Geology topics

Research about White River basin

Source-linked reports with geographic coverage including White River basin.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS1984

Quantity and quality of streamflow in the White River basin, Colorado and Utah

The water quality and flow of existing streams in the White River basin, located in northwestern Colorado and northeastern Utah, are adequate for present uses, but future development (such as energy) may affect stream quality and quantity. Present conditions are described as a baseline to enable planners to allocate available water and to measure changes in quantity and quality of water in the future. The White River basin contains extensive energy resources consisting of oil, natural gas, coal, and oil shale. Large quantities of water will be required for energy-resource development and associated municipal and industrial uses. An average of 70% of the annual flow in the White River occurs during May, June, and July as a result of snowmelt runoff. The 7-day, 10-year low-flow discharges/sq mi and the 1-day, 25-year high-flow discharges/sq mi are larger in the eastern part of the basin than in the western part. Flow-duration curves indicate that high flows in the White River and the North and South Fork White Rivers result mainly from snowmelt runoff and that base flow is sustained throughout the year by groundwater discharge from the alluvial and bedrock aquifers. Water type varies in the basin; however, calcium and sodium are the dominantly occurring cations and sulfate and bicarbonate are the dominantly occurring anions. Computed total annual dissolved-solids loads in the White River range from 31 ,800 tons/yr in the North Fork White River to 284,000 tons/yr at the mouth. A 10% increase to a 14% decrease of the dissolved-solids load could result at the mouth of the White River near Ouray, Utah. This corresponds to a 5% increase to a 10% decrease in dissolved-solids concentration. The seasonal pattern of stream temperatures was found to fit a harmonic curve.

Colorado, Utah↗

USGS1982

Ground-water resources of the White River basin, Delaware County, Indiana

The ground-water resources of the White River basin in and near Delaware County, Indiana, were investigated by mapping the aquifers, calculating their hydraulic properties, determining the distribution of potentiometric head, and determining some of the components of the ground-water budget from data collect ed in the field. This information was used to construct and calibrate a seven- layer, digital ground-water-flow model. The model, constructed and calibrated to water-level and seepage data collected during the study, simulates conditions for the autumn of 1977. The model was used to assess ground-water potential in terms of yield, drawdown, and streamflow depletion. Drift covers nearly the entire area and generally ranges in thickness from 0 to 500 feet. Beneath the drift lie Silurian and Ordovician limestone, dolomite, and shale. A bedrock valley trends east-west through the center of the area. Bedrock surface relief is about 400 feet. Six confined sand and gravel aquifers interbedded in the drift, a bedrock aquifer, and an unconfined outwash aquifer are the three major aquifer systems. The nearly horizontal, areally discontinuous, confined sand and gravel aquifers generally range in thickness from 5 to 40 feet and have an average hydraulic conductivity estimated to be 433 feet per day. The bedrock aquifer underlying all of Delaware County has a permeable thickness estimated to be 150 feet and an average transmissivity of 1,000 square feet per day. Observation-well records indicate that water-level fluctuation is seasonal and has no long-term trends. Municipal and industrial ground-water pumpage for 1976 was 3.1 million gallons per day (4.8 cubic feet per second). On October 29, 1977, when the flow duration in the White River at Muncie was 80 percent, ground-water seepage to streams was 81 cubic feet per second. The water budget simulated in the model indicated that the rate of inflow to the ground-water system in the modeled area is 102 cubic feet per second: 80 percent from effective areal recharge of precipitation and 20 percent from ground-water flow across the area boundaries. Two percent of the ground-water discharge is pump-age, 66 percent is seepage to streams, and the remaining 32 percent is flow across the area boundaries. Simulations of seven pumping plans provide a general assessment of the water-yielding potential of the three major aquifer systems. Model results indicate that as much as 3 million gallons per day can be developed from well fields where the average drawdown is 20 feet. Model simulations also indicate that 7 million gallons per day is available from a potential well field around Muncie.

Indiana↗

USGS1982

Ground-water resources of the White River basin, Hamilton and Tipton Counties, Indiana

An analysis of the ground-water resources of the Hamilton and Tipton Counties was based on data from about 1,900 well logs, 125 water levels in 125 wells, streamflow measurements at 57 sites, and municipal- and industrial- pumpage records. These data were used to map the flow system and construct a three-dimensional model of the study area and a more detailed two-dimensional model of the outwash deposits along the White River. The models were used to determine the pumpage from several pumping plans and the effect of these pump- ages on streamflow and ground-water levels. Model results indicate that 39 million gallons per day could be obtained from the outwash aquifer. This quantity of pumping in areas of high transmissivity near and parallel to the White River would reduce the saturated thick-ness of the aquifers at the wells by half. The models also indicated that 0.18 to 6.7 million gallons per day could be pumped from the confined sand and gravel and the bedrock aquifers that have high transmissivities and are near favor-able discharge areas. Drift covers most of the study area and ranges in thickness from 0 to about 400 feet. The drift consists mainly of till and outwash deposits. Beneath the drift lie Silurian and Devonian limestone, dolomite, and shale having a surface relief of about 300 feet. The study area contains five discontinuous, confined sand and gravel aquifers within the till, an outwash aquifer associated with the White River, and a bedrock aquifer. Of these aquifers, the south half of the outwash aquifer, having a saturated thickness averaging 70 feet and a width ranging from 2 to 3 miles, has the greatest potential for water supply. The general ranges of measurements for the aquifers are: thin and discontinuous confined aquifer, thickness from 5 to 20 feet and transmissivity from 1,000 to 20,000 square feet per day; outwash, transmissivity from 1,000 to 28,000 square feet per day; and bedrock, transmissivity from 500 to 10,000 square feet per day. Vertical hydraulic conductivity of the confining beds between the confined aquifers ranges from 7 x 10-4 to 7 x 10-2 feet per day and averages near 7 x 10-3 feet per day.

Indiana↗