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Kenneth Lyle Walters

Publications and source records attributed to Kenneth Lyle Walters.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

Water resources of the Makah Indian Reservation, Washington

The residents of the Makah Indian Reservation depend on the streams of the area for their fisheries and domestic water supply. The temporal distribution of streamflow in the study area is closely related to the amount and distribution of rainfall. In a year of average precipitation about three-quarters of the streamflow can be expected to occur during the 6-month period October-March. Although the chemical quality of water in streamsis suitable for domestic purposes, State water-quality standards are not met by most streams at certain times of the year because of excessive fecal-coliform bacteria and turbidity levels. Nutrient concentrations in the Waatch and Sail Rivers are sometimes high enough to cause nuisance-plant growth. Suspended-sediment concentrations were low in all streams sampled. Ground water is known to occur only in sand and gravel layers that underlie the lowlands of the reservation. Individual wells are capable of yielding as much as 90 gallons per minute. Several wells in the Neah Bay area have been abandoned because of inferior water quality. In coastal areas, an individual domestic well on each 10-acre allotment should provide sufficient water for the occupants without danger of seawater intrusion.

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Reconnaissance of ground-water resources of the Squaxin Island Indian Reservation, Washington

A supply of fresh ground water for the Squaxin Island Indian Reservation exists in saturated deposits underlying the 3.09-square-mile island, whereas surface-water supplies are practically nonexistent. Four test wells tapped a water-hearing zone of sand and gravel and had yields ranging from 27 to 170 gallons per minute, with drawdowns of about 5 feet to about 65 feet. Except for high concentrations of iron and manganese (which can be treated and reduced for domestic use), the water quality is good. Conditions for drain-field waste disposal (such as from septic tanks) are probably good in at least the northern two-thirds of the island. The potential for seawater encroachment into the water-bearing zones underlying the island is unknown but may be great in places. The danger of inducing encroachment can be minimized by maintaining pumping levels above sea level, using a network of several wells pumped intermittently into a storage facility, and spacing these wells to spread out the effects cf pumping. Monitoring of the water quality in all wells would help indicate early signs cf increasing chloride content that warn of impending seawater encroachment. In the northern half of the island, where ground-water conditions are the most favorable, wells 100 tc 200 feet deep may yield 25 to 100 gallons per minute with minimum chances of seawater encroachment. The southern half of the island has a smaller apparent potential for ground-water development and an increased possibility of seawater encroachment.

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Availability of ground water at the border stations at Laurier and Ferry, Washington

In the Laurier area, Washington, the Kettle River has cut into crystalline rocks in the deepest part of the valley. Sand and gravel fill were deposited in the valley during Pleistocene time by melt water from glaciers, and subsequent erosion and alluviation formed three terrace levels. The highest level, on which Laurier Border Station is situated is about 200 feet above present river level The intermediate terrace is 150 to 180 feet above river level. Wells on the intermediate terrace yield about 4 gpm (gallons per minute) per foot of drawdown. Larger yields probably could be obtained from wells on the lowest terrace (flood plain). In the Ferry area the valley fill of the Kettle River valley is as much as 150 feet thick and contains boulders that are as much as 18 inches in diameter. Small to moderate quantities of water probably would be available from wells on the high-terrace level. Large quantities of water are obtained from irrigation wells on the low terrace. The bedrock at both sites is relatively impermeable and probably would yield very meager supplies of water.

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