STATE OF UTAH DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES Technical Publication No. 63 HYDROLOGY OF THE BEAVER VALLEY AREA, BEAVER COUNTY, UTAH, WITH EMPHASIS ON GROUND WATER by R. W. Mower, Hydrologist U.S. Geological Survey Prepared by the United States Geological Survey in cooperation with the Utah Department of Natural Resources Division of Water Rights 1978 CONTENTS Page U.S. customary-to-metric conversion factors. .......................................... VI Abstract .................................................................. 1 Introduction. ............................................................... 2 Well- and spring-numbering system. ............................................ 2 Physiography and drainage .................................................. 2 Hydrogeology. .......................................................... 4 Climate. .............................................................. 6 Previous investigations. .................................................... 8 Acknowledgments. ....................................................... 9 Water resources. ............................................................. 9 Volume of precipitation. ................................................... 9 Surface water. .......................................................... 11 Ground water. .......................................................... 12 The principal ground-water reservoir. ....................................... 14 Occurrence. ........................................................ 15 Hydraulic properties of the ground-water reservoir. .............................. 15 Recharge. ......................................................... 18 Subsurface inflow from bedrock in the mountains. .......................... 18 Infiltration of seepage from all irrigation sources. ........................... 19 Infiltration from precipitation on the valley plain. .......................... 21 Movement. ........................................................ 22 Water-level fluctuations ................................................ 24 Storage. .......................................................... 27 Discharge. ......................................................... 30 Springs. ...................................................... 30 Evapotranspiration ............................................... 31 Wells. ........................................................ 32 Subsurface outflow. .............................................. 33 Yield of wells. ...................................................... 34 Interference among wells ............................................... 34 Chemical quality of the water ................................................ 36 Public supply. ...................................................... 36 Irrigation. ......................................................... 38 Digital-computer model of the ground-water reservoir .................................... 40 Description of digital-computer model. .......................................... 40 Model calibration ........................................................ 44 Test of model calibration. .................................................. 44 Model sensitivity. ........................................................ 45 Evaluation of the digital model ............................................... 45 Summary and conclusions. ...................................................... 47 Selected references ........................................................... 47 Publications of the Utah Department of Natural Resources, Division of Water Rights. ............... 82 ILLUSTRATIONS [Plates are in pocket) Plate 1. Map of the Beaver Valley area showing hydrogeology, precipitation, direction of ground-water movement, and selec.'pd hydrologic-data sites. 2. Map of Beaver Valley showing phreatophyte and irrigated areas, 1974. :3 Rectangular grid used with the digital-computer model of the ground-water reservoir in Beaver Valley. III ILLUSTRATIONS--Continued Page Figure 1. Diagram showing well- and spring-numbering system used in Utah. ................... 3 2. Graphs showing relation of cumulative departure from the 1935-75 average annual precipitation at Beaver to withdrawals of ground water in Beaver Valley and to discharge of the Beaver River near Beaver. ................................. 7 3. Graph showing monthly variations of precipitation at Beaver, 1935-75. ................ 8 4. Graph showing monthly combined runoff in five Tushar Mountain streams, 1969-74 water years ......................................................... 12 5. Sketch illustrating general location of recharge areas, types of occurrence, location of water table, direction of ground-water movement, and discharge points. ................. 13 6. Map showing transmissivity of the ground-water reservoir as used in the digital-computer model. ........................................................ 17 7. Map of Beaver Valley showing water-level contours, spring 1974. .................... 23 8. Graphs showing water levels in selected wells in Beaver Valley, 1935-76. ............... 25 9. Graphs showing seasonal water-level fluctuations in selected wells in Beaver Valley, 1973-75. ....................................................... 26 10. Map showing thickness of the ground-water reservoir as used in the digital-computer model. .. 28 11. Graph showing approximate amount of water in storage in the principal ground-water reservoir in Beaver Valley and the approximate amount that can be withdrawn with uniform lowering of water levels below the levels of spring 1974 .................. 29 12. Distance-drawdown graphs for the principal ground-water reservoir in Beaver Valley. ....... 35 13. Map of Beaver Valley showing the chemical composition of water from selected wells, springs, and streams and general distribution of quality of ground water as measured by specific conductance, 1946-75 .............................................. 37 14. Graph showing relation of specific conductance to dissolved solids in water in Beaver Valley. 38 15. Graph showing analysis of irrigation water ................................... 39 16. Map showing water-level contours at start of digital-computer model analysis ............ 41 17. Map showing hydraulic conductivity of the ground-water reservoir as used in the digital- computer model .................................................. 43 18. Map showing computed digital-computer model water-level changes, 1949-75. ........... 46 IV TABLES Page Table 1. Hydrogeologic units and their qualitative hydrologic properties ..................... 5 2. Average annual precipitation and annual runoff from drainage basins in Beaver Valley and the contiguous uplands, 1931-60 ....................................... 10 3. Summary of annual runoff in five Tushar Mountain streams near the canyon mouths. ...... 11 4. Estimated average values of hydraulic conductivity of materials described in drillers' logs of wells in Beaver Valley. ............................................ 16 5. Summary of estimated ground-water recharge to the principal ground-water reservoir in Beaver Valley .................................................. 18 6. Summary of water diverted annually for irrigation and amount going to recharge. ......... 20 7. Estimated water content of saturated deposits of the principal ground-water reservoir. ...... 27 8. Summary of the ground-water discharge from the principal ground-water reservoir, 1974 30 9. Summary of areas of consumptive use of water by irrigation and from the ground-water reservoir, 1974 ................................................... 32 10. Approximate interference for hypothetical problem. ............................ 35 11. Records of selected wells. .............................................. 53 12. Records of selected springs ............................................. 54 13. Water levels in selected observation wells .................................... 55 14. Chemical analyses of ground water. ....................................... 74 15. Chemical analyses of surface water. ....................................... 76 16. Estimated withdrawals of ground water, 1934-75. .............................. 78 17. Selected drillers' logs of wells. ........................................... 79 V U.S. CUSTOMARY-TO-METRIC CONVERSION FACTORS Most values are given in this report in U.S. customary units followed by metric units. The conversion factors used are shown to four significant figures. In the text, however, the metric equivalents are shown only to the num­ ber of significant figures consistent with the accuracy of the value in U.S. customary units. U.S. customary Metric !.Loll Abbreviation Unit Abbreviation (Multiply) (by) (to obtain) 2 Acre 0.4047 Square hectometer hm 3 Acre-foot acre-ft .001233 Cubic hectometer hm 2 Acre-foot per square acre-ft/mi2 .0004761 Cubic hectometer per hm3 /km mile square kilometer Cubic foot per second ft3 Is .02832 Cubic meter per second m 3 Is 3 Cubic foot per second (ft3 /sl/mi .01760 Cubic meter per second (m /s)/km per mile per kilometer Foot ft .3048 Meter m Foot per mile ft/mi .1894 Meter per kilometer m/km Gallon per minute gal/min .06309 Liter per second LIs Gallon per minute per (gal/min)/ft .2070 Liter per second per (L/s)/m foot meter Inch in. 25.40 Millimeter mm 2.540 Centimeter cm Mile mi 1.609 Kilometer km Square mile mi 2 2.590 Square kilometer km2 Chemical concentration and water temperature are given only in metric units. Chemical