U3?-.i\RY COPY U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WBD ROLLA, MJSSOURl . '- - Hydrology and Geochemistry of Abert, Summer, and Goose Lakes, and Other Closed-Basin Lakes in South-Central Oregon GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 502-B Hydrology and Geochemistry of Abert, Summer, and Goose Lakes, and Other Closed-Basin Lakes in South-Central Oregon By KENNETH N. PHILLIPS and A. S. VAN DENBURGH CLOSED-BASIN INVESTIGATIONS GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 502-B A description of several broad, shallow lakes of differing salinity, and an evaluation of factors affecting their hydrologic and chemical character U.s. G. S. WATER RESOURCES DIVISION . ROLLA. MO, RECEIVED dAN 181912. AM PM 7 ,s,9,10,llil2L 1,2,s,,, o t8 UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1971 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR ROGERS C. B. MORTON, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY W. A. Radlinski, Acting Director Library of Congress catalog-card No. 78-610410 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402- Price $1.75 (paper cover) CONTENTS Page Pa1e Goose Lake __________________________________________ _ Abstract---------------------------------------------- B1 Bi''l Area, volume, and lake-level fluctuations _____________ _ 31 Introduction _________________________________________ _ 3 Water supply _______________________ -------- ______ _ 32 Location of study area ____________________________ _ 3 33 Purpose and scope of report ________________________ _ 3 Water loss---------------------------------------- Water budget for the lake__________________________ _ 33 Acknowledgnaents _________________________________ _ 3 Geochemistry _____________________________________ _ 34 General features of the lakes and their basins _____________ _ 3 Reconnaissance of several other closed-basin lakes _________ _ Physiographic and geologic setting __________________ _ 3 37 Area, volume, and lake-level fluctuations _____________ _ 37 Climate ________________ - ______ ---_- __ ------------- 4 Water supply_____________________________________ _ Inflow to the lakes ____________________________ ----_ 38 5 Water loss _______________________________________ _ Outflow from the lakes ____________________________ _ 39 6 Geochemistry _____________________________________ _ Water-level fluctuations ____________________________ _ 6 40 Chemical characteristics ___________________________ _ 6 Geochemical trends and processes _______ ----- ___________ _ 42 Effects of man's activities __________________________ _ 8 Major constituents and properties ___________________ _ 42 Lake Abert __________________________________________ _ Minor constituents ________________________________ _ 9 47 Trace elements ___________________________________ _ Area, volume, and lake-level fluctuations _____________ _ 9 52 Water supply_____________________________________ _ 12 Location system ____________________________ ---- ____ --- 53 Water loss _______________________________________ _ 13 Water budget for the lake __________________________ _ 15 Records of lake-surface altitude _________________________ _ 53 Geochemistry ____________________________________ _ 17 Chemical analyses ____________________________________ _ 53 Summer Lake ________________________________________ _ 24 Methods of analysis _______________________________ _ 53 Area, volume, and lake-level fluctuations _____________ _ 24 Accuracy of analytical results _______________________ _ 55 Water supply_____________________________________ _ 24 Tables of chemical analyses. _______________________ _ 56 Water loss _______________________________________ _ 26 References ___________________________________________ _ 56 Water budget for the lake __________________________ _ 26 Index ________________________________________________ _ Geochemistry _____________________________________ _ 27 83 ILLUSTRATIONS Pagt' PLATE 1. Map of Lake Abert, Summer Lake, and vicinity, south-central Oregon, showing basin boundaries, inferred extent of pluvial Lake Chewaucan, and location of stream-gaging, lake-level-measuring, and chemical-quality-sampling sites-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------In pocket 2. Map of Lake Abert and vicinity, south-central Oregon, showing sample-collection sites for chemical analysis and repre- sentative water-quality data from the lake survey in 1959------------------------------------------------In pocket FIGURE 1. Index map showing location of lakes discussed·--------------------------------------------------------------- 1'4: 2. Diagram showing relative abundance of major dissolved constituents of the lakes and their tributaries ____ ---_------ 7 3. Graph showing relation between dissolved-solids concentration and stage of a lake that occasionally overflows_------- 8 4. Photograph showing southward view from the east shore of Lake Abert__________________________________________ 9 5. Map showing lakebed contours of Lake Abert·---------------------------------------------------------------- 10 6. Hydrograph showing seasonal variations in stage of Lake Abert, 195Q-63 _______________________________ ---------- 11 7-9. Photographs of Lake Abert showing: 7. Maximum level attained by lake in June 1958, and stump of drowned tree________________________________ 11 8. Beach line at an altitude of 4,269.7 feet near lake gage_________________________________________________ 12 9. Anchored instrument raft __________________________________________________ ---_-----_____ ----------- 14 III IV CONTENTS Page FIGURE 10. Graph showing relation between the fall in stage and the product utle at Lake Abert, 1962_ _ ___ ___ __ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ __ __ _ B15 11. Graph showing relation between annual flow of Chewaucan River near Paisley and computed inflow to Lake Abert, water years 1951-62----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15 12. Bar graph showing annual flow of Chewaucan River near Paisley and computed inflow to Lake Abert, water years 1913-63---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16 13. Hydrograph showing computed and observed stages of Lake Abert, 1915-63 ______________ - __ - _ __ __ __ _ _ __ _ _ __ __ __ _ 17 14-18. Graphs showing: 14. Relation between dissolved-solids concentration and stage of Lake Abert, 1958-62_________________________ 18 15. Seasonal variations of dissolved-solids concentration, temperature, silica, and orthophosphate in Lake Abert, 1961-63______________________________________________________________________________________ 19 16. Dissolved-solids concentration versus discharge of Chewaucan River near Valley Falls____________________ 21 17. Relation between dissolved-solids concentration and silica, sodium, and chloride in Chewaucan River near ValleyFa11s----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 22 18. Relation between dissolved-solids concentration and amounts of calcium and magnesium in Chewaucan Piver nearValleyFalls______________________________________________________________________________ 23 19. Hydrograph of seasonal variations in stage of Summer Lake, 1959-62------------------------------------------~- 25 20. Graph showing cycle of dissolved-solids concentration and stage of Summer Lake, June 1961-June 1962______________ 27 21. Schematic diagram of hypothetical relation between lake volume and dissolved-solids tonnage in Summer Lake, June 1961-June 1962--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 27 22. Graph showing relation between dissolved-solids concentration and stage of Summer Lake, 1912, 1959, and par~s of 1961 and 1962---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 28 23. Photograph showing clouds of alkali dust rising from surface of dry Summer Lake playa _______ ~ _______________ - ... -- 28 24. Graph showing seasonal changes in dissolved-solids concentration, temperature, silica, and orthophosphate in Summer Lake, 1961-62 __________________________________________________________________________________ ---- -}- 29 25. Map showing lakebed contours of Goose Lake---------------------------------------------------------------.- 31 26. Hydrograph of seasonal variations in stage of Goose Lake, 1958-62---------------------------------------------~ 32 27. Graph showing relation between dissolved-solids concentration and stage of Goose Lake, 1912 and 1953-62__________ 34 28. Graph showing seasonal changes in dissolved-solids concentration, temperature, silica, and orthophosphate in Goose Lake, 1961-62---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 36 29. Graph showing relation between seasonal flow of Silver Creek and computed inflow to Silver Lake ______________ ---- 39 30-34. Graphs showing relation between dissolved-solids concentration and: 30. Stage of Silver Lake, 1959-61, with and without solute loss_____________________________________________ 41 31. Sodium to potassium ratio in surface waters _______________________________________________ - __ -------- 43 32. Distribution of major anions in surface waters ____________________________________ --------------------- 44 33. Carbonate to bicarbonate ratio and pH in lakes ________________________________________ - _- _- _- - ------- 46 34. Relative amounts of silica in surface waters___________________________________________________________ 48 35. Graph showing seasonal variations of