Geology topics

L.L. Orzol

Publications and source records attributed to L.L. Orzol.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2011

Hydrogeologic framework and hydrologic budget components of the Columbia Plateau Regional Aquifer System, Washington, Oregon, and Idaho

The Columbia Plateau Regional Aquifer System (CPRAS) covers an area of about 44,000 square miles in a structural and topographic basin within the drainage of the Columbia River in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. The primary aquifers are basalts of the Columbia River Basalt Group (CRBG) and overlying sediment. Eighty percent of the groundwater use in the study area is for irrigation, in support of a $6 billion per year agricultural economy. Water-resources issues in the Columbia Plateau include competing agricultural, domestic, and environmental demands. Groundwater levels were measured in 470 wells in 1984 and 2009; water levels declined in 83 percent of the wells, and declines greater than 25 feet were measured in 29 percent of the wells. Conceptually, the system is a series of productive basalt aquifers consisting of permeable interflow zones separated by less permeable flow interiors; in places, sedimentary aquifers overly the basalts. The aquifer system of the CPRAS includes seven hydrogeologic units-the overburden aquifer, three aquifer units in the permeable basalt rock, two confining units, and a basement confining unit. The overburden aquifer includes alluvial and colluvial valley-fill deposits; the three basalt units are the Saddle Mountains, Wanapum, and Grande Ronde Basalts and their intercalated sediments. The confining units are equivalent to the Saddle Mountains-Wanapum and Wanapum-Grande Ronde interbeds, referred to in this study as the Mabton and Vantage Interbeds, respectively. The basement confining unit, referred to as Older Bedrock, consists of pre-CRBG rocks that generally have much lower permeabilities than the basalts and are considered the base of the regional flow system. Based on specific-capacity data, median horizontal hydraulic conductivity (Kh) values for the overburden, basalt units, and bedrock are 161, 70, and 6 feet per day, respectively. Analysis of oxygen isotopes in water and carbon isotopes in dissolved inorganic carbon from groundwater samples indicates that groundwater in the CPRAS ranges in age from modern (<50 years) to Pleistocene (>10,000 years). The oldest groundwater resides in deep, downgradient locations indicating that groundwater movement and replenishment in parts of this regional aquifer system have operated on long timescales under past natural conditions, which is consistent with the length and depth of long flow paths in the system. The mean annual recharge from infiltration of precipitation for the 23-year period 1985-2007 was estimated to be 4.6 inches per year (14,980 cubic feet per second) using a polynomial regression equation based on annual precipitation and the results of recharge modeling done in the 1980s. A regional-scale hydrologic budget was developed using a monthly SOil WATer (SOWAT) Balance model to estimate irrigation-water demand, groundwater flux (recharge or discharge), direct runoff, and soil moisture within irrigated areas. Mean monthly irrigation throughout the study area peaks in July at 1.6 million acre-feet (MAF), of which 0.45 and 1.15 MAF are from groundwater and surface-water sources, respectively. Annual irrigation water use in the study area averaged 5.3 MAF during the period 1985-2007, with 1.4 MAF (or 26 percent) supplied from groundwater and 3.9 MAF supplied from surface water. Mean annual recharge from irrigation return flow in the study area was 4.2 MAF (1985-2007) with 2.1 MAF (50 percent) occurring within the predominately surface-water irrigated regions of the study area. Annual groundwater-use estimates were made for public supply, self-supplied domestic, industrial, and other uses for the period 1984 through 2009. Public supply groundwater use within the study area increased from 200,600 acre-feet per year (acre-ft/yr) in 1984 to 269,100 acre-ft/yr in 2009. Domestic self-supplied groundwater use increased from 54,580 acre-ft/yr in 1984 to 71,160 acre-ft/yr in 2009. Industrial groundwater use decreased from 53,390 acre-ft/yr in 1984 t

Scientific Investigations Report↗

USGS2001

Approach for delineation of contributing areas and zones of transport to selected public-supply wells using a regional ground-water flow model, Palm Beach County, Florida

Rapid urban development and population growth in Palm Beach County, Florida, have been accompanied with the need for additional freshwater withdrawals from the surficial aquifer system. To maintain water quality, County officials protect capture areas and determine zones of transport of municipal supply wells. A multistep process was used to help automate the delineation of wellhead protection areas. A modular ground-water flow model (MODFLOW) Telescopic Mesh Refinement program (MODTMR) was used to construct an embedded flow model and combined with particle tracking to delineate zones of transport to supply wells; model output was coupled with a geographic information system. An embedded flow MODFLOW model was constructed using input and output file data from a preexisting three-dimensional, calibrated model of the surficial aquifer system. Three graphical user interfaces for use with the geographic information software, ArcView, were developed to enhance the telescopic mesh refinement process. These interfaces include AvMODTMR for use with MODTMR; AvHDRD to build MODFLOW river and drain input files from dynamically segmented linear (canals) data sets; and AvWELL Refiner, an interface designed to examine and convert well coverage spatial data layers to a MODFLOW Well package input file. MODPATH (the U.S. Geological Survey particle-tracking postprocessing program) and MODTOOLS (the set of U.S. Geological Survey computer programs to translate MODFLOW and MODPATH output to a geographic information system) were used to map zones of transport. A steady-state, five-layer model of the Boca Raton area was created using the telescopic mesh refinement process and calibrated to average conditions during January 1989 to June 1990. A sensitivity analysis of various model parameters indicates that the model is most sensitive to changes in recharge rates, hydraulic conductivity for layer 1, and leakance for layers 3 and 4 (Biscayne aquifer). Recharge (58 percent); river (canal) leakance (29 percent); and inflow through the northern, western, and southern prescribed flux model boundaries (10 percent) represent the major inflow components. Principal outflow components in the Boca Raton well field area include well discharge (56 percent), river (canal) leakance (27 percent), and water that discharges along the coast (10 percent). A particle-tracking analysis using MODPATH was conducted to better understand well-field ground-water flow patterns and time of travel. MODTOOLS was used to construct zones-of-transport spatial data for municipal supply wells. Porosity estimates were uniformly increased to study the effect of porosity on zones of transport. Where porosity was increased, the size of the zones of transport were shown to decrease.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗

USGS1999

Evaluation of factors that influence estimated zones of transport for six municipal wells in Clark County, Washington

A ground-water flow model was used in conjunction with particle tracking to estimate zones of transport for six municipal well sites in Clark County, Washington. A zone of transport for a well is a three-dimensional volume within a ground-water system that contains all of the ground water that will discharge from that well within a specified time period. All of the zones of transport for a well compose the zone of contribution for the well. Zones of transport and contribution are important considerations in the delineation of wellhead-protection areas. Hydrogeologic factors, such as hydraulic conductivity and porosity, influence the shape and size of the zones of transport, and, therefore, uncertainty in these and other factors can lead to uncertainty in the delineation of the zones of transport. The sensitivity of the zones of transport to uncertainty in selected hydrogeologic factors was evaluated for the six wells. Estimates of the zones of transport were delineated by the U.S. Geological Survey program MODTOOLS from three-dimensional pathlines computed by the U.S. Geological Survey program MODPATH. Input to MODPATH came from steady-state simulations calculated by the U.S. Geological Survey modular three-dimensional finite-difference ground-water flow model, MODFLOW. Three-dimensional modeling is the best method for delineating zones of transport within stratigraphically complex, heterogeneous, anisotropic aquifers that have complex boundary conditions such as streams and multiple, simultaneously discharging wells. In this study, zones of transport were delineated by using simulated particle locations computed from the results of a three-dimensional steady-state regional model for 0-0.5, 0.5-1, 1-5, 5-10, 10-20, and 20-50 year travel times to the selected wells. Zones of transport for a well were delineated by tracking particles along pathlines in the reverse direction of ground-water flow. Sensitivity of the zones of transport to change in the discharge rate of the selected well, porosity, and hydraulic conductivity, as well as to the presence or absence of interfering wells, was evaluated at six well sites to evaluate the effect of uncertainties in these factors on the size and shape of zones of transport. Uncertainty in porosity contributed the most to the uncertainty in delineating the zones of transport. Uncertainty in other factors, such as well discharge rate and horizontal hydraulic conductivity, had measurable effects on the zones of transport, but errors introduced through these factors were less significant. Insight into the causes of the changes in the size and shape of the zones of transport to varying conditions was gained by evaluating the simulated water budget and ground-water levels in the vicinity of the well. Changes in the simulated water budget and ground-water levels provided information to better understand the effects of uncertainties in the data on simulation results.The results of this study suggest that ground-water velocity is the underlying control on the size of the zones of transport. The regional hydraulic gradient is the most significant factor controlling the shape and orientation of the zones of transport. Spatial variation in recharge, discharge, and hydraulic properties can also affect the shape of the zones of transport, however. Underestimation of porosity or overestimation of horizontal hydraulic conductivity leads to overestimation of ground-water velocity and overestimation of the size of zones of transport. Overestimation of porosity or underestimation of horizontal hydraulic conductivity leads to underestimation of ground-water velocity and underestimation of the size of zones of transport. Well discharge rate affects ground-water velocities near the well. Underestimation of discharge (and therefore velocities) will result in underestimation of the size of the zones of transport. The sensitivity of estimated zones of transport to uncertainty in parameters such as porosity and horizontal hydraulic conductivity is a function of the well discharge rate and the proximity of the well to boundaries, such as streams and rivers.

Washington↗

USGS1996

Use of a ground-water flow model with particle tracking to evaluate ground-water vulnerability, Clark County, Washington

A ground-water flow model was used in conjunction with particle tracking to evaluate ground-water vulnerability in Clark County, Washington. Using the particle-tracking program, particles were placed in every cell of the flow model (about 60,000 particles) and tracked backwards in time and space upgradient along flow paths to their recharge points. A new computer program was developed that interfaces the results from a particle-tracking program with a geographic information system (GIS). The GIS was used to display and analyze the particle-tracking results. Ground-water vulnerability was evaluated by selecting parts of the ground-water flow system and combining the results with ancillary information stored in the GIS to determine recharge areas, characteristics of recharge areas, downgradient impact of land use at recharge areas, and age of ground water. Maps of the recharge areas for each hydrogeologic unit illustrate the presence of local, intermediate, or regional ground-water flow systems and emphasize the three-dimensional nature of the ground-water flow system in Clark County. Maps of the recharge points for each hydrogeologic unit were overlaid with maps depicting aquifer sensitivity as determined by DRASTIC (a measure of the pollution potential of ground water, based on the intrinsic characteristics of the near-surface unsaturated and saturated zones) and recharge from on-site waste-disposal systems. A large number of recharge areas were identified, particularly in southern Clark County, that have a high aquifer sensitivity, coincide with areas of recharge from on-site waste-disposal systems, or both. Using the GIS, the characteristics of the recharge areas were related to the downgradient parts of the ground-water system that will eventually receive flow that has recharged through these areas. The aquifer sensitivity, as indicated by DRASTIC, of the recharge areas for downgradient parts of the flow system was mapped for each hydrogeologic unit. A number of public-supply wells in Clark County may be receiving a component of water that recharged in areas that are more conducive to contaminant entry. The aquifer sensitivity maps illustrate a critical deficiency in the DRASTIC methodology: the failure to account for the dynamics of the ground-water flow system. DRASTIC indices calculated for a particular location thus do not necessarily reflect the conditions of the ground-water resources at the recharge areas to that particular location. Each hydrogeologic unit was also mapped to highlight those areas that will eventually receive flow from recharge areas with on-site waste-disposal systems. Most public-supply wells in southern Clark County may eventually receive a component of water that was recharged from on-site waste-disposal systems.Traveltimes from particle tracking were used to estimate the minimum and maximum age of ground water within each model-grid cell. Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC)-age dating of ground water from 51 wells was used to calibrate effective porosity values used for the particle- tracking program by comparison of ground-water ages determined through the use of the CFC-age dating with those calculated by the particle- tracking program. There was a 76 percent agreement in predicting the presence of modern water in the 51 wells as determined using CFCs and calculated by the particle-tracking program. Maps showing the age of ground water were prepared for all the hydrogeologic units. Areas with the youngest ground-water ages are expected to be at greatest risk for contamination from anthropogenic sources. Comparison of these maps with maps of public- supply wells in Clark County indicates that most of these wells may withdraw ground water that is, in part, less than 100 years old, and in many instances less than 10 years old. Results of the analysis showed that a single particle-tracking analysis simulating advective transport can be used to evaluate ground-water vulnerability for any part of a ground-wate

Open-File Report↗

USGS1987

Hydrologic hazards along Squaw Creek from a hypothetical failure of the glacial moraine impounding Carver Lake near Sisters, Oregon

A hydrologic hazard exists that could create a large-magnitude, but short-duration, flood in the Squaw Creek drainage and inundate areas in and around the community of Sisters, Oregon. There is a 1 to 5% probability that Carver Lake, located at elevation 7,800 ft above sea level on the east slope of South Sister mountain, Oregon, could catastrophically empty. At the U.S. Geological Survey gage (14075000) on Squaw Creek between Carver Lake and Sisters, the magnitude of the breakout flood would be 10 times that of a 1% probability meteorological flood. In Sisters, the magnitude of the breakout flood would be about five times that of a 1% probability meteorological flood. Several conditions at Carver Lake indicate the potential hazard: (1) The lake is very deep for its size; the lake contains 740 acre-ft of water and is more than 100 ft deep; (2) There is a probability that a large magnitude avalanche and consequent overtopping of the lake could occur. There are steep slopes of unstable volcanic rock and an extensively cravassed glacier located above the lake; (3) The moraine dam confining the lake is steep-faced, rendering the dam unstable, and unvegetated making it highly erodible; (4) Large amounts of readily erodible material available for transport would increase the magnitude of a large flood and keep the flood from attenuating in the steep reaches of the Squaw Creek channel; (5) and, Geologically, there is a greater than normal possibility for the area to become seismically active. Earthquakes could cause rock and ice to fall into the lake. A one-dimensional unsteady-state streamflow model was used to route a hypothetical flood down the Squaw Creek drainage. This scenario creates a starting hydrograph with a peak of 180,000 cu ft/sec. The ensuing hypothetical flood would incorporate readily erodible debris and sediments in the steep canyons, increasing the total volume of the flood by a factor of two. As the peak emerges from the steeper slopes into a more gently sloping valley 8 miles from the lake, the peak would attenuate to 47,000 cu ft/sec. At the Geological Survey gage at river mile 26.6, the peak would attenuate to 21,000 cu ft/sec. In Sisters on the alluvial fan, at about 20 miles downstream from the lake, the peak would continue to attenuate to 9,800 cu ft/sec. (Lantz-PTT)

Open-File Report↗