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Flooding in the Amargosa River Drainage Basin, February 23-24

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Flooding in the Amargosa River Drainage Basin, February 23-24 Flooding in the Amargosa River Drainage Basin, February 23–24, 1998, Southern Nevada and Eastern California, including the Nevada Test Site Introduction Downstream from Alkali Flat, in the southern reach, the Amargosa The Amargosa River drainage basin is about 100 miles northwest River channel generally is well defined from Eagle Mountain to of Las Vegas, Nev., and includes part of the Nevada Test Site (NTS). Dumont Sand Dunes, Calif. Upstream from Dumont Sand Dunes, During February 23–24, 1998, a regional storm produced 1.10–2.81 small thermal springs near Shoshone and Tecopa, Calif., contribute inches of measured precipitation, which resulted in minor flooding flow to the Amargosa River. Springs also add to river flow in the throughout the Amargosa River drainage basin. Streamflow from this canyon reach between Tecopa and Dumont Sand Dunes. Downstream storm was largely derived from four tributaries: Topopah, Fortymile, from Dumont Sand Dunes, the Amargosa River flows through and Beatty Washes, which originate on NTS, and Carson Slough, southern Death Valley to its terminus at the Badwater Basin salt pan. which drains the Ash Meadows area downstream from NTS (Fig. 1). Streamflow from these tributaries caused the Amargosa River to flow February 1998 Storm and Streamflow continuously from its headwaters on Pahute Mesa to its terminus in Precipitation monitoring sites operated by the National Weather Death Valley (Fig. 1). Service (NWS), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and National Oceanic U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) personnel estimated peak Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recorded 29 to 54 percent of streamflows at more than 30 locations and compiled precipitation total February precipitation from a regional storm system within 48 measurements within the Amargosa River drainage basin to hours beginning the morning of February 23, 1998 (Table 1). USGS characterize the February 23–24, 1998, flooding (Tables 1 and 2). personnel at NTS reported streamflow in small washes, such as Split The data collected are compared with similar data from the March and Pagany (which partly drain the eastern slope of Yucca Mountain), 10–11, 1995, flooding of the Amargosa River. Cumulative streamflow during the morning of February 23 (Fig. 1). By mid-afternoon, Yucca, volumes for the 1995 and 1998 storm runoffs cannot be compared Topopah, and Fortymile Washes also were reported flowing. Fortymile because most of the streamflow gaging stations operated in 1995 were Wash was flowing over roads on NTS near Yucca Mountain (Daniel discontinued prior to the 1998 flood. Soeder, U.S. Geological Survey, written commun., 1998). Peak The USGS, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy, streamflow estimates for Fortymile and Topopah Washes (Table 2) and monitors streamflow in southern Nevada and eastern California downstream field observations indicate those streams flowed from through a network of streamflow gaging stations and streamflow NTS and joined the Amargosa River. On the basis of field observations measurements at miscellaneous sites. Data provided by this network and data collected from continuous surface-water monitoring sites, are being used to help with the characterization of Yucca Mountain, streamflow durations generally ranged from 12 to 36 hours and varied near NTS, as a potential repository for long-term storage of the according to tributary subbasin sizes. Channel erosion by streamflow Nation’s high-level nuclear waste. Major questions arising from the was considered minimal in the large tributaries of Fortymile, Topopah, Yucca Mountain site-characterization studies are whether, under the and Beatty Washes, but was more severe in some smaller tributaries present climatic regime, Fortymile Wash is capable of flowing to the such as Pagany, Yucca, Split, and Dune Washes. Roads within these Amargosa River, and whether Amargosa River is similarly capable small drainages were nearly impassable because of erosion. of flowing from its source to Death Valley. The Amargosa River Basin includes 5,500 mi2 (Grasso, 1996, table 1) of rugged arid terrain in southwestern Nevada and south- eastern California (Fig. 1). Basin relief is approximately 8,000 feet, ranging from about 7,700 feet above sea level at Pahute Mesa, Nev., to about 300 feet below sea level at Badwater Basin in Death Valley, Calif. The river basin is sparsely populated and includes small rural communities, mining operations, agricultural areas, Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Death Valley National Park, and government research facilities at NTS. The Amargosa River is atypical of most North American rivers because it seldom flows; runoff is infrequent because much of the basin receives less than 6 in/yr of precipitation (Hardman, 1965). The river is normally dry except for several short reaches that flow seasonally and are fed by springs. The major tributaries to the northern reach of the Amargosa River are Thirsty Canyon wash and Beatty Wash, which drain the northwestern part of NTS (Fig. 1). Major tributaries to the central reach of the Amargosa River are Fortymile Wash, Topopah Wash, and Carson Slough (Fig. 1). Fortymile Wash drains the southern part of Pahute Mesa, the western part of Jackass Geological Survey Nylund, U.S. E. Walter Flats, and the eastern slopes of Yucca Mountain. Topopah Wash drains Carson Slough, State Line Road near Death Valley Junction, California, the eastern part of Jackass Flats. Carson Slough, near Death Valley looking north, February 25, 1998. Junction, is a network of shallow incised channels that drain the Ash Meadows area. U.S. Department of the Interior USGS Fact Sheet 036–01 U.S. Geological Survey April 2001 117°00' 116°00' Nevada Test Site B ash NEVADA tty W BeattyBea Wash Pahute Mesa Paahh Y Canyon u ccac c a 6 Area of Las Vegas Yucca 7,8 map ash Pagany Wash h W Waashsh 9 s Drillhole Wash Delirium a e w d n a Canyon o kkad Split Wash 10 y c 12 n East Cat o a t C Canyon StoS 13 14 1111 y C h 95 st 15 s r r a i a Oasis Valley B t 16 h ere W T r 17 s t h 18 a a ° l p 37 00' FlaF 4 y W h F o t as Crater MtnM A ttyt h s l 19 nnopah a a asa s o e t o t i s T BeB W Flat n r n a a 20 o kassk Flats D t 1 i 6 l y c n e o e a l a l J i 7,7,88 SolitaS i 25 Beatty CaC Dune 2 9 m Waashsh ty r BareB Mtn 12 10 o a W F re 13 14 1111 ash h M 15 s 374 tn 16 asa 17 18 W C 4 19 20 27,28 D Cane NEN CALIFORNC E 25 Springs A V AmaA m h L A AmargosaA Dese e l a I a m i F D r p gosag a opaho O A o milem y r y p lle R s g t Valla o N a o r ock s o T RoR E M IAIA a 5 F eercu 21 rc F D Valla u Mercury e 26 SpS l r s p le y e eccter R y G r te 3 t r R RiverR aan i Amargosa ngge v e e r H Valley FuneF 95 u n e 22 29 rala Mountains l M o Ash Meadows 36°30' u n National Wildlife L ta AshA Refuge in s Furnace s h 373 Mead Creek h I g ughu M o e l a S d D o 160 23 wws eathe n s a oon S t s h r 190 a B CaC State e 24 lle EXPLANATION Line Road V ista J Badwater Death Valley Alkali Junction Ro Amargosa River drainage basin Flat ad Basin 127 Eagle boundary BlaB Paahhruumpmp l a Mtn c 30 k Mountains 372 Nevada Test Site boundary AmaA M m 178 o a V u r alla n ggosa t o Direction of stream flow l l a e s i a y n s 1 Streamflow measurement site ChicagoC and number (table 2) h i ° c 36 00' a g A K o Precipitation measurement site Shoshone V aall l and identifier (table 1) l e 178 y AmaA ma rggosa 31 os a RiverR Tecopa i v e r RiverR iv Sperry er Hills 127 32 Dumont Sand Dunes 0 20 MILES SiluSilur iianan V aalllley 0 20 KILOMETERS Base from U. S. Geological Survey digital data, 1:100,000, 1978-85: Universal Transverse Mercator Projection, Zone 11. Shaded-relief base from 1:24,000-scale Digital Elevation Model; sun illumination from northwest at 30 degrees above horizon Figure 1. Geographic setting and flow paths of the Amargosa River drainage basin during the February 23–24, 1998, flood. Field observations off NTS indicated that Amargosa River flow Thereby, infiltration losses from the late-February storm were lasted for several days near Eagle Mountain and southward near reduced. Flows over roads were observed where U.S. Highway 95 Dumont Sand Dunes (Fig. 1). Although not quantifiable because of crosses Fortymile Wash, in the Amargosa Farms, State Line Road multiple, poorly confined channels, field observations indicated that area, and at several river crossings on California State Highway 127. runoff from the Ash Meadows area contributed substantial streamflow The combined result of widespread and prolonged storm runoff (through Carson Slough) to the central reach of the Amargosa River. throughout the Amargosa River Basin was persistent streamflow that Prolonged runoff from Ash Meadows probably was amplified because contributed to the formation of a small lake on the normally dry and precipitation prior to late February recharged the soil mantle.
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