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Hydrogeology of the Chinle Wash Watershed, Navajo Nation Arizona, Utah and New Mexico

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Hydrogeology of the Chinle Wash Watershed, Navajo Nation Arizona, Utah and New Mexico Hydrogeology of the Chinle Wash Watershed, Navajo Nation Arizona, Utah and New Mexico Item Type Thesis-Reproduction (electronic); text Authors Roessel, Raymond J. Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 07/10/2021 19:50:22 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/191379 HYDROGEOLOGY OF THE CHINLE WASH WATERSHED, NAVAJO NATION, ARIZONA, UTAH AND NEW MEXICO by Raymond J. Roessel A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF HYDROLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE WITH A MAJOR IN HYDROLOGY In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 1994 2 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This thesis has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for an advanced degree at The University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this thesis are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgment of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the head of the major department or the Dean of the Graduate College when in his or her judgment the proposed use of the material is in the interests of scholarship. In all other instances, however, permission must be obtained from the author. SIGNED: APPROVAL BY THESIS CO-DIRECTORS This thesis has been approved on the date shown below: 4 Charles Kreitler DATE Professor of Hydrology , s y 0 1,/a1,,;(4r 1. \)676q(1 V/Prill'gq Don Davis DATE Professor of Hydrology 3 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The Navajo Nation Department of Water Resources Management (NNDWRM) provided support for this study. Special thanks to Teresa Showa, NNDWRM Director and her staff. I am very grateful to my thesis committee co-directors, Charles Kreitler and Don Davis. Dr. Kreitler provided numerous ideas, critical review and genuine interest during the development of this study. Dr. Don Davis continued with support and understanding. And of course, extraordinary thanks to my parents for their undying love and support. Their lifelong devotion to helping the Navajo people provided the inspiration and basis for my conducting research on the Navajo Nation. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 7 LIST OF TABLES 10 ABSTRACT 11 1. INTRODUCTION 12 Background 12 Purpose and Scope 14 Previous Investigations 15 Method of Study 19 2. DESCRIPTION OF STUDY AREA 24 Location 24 Climate 24 Physiography 26 3. GEOLOGY 30 Introduction 30 Stratigraphy 30 Supai Formation 30 De Chelly Sandstone 33 Chinle Formation 35 Glen Canyon Group 38 Wingate Sandstone 38 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS - Continued Kayenta Formation 39 Navajo Sandstone 40 San Rafael Group 41 Morrison Formation 42 Dakota Sandstone 43 Chuska Sandstone 44 Quaternary Deposits 44 Geologic History 45 Structural Geology 46 4. HYDROGEOLOGIC SETTING 50 Groundwater 50 Ground-water Quality 57 Surface Water 58 5. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 61 Regional Ground-water Movement 61 C-Aquifer 62 N-Aquifer 62 Hydraulic Properties of the Aquifers 64 Ground-water Geochemistry 83 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS - Continued Spatial Distribution of Ground- water Geochemistry 85 C-Aquifer 85 N-Aquifer 99 Trilinear Diagrams 100 Ground-water Usage 106 Water Budget 110 Recharge 111 Discharge 113 Future Ground-water Usage 115 Ground-water Management 116 6. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 119 Recommendations 126 APPENDIX A. C-AQUIFER DATA 130 APPENDIX B. N-AQUIFER DATA 143 APPENDIX C. ALLUVIAL AQUIFER DATA 156 LIST OF REFERENCES 162 7 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS FIGURE 1 Map of Chinle Wash Watershed 13 FIGURE 2 Map of Physiographic Regions Within the Navajo Nation 27 FIGURE 3 Generalized Geologic Map, Navajo Nation 31 FIGURE 4 Generalized Stratigraphic Column, Chinle Wash Watershed 32 FIGURE 5 Generalized East-West Cross Section, Chinle Wash Watershed 48 FIGURE 6 Geologic Structural Features, Navajo Nation 49 FIGURE 7 Contour Map Depicting the Elevation of the Top of C-Aquifer 52 FIGURE 8 Contour Map Depicting the Elevation of the Top of N-Aquifer 53 FIGURE 9 Schematic Diagram Showing Influence Monoclines have on Groundwater 55 FIGURE 10 Semi-log Plot of Drawdown Data for Well 8T-544 69 FIGURE 11 Log-log Plot of Drawdown Data for Well 8T-544 71 FIGURE 12 Semi-log Plot of Drawdown Data for Well 10T-242A 73 FIGURE 13 Semi-log Plot of Recovery Data for Well 10T-242A 74 FIGURE 14 Log-log Plot of Drawdown Data for Well 08-609 75 8 FIGURE 15 Semi-log Plot of Drawdown Data for Well 08-609 77 FIGURE 16 Semi-log Plot of Recovery Data for Well 08-609 78 FIGURE 17 Spatial Distribution of Transmissivity Values for the N-Aquifer 80 FIGURE 18 Spatial Distribution of Transmissivity Values for C-Aquifer 82 FIGURE 19 Spatial Distribution of Total Dissolved Solids (mg/1) for C-Aquifer Wells 86 FIGURE 20 Spatial Distribution of Bicarbonate (mg/l)for C-Aquifer Wells 87 FIGURE 21 Spatial Distribution of Calcium (mg/1) for C-Aquifer Wells 88 FIGURE 22 Spatial Distribution of Sodium + Potassium (mg/1) for C-Aquifer Wells 89 FIGURE 23 Spatial Distribution of Sulfate (mg/1) for C-Aquifer Wells 90 FIGURE 24 Spatial Distribution of Na:Ca ratio for C-Aquifer Wells 91 FIGURE 25 Spatial Distribution of Total Dissolved Solids (mg/1) for N-Aquifer Wells 92 FIGURE 26 Spatial Distribution of Bicarbonate (mg/1) for N-Aquifer Wells 93 FIGURE 27 Spatial Distribution of Calcium (mg/1) for N-Aquifer Wells 94 FIGURE 28 Spatial Distribution of Sodium + Potassium (mg/1) for N-Aquifer Wells 95 FIGURE 29 Spatial Distribution of Sulfate (mg/1) for N-Aquifer Wells 96 FIGURE 30 Spatial Distribution of Na:Ca Ratio for N-Aquifer Wells 97 9 FIGURE 31 Piper Diagram for C-Aquifer Wells 102 FIGURE 32 Piper Diagram for N-Aquifer Wells 103 FIGURE 33 Piper Diagram for Alluvial Wells 104 10 LIST OF TABLES TABLE 1 Transmissivity (gpd/ft) values from C-Aquifer pumping tests results 76 TABLE 2 Transmissivity (gpd/ft) values from N-Aquifer pumping tests results 79 TABLE 3 Summary statistics of pH and major ion concentrations (mg/1) for major aquifer units in the Chinle Wash Watershed 84 TABLE 4 Total production from municipal sources located within the study area for 1990 106 TABLE 5 NTUA water production by aquifer for study area, 1989 109 11 ABSTRACT A general hydrogeological study of the Chinle Wash Watershed is presented. Field collection of water chemistry and water level data is used in addition to historical data to further define and characterize the ground-water conditions of the study area. Computer-generated maps depicting the ground-water conditions of the major aquifers are presented. Ground water occurs in two major regional multiple aquifer systems and locally in the alluvium along the major drainages of the area. The N-aquifer yields the greatest amount of ground water. Water quality tends to decrease along the flow path. Domestic and municipal water use are the primary usage of the ground water. The most heavily utilized aquifer regionally is the N-aquifer system. The alluvium near Chinle is used extensively where it is hydraulically connected to the underlying C-aquifer. 12 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Background The Chinle Wash watershed study area (Figure 1) is located in the central portion of the Navajo Indian reservation in northeastern Arizona and southeastern Utah. It is one of the larger watersheds located entirely within the Navajo reservation, and encompasses approximately 4000 square miles. The study area is a sub-basin of the San Juan River Basin which is part of the Upper Colorado River Basin. The area has two of the most important and heavily utilized aquifer systems within the reservation. The N-aquifer system is comprised of Jurassic-Triassic sedimentary rocks including the Navajo sandstone, the Kayenta Formation, and the Wingate sandstone. The C-aquifer system is comprised of Triassic and Permian sedimentary rocks including the Shinarump conglomerate of the Chinle Formation, De Chelly sandstone, and the Supai Formation. Existing and potential sources of ground water within the reservation need to be accurately identified and evaluated. The reservation's population continues to Figure 1. Chinle Wash Watershed 14 increase above the national average. With the increased population comes additional demand for water for livestock, farming and hopefully industrial development. Also with the increasing importance of Indian water rights, this study will provide the Navajo Nation with an analysis of its ground-water resources located within a basin that will most likely be adjudicated in the future. Purpose and Scope The purpose of this study is to address the need for a determination of the ground-water conditions within the Chinle Wash watershed. This information can be used for future planning of the area and/or for the quantification of the ground-water resources to be used in future water rights issues. This study also can contribute as a single source of information for the water wells located within the Chinle watershed. It compiles past water well information with current unpublished information which can be used as a reference for future ground-water studies of the area. This is important on the reservation where much initial effort is needed just to compile a complete listing of all wells and their accurate locations. Although several studies have overlapped into the study area, none have focused on the watershed's ground-water resources as a complete hydrologic system.
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