Shallow Ground Water Occurrence in Northeastern Utah Valley Utah

Home , Utah Valley

Report of Investigation

Utah Geologi~al and Mineral Survey

No. 130

Shallow GrQund Water Occurrence in Northeastern Utah Valley, Utah

by Robert H. Klauk, Geologist Urban and Engineering Geology Section March 1979 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

Introduction 1

Geographical Locations 1

Physiography 1

Geology 4

Hydrogeology 5 Water Table Aquifer 7

The Investigation 9

Conclusions 10

Selected References 11 Appendix A 12

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Figure 1. Index map of study area in northern Utah County, Utah. 2

Figure 2. Block diagram of northern Utah Valley. 3

Figure 3. Map of-direction of shallow ground water flow in the Highland, Utah area. 8

Table 1. Generalized section of Tertiary and Quaternary formations. 6

Plate 1. Map of areal extent of potential shallow ground water problems in northeastern Utah Valley, Utah County, Utah. In pocket Shallow Ground Water Occurrence in ~ortheastern Utah Valley, Utah

by Robert H. Klauk, Geologist Urban and Engineering Geology Section March, 1979

INTRODUCTION

In the spring and early summer of 1978 shallow, unconfined ground water ~n the Highland, Utah area (northeastern Utah Valley) produced flooding in basements and excavations in new single family dwelling subdivisions under construction. Due to the occurrence of shallow ground water in a rapidly developing part of Utah, an investigation has been conducted to attempt to define the extent of the problem area. The study, which was carried out periodically from June 1979 through December, 1979, included 4 days in the field.

GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION

The 48 square miles investigated are located in northeastern

Utah Valley, and encompass sections 22 through 30, T.4 S., R.l E., sections lthrough 5, 8 through 17, 20 through 24 and 30, T.5 S.,

R.l E., Section 19, 30 and 31, T.4 S., R.2 E., and sections 5 through 8, 16 through 22, and 27 through 35, T.5 S., R.2 E. (see

Figure 1). Communities.located in this area include Alpine,

American Fork, Highland, Lehi, Lindon, and Pleasant Grove.

PHYSIOGRAPHY

Northeastern Utah Valley is bordered on the North by the

Traverse Mountains, on the east by the Wasatch Range (the eastern- most extent of the Basin and Range Province) and on the southwest by Utah Lake (see Figure 2). The Valley was formerly a bay in the Pleistocene Lake Bonneville Basin with the high water level -2-

1/ ...... /i...; .. . -J!.-. --.~

UTAH

SCALE

0i::::=::::i;==::::f?==:t:~ ===4C:::=::::::l~ Miles

EXPLANA TION

PZ/2i1 Study area

Urban a Eng. Geol. Sec. U.G.M.S.

Figure I. Index map of study area in northern Utah'County, Utah.

R.l. 130 -3-

, ."

.~ ... " ...... ~ '.-.

UTAH

I.. AKE ;\: "- I Urban a Eno. Geor. Sec. .G.M.S. Figure 2. Block diagram of northern Utah Valley (from Hunt, 19f)3, p. 7).

R.1. 130 -4-

reaching approximately 5100 feet; most present day landforms below this elevation resulted from lake deposition (Hunt and others, 1953).

In the study area, rising north-northeast from Utah Lake at approximately 30 feet per mile is a broad plain that extends to

Lehi and American Fork. At these two corrununities two broad low alluvial fans were formed which rise above the plain and continue to a 100 to 150 foot bluff formed at the southern edge of the

Highland Bench (Hunt and others, 1953). This bench, in turn, rises approximately twice the rate of the aforementioned plain

(60 feet per mile) and continues to the base of the Wasatch and

Traverse Mountains (see Figure 2). The bench is a delta deposit built into Lake Bonneville by .the American Fork River and Dry

Creek (Hunt and other, 1953).

Situated between the Highland Bench to the north and the

Provo Bench (referred to as the Orem Bench by Hunt and others,

1953) to the south is a pre-Lake Bonneville alluvial fan on which

Pleasant Grove is located. This fan was formed by Battle and

Grove Creeks. To the southwest of this fan and extending to

Utah Lake is the same broad lake plain mentioned previously.

South of Pleasant Grove is the Provo Bench which was formed by deposits brought into Lake Bonneville by the Provo River. West of this bench are several north-trending ridges a few hundred feet in width and from 5 to 10 feet high. These ridges are sand bars formed in Lake Bonneville (Hunt and others, 1953).

GEOLOGY

The Utah Valley floor in the vicinity of and including the study area is composed of sedimentary Pleistocene Lake Bonneville -5-

deposits interbedded with outwash from glacial moraines in the

Wasatch Range (Hunt and others, 1953). Recent fluviatile deposition overlies these lake deposits. Beneath the aforemen tioned deposits, hereafter to be referred to as €he Lake

Bonneville Group, are several hundred feet of unconsolidated fanglomerate and interbedded lake deposits (Hunt and others, 1953).

In the Traverse Mountains to the north is a series of porphyritic lavas while at the northeast corner of the valley a granitic mountain was formed by the Little Cottonwood Stock

(Hunt and others, 1953). Pre-Cambrian Paleozoic and Mesozoic sedimentary rocks compose the drainage basins of the valleys in the Wasatch Range to the east. The Wasatch Fault Zone which separates the Wasatch Range from Utah Valley is located along the base of the range.

HYDROGEOLOGY

The major portion of ground water used in northern Utah

Valley (either from wells or springs) is derived from unconsoli dated materials consisting of valley fill of Recent, Quaternary and Tertiary age (Hunt and others, 1953). See Table 1 for the generalized section and water-bearing properties of upper

Tertiary and Quaternary formations in northern Utah Valley.

The four major developed fresh water aquifers in Utah Valley formed during Quaternary and Tertiary time are known as 1) the

Water Table aquifer which has an approximate maximum thickness of 100 feet; 2) the shallow Pleistocene aquifer which is located at an average depth of approximately 100 feet with a maximum thickness of approximately 100 feet; 3) the Deep Pleistocene aquifer which is located at an approximate depth of between 200 TABLE I. Generalized section and water-bearing properties of tJPper Tertiary and Quaternary forrnations in northern Utah Valley. From Cordova and Subitzky, 1965, p. II. . - . ApproDmate muimwn Geoloalca.e Uolt Web._ Character 01 material Water-bearln, propertiesI (leet) 1 ChieOy unconsolidated alluvial and col Fan. yield water to water-table wells POlt-PrOVO 70 luvial depoRts of Ifavel. cobble.. ,enerally within 25 feet of the land deposita and boulders formin, alluvial fans, surface. Stream deposits yield wa.. and .tream-channel depotits of . ter to shallow du, wells on the .....vel alon, perennial streams. flood plains of American Fork R.ecent and Provo Rivers. and Plebtoce.ne( t)

No walla known in Chi.:2rm uppermoat the area that ob enta ill Utah taiD. water from Wk•• these deposit.. 1------1-.... Unconformity 'I 1 '4 "> I An extensive crave) member forma delta an4 m embankmeDta. A thinner and 1... exteuive I Provo sand member forma ban in the deltas. A Water fa obtained chieny from sprin,s risin, Formation ailt member and a day member .... COnfIDed aloD, the toe of the Highland and Provo to'deep-water deposita. benche... Coarse deposits yield water to shal Unconformity low water-table wells on the benches. The I wella ran,e up to about 100 feet in depth. Bonneville 250 Chieny Jnvel and I&Ild; predominantly form Contains fine-Ifained sediments which over J'ormation embankmeD~ depoalts. He the pre-Lake Bonneville deposits and serve Pleistocene 'Unconformity as a confmin, cap for the underlyin, artea ian Iystem. Wells yield less than 100 gpm. Alpine Principally ailt and clay; some .....vel and sand rormatioa. mainly near caDyoD mouthi. Unconformity . Includes the shallow aquifer in Pleistocene de Consist of at least ODe ,1acia1 moraine of pre posits (top is a maximum 01 about 250 feet Lake Bonneville a,e and deposit. of several below the land surface) and the deep aquifer Pre·Lake .too pre-Lake Bonneville lake... These lake depoa in Pleistocene deposits (top is a maximum of Bonneville about feet below the land surface). its are ..pa~ted by fan,lomerate. and other 400 Most de.,a.ita DuviaWe heda. wells tap these aquifers and yield up to 2.300 JPDl of JOOd-quality water but com- mOnly yield from 100 to 300 JPDl. ~~------4---Un~nfonmty---r------1r------4------Yields are variable. Well. near Lebi range in , Pyrocluticl, lanllomerates, fresh-water lim... yield from 60 to 100 gpm; deep wells drilled Undifferentiatecl ston.., and tuflL at the Geneva Steel Plant yield from 2,000 depolita to 3.900 IPm. The quality of water obtained f from these deposits is suitable for most uses.

ll\oom aeoloIlc IeCt.Iou by HUDt and othen (1953, pL 4). aweD cleptha from HUIlt and othen (1953, pL 3).

Urban a Engineering Geology Section U.G.M.S., R.1. 130 -7-

and 300 feet with an approximate maximum thickness of 200 feet; and 4) the Tertiary aquifer of which the depth and thickness are highly variable. It is primarily the sand and gravel layers of these major deposits that contain water; the sand and gravel tends to be coarser, more permeable and more extensive near the mountains, becoming progressively finer and less permeable toward the center of the valley (Dustin, 1978) ~ Recharge to the

Shallow and Deep Pleistocene aquifers in addition to the Tertiary aquifer in the study area is primarily from the Wasatch Range while recharge to the Water Table aquifer is from direct precipi tation, irrigation, and unlined irrigation canals in addition to the Wasatch Range. Seepage from waterwa~$ and from land irrigated with water from perennial streams in the study area is approxmately

30 percent (Cordova and Subitzky, 1965). It is the Water Table aquifer that is of interest in this report.

Water Table Aquifer

The Water Table aquifer consists of alluvial deposits which form the channel beds and flood plains of streams and the gravel and sand members of the Provo and Alpine formations which form part of The Lake Bonneville Group (Hunt and others, 1953). The water table has ·fluctuated from 10 to 15 feet between winter minimum and summer maximum in some locationsin the study area.

General direction of flow in the aquifer is to "the southwest

(see Figure 3).

Water is generally within 25 feet of the surface in the channel and flood plain deposits whose greatest extent and thick ness in the study area is along the American Fork River and Dry

Creek (Hunt and others, 1953). Hunt and others (1953) also state -8-

~'r.' . 5 o r 22 I .'-,1 i !

- '. " - \

EXPLANATION SCALE ~ Direction of flow o 2 3 Mile ~tj~~ii~~~~,;;;c:::::::::::::::f:::::::::::::::J

Urban a Engineering Geology Section U.G.M.S. Figure 3. Map of direction of flow of shallow unconfined ground water in the Highland Bench area (adapted from Hunt and others, 1953, pI. 3). R.1. 130 -9-

that at the mouths of the aforementioned streams the deposits consist of well-rounded, poorly sorted gravel and boulders; the size of this material becomes progressively smaller down stream, but gravel is still present as far as Lehi and American Fork. Water is within 50 feet of the surface in the Lake Bonneville Group materials with the ground water in the Highland Bench area derived primarily from excess irrigation water; prior to irrigation on the benches, the water table was substantially lower than it is today (Hunt and others, 1953). In much of Pleasant Grove and some areas to the south (Lindon) the shallow aquifer is situated in a fanglomerate deposited prior to the Lake Bonneville Group. Ground water can be obtained within depths of 50 feet from the surface in this area. No regular sequence of deposits is present, but a variable succession of clay and gravel is encountered with the water horizon found in the gravel (Richardson, 1906).

THE INVESTIGATION

This investigation consisted of obtaining all background information on the area, investigating all known reports of water problems, interviewing county and city officials and local residents to determine where all known water problems exist, and obtaining all pertinent water well information from the State Engineer's office. During the course of this investigation it was determined that the shallow unconfined ground-water table fluctuates greatly, not only from season to season, but over short distances as well. This is due to the complex depositional history which includes material of varying permeabilities, non-specific recharge from -10-

precipitation and irrigation, unlined irrigation canals, and the well dissected terrain in the area. As a result of the aforemen tioned conditions, it was decided to define the total areal extent of possible water problems. The results of this study

are presented in Plate I. Specific Known high ground wate~ problem locations are also noted on Plate I and for a description of these designated areas see Appendix A. CONCLUSIONS Based on a review of all Known available literature and well logs in addition to field investigations and interviews it is concluded that: A. The potential for a shallow ground water problem exists within the areas designated on plate I. B. Seasonal fluctuations of the Water Table aquifer- can vary substantially, sometimes as much as 10 to 15 feet. c. Depth to the water table can vary dramatically over short distances due to non-specific sources of recharge. D. If not accounted for, significant flooding problems could result from the shallow water table. -11-

Selected References

Cordova, R.M., and S. Subitzky, 1965, Ground water in northern Utah Valley, Utah: A progress report for ,the period 1948- 63: Utah Dept. of Natural Resources Tech. Pub1. no.ll, 38 p. Dustine, J.D., 1978, Hydrogeology of Utah Lake with emphasis on Goshen Bay: unpublished PhD dissertation, Brigham Young University, 167 p. Gates, R.W. and R.O. Warner, 1951, Ground-water geology of east Utah Valley, Utah: Compass, v. 29, no.l, p. 39-47. Hosford, C.F., 1950, Ground-water geology of Pleasant Grove, Utah and vicinity: unpublished M.S. thesis, Brigham Young Uni versi~y, 45 p. Hunt, C.B., H.D. Varnes, and H.E. Thomas, 1953, Lake Bonneville: Geology of northern Utah Valley, Utah: U.S.G.S. Prof. Paper no. 257~A~.99 p. Richardson, G.B., 1906, Underground water in the valleys of Utah Lake and Jordan River, Utah: U.S.G.S. Water Supply Paper no. 157, p. 48-51. Subititzky, S., 1962, Records of selected wells and springs selected driller's logs of wells and chemical analysis of ground and surface waters northern Utah Valley, Utah County, Utah: Utah Dept. of Natural Resources Basic-Data Report no. 2, 12 p.

Taylor, G.H., and H.E. Thomas, Artesian-water levels and inter~ ference between artesian wells in the vicinity of Lehi, Utah: U.S.G.S. Water Supply Paper 836-C, 156 p. -12-

Appendix A

The following is a description of site specific shallow ground water induced problems in northern Utah Valley. See Plate I for locations.

A. Water entered the basement of a new home under construc tion (Spring Tree Subdivision) in May of 1978. B. Water entered the basement of a modern home and the family had to exit due to the unsanitary conditions in May of 1978. Also, water appeared in the excavations for new homes in the subdivision (Broad Leaf Park). An old home across 6400 West to the west has had basement water problems on and off for the last ten years. c. Test pits dug for a proposed new subdivision encountered ground water in less than 5 feet of the surface in May 1978.

D. Test pits dug for a proposed new subdivision encountered ground water within 8 feet of the surface in May 1978.

E. This area experienced water within 10 feet of the surface prior to 1968.

F. This area has experienced water within 5 feet of the surface in the past.

G. Test pits for the proposed Cobble Creek Subdivision encountered high ground water within 3 feet of the surface in May of 1978. H. New homes constructed in the spring of 1978 experienced ~ater in their basements. I. Excavations for homes in this area experienced water ~ithin 2 to 12 feet of the surface during the summer of 1978. J. Standing water was observed on the surface in this area in September of 1978. K. Standing water was observed on the surface in this area in September of 1978. L. Water within 3 feet of the surface was noted in this ~rea in September of 1978.