Groundwater Flow
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Prepared in cooperation with the Nevada Division of Water Resources Hydraulic Characterization of Carbonate-Rock and Basin-Fill Aquifers near Long Canyon, Goshute Valley, Northeastern Nevada Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5021 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey Cover: View looking eastward at the Johnson Springs wetland complex from the Pequop Mountains (left), and Big Spring discharge at Weir 8 (W-08) (right), Goshute Valley, northeastern Nevada. Photographs by Philip M. Gardner, U.S., Geological Survey, October 2017. Hydraulic Characterization of Carbonate-Rock and Basin-Fill Aquifers near Long Canyon, Goshute Valley, Northeastern Nevada By C. Amanda Garcia, Keith J. Halford, Philip M. Gardner, and David W. Smith Prepared in cooperation with the Nevada Division of Water Resources Scientific Investigations Report 2021–5021 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2021 For more information on the USGS—the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment—visit https://www.usgs.gov or call 1–888–ASK–USGS. For an overview of USGS information products, including maps, imagery, and publications, visit https://store.usgs.gov/. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. Although this information product, for the most part, is in the public domain, it also may contain copyrighted materials as noted in the text. Permission to reproduce copyrighted items must be secured from the copyright owner. Suggested citation: Garcia, C.A., Halford, K.J., Gardner, P.M., and Smith, D.W., 2021, Hydraulic characterization of carbonate-rock and basin-fill aquifers near Long Canyon, Goshute Valley, northeastern Nevada: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2021–5021, 99 p., https://doi.org/ 10.3133/ sir20215021. Associated data for this publication: Nelson, N.C., Halford, K.J., and Garcia, C.A., 2021, MODFLOW-2005 and PEST models used to simulate the 2016 carbonate-rock aquifer test and characterize hydraulic properties of carbonate-rock and basin-fill aquifers near Long Canyon, Goshute Valley, northeastern Nevada: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/ P9JI8NQF. Smith, D.W., Garcia, C.A., Halford, K.J., and Gardner, P.M., 2021, Appendixes and supplemental data—Hydraulic characterization of carbonate-rock and basin-fill aquifers near Long Canyon, Goshute Valley, northeastern Nevada, 2011–16: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9P1P7QV. ISSN 2328-0328 (online) iii Acknowledgments The authors gratefully acknowledge Newmont Mining Corporation and SRK Consulting for providing aquifer test data at pumping wells, long-term water-level data at monitoring wells, piezometers, and springs, and the Long Canyon geologic model. The authors gratefully acknowl- edge the efforts of U.S. Geological Survey colleagues Tracie R. Jackson and William G. Eldridge who contributed technical review to improve the accuracy and effectiveness of the report presentation, and Nora Nelson for assisting with documentation of the model archive of the data release. v Contents Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................................................iii Abstract ...........................................................................................................................................................1 Introduction.....................................................................................................................................................2 Purpose and Scope ..............................................................................................................................2 Description of Study Area ...................................................................................................................5 Previous Investigations........................................................................................................................5 Monitoring Network and Data Collection ..................................................................................................6 Hydrogeology..................................................................................................................................................8 Geologic Units ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������8 Carbonate and Clastic Sedimentary Rocks .............................................................................8 Volcanic Rocks ...........................................................................................................................10 Intrusive Rocks ...........................................................................................................................10 Sedimentary and Volcanic Basin-Fill Deposits .....................................................................10 Structural Features .............................................................................................................................10 Groundwater Flow .......................................................................................................................................10 Groundwater Discharge ....................................................................................................................11 Groundwater Recharge .....................................................................................................................14 Groundwater Levels ...........................................................................................................................16 Selected Water Chemistry to Evaluate the Groundwater-Flow System ....................................20 Data Collection Methods ..........................................................................................................25 Assessment of Dissolved Major-Ion and Trace-Element Compositions ..........................25 Estimating Mean Age of Groundwater with Tritium, Helium, and Carbon Isotopes .......29 Evaluating Groundwater Sources with Stable Isotopes and Noble Gas Recharge Temperatures ..............................................................................................35 Groundwater Flow System ................................................................................................................37 Aquifer Testing .............................................................................................................................................42 Single-Well Aquifer Tests ..................................................................................................................42 Multiple-Well Aquifer Test ................................................................................................................44 Seepage Losses and Pumping-Induced Stresses ...............................................................45 Water-Level Models and Drawdown Estimation ..................................................................45 Simplified Pumping, Leakage, and Supplementation Loss Schedules .............................47 Drawdown Observations ..........................................................................................................48 Rise Observations ......................................................................................................................53 Integrated Estimation of Recharge and Hydraulic-Property Distributions with Numerical Models ..........................................................................................................................57 Hydrogeologic Framework ................................................................................................................57 Distributing Hydraulic Properties and Recharge ..........................................................................60 Hydraulic Conductivity ..............................................................................................................61 Specific Yield and Specific Storage .......................................................................................64 Recharge �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������64 Stress-Response Models ..................................................................................................................64 Predevelopment, LC-SS Model ...............................................................................................64 2016 Carbonate-Rock Aquifer Test, LC-MWAT2016 Model �������������������������������������������������66 Calibration ............................................................................................................................................68 vi Measurement Observations ....................................................................................................68 Water Levels in Wells and Spring Pools .......................................................................69 Water-Table Altitude Comparison to Land Surface ....................................................70 Transmissivity Comparisons ............................................................................................70 Annual Volumes of Recharge and Groundwater Discharge .....................................72