Hydrology and water resources of Capitol Reef National Park, Utah : with emphasis on the middle Fremont River area Item Type Thesis-Reproduction (electronic); text Authors Christiana, David. 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 27/09/2021 13:44:08 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/192054 HYDROLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES OF CAPITOL REEF NATIONAL PARK, UTAH WITH EMPHASIS ON THE MIDDLE FREMONT RIVER AREA by David George Christiana 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 1991 2 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This thesis has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for an advance 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 by the author. Signed: APPROVAL BY THESIS DIRECTOR This thesis has been approved on the date shown below: ')L1 0 1 ><- 5 k Sta ley N. Davis Date Professor of Hydrology 3 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This project was funded by the United States National Park Service, Cooperative Aggreement # 8000-1-0002, Water Resources Assessment of Capitol Reef National Park. I would like express my unbounded gratitude to Dr. Todd C. Rasmussen for his assistance in every aspect of this project and for serving as a member of my graduate thesis committee. He has the patience of Job. My fieldwork was more productive and enjoyable through the efforts and cooperation of the entire Capitol Reef National Park staff, partic- ularly Sandy Borthwick, Sharon Gurr, Gene Blackburn, Lamont Chappell, Leon Chappell, Keith Durfey, and many others. For providing instruction and guidance in the laboratory, I thank Liz Lyons, Chris Peterson, and Dr. Martha Conklin. For the "good grub" I thank Steffney Thompson. Finally, I would like to express my gratitude for the thoughtful comments of the other members of my graduate thesis committee: Dr. Stanley N. Davis, Dr. Randy L. Bassett, and Norman R. Henderson. If I have left anyone out, I am willing to be forgiven. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE LIST OF FIGURES 7 LIST OF TABLES 10 ABSTRACT 11 1. INTRODUCTION 12 Purpose and Scope of Study 12 Previous Investigations 13 Methods and Data Sources 14 Data-Site Numbering System 14 2. DESCRIPTION OF THE STUDY AREA 17 Location, Political Boundaries, Physiography . 17 Location and Political Boundaries 17 Physiographic Region 17 Social Setting 19 Local Economy and Land Uses 19 Park Districts and Management Zones 20 Park Facilities and Cultural Features 20 Legislative History 23 Water Rights 24 Climate 26 Soils and Vegetation 30 Soils 30 Vegetation 30 Geology 33 Stratigraphy 33 Structure 39 3. HYDROLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES 41 Ground-Water Resources 41 Occurrence 41 Hydrologic Characteristics of Aquifers 43 Recharge 49 Discharge 50 Movement and Storage 52 Geologic Factors that Affect Hydrology 56 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) PAGE 3. HYDROLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES (continued) Surface Water Resources 58 Major Watersheds 58 Fremont River 60 Other Watercourses 71 Floodplains 72 Springs and Seeps 74 Lakes, Reservoirs, and Tinajas 75 Surface Water/Ground-Water Interactions 77 4. WATER QUALITY 82 Introduction 82 Sampling Program 84 Field Program 84 Laboratory Program 86 Accuracy and Sources of Error 90 Water Quality 92 Geochemical Processes 94 Surface Water Quality 98 Ground-Water Quality 115 Evaluation of Potential Water Supplies 128 5. WATER USES AND WATER BUDGET 132 Water Uses, Needs, Impacts 132 Domestic 132 Recreation and Wildlife 135 Agricultural and Riparian 136 Potential Water Uses 140 Water Budget 141 6. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 144 Status of Water Resources 144 Potential for Development of Water Resources 147 Recommendations 147 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) PAGE APPENDIX A: Monthly discharge of Fremont River at Bicknell and Caineville for the period of record 150 APPENDIX B: Water-quality data from selected water resources collected by the author and from other sources 153 APPENDIX C: State of Utah stream classifications . 164 APPENDIX D: Listing of wells and springs in the study area 167 APPENDIX E: Driller's log of deep well drilled in Capitol Reef National Park 169 REFERENCES 174 7 LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE PAGE 1 Data site numbering system used in Utah . 15 2 Location map of study area, land ownership, and physiographic region 18 3 Capitol Reef National Park management districts and park facilities 21 4 Mean monthly minimum and maximum temperatures, Capitol Reef National Park 27 5 Mean climate variables and extremes for weather stations in the Capitol Reef area 28 6 Mean monthly precipitation, Capitol Reef National Park 29 7 General geologic map of the Capitol Reef area. 34 8 Hydrographs of selected wells in the Capitol Reef area 51 9 Approximate potentiometric map of the Navajo Sandstone 53 10 Map showing location of piezometers constructed in the Fruita area by the author 55 11 Map of major watersheds in the Capitol Reef area 59 12 Longitudinal profile of Fremont River, from Bicknell gage to Caineville gage 61 13 Fremont River divisions used in study 63 14 Hydrograph of annual discharge of the Fremont River near Bicknell and Caineville 66 15 Hydrograph of monthly Fremont River streamflow near Bicknell and Caineville 67 16 Annual extreme discharges of the Fremont River near Bicknell and Caineville from 1968 to 1989 . 68 8 LIST OF FIGURES (continued) FIGURE PAGE 17 Streamflow duration curve of the Fremont River near Bicknell and Caineville 70 18 Map showing gaging sites used for seepage study along the Fremont River 79 19 Water discharge, TDS, and salt load in the Fremont River on October 1, 1989 81 20 Map showing sites where water quality data was collected by the author 85 21 Relationship between specific conductance and total dissolved solids 89 22 Trilinear Diagram 95 23 Trilinear diagram of mean Fremont River water analyses 102 24 Trilinear diagram of Oak, Pleasant, and Sulphur Creek water analyses 104 25 Trilinear Diagram of tinajas, lakes and reservoir water analyses 105 26 Histogram of fecal coliform frequency: (a) Fremont River; (b) Sulphur Creek 107 27 Quarterly geometric mean of fecal coliforms: (a) Fremont River; (b) Sulphur Creek 108 28 Histogram of fecal coliform frequency: (a) Willow Tinajas; (b) Cottonwood Tinajas 109 29 Quarterly geometric mean of fecal coliforms: (a) Willow Tinajas; (b) Cottonwood Tinajas . 110 30 Percent Exceedance of Fremont River turbidity . 113 31 Monthly geometric mean of turbidity of Fremont River at Gifford House 114 32 Map of TDS of ground water in the Fruita area. 117 33 Trilinear diagram of North District springs water analsyes 120 34 Trilinear diagram of Headquarters District springs water analyses 122 35 Trilinear diagram of South District springs water analyses 123 9 LIST OF FIGURES (continued) FIGURE PAGE 36 Trilinear diagram of ground water in bedrock formations in the study area 125 37 Trilinear diagram of ground water in alluvial aquifers in the study area 127 38 Domestic water production and visitation in Capitol Reef National Park, 1983-1989 134 39 Monthly irrigation usage as a percentage of the total for the irrigation season 137 1 0 LIST OF TABLES TABLE PAGE 1 Vegetation Zones in the Capitol Reef Area 31 2 Hydrologic Characteristics of Water-Bearing Formations in the Study Area 44 3 Hydraulic Properties of Aquifers in the Study Area 47 4 Ground Water in Storage in the Study Area. 54 5 Depth to Water in Piezometers in Fruita Area . 56 6 Selected Morphometric Relationships of Major Watersheds 60 7 Period of Record of Streamflow Discharge (Water Years) 62 8 Log-Pearson Type III Flood Frequency Analysis, Fremont River 74 9 Classification of Springs By Discharge 75 10 Discharge of Selected Springs in the Study Area 76 11 Seepage Study along the Fremont River 80 12 Classification of Waters Based on Total Dissolved Solids 93 13 Geochemical Processes and Reactions 96 14 TDS of Selected Surface Water Sources in the Study Area 99 15 Classification of Surface Waters in Study Area by Hydrochemical Facies 101 16 TDS of Wells and Springs in the Study Area . 116 17 Classification of Wells and Springs in Study Area by Hydrochemical Facies 119 18 State of Utah Maximum Contaminant Levels and Drinking Water Supplies in the Study Area . 129 19 Consumptive Water Use by Cultivated Crops and Riparian Vegetation Along the Fremont River Corridor 143 1 1 ABSTRACT The water resources of the Capitol Reef National Park area include the middle Fremont River, other perennial and ephemeral watercourses, isolated springs, tinajas, and lakes fed by precipitation on surrounding plateaus, as well as ground water in alluvial, basalt, and sedimentary aquifers fed by recharge from precipitation and stream channel losses. The difference between streamflows at Bicknell (79.2 million m3/yr) and Caineville (67.8 million m 3/yr) can be attributed to evapotranspiration by riparian vegetation and cultivated crops and ground-water recharge, which exceeds 1.5 million m3/yr.