HYDROLOGY AND WATER QUALITY OF THE BEAVER DAM WASH AREA, WASHINGTON COUNTY, UTAH, LINCOLN COUNTY, NEVADA, AND MOHAVE COUNTY, ARIZONA By Walter F. Holmes, George E. Pyper, Joseph S. Gates, Donald H. Schaefer, and Kidd M. Waddell U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Water-Resources Investigations Report 97-4193 Prepared in cooperation with the UTAH DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES, DIVISION OF WATER RESOURCES; NEVADA DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES; ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES; and BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT Salt Lake City, Utah 1997 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR BRUCE BABBITT, Secretary U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Mark Schaefer, Acting Director The use of trade, product, industry, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. For additional information write to: Copies of this report can be purchased from: District Chief U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Geological Survey Branch of Information Services Room 1016 Administration Building Box 25286 1745 West 1700 South Denver Federal Center Salt Lake City, Utah 84104 Denver, Colorado 80225 CONTENTS Abstract............................................................................................................................................................ 1 Introduction..........................................................................._^ 1 Purpose and scope.................................................................................................................................. 3 Methods of investigation ....................................................................................................................... 3 Responsibilities and acknowledgments................................................................................................. 7 Geology and geohydrologic units.................................................................................................................... 7 Regional geology and structure ............................................................................................................. 7 Precambrian rocks.................................................................................................................................. 10 Paleozoic rocks, mostly carbonate......................................................................................................... 10 Paleozoic noncarbonate rocks................................................................................................................ 10 Mesozoic rocks, other than Navajo Sandstone...................................................................................... 10 Navajo Sandstone.................................................................................................................................. 10 Tertiary volcanic rocks........................................................................................................................... 11 Unconsolidated and semiconsolidated Quaternary-Tertiary basin-fill deposits.................................... 11 Horse Spring Formation.............................................................................................................. 11 Muddy Creek Formation............................................................................................................. 12 Post-Muddy Creek Tertiary gravels and Quaternary alluvial-fan and tufa deposits................... 13 Quaternary alluvial channel-fill deposits..................................................................................... 17 Surface-water hydrology.................................................................................................................................. 17 Precipitation........................................................................................................................................... 17 Streamflow ............................................................................................................................................ 17 Losing and gaining reaches of Beaver Dam Wash ................................................................................ 19 Estimates of average discharge for selected sites on Beaver Dam Wash .............................................. 19 Beaver Dam Wash at Enterprise, Utah (site SO)......................................................................... 23 Beaver Dam Wash at Motoqua, Utah (site Sll).......................................................................... 23 Beaver Dam Wash at mouth, Arizona (site S32)......................................................................... 23 Net gain in base flow between sites S29 and S32............................................................. 26 Historical trend in base flow at Beaver Dam Wash at mouth (site S32)........................... 26 Net loss between Beaver Dam Wash at Motoqua, Utah (site Sll) and Beaver Dam Wash at mouth (site S32)...................................................................................................... 26 Flood characteristics.............................................................................................................................. 27 Ground-water hydrology.................................................................................................................................. 27 Consolidated rocks................................................................................................................................. 27 Recharge...................................................................................................................................... 27 Movement.................................................................................................................................... 29 Discharge..................................................................................................................................... 30 Unconsolidated and semiconsolidated Quaternary-Tertiary basin-fill deposits .................................... 30 Alluvial channel-fill deposits...................................................................................................... 30 Recharge........................................................................................................................... 31 Movement......................................................................................................................... 34 Water-level fluctuations.................................................................................................... 34 Storage.............................................................................................................................. 34 Discharge.......................................................................................................................... 36 Post-Muddy Creek Tertiary gravels and Quaternary alluvial-fan and tufa deposits................... 37 Muddy Creek Formation.... ........................................................................................................ 38 Recharge........................................................................................................................... 38 Movement......................................................................................................................... 39 Water-level fluctuations.................................................................................................... 39 iii Storage.............................................................................................................................. 40 Discharge.......................................................................................................................... 40 Hydrologic properties.................................................................................................................. 40 Water quality.................................................................................................................................................... 40 Ground water......................................................................................................................................... 40 Streams................................................................................................................................................... 43 Beaver Dam Wash....................................................................................................................... 43 Virgin River................................................................................................................................ 46 Summary.......................................................................................................................................................... 46 References cited............................................................................................................................................... 48 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION GEOPHYSICAL SURVEYS.................................................................. 50 Resistivity....................................................... 50 Description of resistivity survey and location of profiles and soundings.............................................. 50 Hydrogeologic interpretation of resistivity data.................................................................................... 51 Resistivity profiles.....................................................................................................................