Ground Water in Juab, Millard, and Iron Counties, Utah
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY GEORGE OTIS SMITH, DIRECTOR WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 277 GROUND WATER IN JUAB, MILLARD, AND IRON COUNTIES UTAH BY OSCAR E. MEINZER IN COOPERATION WITH THE STATE OF UTAH CALEB TANNER, STATE ENGINEER WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1911 CONTENTS. Page, Introduction_______________________________________ 9 Location and extent of area__________________________ 9 Purpose of investigation___________________________ 9 Acknowledgments_____________________________________ 10 Physiography______________________________________ 11 Units of discussion_________________________________ 11 Provinces______________________________________ 11 Stream topography_______________________________ 12 Lake topography___________________________________ 12 Wind topography ______________ ________ __ _ _____ 13 Minor basins_____________________________________ 13 Geology __________ ________ _____________ ____ 15 Formations_________________..__________________ 15 Geologic history _______________________________ 1G Rainfall___________________________________________ 18 Geographic distribution ____________________________ 18 Annual variation_________________________ ____ 21 Seasonal variation___________________"____________ 22 Relation to dry farming_____________________ _____ 22 Soil_____________________________________________ 23 Vegetation_______i_________________________________ 24 Streams_______________________________-_-______ 25 Industrial development_________________________________ 26 Occurrence of ground water_____________________ _____ 29 Bedrock_______________________________________ 29 Water in sedimentary rocks________________ _____ 29 Water in igneous rocks__________ _______ ____ 30 Confining function of bedrock_______________ _____ 32 Unconsolidated sediments_____________ _ - _____ 32 Character of sediments________ - ___- 32 Water in stream deposits____ 33 Water in lake deposits_________________ _____ 33 Water in low valleys_____________ _ _ ____ 34 Water on desert flats_____________ ____ 34 Water on alluvial slopes or "bench lauds"____________ 36 Water in high valleys_____ _ 37" Artesian conditions __..____-_ _ - _ 37 Bedrock_______________________________________ 37 Unconsolidated sediments______________ ___ _ ______ 38 Flows in the valleys_____________________________ 38 Flows in the deserts_____ __ __ _____ 40 CONTENTS. Springs____________________________________________ 41 Mountain springs__________________________________ 41 Seepage from unconsolidated sediments__________________ 42 Springs from lava beds______L._________________________________ 43 Hot springs______________________________________ 43 Pool and knoll springs____________:_________________ 44 Quality of ground water________________________________ 45 Substances contained in water and their effects upon its use_____ 45 Water from the mountain areas________________________ 47 Ground water in the valleys__________________________ 47 Ground water in the deserts__________________________ 47 Water from springs________________________________ 48 Irrigation with ground water________________ _________ 49 Developments____________________________________ 49 Prospects_______________________________________ 49 Quantity of water__ ______________________________ 50 Quality of water and soil____________________________ 51 Cost of pumping__________________________________ 51 Value of crops _________________________________ 53 Culinary supplies ___________________________:________ 53 Supplies for dry farms_________________________________ 55 Supplies for the range________________________________ 56 Boiler supplies _____________________________ ;_______ 57 Construction of wells_________________________________ 58 Types of wells in use_______________________________ 58 Drilled wells on alluvial slopes_____________________ 59 " Pit flows" _____________________________________ 59 Irrigation wells ________________________________ 60 The California or "stovepipe" method of well construction_____ 60 Conditions in California_________________________ 60 Description of apparatus and methods_________________ 61 Advantages of California method_____________________ 62 Cost of the wells_______________________________ 63 Watering places on routes of travel______ _ _ 64 Railway stations and their connections___________________ 64 Tintic mining district to Sevier Desert and Joy____________ 05 Oasis to Joy, Fish Springs, and Deep Creek________________ 65 Stage route to Dugway, Fish Springs, and Deep Creek_ __ _ 66 Oasis to Snake Valley__________________- - __ 66 Newhouse to Snake Valley_______________ - ____ 66 Black Rock and Clear Lake to Snake Valley and Ibex_________ 67 Juab Valley,___________________________ 67 Topography and geology______________ 67 Rainfall_______________________________ ____- 68 Streams-_____________________ 69 Springs ______________________________-__ 70 Flowing wells _____________1_________ _ 70 Ground water beneath the bench lands____ 72 Quality of water______._________ ___ 73 Irrigation with ground water______ 74 Culinary supplies _________ 74 CONTENTS. 5 Page. Round, Little, Sage, Dog, and Fernow valleys__________________ 74 Topography ___________________________________ 74 Geology_______________________________________ 75 Rainfall_____________________________________ 75 Water supplies _________________________________ 76 Round Yalley _________________________________ 76 Little Valley__________________________________ 77 Sage Valley __________________________________ 78 Dog and Fernow valleys_______________________ 78 Tintic Valley________________________________________ 78 General features _______________________________ 78 Water resources________________________________ 79 Quality of the water _______________________________ 81 Tintic raining district _____________-I__________________ 81 Geology ______________________________________ 81 Water in limestone and quartzite______________________ 81 Water in igneous rocks and overlying waste-_______________ 82 Springs____________________________________ 82 Wells_________________________________.____ 84 Mines ______________________________________ 85 Domestic and industrial supplies____________________ 85 Pavant Valley ______________________________________ 86 Topography______________________________________ 86 Geology _________________. ________________________ 88 Rainfall _____________________.________________ 88 Streams and mountain springs___________________ 89 - Shallow-water belt ________________________________ 89 Artesian prospects ________________________________ 90 Water beneath the bench lands________________________ 91 Quality of ground water___________________________ 92 Irrigation with ground water________________________ 0.". Culinary supplies ______________________________ 93 Lower Beaver Valley______________________________ 94 Topography and geology________________________ 94 Rainfall_______________________________________ 95 Streams ____________________________________ 95 Springs____________________________________ 95 Black Rock Springs___________________________ 95 Clear Lake Springs ____________________________ 96 Other springs_________________________________ 97 Wells _________________________________________ 97 Wells on the Beaver Bottoms______________________ 97 Goss well____________________________________ 97 Neels well___________________________________ 99 Clear Lake well _______________________________ 100 Swan Lake farm wells__________________ _ ___ 100 Shallow wells in the valley below Black Rock_____________ 101 Old River Bed and Cherry Creek region__________________ 101 General features ________________________-____ 101 Water supplies ______________________________ _ 103 Ground water prospects ___ _________ _ 103 6 . CONTENTS. Page. Drum and Swasey Wash region ___________________________ 104 Wells at Joy_____________________________________ 104 Other water supplies______________________________ 105 Ground-water prospects_____________________________ 106 Sevier Desert______________________________________ 106 Physiography_________________________________.__ 10(5 Rainfall______1________________________________ 10S Ground-water level _______________ _________ ____ 109 Soil___________________________________________ 109 Vegetation_____________________________________ 110 Irrigation _____________________________________ 110 Water-bearing beds________________________________ 111 Wells on the Lynn Bench and Canyon Mountain slope_________ 111 Wells on the low flat______________________________ 112 Artesian conditions ________________________________ 114 Quality of water________________________________ 115 Wah Wah Valley ___________________________________ 117 General features__________________*.____________________ 117 Soil___________________________________________ 118 Rainfall_______________________________________'_ 118 WTater supplies _________________________________ 119 Ground-water prospects ______________________________ 119 Sevier Lake bottoms_________________________________ 119 Fluctuations of the lake level__________________________ 119 Position of the lake________________________________ 120 Quality of the lake water____________________________ 120 Ground-water prospects ____________________________ 121 White Valley_______________________________________ 121 General features___________,____________________ 121 Springs ______________________________________ 122 Ground-water prospects ___________________________ 123 Fish Springs Valley___________________________________