Summary Appraisals of the Nation's Ground-Water Resources­ Great Basin Region GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 813-G NEVADA r~ I I SummaryAppraisals of the Nation's GroundWater Resources-Great Basin Region By THOMAS E. EAKIN, DON PRICE, and J. R. HARRILL GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 813-G A regional appraisal and discussion of planning the future ground-water development in a region characterized by a semiarid climate and closed-basin drainage UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON: 1976 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR THOMAS S. KLEPPE, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY V. E. McKelvey, Director First printing 1976 Second printing 1977 Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Eakin, Thomas Emery, 1914- Summary appraisals of the Nation's ground-water resources-Great Basin region. (Geological Survey Professional Paper 813-G Bibliography: p. Supt. of Docs. no.: I 19.16:813-G 1. Water, Underground-Great Basin. 2. Water resources development-Great Basin. I. Price, Don, 1929- joint author. II. Harrill, J. R., joint author. III. Title. IV. Series·: United States Geological Survey Professional Paper 813-G. GB1027.G73E2 333.9'104'0979 76-608224 For sale by the Branch of Distribution, U.S. Geological Survey 1200 South Eads Street, Arlington, VA 22202 CONTENTS Page Page System of measurement units ........................................................... IV Information to plan ground-water development. ............................ GIS Abstract .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. G 1 Options for ground-water development........................................... 21 Introduction ..................................................................................... Development of a supplemental ground-water supply............ 21 The land.................................................................................... 1 To meet seasonal demands................................................. 21 The climate................................................................................ 3 To offset deficiencies during droughts of 1 or Population and industry........................................................... 3 more years....................................................................... 21 History of water-resource development..................................... 5 Development by pumping ground water only ...................... :.. 22 Water supply .................................................................,................... 6 Withdrawal planned to maintain some natural Ground-water resources.................................................................... 6 discharge ........................................................................ 22 Consolidated-rock reservoirs...................................................... 8 Development designed to capture all natural Valley ground-water reservoirs.................................................. 8 discharge .............................................. :.......................... 22 Stored ground water........................................................... 8 Utilization of ground-water storage.......................................... 23 Ground-water flow systems....................................................... 9 Use as a transitional reserve............................................... 23 Inflow to the ground-water system........................................... 10 Use to supply a time-limited development........................ 23 Outflow from the ground-water system.................................... 10 For use as a functional reservoir........................................ 24 Ground-water flow between regions......................................... 11 Secondary options...................................................................... 24 Chemical quality of ground water............................................ 12 Reuse of water.................................................................... 24 Geothermal energy . .. .. .. .. .. 12 Treatment of water ............................................................ 25 Yield of the ground-water system..................................................... 13 Redistribution of water ..................................................... 25 Ground-water development in 1970................................................. 15 Augmenting ground-water storage ................................... 25 Legal factors and large-scale ground-water development .. .... .. 16 Closing statement ............................................................................ 26 Potential for development................................................................ 17 References ........................................................................................ 26 ILLUSTRATIONS PLATE 1. Maps showing selected hydrologic characteristics of the Great Basin Region ............................................................................ In pocket A. Subregions and general features. B. Index map and classification of valleys. C. Averageannualprecipitation. D. Principal ground-water reservoirs. E. Areas of natural ground-water discharge. F. Dissolved-solids concentration of ground water. G. Ground-water storage. H. Yield. I. Potential for ground-water development. Page FIGURE 1. Map showing distribution of population in the Great Basin Region ........................................................................................................ G5 2. Map showing location of selected stream-gaging stations representing principal streamflow and upstream areas of stream- flow depletion . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 7 3. Diagrammatic sketch showing common ground-water flow systems........................................................................................................ 10 4. Sketch showing common relationships between ground water and surface water..................................................................................... 11 5. Map showing locations of known geothermal resource areas in the Great Basin Region........................................................................... 13 6. Mapshowingdistributionofground-waterpumpagein 1970 .................................................................................................................. 16 7. Map showing critical ground-water areas (as of 1973) ................................................................................................................................ 18 8. Map showing level of ground-water information in the Great Basin Region, 1973 .................................................................................... 20 III IV CONTENTS TABLES Page TABLE 1. Size and principal features of subregions in the Great Basin Region ............................................................. G2 2. Classification of areas in the Great Basin Region............................................................................................ 4 3. Estimated annual precipitation by subregion, Great Basin Region................................................................ 4 4. Summary of renewable water supply in the Great Basin Region.................................................................... 8 5. Estimated natural ground-water discharge exclusive of areas of upstream depletion ..................................... 12 6. Summary of estimates of ground-water flow between regions ......................................................................... 12 7. Yield characteristics of large-capacity wells in the Great Basin Region .......................................................... 15 8. Summary of selected ground-water resources data in the Great Basin Region ............................................... 30 SYSTEM OF MEASUREMENT UNITS To convert Multiply by To obtain English unit conversion factor metric unit Acres ............................................................................................. 4.047xl0-3 Square kilometres (km2). Acre-feet (acre-ft) .......................................................................... 1.233x I 0-3 Cubic hectometres (hm3). Cubic feet (ft3) .............................................................................. 2.832xi0-2 Cubic metres (m3). Feet (ft) ......................................................................................... 3.048xi0-1 Metres (m). Gallons (gal) ................................................................................ 3. 785 Litres (I). Gallons (gal) ................................................................................ 3.785xi0-3 Cubic metres (m3). Inches (in) ................................................................................... 25.4 Millimetres (mm). Miles (mi) ..................................................................................... 1.609 Kilometres (km). Square miles (mi2) ....................................................................... 2.59 Square kilometres (km2). Gallorrs per minute (gal/min) ..................................................... 6.309xi0-2 Litres per second (lis). Gallons per minute per foot .207 Litres per second per [(gal/min )If t ]. metre [(lls)/m]. SUMMARY APPRAISALSOFTHENATION'SGROUND-WATER RESOURCES-GREAT BASIN REGION By THOMAS E. EAKIN, DoN PRICE, and J. R. HARRILL ABSTRACT reduced well yields and deterioration in water quality. Ground-water withdrawals by wells in the Great Basin Region were Detrimental land subsidence has occurred in some areas about 1.1 million acre-feet (1,360 cubic hectometres)