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Use of Water by Bottom-Land Vegetation in Lower Safford Valley Arizona

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Use of Water by Bottom-Land Vegetation in Lower Safford Valley Arizona Use of Water by Bottom-Land Vegetation in Lower Safford Valley Arizona By ]. S. GATEWOOD, T. W. ROBINSON, B. R. COLBY, J. D. HEM, and L. C. HALPENNY GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 1103 Prepared in cooperation with Defense Plant Corporation Thlt o»»y it PUBLIC PROPERTY *** i» not 1* b* rwro*%<J froa th» official fil«s, PRIVATE POSSESSION IS UNUWFUl (&» S. Sup. Vol. 2. pp. 38f). Sec. 749) UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1950 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Oscar L. Chapman, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY W. E. Wrather, Director For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office Washington 25, D. C. Price $1.25 (paper cover) CONTENTS Page Foreword ........................................................... xin Abstract............................................................. 1 Part 1. General description............................................. 3 Introduction...................................................... 3 Scope and purpose of the investigation........................... 4 Organization of report......................................... 4 Previous investigations........................................ 5 Personnel.................................................... 6 Acknowledgments. ............................................ 7 Location, extent, and general features of lower Safford Valley....... 7 Agricultural development and irrigation.......................... 7 Natural vegetation............................................ 9 Bottom-land vegetation. ................................... 10 Climate. ..................................................... 13 Meteorological data....................................... 14 Geology and its relation to ground-water supplies..................... 16 Character of basin............................................. 16 Older alluvial fill.......................................... 17 Alluvial fill of inner valley and tributary washes.............. 17 Water resources................................................... 18 Surface water................................................. 18 Ground water................................................ 18 Quality of water.............................................. 18 Methods of determining use of water................................ 19 Definition of use of water...................................... 19 Application to lower Safford Valley.......................... 19 Description of methods used.................................... 20 Part 2. Collection and analysis of data................................... 21 Aerial photographs, surveying, mapping, and leveling.................. 21 Density of bottom-land vegetation. ................................. 23 Development of volume-density method.......................... 23 Classification of bottom-land vegetation.......................... 23 Measurement of volume density................................ 25 Accuracy of volume-density measurements....................... 27 Field application of volume-density method. ..................... 28 Gaging-station records of stream flow................................ 32 Observation wells................................................. 34 Frequency of measurements.................................... 35 Transpiration wells................................................ 36 Glenbar experiment station......................................... 37 Installation of tanks........................................... 39 Mean precipitation and evaporation by reaches....................... 44 Precipitation................................................. 44 Evaporation.................................................. 46 III IV CONTENTS Page Part 2. Collection and analysis of data Continued. Mean precipitation and evaporation by reaches Continued Evaporation Continued River surface............................................. 46 Wet sand bars............................................ 47 Application of coefficients.................................. 49 Ground-water reservoir............................................ 50 Extent....................................................... 50 General configuration of the water table.......................... 51 Reach from Thatcher to Glenbar............................ 52 Reach from Glenbar to Fort Thomas........................ 52 Reach from Fort Thomas to Black Point. .................... 53 Reach from Black Point to Calva........................... 53 Factors causing fluctuations of the water table. ................... 54 Pumping................................................. 54 Use of water by phreatophytes.............................. 54 Changes in river flow...................................... 55 Surface flow and underflow from washes...................... 57 Canal and irrigation seepage................................ 57 Quality-of-water studies............................................ 57 Objectives.................................................... 57 Establishment of laboratory.................................... 58 Collection of samples.......................................... 58 Surface water............................................. 58 Ground water............................................. 58 Methods of analysis........................................... 59 Expression of results. .......................................... 60 Terms and units.......................................... 60 Publication of analyses..................................... 60 Chemical character of surface waters............................ 61 Diurnal fluctuations of chloride content...................... 70 Chemical character of ground waters............................ 71 Older alluvial fill. ......................................... 71 Alluvial fill of the inner valley... .......................... 71 Preparation of map showing quality of water............. 75 Sources of dissolved matter..................................... 76 Effect of dissolved-solids concentration on rate of water use. ....... 77 Effect of water use on dissolved-solids concentration. .............. 78 Irrigation. ............................................... 78 Natural vegetation........................................ 79 Saltcedar............................................. 79 Determination of specific yield...................................... 81 Cylinder method.............................................. 82 Tank method................................................. 84 Laboratory method............................................ 85 Apparatus................................................ 85 Technique................................................ 86 Computation and evaluation of results. ...................... 89 Miniature pumping tests....................................... 91 Computation of mean coefficients............................... 92 CONTENTS V Page Part 2. Collection and analysis of data Continued. Changes in ground-water storage............................... .... 93 Volume of change............................................. 93 Rate of change................................................ 94 Seepage runs..................................................... 95 Field measurements........................................... 95 Computation and adjustment................................... 96 Accuracy..................................................... 101 Net underground inflow............................................ 101 Sources of net underground inflow............................... 101 Probable range of annual fluctuation............................. 102 Rate of net underground inflow to bottom land................... 104 Part 3. Computations of use of water................................... 105 Tank method..................................................... 105 Theory...................................................... 105 Objections of other investigators to tank method. ............. 106 Factors that affect computed use of water........................ Ill Temperature............................................. Ill Soil temperature...................................... Ill Air temperature....................................... 112 Effect on water level.............................. 112 Effect on rate of transpiration...................... 115 Evaporation.............................................. 116 Relative humidity......................................... 117 Precipitation.............................................. 117 Barometric pressure....................................... 119 Density of growth......................................... 119 Quality of water.......................................... 121 Depth to water........................................... 121 Computation of results......................................... 122 Water added.............................................. 122 Adjustment for changes in water level. ...................... 134 Adjustment for volume density............................. 134 Application to field........................................ 137 Transpiration-well method......................................... 139 Theory...................................................... 140 Factors that affect computed use of water.................. ..... 141 Temperature............. ............................... 141 Relative humidity......................................... 143 Precipitation............................................. 143 Barometric pressure....................................... 144 Quality
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