. Box 47007 Olympia, WA 98504-7007 Price $ 3.24 Tax (WA residents only) ~ Total $ 3.50 Mail orders must be prepaid: please add $1.00 to each order for postage and handling. Make checks payable to the Department of Natural Resources. Front Cover: Palouse Falls (56 m high) in the canyon of the Palouse River. Printed oo recycled paper Printed io the United States of America Contents 1 General geology of southeastern Washington 1 Magnetic polarity 2 Geologic time 2 Columbia River Basalt Group 2 Tectonic features 5 Quaternary sedimentation 6 Road log 7 Further reading 7 Acknowledgments 8 Part 1 - Walla Walla to Palouse Falls (69.0 miles) 21 Part 2 - Palouse Falls to Lower Monumental Dam (27.0 miles) 26 Part 3 - Lower Monumental Dam to Ice Harbor Dam (38.7 miles) 33 Part 4 - Ice Harbor Dam to Wallula Gap (26.7 mi les) 38 Part 5 - Wallula Gap to Walla Walla (42.0 miles) 44 References cited ILLUSTRATIONS I Figure 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Interior Columbia Basin Mollusk Species of Special Concern
    Deixis l-4 consultants INTERIOR COLUMl3lA BASIN MOLLUSK SPECIES OF SPECIAL CONCERN cryptomasfix magnidenfata (Pilsbly, 1940), x7.5 FINAL REPORT Contract #43-OEOO-4-9112 Prepared for: INTERIOR COLUMBIA BASIN ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT PROJECT 112 East Poplar Street Walla Walla, WA 99362 TERRENCE J. FREST EDWARD J. JOHANNES January 15, 1995 2517 NE 65th Street Seattle, WA 98115-7125 ‘(206) 527-6764 INTERIOR COLUMBIA BASIN MOLLUSK SPECIES OF SPECIAL CONCERN Terrence J. Frest & Edward J. Johannes Deixis Consultants 2517 NE 65th Street Seattle, WA 98115-7125 (206) 527-6764 January 15,1995 i Each shell, each crawling insect holds a rank important in the plan of Him who framed This scale of beings; holds a rank, which lost Would break the chain and leave behind a gap Which Nature’s self wcuid rue. -Stiiiingfieet, quoted in Tryon (1882) The fast word in ignorance is the man who says of an animal or plant: “what good is it?” If the land mechanism as a whole is good, then every part is good, whether we understand it or not. if the biota in the course of eons has built something we like but do not understand, then who but a fool would discard seemingly useless parts? To keep every cog and wheel is the first rule of intelligent tinkering. -Aido Leopold Put the information you have uncovered to beneficial use. -Anonymous: fortune cookie from China Garden restaurant, Seattle, WA in this “business first” society that we have developed (and that we maintain), the promulgators and pragmatic apologists who favor a “single crop” approach, to enable a continuous “harvest” from the natural system that we have decimated in the name of profits, jobs, etc., are fairfy easy to find.
    [Show full text]
  • Washington Geology Released Since [Project Chief: W
    ·- July 1983 Volume 11 Number 3 Washington Geologic Newsletter · . Lovitt mine, near Wenatchee, Chelan County, Washington, 1977. Photo by Jack Jansons BRIAN J . BOYLE COMMISSIONER OF PUBLIC LANDS ART STEARNS, Supervisor RAYMOND LASMANIS, State Geologist DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES DIVISION OF GEOLOGY AND EARTH RESOURCES Marlin Woy - To Porllond n Exit IOs·• [" GEOLOGY ANO /. t Roctl)11onl•t ... Solllh EARTH ~CES i..-<-....<....<c.L..'-'-! !! 0 I u Sound .. C 'Entrance- Moll Elf!H~~• · 0Poulsot\S. Mortin\ s,. : ••••• ,Porklno .....~ :....... ----. ........... .................... • • • • •• • • • • Coll•o• Z ·········o····· ... 4224 6th Ave. S.E., Lacey, Washington in Albortson• MAILING ADDRESS: Department of Natural Resources Division of Geology and Earth Resources Olympia, WA 98504 (206) 459-6372 Field office address: Department of Natural Resources Division of Geology and Earth Resources Spokane County Agricultural Center N. 222 Havana Spokane, WA 99202 ( 509) 458-2038 Lauta Btay, Editor The Washington Geologic Newsletter, a quarterly report of geologlc articles, Ts published by the Division of Geology and Earth Resources, Department of Natural Resources. The newsletter is free upon request. The division also publishes bulletins, information circulars, and geologic maps. A list of these publicatiOflS will be sent upon request. .. THE WENATCHEE GOLD RUSH by Bonnie Bunning* INTRODUCTION from the D ''reef" between 1949 and 1967. For a long time the ore was shipped directly to the Tacoma smelter On March 4, 19831 when Breakwater Resources LLd. where a substantial credit for the siliceous ores (used as and Asamera Minerals, Inc., made their exciting gold find flux in the smelter) helped make t he mine profitable. In public, companies and individuals from Canada and the 1961, Day Mines, Inc., and Lovitt Mining Co.
    [Show full text]
  • Appendix H: Preliminary Cultural Resource
    Appendix H Preliminary Cultural Resource Investigations Technical Memorandum TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM Latah Bridge Rehabilitation Project, Cultural Resources Preliminary Investigation Technical Memorandum PREPARED FOR: Lisa Malstrom/City of Spokane COPY TO: Mark Brower/CH2M HILL Marlena Guhlke/CH2M HILL PREPARED BY: Lori Durio Price/CH2M HILL and Jim Sharpe/CH2M HILL DATE: November 17, 2011 PROJECT NUMBER: 425825.LB.02 The City of Spokane has initiated the Latah Bridge Rehabilitation Study in an effort to identify and develop preliminary solution alternatives that will support public use of this historic and vital transportation link for future generation of drivers, riders, bicyclists and pedestrians. The bridge was listed in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1982. As part of this study, information was collected to identify the character-defining features of the bridge, and to determine the archaeological and cultural sensitivity of the Latah Bridge site. The cultural resource information contained within this study was obtained from the NRHP database of the National Park Service, and from the Washington Information System Architectural and Archaeological Database (WISAARD) managed by the Washington Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation (DAHP). This preliminary review contains information on the bridge itself, as well as on the cultural setting of the bridge, prior cultural resource technical reports, area historic districts, known archaeological sites, cemeteries, and known Traditional Cultural Properties (TCPs), and a summary of the findings for the proposed project area. This information was obtained by conducting a one half mile search radius around the project. Historic Context Due to the extensive history of the area, the historic component of this preliminary study is summarized.
    [Show full text]
  • Walla Walla Subbasin Assessment
    Walla Walla Subbasin Assessment General Overview Components Prepared by: Walla Walla Basin Watershed Council Version 2: April 2004 Note: This document was not reviewed or approved by the Subbasin Planning Team, subbasin plan leads, co-managers, or subbasin technical staff. 1 Introduction History and Description of Planning Entity The organization for developing the Walla Walla River Subbasin Plan was comprised of the lead agencies, subcontractors, the Planning Team, the Technical Team, and other governmental and non-governmental organizations that will provide local input. The role of each member group is described below. Lead Agencies and Co-Lead Agency The lead agency for the Oregon portion of the Walla Walla subbasin was the Walla Walla Basin Watershed Council, with the Walla Walla Watershed Foundation serving as its fiscal agent. The co-lead entity for the Washington portion of the subbasin was Walla Walla County. The responsibility of co-leads was to oversee and initiate the planning process and ensure that it was an open and inclusive and there was proper outreach to and input from subbasin stakeholders. Subcontractors The Co-lead entities subcontracted with consultant(s) to perform the following functions: (1) facilitation assistance, (2) public involvement assistance, and (3) report preparation including technical assistance. The consultants’ roles were to facilitate and assist with the coordination of Technical and Planning Team and Working Group meetings. The consultants worked closely with the Technical and Planning Teams and the Working Group, and compiled, edited, and wrote (as appropriate) various sections of all draft and final versions of the assessment, inventory, and management plan components of the subbasin plan.
    [Show full text]
  • Chapter 7. Parks and Recreation Element
    1 Chapter 7. Parks and Recreation Element 2 7.1. Introduction 3 Parks, recreational facilities, and open space are generally considered beneficial resources and 4 essential contributors to a community’s quality of life. Located within the County are a number 5 of different types of parks and recreational facilities. 6 The County has not traditionally served as a provider of park and recreation facilities. Local 7 cities, private agencies, federal agencies, and schools have an established history of furnishing 8 these services. 9 The purpose of this element is to evaluate parks and recreation facilities in the County and to 10 develop goals and policies that guide management and coordination of them. 11 7.1.1. Applicable Growth Management Act Goals 12 GMA planning goals that are applicable to the Parks and Recreation Element include the 13 following: 14 . Open space and recreation. Retain open space, enhance recreational opportunities, conserve 15 fish and wildlife habitat, increase access to natural resource lands and water, and develop 16 parks and recreation facilities (Revised Code of Washington [RCW] 36.70A.020(9)). 17 . Public facilities and services. Ensure that those public facilities and services necessary to 18 support development shall be adequate to serve the development at the time the development 19 is available for occupancy and use without decreasing current service levels below locally 20 established minimum standards (RCW 36.70A.020(12)). 21 . Historic preservation. Identify and encourage the preservation of lands, sites, and structures 22 that have historical or archaeological significance (RCW 36.70A.020(13)). 23 Goals described in the Shoreline Management Act (SMA) also support the Parks and Recreation 24 Element.
    [Show full text]
  • INTERIOR/GEOLOGICAL SURVEY USGS· INF -72- 2 !R I) - Electric City-Grand Coulee, Washington the CHANNELED SCABLANDS of EASTERN WASHINGTON
    9 INTERIOR/GEOLOGICAL SURVEY USGS· INF -72- 2 !R I) - Electric City-Grand Coulee, Washington THE CHANNELED SCABLANDS OF EASTERN WASHINGTON - The Geologic Story of the Spokane Flood- '(( U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE , 1976 0 -208-172 F'or sale by the uperint.endent. of Documents, .S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.. 20402- Pric~ 70 cents Lock No. 024 - 001-02507- I nL nlog o. I 19.2: W27/6/974 There is n minimum charge of $1.00 for each mail order A trave ler enterin g th e tal f W as hington fro m th e Eas t crosses a flat-to-rolling country­ sid o f deep, fertil so il commonly sown with w heat. ontinuing wes twa rd , he abruptly nters a d eply scar red land o f bare bl a k ro k ut by labyrin thine ca nyons and chann el , plunge pools and ro k bas in s, ca ca de and ca tara t ledges, and di playi ng ragged buttes and li ffs, alcoves, im­ men e gravel bars, and giant ripple marks. Th e traveler has reached the starkly sceni " Chan­ neled cab lands," and this d ramatic hange in th e landscape may well ca use him to w onder " w hat happ n d here? " Th e answ er- th e grea te t fl ood documented by man. This publica tion, summari zin g th e equence of geologic events that culminated in th e so-call ed ''Spokan Fl ood," w as prepar d in res ponse to a ge neral int re t in geology and a particul ar interes t in th e o ri gin of th e Scab land o ften ex pre sed by th ose ross in g th e State of W as hington.
    [Show full text]
  • The "Palouse Soil" Problem with an Account of Elephant Remains in Wind-Borne Soil on the Columbia Plateau of Washington
    THE "PALOUSE SOIL" PROBLEM WITH AN ACCOUNT OF ELEPHANT REMAINS IN WIND-BORNE SOIL ON THE COLUMBIA PLATEAU OF WASHINGTON By KIRK BRYAN INTRODUCTION Wheat is the great crop of eastern Washington. Grown on an extensive scale with all the ingenuity of modern labor-saving devices, it forms the basis for the stable prosperity of the " Inland Empire " which has its commercial center at Spokane. Deep, rich soil is the controlling factor in the growth of wheat in this area, for the rain­ fall is light, though advantageously concentrated in the winter sea­ son. The system of summer fallow is necessary to conserve the mois­ ture of one season into the next, but thereby one-half the land lies plowed and idle. The wheat region, therefore, is a checkerboard of bare brown rectangles of plowed land alternating with rectangles of wheat that are green, gold, or buff according to the season. The great Columbia Plateau, underlain except in a few small areas by basalt flows several hundred feet thick, has nearly every­ where a mantle of so-called soil, deep and retentive of moisture, the basis of this great wheat growing industry. This " soil" * is a fine­ grained mass that is intimately dissected into hills and valleys. (PI. 4, A and B.) The little valleys are usually cut to or just below the level of the underlying basalt, so that the height of the hills, from 100 to 150 feet, measures the thickness of this " soil." This material is locally known as " Palouse soil," from the rich wheat-growing area along Palouse Kiver south of Spokane, which is popularly known as the " Palouse country." The Bureau of Soils, as shown in the summary of the history of the subject, on pages 22-26, recognizes in the region a number of soil series, only, one of which bears the name Palouse.
    [Show full text]
  • Mcnary National Wildlife Refuge U.S
    McNary National Wildlife Refuge U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service McNary National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan / Comprehensive Conservation Plan Management Direction Management Direction Mid-Columbia National Wildlife Refuge Complex 64 Maple Street Burbank, WA 99323 Phone 509/546 8300 Refuge Information 1 800/344 WILD December 2008 The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. All photos ©C and G Bartlett Photography Dec. 2008 Vision for the McNary National Wildlife Refuge Stretching along the bend in the middle Columbia River where the waters of the Snake and Walla Walla Rivers join the Columbia, the McNary National Wildlife Refuge links a network of diverse habitats stretching dozens of miles from Richland, Washington, to the Wallula Gap and beyond. The Refuge’s shrub-steppe, basalt cliff, riparian, river islands and aquatic habitats will be managed to fulfill the needs of native fish, wildlife, and plants. By actively restoring habitat, controlling exotic species, and enhancing existing habitats and resources, the Refuge will serve as an anchor for biodiversity and a model for habitat restoration and land management. Just as the Columbia River is an important corridor for the transportation of people and goods, it is also an important natural corridor for migratory birds and fish, including endangered salmon and steelhead stocks. Food, rest and sanctuary will be provided for large concentrations of migratory and wintering waterfowl and shorebirds using the Refuges each year. Extensive corridors of riparian and floodplain habitat will be restored and enhanced for nesting and migrating neo-tropical songbirds.
    [Show full text]
  • Washington Trails Association » $4.50
    Plant a hiker’s garden, p.26 See orcas, p.34 Stay hydrated, p.31 WASHINGTON TRAILS March + April 2010 » A Publication of Washington Trails Association www.wta.org » $4.50 Reading the Rocks: Interpreting the Geologic Forces that Shape Washington’s Landscape Take Steps Into Wilderness With WTA, p.12 Day Hikes and Cheap Sleeps, p.28 Hiker’s Primavera Pasta, p.35 » Table of Contents March+April 2010 Volume 46, Issue 2 News + Views The Front Desk » Elizabeth Lunney An attempt at expressing gratitude. » p.4 The Signpost » Lace Thornberg If your life on trail was an album, which days would you play again? » p.5 Hiking News » Updates on Cape Horn, the Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail, the Stehekin Road and more. » p.6 4 WTA at Work Holly Chambers Trail Work » Alan Carter Mortimer WTA’s volunteer crew leaders show dedication. » p.10 On the Web » Susan Elderkin Spring is here. Where will you be hiking? » p.14 Action for Trails » Kindra Ramos “Rookies” prove to be great lobbyists for DNR funding. » p.16 19 Membership News » Rebecca Lavigne Fireside Circle members meet winemakers, swap trail tales. » p.18 On Trail Special Feature » Volunteer Geologists A look at the geologic forces that have sculpted Washington. » p.19 Maggie Brewer Feature » Pam Roy Yard work is okay, but not when it stands in the way of hiking. » p.26 Feature » Lauren Braden Not ready to pull out the tent? Check out these trailside B and B’s. » p.28 Backcountry The Gear Closet » Allison Woods Learn more about your bladder.
    [Show full text]
  • Field-Trip Guide to the Vents, Dikes, Stratigraphy, and Structure of the Columbia River Basalt Group, Eastern Oregon and Southeastern Washington
    Field-Trip Guide to the Vents, Dikes, Stratigraphy, and Structure of the Columbia River Basalt Group, Eastern Oregon and Southeastern Washington Scientific Investigations Report 2017–5022–N U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey Cover. Palouse Falls, Washington. The Palouse River originates in Idaho and flows westward before it enters the Snake River near Lyons Ferry, Washington. About 10 kilometers north of this confluence, the river has eroded through the Wanapum Basalt and upper portion of the Grande Ronde Basalt to produce Palouse Falls, where the river drops 60 meters (198 feet) into the plunge pool below. The river’s course was created during the cataclysmic Missoula floods of the Pleistocene as ice dams along the Clark Fork River in Idaho periodically broke and reformed. These events released water from Glacial Lake Missoula, with the resulting floods into Washington creating the Channeled Scablands and Glacial Lake Lewis. Palouse Falls was created by headward erosion of these floodwaters as they spilled over the basalt into the Snake River. After the last of the floodwaters receded, the Palouse River began to follow the scabland channel it resides in today. Photograph by Stephen P. Reidel. Field-Trip Guide to the Vents, Dikes, Stratigraphy, and Structure of the Columbia River Basalt Group, Eastern Oregon and Southeastern Washington By Victor E. Camp, Stephen P. Reidel, Martin E. Ross, Richard J. Brown, and Stephen Self Scientific Investigations Report 2017–5022–N U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Department of the Interior RYAN K. ZINKE, Secretary U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction
    523 East Second Avenue Spokane, Washington 99202 509.363.3125 March 3, 2010 Spokane County Department of Utilities 1026 West Broadway Avenue Spokane, Washington 99260-0430 Attention: Ben Brattebo Water Resources Specialist Subject: Ranked Data Collection Alternatives Subtask 6.1 of Phase 2 Bi-State Nonpoint Source Phosphorus Study File No. 0188-135-01 INTRODUCTION Subtask 6.1 of Phase 2 of the Bi-State Nonpoint Source Phosphorus Study (NPS Study) consists of a limited field investigation designed to fill one or more high priority data gaps. In our draft Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) dated January 2010, the GeoEngineers/HDR consultant team presented a total of 26 field data collection alternatives for review by Spokane County and the Nonpoint Advisory Committee (NPAC). In Table 3 of the draft QAPP, we presented a preliminary prioritization of those data collection alternatives with respect to utilization of project and future funding. A number of comments were received from the NPAC with respect to these data collection alternatives and associated prioritization. These comments, as well as their interpreted impact to the alternative prioritization, have been compiled in the attached Table 1. Based on the original alternative prioritization, our subsequent field reconnaissance, and NPAC comments, the top-ranked data collection alternatives are identified in the attached Table 2 and described in more detail below. The top-ranked alternative was given a ranking of 1. Note that data collection alternatives within the Hangman Creek subbasin, which previously had been assigned high priorities, now have relatively low priorities based on the data and studies recently provided by the NPAC.
    [Show full text]