Prepared in cooperation with the ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES Hydrogeology of the Coconino Plateau and Adjacent Areas, Coconino and Yavapai Counties, Arizona Scientific Investigations Report 2005 –5222 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey Other than this note, this page intentionally left blank. Hydrogeology of the Coconino Plateau and Adjacent Areas, Coconino and Yavapai Counties, Arizona By Donald J. Bills, Marilyn E. Flynn, and Stephen A. Monroe Prepared in cooperation with the ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES Scientific Investigations Report 2005-5222 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Department of the Interior DIRK KEMPTHORNE, Secretary U.S. Geological Survey Mark D. Myers, Director U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2007 Revised and reprinted: August 2007 For product and ordering information: World Wide Web: http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS For more information on the USGS--the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment: World Wide Web: http://www.usgs.gov Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS 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: Bills, D.J., Flynn, M.E., and Monroe, S.A., 2007, Hydrogeology of the Coconino Plateau and adjacent areas, Coconino and Yavapai Counties, Arizona: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2005–5222, 101 p., 4 plates. iii Contents Abstract ...........................................................................................................................................................1 Introduction.....................................................................................................................................................2 Purpose and Scope ..............................................................................................................................4 Acknowledgments ................................................................................................................................5 Methods of Investigation .....................................................................................................................5 Hydrogeologic Framework .........................................................................................................5 Water Chemistry ..........................................................................................................................5 Field and Laboratory Methods ..........................................................................................5 Isotope Constituent Analyses of Water, Rock Samples, and Well Cuttings .............6 X-ray Diffraction Analyses of Rock Samples and Well Cuttings .................................7 Isotopic Geochemical Approach .....................................................................................7 Statistical Analyses ............................................................................................................8 Conceptual Model and Water Budget ......................................................................................8 Description of Study Area ...................................................................................................................8 Physiography ................................................................................................................................8 Climate ...........................................................................................................................................9 Vegetation and Land Use ..........................................................................................................10 Population and Water-Resource Development ....................................................................13 Previous Investigations......................................................................................................................13 Hydrogeology................................................................................................................................................16 Precipitation Patterns ........................................................................................................................16 Geology .................................................................................................................................................16 Stratigraphy ................................................................................................................................20 Tectonic History and Geologic Structure ...............................................................................24 Surface Water .....................................................................................................................................25 Ground Water ......................................................................................................................................35 Perched Ground Water .............................................................................................................35 C Aquifer ......................................................................................................................................39 Water Level and Saturated Thickness ..........................................................................39 Recharge and Discharge .................................................................................................39 Aquifer Properties and Well Yield ..................................................................................40 Redwall-Muav Aquifer ..............................................................................................................40 Water Levels and Saturated Thickness ........................................................................42 Recharge and Discharge .................................................................................................43 Aquifer Properties and Well Yield ..................................................................................44 Ground-Water Development and Water Use ........................................................................45 Water Chemistry ..........................................................................................................................................45 Quality of Water ..................................................................................................................................45 Isotope Hydrology ...............................................................................................................................52 Conceptual Model of the Ground-Water Flow Systems ........................................................................59 Regional and Local Flow-System Boundaries ...............................................................................59 Source, Occurrence, and Movement of Ground Water in the Flow Systems ..........................60 iv Contents—Continued Horizontal and Vertical Flow Paths ..................................................................................................61 Effluent Recharge ...............................................................................................................................62 Relation of Hydrologic Flow Components .......................................................................................63 Water Budgets ....................................................................................................................................63 Considerations for Additional Data Collection and Monitoring ...........................................................68 Summary and Conclusions .........................................................................................................................69 References Cited..........................................................................................................................................71 Supplemental Data ......................................................................................................................................81 Plates In pocket at back of the report 1. Map showing surface geology, geologic structure, and sections of the Coconino Plateau and adjacent areas, Coconino and Yavapai Counties, Arizona 2. Map showing perennial and ephemeral reaches of principal streams, active and discontinued U.S. Geological Survey streamflow-gaging stations, ground-water levels, Coconino Plateau and adjacent areas, Coconino and Yavapai Counties, Arizona 3. Maps showing location of selected wells, springs, and the potentiometric surface of the C aquifer and Redwall-Muav aquifer, Coconino Plateau and adjacent areas, Coconino and Yavapai Counties, Arizona 4. Map showing water chemistry, tritium, and carbon-age data for selected wells and springs that issue from the C aquifer and Redwall-Muav aquifer and for selected surface-water sites, Coconino Plateau and adjacent areas, Coconino and Yavapai Counties, Arizona v Figures 1. Location and geographic features of the Coconino Plateau study area, Coconino and Yavapai Counties, Arizona .................................................................................3 2. U.S.