Hydrology of Park County, Wyoming, Exclusive of Yellowstone National Park
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HYDROLOGY OF PARK COUNTY, WYOMING, EXCLUSIVE OF YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK By Marlin E. Lowry, Myron L. Smalley, and others U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Water-Resources Investigations Report 93-4183 Prepared in cooperation with the WYOMING STATE ENGINEER Cheyenne, Wyoming 1993 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR BRUCE BABBITT, Secretary U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY ROBERT M. HIRSCH, Acting Director For additional information Copies of this report can be write to: purchased from: District Chief U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Geological Survey Earth Science Information Center Water Resources Division Open-File Reports Section 2617 East Lincolnway, Suite B Box 25286, Denver Federal Center Cheyenne, Wyoming 82001-5662 Denver, Colorado 80225 HYDROLOGY OF PARK COUNTY, WYOMING, EXCLUSIVE OF YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK By Marlin E. Lowry, Myron L. Smalley, and others U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Water-Resources Investigations Report 93-4183 Prepared in cooperation with the WYOMING STATE ENGINEER Cheyenne, Wyoming 1993 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR BRUCE BABBITT, Secretary U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY ROBERT M. HIRSCH, Acting Director For additional information Copies of this report can be write to: purchased from: District Chief U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Geological Survey Earth Science Information Center Water Resources Division Open-File Reports Section 2617 East Lincolnway, Suite B Box 25286, Denver Federal Center Cheyenne, Wyoming 82001-5662 Denver, Colorado 80225 CONTENTS Page Abstract................................................................................................................................................................................. 1 Introduction...................................................................................................................................................^ 2 Martin E. Lowry Description of the study area ................................................................................................................................................ 4 K.L. Mora Landforms and drainage.............................................................................................................................................. 4 Climate........................................................................................................................................................................ 6 Legal use of water...........................................................................^ 8 Richard G. Stockdale Ground water...............................................................................^ 10 Marlin E. Lowry Ground-water data....................................................................................................................................................... 10 Occurrence and movement......................................................................................................................................... 12 Unconsolidated deposits .................................................................................................................................. 14 Bedrock............................................................................................................................................................. 16 Availability.....................................................^ 18 Unconsolidated deposits................................................................................................................................... 18 Bedrock.............................................................^ 19 Surface water............................................................................................................................................................^ 22 Surface-water data....................................................................................................................................................... 22 Michael Martin Streamflow characteristics ......................................................................................................................................... 24 Myron L. Smalley Average Flow ................................................................................................................................................... 26 Low Flow .................................................................................................................................................^ 28 Floods.......................................................................................................................................... 30 Chemical quality of water..................................................................................................................................................... 32 Marlin E. Lowry Relation between chemical quality and use................................................................................................................ 32 Domestic use..................................................................................................................................................... 32 Agricultural and industrial use.......................................................................................................................... 34 Ground water.............................................................................................................................................................. 36 Unconsolidated deposits .................................................................................................................................. 36 Bedrock ............................................................................................................................................................ 37 Surface Water.............................................................................................................................................................. 38 Glossary ............................................................................................................................................................................... 40 Selected references....................................................................................................................................................... 42 Supplemental information .................................................................................................................................................... 47 Description of geologic units and potential availability of ground water in Park County, Wyoming ....................... 48 Index of surface-water sites and stations in Park County, Wyoming ......................................................................... 54 Chemical analyses of ground water from selected wells and springs in Park County, Wyoming ............................. 58 PLATE Geologic map of Park County............................................................................................................................................... In pocket CONTENTS III FIGURES Page 1. Index map of Wyoming showing area of this report and other reports in the county series that have been published or are in press, and studies in progress (1993)........................................................................ 3 2. Index map of Wyoming showing areas of reports in the U.S. Geological Survey Hydrologic Investigations Atlas (HA) series ........................................................................................................................... 3 3. Block diagram of landforms and drainage................................................................................................................ 5 4. Map showing general climate classification ............................................................................................................. 7 5. Map showing average annual precipitation .............................................................................................................. 7 6. Application form for State permit to appropriate ground water............................................................................... 9 7. Map showing location of ground-water sites............................................................................................................ 11 8. Diagrams showing how water occurs in rocks.......................................................................................................... 13 9. Generalized distribution of unconsolidated deposits................................................................................................ 15 10. Potentiometric-surface map of the Tensleep Sandstone............................................................................................ 17 11. Map showing generalized distribution of bedrock.................................................................................................... 20 12. Generalized section A-A' showing faulting.............................................................................................................. 21 13. Map showing location of surface-water data collection sites................................................................................... 23 14. Flow-duration curves for South Fork Shoshone River near Valley and Fifteenmile Creek near Worland....................................................:................................................................................................... 25 15. Flow-duration curves for Wood River at Sunshine and Greybull River at Meeteetse.............................................