Ground Water in the Southeastern Uinta Basin, Utah and Colorado United States Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 2248 ;.<^1^^h^% Ground Water in the Southeastern Uinta Basin, Utah and Colorado By Walter F. Holmes and Briant A. Kimball U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 2248 DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR DONALD PAUL MODEL, Secretary U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Dallas L. Peck, Director UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON: 1987 For sale by the Books and Open-File Reports Section U.S. Geological Survey Federal Center Box 25425 Denver, CO 80225 Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Holmes, Walter F. Ground water in the southeastern Uinta Basin, Utah and Colorado (Water-supply paper ; 2248) Bibliography: p. Supt. of Docs. No.: I 19.13:2248 1. Water, Underground-Uinta Basin (Utah and Colo.). I. Kimball, Briant A. II. Title. III. Series: U.S. Geological Survey water-supply paper ; 2248. GB1027.U38H64 1985 553.7'9'09792 86-600366 CONTENTS Abstract 1 Introduction 2 Physical setting 2 Physiography 2 Climate 2 General geology 4 Ground water 6 Alluvial aquifers 6 Recharge 7 Leakage from consolidated-rock aquifers 7 Infiltration from streamflow 7 Movement 8 Storage 8 Discharge 8 Springs 8 Evapotranspiration 9 Wells 11 Subsurface flow to consolidated-rock aquifers 11 Quality 12 Chemical and physical characteristics 12 Mass-transfer model 15 BirdVnest aquifer 21 Recharge 22 Infiltration from Evacuation Creek 22 Downward leakage from the Uinta Formation 22 Movement 22 Storage 22 Discharge 22 White River 22 Upward leakage to Bitter Creek 22 Digital-computer model of flow system 22 Design 23 Calibration 26 Simulated effects of oil-shale development 26 Dewatering 26 Reservoir construction 26 Water supply 27 Quality 30 Chemical and physical characteristics 30 Mass-transfer model 32 Douglas Creek aquifer 33 Recharge 34 Precipitation 34 Infiltration from streams 35 Movement 35 Storage 35 Discharge 35 Springs in the outcrop area of the aquifer 35 Seepage to the White and Green Rivers and major tributaries 35 Wells 35 Contents III Ground water Continued Douglas Creek aquifer Continued Digital-computer model of flow system 35 Design 35 Calibration 37 Simulated effects of oil-shale development 37 Quality 37 Chemical and physical characteristics 37 Mass-transfer model 44 Summary 44 References cited 46 PLATE 1. Map showing ground-water and surface-water monitoring sites in the south­ eastern Uinta Basin, Utah and Colorado (in pocket) FIGURES 1. Map showing location of study area and proposed areas of oil-shale mining, 1979 3 2. Diagrams showing well- and spring-numbering systems used in Utah and Colorado 4 3. Diagrammatic geohydrologic section of part of the southeastern Uinta Basin showing direction of ground-water movement 6 4. Hydrographs showing fluctuations of water levels in three observation wells completed in alluvial aquifers 9 5. Map and diagrams showing variation in mean dissolved-solids concentrations and chemical character of water in the alluvial aquifers 14 6-10. Graphs showing: 6. Variation of sodium with chloride in water from the Bitter Creek alluvial aquifer 16 7. Variation of calcium with chloride in water from the Bitter Creek alluvial aquifer 17 8. Variation of alkalinity with chloride in water from the Bitter Creek alluvial aquifer 18 9. Variation of magnesium with chloride in water from the Bitter Creek alluvial aquifer 18 10. Variation of sulfate with chloride in water from the Bitter Creek alluvial aquifer 19 11. Hydrographs showing relation of water levels in wells (D-10-24) 20add-2 and (D-10-24)12cda-l, corrected for changes in barometric pres­ sure, to discharge of the White River at gaging station 09306500 23 12-17. Maps showing: 12. Aquifer boundaries, grid size, constant-head nodes, and leak­ age nodes used in the digital-computer model of the bird's-nest aquifer 24 13. Hydraulic conductivity and storage coefficient of the birds'-nest aquifer used in the digital-computer model 25 14. Potentiometric-surface contours of the bird's-nest aquifer computed by the digital-computer model 27 15. Distribution of recharge and discharge, computed by the digital- computer model for the bird's-nest aquifer 28 16. Drawdown in bird's-nest aquifer after 20 years of simulated with­ drawals, computed by the digital-computer model 29 17. Variation in mean dissolved-solids concentrations and chemical character of water in part of the bird's-nest aquifer 31 IV Contents 18. Graph showing a plot of alkalinity versus sulfate in water from the bird's- nest aquifer showing the reaction path calculated by the mass- transfer model 34 19. Graph showing plot of pH versus chloride in the bird's-nest aquifer showing the reaction path calculated by the mass-transfer model 34 20-25. Maps showing: 20. Aquifer boundaries, grid size, and leakage nodes used in the digital- computer model of the Douglas Creek aquifer 36 21. Transmissivity of the Douglas Creek aquifer used in the digital- computer model 38 22. Potentiometric-surface contours of the Douglas Creek aquifer, computed by the digital-computer model 39 23. Distribution of recharge and discharge, computed by the digital- computer model for the Douglas Creek aquifer 40 24. Drawdown in the Douglas Creek aquifer after 20 years of simulated withdrawals, computed by the digital-computer model 41 25. Variation in mean dissolved-solids concentrations and chemical character of water in the Douglas Creek aquifer 42 26. Graph showing a plot of alkalinity versus sulfate in the Douglas Creek aquifer showing the reaction path calculated by the mass-transfer model 45 TABLES 1. General lithologic character and water-bearing properties of exposed geologic units 5 2. Summary of ground-water budget for alluvial aquifers 7 3. Summary of estimated ground-water storage and recoverable water in storage in alluvial aquifers 8 4. Summary of evapotranspiration by phreatophytes from alluvial aquifers 11 5. Summary of chemical quality of water in the major alluvial aquifers 12 6. Summary of mass-transfer model of the Bitter Creek alluvial aquifer 20 7. Summary of ground-water budget for the bird's-nest aquifer 21 8. Summary of chemical quality of water in the bird's-nest aquifer 32 9. Summary of mass-transfer model of the bird's-nest aquifer 33 10. Summary of ground-water budget for the Douglas Creek aquifer 35 11. Summary of chemical quality of water in the Douglas Creek aquifer 43 12. Summary of mass-transfer model of the Douglas Creek aquifer 45 Contents Metric Conversion Factors Most values in this report are given in inch-pound units. Conversion factors to metric units are shown below. Multiply By To obtain Acre 0.4047 Square hectometer 0.004047 Square kilometer Acre-foot 0.001233 Cubic hectometer 1233 Cubic meter Barrel 0.1590 Cubic meter Cubic foot 0.02832 Cubic meter per second per second Foot 0.3048 Meter Foot per day 0.3048 Meter per day Foot per mile 0.1894 Meter per kilometer Foot per second 0.3048 Meter per second Foot squared 0.0929 Meter squared per day per day Gallon 3.785 Liter 0.003785 Cubic meter Gallon per 0.06309 Liter per minute second Inch 25.40 Millimeter 2.540 Centimeter Mile 1.609 Kilometer Micromhos per 1.000 Microsiemens per centimeter at centimeter at 25° 25° Celsius Celsius Square mile 2.590 Square kilometer Chemical concentration is given only in metric units; milligrams per liter or micrograms per liter. Milligrams per liter is a unit expressing the concentration of chemical constituents in solution as weight (milligrams) of constituent per unit volume (liter) of water. One thousand micrograms per liter is equivalent to 1 milligram per liter. For concentrations less than 7,000 milligrams per liter, the numerical value is about the same as for concentrations in parts per million. Chemical concentration in terms of ionic interaction values is given in milliequivalents per liter. Milliequivalents per liter is numerically equal to equivalents per million. Water temperature is given in degrees Celsius (°C), which can be converted to degrees Fahrenheit I°F) by the following equation: °F = 1.8(°C) + 32. National Geodetic Vertical Datum of l'>2(> (NGVD of l ()2<)): a geodetic datum derived from a general adjustment of the first-order level nets of both the United States and Canada, formerly called mean sea level. VI Conversion Factors Ground Water in the Southeastern Uinta Basin, Utah and Colorado £y Walter F. Holmes and Briant A. Kimball Abstract supply about 10,000 acre-feet of water per year at that site, for a period of 20 years. Downdraw after 20 years of pump­ The potential for developing oil-shale resources in the ing would exceed 250 feet near the simulated well field. southeastern Uinta Basin of Utah and Colorado has created Based on the results of the model simulation, it is estimated the need for information on the quantity and quality of that the aquifer could simultaneously supply another 10,000 water available in the area. This report describes the avail­ acre-feet of water per year in the northern part of the ability and chemical quality of ground water, which might study area, but some interference between well fields could provide a source or supplement of water supply for an be expected. oil-shale industry. The Douglas Creek aquifer is recharged by precipita­ Ground water in the southeastern Uinta Basin occurs tion and stream infiltration at an average rate of about in three major aquifers. Alluvial aquifers of small areal 20.000 acre-feet per year. Discharge is estimated to be about extent are present i n val ley-f i 11 deposits of six major drai nages. the same and is primarily through springs and diffuse seepage.