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Groundwater and Surface-Water Resources in the Bureau of Land

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Groundwater and Surface-Water Resources in the Bureau of Land Prepared in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management Groundwater and Surface-Water Resources in the Bureau of Land Management Moab Master Leasing Plan Area and Adjacent Areas, Grand and San Juan Counties, Utah, and Mesa and Montrose Counties, Colorado Open-File Report 2014-1062 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey Cover photo: Large photo, looking west from Green River Overlook, Canyonlands National Park Island in the Sky District, April 2013. Small photo, looking south from Wooden Shoe Arch Overlook, Canyonlands National Park Needles District, April 2013. Groundwater and Surface-Water Resources in the Bureau of Land Management Moab Master Leasing Plan Area and Adjacent Areas, Grand and San Juan Counties, Utah, and Mesa and Montrose Counties, Colorado By Melissa D. Masbruch and Christopher L. Shope Prepared in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management Open-File Report 2014–1062 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Department of the Interior SALLY JEWELL, Secretary U.S. Geological Survey Suzette M. Kimball, Acting Director U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2014 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 http://www.usgs.gov or call 1–888–ASK–USGS. For an overview of USGS information products, including maps, imagery, and publications, visit http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod. To order this and other USGS information products, visit http://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: Masbruch, M.D., and Shope, C.L., 2014, Groundwater and surface-water resources in the Bureau of Land Manage- ment Moab Master Leasing Plan area and adjacent areas, Grand and San Juan Counties, Utah, and Mesa and Mon-trose Counties, Colorado: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2014-1062, 85 p. http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/ ofr20141062. ISSN 2331-1258 iii Contents Abstract ...........................................................................................................................................................1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................2 Purpose and Scope ..............................................................................................................................2 General Description of the Study Area .............................................................................................2 Previous Investigations .......................................................................................................................4 Geology ...........................................................................................................................................................5 Hydrogeologic Characterization .................................................................................................................6 Unconsolidated Aquifers .....................................................................................................................8 Mesaverde Aquifer ...............................................................................................................................8 Mancos Confining Unit ........................................................................................................................9 Dakota Aquifer.......................................................................................................................................9 Brushy Basin Confining Unit ...............................................................................................................9 Morrison Aquifer ...................................................................................................................................9 Tidwell-Summerville Confining Unit ................................................................................................10 Entrada Aquifer ...................................................................................................................................10 Dewey Bridge Confining Unit ...........................................................................................................11 Glen Canyon Group Aquifer ..............................................................................................................11 Lower Mesozoic Confining Unit .......................................................................................................12 Cutler Formation Aquifer ...................................................................................................................12 Upper Paleozoic Confining Unit .......................................................................................................12 Lower Paleozoic Aquifer System .....................................................................................................13 Surface-Water Resources .........................................................................................................................13 Perennial Streams and Rivers ..........................................................................................................13 Ephemeral or Intermittent Streams ................................................................................................15 Surface-Water Data ...........................................................................................................................15 Daily Streamflow Statistics .....................................................................................................15 General Streamflow Classification ................................................................................24 Surface-Water Quality .......................................................................................................................26 Groundwater .................................................................................................................................................30 Springs .................................................................................................................................................30 Wells ..................................................................................................................................................30 Water Levels ..............................................................................................................................30 Potential Recharge Areas .................................................................................................................69 Groundwater Budget .........................................................................................................................69 Recharge .....................................................................................................................................69 Direct Infiltration of Precipitation ..................................................................................73 Seepage From Streams and Irrigation Water .............................................................73 Subsurface Inflow ...........................................................................................................73 Discharge ....................................................................................................................................74 Seepage to Streams .........................................................................................................74 Evapotranspiration ...........................................................................................................74 Springs and Seeps ...........................................................................................................74 iv Well Withdrawals and Groundwater Use ....................................................................75 Subsurface Outflow .........................................................................................................75 Groundwater Quality .........................................................................................................................77 Lower Paleozoic Aquifer System ............................................................................................77 Cutler Formation Aquifer ..........................................................................................................77 Glen Canyon Group Aquifer .....................................................................................................79 Entrada Aquifer ..........................................................................................................................79 Morrison Aquifer ........................................................................................................................79 Dakota Aquifer ...........................................................................................................................79 Mesaverde Aquifer ...................................................................................................................79 Unconsolidated Aquifers ..........................................................................................................79
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