Ground-Water Resources of the Sevier River Easin Between Yuba Dam and Leamington Canyon, Utah By L. J. BJORKLUND and G. B. ROBINSON, JR. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 1848 Prepared in cooperation with the Utah State Engineer UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1968 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR STEWART L. UDALL, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY William T. Pecora, Director Library of Congress catalog-card No. GS 67-294 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402 CONTENTS Page Abstract_ _ ______________________________________________________ 1 Introduction. _____________________________________________________ 3 Purpose and scope of the investigation._________________ _ _______ 3 Location and extent of the area.________________________________ 3 Previous investigations.________________________________________ 5 Methods of investigation.______________________________________ 5 Well- and spring-numbering system._____-____-____-__-__--.,_-___ 6 Acknowledgments-____________________________________________ 6 Geography.______________________________________________________ 7 Physiography and drainage._-_________________--__--__--_---___ 7 Climate ___--_____---___________-_____-_-____--_-_--_-____-__- 9 Geology- _ -____ ____ __ ___ _ _______ _ ___ _ -- __ 10 Geologic formations and then- water-bearing properties.____________ 14 Precambrian, Cambrian, and Ordovician (?) Systems.__-___.___ 14 Cretaceous System_________________________________________ 14 Cretaceous and Tertiary Systems._________-_____------__---_ 14 Tertiary System.__________________________________________ 15 Paleocene and Eocene (?) Series.________________________ 15 Oligocene (?) Series-_---_-_-___-_-_____________________ 16 Quaternary System._______________________________________ 16 Pleistocene Series..____________________________________ 16 Pleistocene and Recent Series._______________----_---_-_ 17 Structure. ____________________________________________________ 18 General statement..__---_.______________-___-_-----_---__. 18 Relation to sinkholes and springs in Scipio, Little, and Mills Valleys...___.--___--__._._._.______..-_-_-_-.-_--__.___ 18 Ground water.-_-_-----_--___-___,______________-___._-____---____ 21 Source and recharge.__________________________________________ 21 Occurrence. ____----_-___-____________________.____---_-___--_- 22 Round Valley.--.__.-.-_---_____.-_-_-__-_._--------.----_ 22 Scipio Valley --_-_______,________-_____-__-_-------_--_-. 23 Southern Juab Valley-______-_-__________---_-_-_-----_-_-- 25 MfflB Valley -_- .. .- __._ _ _.._-_... - _.- 27 Little Valley.. _-_ .__ ______- ._ _----- .-._._ 28 Dog Valley--.----_.-----________--__-..----.------------_ 29 Tintic Wash Valley-. __ -_..- _- - - 30 Movement_ _ ________________________________________________ 30 Round Valley to Molten and Blue Springs.___________________ 30 Southern Juab Valley to the Sevier River_____.-__---_______ 31 Movement downvalley past Yuba Dam___________--__----___ 32 ni IV CONTENTS Ground water Continued Page Water-level fluctuations-_______________________________________ 32 Round Valley----_--_--_-_-__________.___._______ _____ 34 Scipio Valley-____________________________ 34 Southern Juab Valley__________________________________ 35 Mills, Little, and Tintic Wash Valleys______________________ 35 Discharge._____________________--_-___-__-___-__-______-_---_ 35 Wells__ _--------_------------_-_-_--------_------------_ 37 Round Valley._________________________________ 37 Southern Juab Valley_------__------------------------- 37 Scipio, Mills, Little, Dog, and Tintic Wash Valleys-------- 37 Springs and seeps___-__________________--_-________-_-_-- 37 Round Valley________-__.___________-__----- 37 Southern Juab Valley_-----_____-_--------------------- 39 Mills Valley-_______________________________"-__-----__ 40 Evapotranspiration. __-_____-__________--___-______-------- 41 Subsurface outflow_______________________________________ 41 Ground-water accretion to the Sevier River_______________-_---_ 42 Utilization of water ______________________________________________ 46 Irrigation_ _ _ ________________________________________________ 46 Scipio Valley __-__________-_____--_--_-_-_--___-__--_--__ 46 Southern Juab and Mills Valleys___________________________ 47 Public supply.__-----___-___________________-_--____--__-----_ 47 Levan_ _ __-_---_-___--__--_________-_____-________-----_ 47 Scipio ______-__-_______--_______________----_-__-____----_ 48 Mflla_____ _______.-.-.._.-...-_-.-_._----.___--------_ 48 Domestic and stock supply___________________________________ 48 Industry _____________________________________________________ 48 Quality of water____________________________________________________ 49 Chemical constituents and salinity..__________---_-__________---_ 49 Salinity of ground water____-____________-_--_--._______------ 49 Round Valley--.-.._-________-__-._______.____ 49 Scipio Valley____________________________________________ 50 Southern Juab Valley.__-_____-____-_---__---_______----___ 50 Mills VaUey ----_-------------_-----_----------------_- 50 Little Valley-.----------_______________________ 51 Salinity of surface water______-_-__-____--_-----__-___________ 51 Sevier River._____________________________________________ 51 Chicken Creek._-__________-_______--____-_________--_--__ 53 Quality in relation to use.______________________________________ 53 Irrigation_ _ _____________________________________________ 53 Domestic and public supply______________________________ 57 Livestock_______________________________________________ 58 Temperature of ground water.__________________________________ 58 Conclusions. __ ____________________________________________________ 58 Basic data._______________________________________________________ 61 Selected references.._______________________________________________ 78 CONTENTS ILLUSTRATIONS Page PLATE 1. Reconnaissance geologic map of parts of Scipio, Little, and Mills Valleys-____-_______________-_____-_-----_ In pocket 2. Maps showing hydrology and chemical quality of water, Sevier River basin between Yuba Dam and Leamington Canyon, 1963_____---________---__--____--_---_- In pocket FIGURE 1. Map of the Sevier River basin showing the area described in this report and other areas studied__________-_---_- 4 2. Well-and spring-numbering system used in Utah_________ 7 3. Photographs showing sinkholes in Scipio Valley._________ 19 4-6. Hydrographs of 4. Selected weUs_-_-_-___--_-----------__-_-------- 33 5. Well in southern Juab Valley, 1935-64 and cumulative departure from the normal annual precipitation (1931-60) at Levan, 1931-63---------____-___- 36 6. Flow during 1963 in Molten Springs Creek and in Ivie Creek below tributary flowing wells._____-__-__-- 38 7. Diagram showing cumulative discharge of the Sevier River_ 43 8. Graph showing approximate ground-water accretion to the Sevier River.______________________________________ 45 9-11. Diagrams showing 9. Change in salinity in the Sevier River, March 7-8, 1963.--__-___________--_-__--_______--_---_-_ 52 10. Sodium and salinity hazard of selected ground- water samples._ ______-______-______---_------ 55 11. Sodium and salinity hazard of selected surface- water samples. _______________________________ 56 TABLES Page TABLE 1. Generalized geologic section and water-bearing properties of the principal formations exposed in the Sevier River basin be­ tween Yuba Dam and Leamington Canyon ________________ 11 2, 3. Approximate discharge of the Sevier River due to grornd- water discharge between Yuba Dam and Leamington Canyon. 44, 45 4. Records of wells and springs in the Sevier River basin between Yuba Dam and Leamington Canyon._____________________ 62 5. Chemical analyses of water from selected wells and spring,? in the Sevier River basin between Yuba Dam and Leamington Canyon.______________________________________________ 70 6. Chemical analyses of water from the Sevier River and tr'bu- taries between Yuba Dam and Leamington Canyon mostly during seepage runs in March and October 1963, and chem ical analyses of water from Chicken Creek___________________ 72 7. Selected drillers' logs of wells in the Sevier River basin between Yuba Dam and Leamington Canyon._____________________ 74 GROUND-WATER* RESOURCES OF THE SEVIER RIVER BASIN BETWEEN YUBA DAM AND LEAMINGTON CAN­ YON UTAH By L. J. BJORKLTTND and G. B. EOBINSON, JR. ABSTRACT The area investigated is a segment of the Sevier River basin, Utah, comprising about 900 square miles and including a 19-mile reach of the Sevier River between Yuba Dam and Leamington Canyon. The larger valleys in the area ar? southern Juab, Round, and Scipio Valleys. The smaller valleys are Mills, Little, Dog, and Tinctic Wash Valleys. The geology of parts of Scipio, Little, and Mills Valleys and parts of the sur­ rounding highlands was mapped and studied to explain the occurrence of numer­ ous sinkholes in the thrW valleys and to show their relation to the large springs in Mills Valley. The sinkholes, which are formed in the alluvium, are alined along faults, which penetrate both the alluvium and the underlying bedrock, and they have been formed by collapse of solution cavities in the underlying bedrock. The bedrock is mostly sandy limestone beds of the upper part of the North Horn Formation and of the Flagstaff Limestone. The numerous faults traversing Scipio Valley in a north-northeasterly direction trend directly toward Molter and Blue Springs in Mills