Quality of Water of the Gila River Basin Above Coolidge Dam Arizona By JOHN D. HEM GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 1104 Prepared in cooperation with Defense Plant Corporation This copy is PUBLIC PROPERTY and is not to be removed from the official files. PRIVATE POSSESSION IS UNLAWFUL (R- S. Sup. Vol. 2. pp. 380; Seg. 749) UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1950 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Oscar L. Chapman, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY W. E. Wrather, Director For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office Washington 25, D. C. - Price $1.00 (paper cover) CONTENTS Page Abstract__ _ _ ____________________________________________________ 1 Introduction._____________________________________________________ 3 History, scope, and purpose of the investigation.__________________ 3 Acknowledgments. ___________________________________'_________ 4 Location and description of the area_________________________________ 4 Physiography.--___-_-________-__-__------___-_^--_-__--__-__- 4 Population. ___________________________________________________ 5 Transportation._______________________________________________ 6 History and development_____-___________-_-_-_-_--__-____-_. 6 Climate and vegetation____________-_-____________---_-_-__--_-_ 7 Rainfall and runoff,_______________-_-_--__-_---__-____-_-_____ 8 Land use.___-________-________-__-____--__-_--_-----___-_____ 8 Geologic structure.__-_________-___--__--___-_--_-__-____-__.-_ 8 Previous investigations.-_______-__-___-_-__-_-_-_-___-_-_--_-__-___ 10 Methods of quality-of-water investigation.____________________________ 11 Number and frequency'of samples____--_-_-____-_ _______________ 11 Surface water.____________________________________________ 11 Ground water_-_______________-_____-_-_--__-_-_-_--__-_-_ 14 Methods of analysis____._______________________________________ 14 Expression of results_________________________________________-_____ 16 Sources of dissolved matter in surface and ground waters.__-_____-___-_ 18 Common constituents of the dissolved matter.____________________ 18 Soluble matter in hard rocks________________________________ 19 Soluble matter in valley-fill deposits.________________________ 19 Unusual constituents of the dissolved matter._____________________ 20 Fluoride.....__-....______.______L____________________ 20 Gila River________-______-__-_______-___-___________ 20 Ground waters.____________________--____--___---_--_- 21 Borate.--_--_-_______________________-_--_-__-_-_____ 21 Chemical character of surface and ground waters of the basin, discussed by areas_________________________________________________________ 22 Grant County, N. Mex_.____.__..______.____.__.___-_.___.__.'_- 22 Surface water.____________________________________________ 22 Ground water.______________________-_-___-______-_-----__ 22 Gila River Basin from the mouth of Blue Creek to the bridge on United States Highway 666______________________.___._______________ 23 Surface water.____________________________________________ 23 Seepage studies_____________________-__----__---__---_- 23 Variations in flow below Duncan._______________________ 25 Ground water_____________________________________________ 26 Gila River Basin from the bridge on United States Highway 666 to mouth of Bonita Creek._____________________________________ 29 Surface water._-____.__________________-._..__--____--____ 29 Ground water.____________-________-__-_--_-_--_----_---_- 29 in IV CONTENTS Chemical character of surface and ground waters of the basin Con. Page San Francisco River Basin_______ ________ ____________________ 30 Surface water.____________________________________________ 30 Main stream_-____________________-_________-_________ 30 Blue River__________________________________________ 31 Chase Creek__________________________________________ 31 Ground water_____________________________________________ 33 Phelps Dodge Corporation well________________________ 33 Clifton Hot Springs__________________________________ 33 Relationship of Clifton Hot Springs to quality of water in San Francisco River________________________________ 34 Apparent decrease in spring flow in 1944_________ ______ 35 Other springs________________________________________ 35 Eagle Creek Basin___________________________________________ 36 Surface water.____________________________________________ 36 Eagle Creek________________________________________ 36 Ground water_____________________________________________ 36 Bonita Creek Basin____________________________________________ 37 Surface water.____________________________________________ 37 Bonita Creek____________________-___-----_--_---__-__ 37 Ground water_____________________________________________ 37 San Simon Basin______________________________________________ 37 Surface water_____________________________________________ 37 San Simon Creek_____________________-___----____-__ 37 Ground water___________________._________-_-----__--_____ 38 Rodeo area__-_______-_____-___-_--___------------_-_- 38 San Simon artesian basin________---_______----------___ 38 Lower San Simon area.________________________________ 39 Gila River Basin from mouth of Bonita Creek to Calva____________ 41 Surface water_____________________________________________ 41 Gila River from Solomonsville gaging station to Calva_______ 41 Seepage studies.______________-___-------__------_- 43 Tributary washes.______________---_-__-------_--_----- 48 Ground water_____________________________________--_-___- 49 Water from Recent alluvium________________----_-__-- 49 Bonita Creek to San Jose Dam______________________ 49 San Jose Dam to Safford._-___-_-__-----_-_-------- 50 Safford to Pima-_________-___-_---------_---_-_- 50 Pima to Markham Wash-__------------------------ 50 Markham Wash to Fort Thomas.____--_---_-------- 51 Fort Thomas to Indian reservation line_______-_-_-_-- 52 Indian reservation line to Calva___________---_---_-- 52 Graphical analyses-_____--__---__--_--------------- 53 Water from Tertiary and Pleistocene valley-fill deposits.___ 53 Artesian wells_-----____---__--_------------------- 53 Artesian springs__--_____------__------------------ 55 Chemical character of artesian water.._____-____--_-- 55 Water from minor water-bearing formations ______________ 56 Gila River Basin from Calva to Coolidge Darn.________--__--_---- 56 Surface water.____________________________________________ 56 San Carlos Reservoir___________-___---_--_<---------- 56 San Carlos River.__________________-__---------------- 57 Ground water________________________________-____-------- 57 CONTENTS V Chemical character of surface and ground waters of the basin Con. Page Public water supplies._________________________________________ 57 Relationship of chemical character to use of water.____________________ 58 Industrial use.________________________________________________ 58 Domestic use.______-_________________-__-____-_-__----_----__ 58 Public Health Service standards__-__--__-__--_---_-_---_---_ 60 Fluoride in domestic water supplies._________________________ 60 Availability of satisfactory domestic water supplies ____________ 60 Livestock use_________________________________________________ 61 Irrigation use.________________________________________________ 61 Boron in irrigation water.__________________________________ 62 Classification of irrigation waters.___________________________ 62 Surface waters used for irrigation_______________---______ 63 Ground waters used for irrigation_______-__-_----------__ 65 Artesian water.___________________________________ 65 Shallow ground water._____________________________ 65 Removal of salts from the basin by drainage into Gila River____ 67 Analyses of surface waters and ground waters.________________________ 68 Index. _________.._______________________________________ 229 ILLUSTRATIONS Page PLATE 1. Map of Gila River Basin above Coolidge Dam___________ In pocket 2. Map of Safford Valley, Ariz___________________________ In pocket FIGURE 1. Daily chloride concentration and daily mean discharge of Gila River at Safford, Ariz__________________________________ 13 2. Specific conductance and 'elevation of water table for three typical observation wells, Safford Valley, Ariz_____________ 15 3. Analyses of water from Gila River between the mouth of Blue Creek near Virden, N. Mex., and the highway bridge south of Clifton, Ariz--__-_______________---_______----__-___ 24 4. Analyses of ground waters from the Gila River Basin above the mouth of Bonita Creek______________________________ 28 5. Weighted average analyses of water at four gaging stations in the Gila River Basin for the year ended September 30, 1944__ 32 6. Analyses of ground waters from the Gila River Basin below the mouth of Bonita Creek.________________________________ 40 7. Analyses of water from Gila River between the mouth of Bonita Creek near Solomonsville, Ariz., and Bylas, Ariz____ 44 TABLES Chemical analyses of surface waters and ground waters: Gila River between the mouth of Blue Creek near Virden, N. Mex., and the bridge on United States Highway 666 south of Clifton, Page Ariz_____________________________________________ 69 Ground waters in the Gila River Basin, Grant County, N. Mex_____ 74 Ground waters in the Gila River Basin, Hidalgo County, N. Mex__ 75 VI CONTENTS Chemical analyses of surface waters and ground waters Continued Ground waters in the Gila River Basin above bridge on United States Highway 666 south of Clifton, Greenlee County, Ariz_ _________!_ 76 Gila River