Utah State University DigitalCommons@USU Reports Utah Water Research Laboratory January 1968 A Conceptual Model of the San Pitch River Basin James D. Ballif Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/water_rep Part of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons, and the Water Resource Management Commons Recommended Citation Ballif, James D., "A Conceptual Model of the San Pitch River Basin" (1968). Reports. Paper 614. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/water_rep/614 This Report is brought to you for free and open access by the Utah Water Research Laboratory at DigitalCommons@USU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Reports by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@USU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ~/777, .. CfqqJy- A CONCEPTUAL MODEL OF THE SAN PITCH RIVER BASIN By Jame s D. Ballif UTi\H STA TE UNIVERSITY Logan, Utah 1968 A CONCEPTUA L MODEL OF THE SAN PITCH RIVER BASIN by James Douglas Banif A report submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE in Civil Engineering Plan B Approved: l'v1ajor Professor ~/LJ£~-,- Hea.d of Department UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY Logan, Utah 1968 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Acknowledgments and sincere apprec iation are extended to each of those who have contributed to this report, especially the following: James H. Milligan, committee member, supervised the research and is to be especially thanked for his interest and encouragement at all stages of the work. He gave generously of his time and assistance when help was needed. Dr. Calvin G. Clyde, committee chairman, and Professor Joel E, Fletcher, committee member, gave helpful assistance, valuable suggestions, and reviewed the manuscript, Thanks is extended to my famil y for their encouragement and as s istance. The research was done and financial assistance received through a research as s istantship at Utah Water Research Laboratory under a matching fund grant (B- 013 - UT AH) supported by the Office of Water Resources Research of the U. S. Department of the Tnte ;01', the Division of Water Resources of the State of Utah, and by Utah State Univers ity. James Douglas Bal1if ii T ABLE OF CONTENTS Page lNTRODUCTION 1 General 1 Previous studies 1 TOPOGRAPHY 3 GEOLOGY 5 General 5 Jurassic system (bedrocks) 6 Cretaceous system 6 Tertiary system 7 Igneous rock 8 Valley sits 8 HYDROLOGIC DATA 11 Climatological data 11 Runoff data 11 Snow courses data 12 Chemical quality 12 Water rights 13 SURFACE WATER 15 Flow of streams 15 Irr ation 16 Surface storage 17 Existing storage 1 7 Possible future storage ] 8 GROUNDWATER, 19 Occurrence. 19 Present development 21 S yield 23 Future development 24 iii T ABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) Page COST EVALUATIONS 26 Introduction 26 Pumping 26 Artificial recharge 29 Surface storage 29 CONCEPTUAL MODEL 31 General 31 Linear programming model. 32 Probability dens ity coefficients 40 CONCL USIONS 52 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY 54 APPENDICES 56 Appendix A. Figures 57 Appendix B. Tables 68 Appendix C. Plates 86 ·, Appendix D. Correspondence 9 J VITA 98 iv LIST OF FIGUR Figure Page I Schematic diagram of Sanpete model 33 2 Probability density coefficient vs. corresponding flow level 42 3 Pumping costs vs. pumping lift 58 4 Discharge of Twin Creek vSo dis rge of Ephraim Creek 59 5 Discharge of Pleasant Creek vs. average of discharge of Twin and Ephraim Creeks 60 6 Discharge of Big Springs vs. av. of discharge of Twin, Pleasant, and Ephraim Creeks. 61 7 Safe yield by Hill method 62 8 Map of Sanpete Valley 63 9 Map of Sanpete Valley showing water-level contours, March 1965 64 10 Map of Sanpete Valley showing change of water levels, March 1965 to March 1966 65 II Hydrographs showing relation of water levels in three wells in the Sanpete Valley to cumulative departure from the 1931 -1960 normal annual precipitation at Manti 66 12 Structural section of Sanpete Valley 67 v LIST OF BLES Table Page 1 Possible reservoir sites 18 2 Costs of possible surface storage sites 30 3 Description of schematic items 34 4 Twin Creek probability density coefficients 43 5 Pleasant Creek probability density coefficients 43 6 Ephraim Creek probability density coefficients 44 7 Big Springs probability density coefficients . 8 Stream flow for NREA in ac. 46 9 NREA and its components 46 10 NREA probability density coefficients 47 11 NREB and its components 48 12 NREB probability density coefficients 49 13 Probability density coefficients for stochastic inputs 50 14 Twin Creek annual runoff 69 15 Pleasant C annual runoff 70 16 Ephraim Creek annual runoff 71 17 Big s annual stream flow 72 18 Summary of available climatic data 73 19 Summary of available stream gaging data 75 20 Irrigation and canal companies (Ag. Sta. , E. C. 331) . 77 vi LIST OF TABLES (Continued) Table Page 21 SUITlITlary of snow courses 84 22 Wells in Sanpete County (State of Utah, 1958) 85 vii LIST OF PLA TES Plate Page I Topographical and area map of San Pitch River Basin showing potential reservoir sites . 87 II Precipitation isohyetal map of Utah 88 III Hydrologic data network in Utah 89 IV Map of snow course and precipitation stations in Utah 90 V Sanpete Valley groundwater map 91 VI Map of San Pitch River Basin showing irrigation subareas 92 vii i ABSTRACT A Conceptual Model of the San Pitch River Basin by JaTIles Douglas Master of Science Utah State Univers ity, 1969 Major Profes sor: Dr. Calvin G. Clyde DepartTIlent: Civil ineering To TIleet future expected needs for water, the State of Utah will have to plan and TIlanage its liTIlited resources in a judicious TIlanner. COTIlprehensive water reSource planning on a river basin basis is necessary to econoTIlically plan and develop the best combination of water uses. Efficient use and TIlanageTIlent of agricultural water is necessary to TIlaxiTIlize the aTIlount available for future needs. Irrigation water TIlanageTIlent TIlust be iTIlproved. ImproveTIlents in the organization, storage, distribution, and TIlethod of application will be required to TIleet future deTIlands. Consideration should be g to various COTIl-- binations of conjunctive use of groundwater and surface water. The report is a study of the San Pitch River Watershed above the Gunnison Reservoir which is a part of the Sevier River SysteTIl in Utah. Data are gathered and developed into a TIlatheTIlatical TIlodel of the r r basin including the whole watershed. The model is in the form that it can be optimized by computer techniques using methods of linear programming by subsequent investigators. model is a representative schematic model of water supply, use, storage, and movement of surface and subsurface water through the in. The report includes gathering of data to evaluate the quantities and costs of associated component parts of the model as well as some of the benefits from use of water. (106 pages) INTRODUCTION General The Sanpete Valley is a part of the San Pitch River Watershed located in central Utah, a part of the Great Basin Drainage. The area of basin is approxhnately 714 square miles (Plate I, Appendix C). The Sanpete Valley is situated at the border en the Basin and Range province and the Colorado Plateau province in south-central Utah. The valley is bounded on the east by the Gunnison Plateau and on the west by the San Pitch Mountains. It is d by the San Pitch River which empties into the Sevier River. A variety of crops are grown in the valley, and livestock and poultry raising are also important industr s. The climate is semiarid. Irrigation is necessary for the production of crops. Canal systems are supplied by San Pitch River flow. The mountain streams are tapped by ditches near the mouths of the canyons, but this supply is insufficient; consequently, pumping from groundwater is used to supplement the supply (Richardson, 1907). The location of the watershed and its boundaries are shown on Plate I (Appendix C). Previous studies Richardson (1907) described the topography and geology of the Sanpete and Central Sevier Valleys in Utah. 2 Robinson (1964, 1965, 1966) studied the Sanpete Valley in conjunction with Utah State Univers ity and the Utah Water and Power Board. He summarized annual pumping rates, groundwater fluctuations, and descriptions of the Sanpete Valley. The U. S. Bureau of Reclamation (1965) made a reconnaissance study of the Sanpete area and available data in conjunction with the Central Project. T Soil Conservation Service (1968) has a study in progress that include s the Sanpete Available data include water budgets, consumptive use estimates for delineated irr ion areas, and possible reservoir sites. U. S. Geological Survey made an extensive study of selected wells and springs in the area, including data on discharge transmissi­ bility, drawdown, specific electrical conductance, total dissolved solids, sod ium adsorption ratio, percent sodium, geologic formations, pervious depths, and well or spring locations, 3 TOPOGRAPHY According to Richardson (1907), the S Y is a s'!:ructu ral trough filled with wash derived from the adjacent highlands. The valley trends northeast- southwest, and contains numerous relatively small streams. The valley is about 45 miles in 1 and averages 6 miles in width. The main stream, the San Pitch River, a number a': tributaries, the most important of which flow from the eastern p]ate.aus, where the precipitation is greater than on the r low and narrow western highlands. The streams flow perennially within the mountains, where they occupy steep, narrow valleys. At the mouths of the canyons the discharge is largely diverted into irrigation canals. The lower stream courses in the broad lowlands are generally dry except during floods. The chief tributaries of the San Pitch River are Cottonwood, Pleasant, Cedar, Oak, Canal, Ephraim, Willow, Mant , Sixmile, and Twelvemile Creeks, all of which have small dr e bas ins on the Wasatch Plateau.