Prepared in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation Water Budgets of the Walker River Basin and Walker Lake, California and Nevada Evaporation ET by other than ET by other than riparian vegetation riparian vegetation Evaporation Precipitation Riparian, Diversions Diversions Local other ET Riparian ET Precipitation Pumpage Riparian and runoff saltcedar ET Return Pumpage flow Pumpage Walker River inflow Weber Walker River outflow Reservoir Walker Lake Subsurface Stream Recharge discharge infiltration Subsurface Stream Induced discharge infiltration recharge Induced recharge Subsurface Subsurface inflow flow Subsurface outflow to Wabuska lineament Subsurface outflow to Double Spring Wabuska–Schurz Reach Schurz–Lake Reach Walker Lake Reach Scientific Investigations Report 2009–5157 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey Cover: Photographs from left to right: Left: Alfalfa field in Antelope Valley, Nevada and California, with the Sweetwater Range in the background, May 31, 2006. Middle: Sacks filled with onions during the 2006 autumn harvest, Pete Hendrichs Road, Mason Valley, Nevada, October 13, 2006. Right: View from Walker Lake looking southwest at Mount Grant, Nevada, February 28, 2005. (Photographs taken by Thomas J. Lopes, U.S. Geological Survey.) Diagram: Water budget components for the lower Walker River basin, Nevada. The length of the arrow indicates the relative amount of flow. The Walker Lake reach includes surrounding riparian and phreatophytic vegetation and the town of Walker Lake. Water Budgets of the Walker River Basin and Walker Lake, California and Nevada By Thomas J. Lopes and Kip K. Allander Prepared in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation Scientific Investigations Report 2009–5157 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Department of the Interior KEN SALAZAR, Secretary U.S. Geological Survey Suzette M. Kimball, Acting Director U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2009 For more information on the USGS—the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment, visit http://www.usgs.gov or call 1-888-ASK-USGS For an overview of USGS information products, including maps, imagery, and publications, visit http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod To order this and other USGS information products, visit http://store.usgs.gov Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. Although this report is in the public domain, permission must be secured from the individual copyright owners to reproduce any copyrighted materials contained within this report. Suggested citation: Lopes, T.J., and Allander, K.K., 2009, Water budgets of the Walker River basin and Walker Lake, California and Nevada: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2009–5157, 44 p. iii Contents Abstract ...........................................................................................................................................................1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................2 Purpose and Scope ..............................................................................................................................2 Description of the Walker River Basin ..............................................................................................2 Physiography ................................................................................................................................6 Climate ...........................................................................................................................................9 Native, Invasive, and Agricultural Vegetation ........................................................................9 Population ...................................................................................................................................11 Previous Investigations......................................................................................................................11 Methods.........................................................................................................................................................13 Precipitation Normals ........................................................................................................................13 Streamflow Normals at Gaging Stations ........................................................................................15 Streamflow Normals at Ungaged Drainages .................................................................................19 Correction to Evapotranspiration Rates ..........................................................................................23 Upper Walker River Basin Surface-Water Budgets ................................................................................................................25 Antelope Valley ...................................................................................................................................25 Smith Valley .........................................................................................................................................26 Bridgeport Valley ................................................................................................................................27 East Fork of the Walker River ...........................................................................................................28 Mason Valley .......................................................................................................................................28 Lower Walker River Basin Water Budgets ................................................................................................................................28 Wabuska to Schurz Reach ................................................................................................................30 Overall Water Budget ...............................................................................................................30 Groundwater Budget .................................................................................................................34 Schurz to Walker Lake Reach ..........................................................................................................35 Overall Water Budget ...............................................................................................................35 Groundwater Budget .................................................................................................................37 Walker Lake .........................................................................................................................................38 Summary........................................................................................................................................................41 Acknowledgments .......................................................................................................................................42 References Cited..........................................................................................................................................42 iv Figures Figure 1. Map showing locations of selected features in the Walker River basin, California and Nevada …………………………………………………………… 3 Figure 2. Photograph showing view looking north from the southwestern end of Walker Lake, Nevada …………………………………………………………… 4 Figure 3. Graph showing lake-surface altitude and dissolved-solids concentrations of Walker Lake, Nevada, from 1882 through September 30, 2008 …………………… 4 Figure 4. Photograph showing vew looking upstream and southwest at the streamflow-gaging station Walker River near Wabuska, Nevada. ……………… 5 Figure 5. Photograph showing Bridgeport Valley, California, looking south from Highway 395 towards the Twin Lakes area and 12,000-foot peaks of the Sierra Nevada. …………………………………………………………………… 5 Figure 6. Photograph showing riparian vegetation along the Walker River between the Wabuska gage and Weber Reservoir, Nevada …………………………………… 6 Figure 7. Photograph showing vew looking south at Walker Lake from the mouth of the Walker River, Nevada ………………………………………………………… 7 Figure 8. Photograph showing view from northeastern Smith Valley looking southwest towards Artesia Lake and the Pine Nut Range, Nevada ………………………… 7 Figure 9. Photograph showing view from Walker Lake looking southwest at Mount Grant, Nevada …………………………………………………………………… 8 Figure 10. Photograph showing view from Walker Lake looking east at a thunderstorm over the Gillis Range, Nevada …………………………………………………… 8 Figure 11. Map showing distribution of 88,600 acres of irrigated land in the Walker River basin, California and Nevada, during the 2000 growing season …………… 10 Figure 12. Map showing distribution of precipitation in the Walker River basin, California and Nevada …………………………………………………………… 14 Figure 13. Map showing locations of stream gages in the Walker River basin, California and Nevada ……………………………………………………………………… 16 Figure 14. Map and table showing locations of drainages in California and Nevada that were used to estimate runoff from ungaged drainages in the Walker River basin ……………………………………………………………………………… 20 Figure 15. Graphs showing predicted compared to observed 1971–2000 streamflow normals and constrained regressions compared to observed