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Dale E. Wilberg

Publications and source records attributed to Dale E. Wilberg.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2006

Hydrology and water quality in the Green River and surrounding agricultural areas near Green River in Emery and Grand Counties, Utah, 2004-05

Water from the Colorado River and its tributaries is used for municipal and industrial purposes by about 27 million people and irrigates nearly 4 million acres of land in the Western United States. Water users in the Upper Colorado River Basin consume water from the Colorado River and its tributaries, reducing the amount of water in the river. In addition, application of water to agricultural land within the basin in excess of crop needs can increase the transport of dissolved solids to the river. As a result, dissolved-solids concentrations in the Colorado River have increased, affecting downstream water users. During 2004-05, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, investigated the occurrence and distribution of dissolved solids in water from the agricultural areas near Green River, Utah, and in the adjacent reach of the Green River, a principle tributary of the Colorado River. The flow-weighted concentration of dissolved solids diverted from the Green River for irrigation during 2004 and 2005 was 357 milligrams per liter and the mean concentration of water collected from seeps and drains where water was returning to the river during low-flow conditions was 4,170 milligrams per liter. The dissolved-solids concentration in water from the shallow part of the ground-water system ranged from 687 to 55,900 milligrams per liter. Measurable amounts of dissolved solids discharging to the Green River are present almost exclusively along the river banks or near the mouths of dry washes that bisect the agricultural areas. The median dissolved-solids load in discharge from the 17 drains and seeps visited during the study was 0.35 ton per day. Seasonal estimates of the dissolved-solids load discharging from the study area ranged from 2,800 tons in the winter to 6,400 tons in the spring. The estimate of dissolved solids discharging from the study area annually is 15,700 tons. Water samples collected from selected sites within the Green River agricultural areas were analyzed for naturally occurring isotopes of strontium and boron, which can be useful for differentiating dissolved-solids sources. Substantial variations in the delta strontium-87 and delta boron-11 values among the sites were measured. Canal and river samples had relatively low concentrations of strontium and the most positive (heavier) isotopic ratios, while drains and seeps had a wide range of strontium concentrations and isotopic ratios that generally were less positive (lighter). Further study of the variation in strontium and boron concentrations and isotope ratios may provide a means to distinguish end members and discern processes affecting dissolved solids within the Green River study area; however, the results from isotope data collected during this study are inconclusive. Flow and seepage losses were estimated for the three main canals in the study area for May 2 to October 4 in any given year. This period coincides with the frost-free period in the Green River area. Estimated diversion from the Green River into the Thayn, East Side, and Green River Canals is 6,600, 6,070, and 19,900 acre-feet, respectively. The estimated seepage loss to ground water from the Thayn, East Side, and Green River Canals during the same period is 1,550, 1,460, and 4,710 acre-feet, respectively.

Utah↗
USGS2006

Water resources data, Utah, water year 2005

Water-resources data for the 2005 water year for Utah consist of records of stage, discharge, and water quality of streams; stage and contents of lakes and reservoirs; and water levels and water quality of ground water. This report contains discharge records for 165 gaging stations; stage and contents for 8 lakes and reservoirs; water quality for 22 hydrologic stations, and 57 wells; water levels for 65 observation wells; and precipitation for 3 stations. Additional water data were collected at various sites not involved in the systematic data-collection program and are published as miscellaneous measurements. These data represent that part of the National Water Data System collected by the U.S. Geological Survey and cooperating State and Federal agencies in Utah.

Utah↗
USGS2006

Ground-water conditions in Utah, spring of 2006

This is the forty-third in a series of annual reports that describe ground-water conditions in Utah. Reports in this series, published cooperatively by the U.S. Geological Survey and the Utah Department of Natural Resources, Division of Water Resources and Division of Water Rights, and the Utah Department of Environmental Quality, Division of Water Quality, provide data to enable inter­ested parties to maintain awareness of changing ground-water conditions. This report, like the others in the series, contains information on well construction, ground-water with­drawal from wells, water-level changes, precipitation, streamflow, and chemical quality of water. Information on well construction included in this report refers only to wells constructed for new appropriations of ground water. Supplementary data are included in reports of this series only for those years or areas which are important to a discussion of changing ground-water conditions and for which applicable data are available. This report includes individual discussions of selected significant areas of ground-water development in the State for calendar year 2005. Most of the reported data were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Utah Department of Natural Resources, Division of Water Resources and Division of Water Rights, and the Utah Department of Environmental Quality, Division of Water Quality. This report is available online at http://www.waterrights.utah. gov/techinfo/wwwpub/gw2006.pdf and http://ut.water.usgs. gov/publications/GW2006.pdf.

Utah↗
USGS2005

Seepage investigation and selected hydrologic data for the Escalante River drainage basin, Garfield and Kane Counties, Utah, 1909-2002

This report contains the results of an October 2001 seepage investigation conducted along a reach of the Escalante River in Utah extending from the U.S. Geological Survey streamflow-gaging station near Escalante to the mouth of Stevens Canyon. Discharge was measured at 16 individual sites along 15 consecutive reaches. Total reach length was about 86 miles. A reconnaissance-level sampling of water for tritium and chlorofluorcarbons was also done. In addition, hydrologic and water-quality data previously collected and published by the U.S. Geological Survey for the 2,020-square-mile Escalante River drainage basin was compiled and is presented in 12 tables. These data were collected from 64 surface-water sites and 28 springs from 1909 to 2002. None of the 15 consecutive reaches along the Escalante River had a measured loss or gain that exceeded the measurement error. All discharge measurements taken during the seepage investigation were assigned a qualitative rating of accuracy that ranged from 5 percent to greater than 8 percent of the actual flow. Summing the potential error for each measurement and dividing by the maximum of either the upstream discharge and any tributary inflow, or the downstream discharge, determined the normalized error for a reach. This was compared to the computed loss or gain that also was normalized to the maximum discharge. A loss or gain for a specified reach is considered significant when the loss or gain (normalized percentage difference) is greater than the measurement error (normalized percentage error). The percentage difference and percentage error were normalized to allow comparison between reaches with different amounts of discharge. The plate that accompanies the report is 36" by 40" and can be printed in 16 tiles, 8.5 by 11 inches. An index for the tiles is located on the lower left-hand side of the plate. Using Adobe Acrobat, the plate can be viewed independent of the report; all Acrobat functions are available.

Utah↗
USGS2005

Water resources data, Utah, water year 2004

Water-resources data for the 2004 water year for Utah consist of records of stage, discharge, and water quality of streams; stage and contents of lakes and reservoirs; and water levels and water quality of ground water. This report contains discharge records for 156 gaging stations; stage and contents for 8 lakes and reservoirs; water quality for 16 hydrologic stations, and 29 wells; water levels for 67 observation wells; and precipitation for 3 stations. Additional water data were collected at various sites not involved in the systematic data-collection program and are published as miscellaneous measurements. These data represent that part of the National Water Data System collected by the U.S. Geological Survey and cooperating State and Federal agencies in Utah.

Utah↗
USGS2004

Water resources data, Utah, water year 2003

Water-resources data for the 2005 water year for Utah consist of records of stage, discharge, and water quality of streams; stage and contents of lakes and reservoirs; and water levels and water quality of ground water. This report contains discharge records for 165 gaging stations; stage and contents for 8 lakes and reservoirs; water quality for 22 hydrologic stations, and 57 wells; water levels for 65 observation wells; and precipitation for 3 stations. Additional water data were collected at various sites not involved in the systematic data-collection program and are published as miscellaneous measurements. These data represent that part of the National Water Data System collected by the U.S. Geological Survey and cooperating State and Federal agencies in Utah.

Utah↗
USGS2001

Seepage investigation for Leap, South Ash, Wet Sandy, and Leeds creeks in the Pine Valley Mountains, Washington County, Utah, 1998

Seepage loss-gain data were collected along four creeks (Leap, South Ash, Wet Sandy, and Leeds) that drain the eastern flank of the Pine Valley Mountains in southwestern Utah. Streamflow was measured at a minimum of eight sites on each of the four creeks during each of three (four on South Ash) seepage investigations at higher streamflows in May and June, and at lower streamflows during August, October, and November 1998. Only two reaches on Leap and Leeds Creeks showed a significant reversal of loss or gain trends between high and low streamflow where the difference in streamflow exceeded the measurement error. Error analyses were computed both for individual reaches between consecutive measurement sites and for composite reaches between specified, nonconsecutive measurement sites to determine if seepage losses or gains exceed the error associated with measurement of streamflow. Computed losses or gains at 31 individual reaches exceed the normalized measurement error; 16 were along channel reaches that traverse unconsolidated deposits, 7 were associated with reaches that traverse sedimentary rocks other than Navajo Sandstone, 6 were associated with reaches that traverse the Navajo Sandstone, and 2 were associated with reaches that traverse rocks of igneous origin. Composite reaches that encompass the outcrop of one of four hydrogeologic units (Navajo Sandstone, unconsolidated deposits, igneous rocks, or sedimentary rocks other than Navajo Sandstone) were used to compute the loss or gain based on the amount measured at the upstream and downstream nonconsecutive sites. For composite reaches that traverse outcrops of Navajo Sandstone, less water was measured at (or near) the downstream contact than at (or near) the upstream contact for 11 of the 13 seepage investigations. Of those 11 investigations with computed losses, the normalized difference (N d) was greater than the normalized error (N e ) for 6 investigations and confirms that a source of recharge to the Navajo Sandstone is seepage loss from the measured streams.

Utah↗
USGS2000

Geohydrology and numerical simulation of groundwater flow in the central Virgin River Basin of Iron and Washington Counties, Utah

Because rapid growth of communities in Washington and Iron Counties, Utah, is expected to cause an increase in the future demand for water resources, a hydrologic investigation was done to better understand ground-water resources within the central Virgin River basin. This study focused on two of the principal ground-water reservoirs within the basin: the upper Ash Creek basin ground-water system and the Navajo and Kayenta aquifer system. The ground-water system of the upper Ash Creek drainage basin consists of three aquifers: the uppermost Quaternary basin-fill aquifer, the Tertiary alluvial-fan aquifer, and the Tertiary Pine Valley monzonite aquifer. These aquifers are naturally bounded by the Hurricane Fault and by drainage divides. On the basis of measurements, estimates, and numerical simulations of reasonable values for all inflow and outflow components, total water moving through the upper Ash Creek drainage basin ground-water system is estimated to be about 14,000 acre-feet per year. Recharge to the upper Ash Creek drainage basin ground-water system is mostly from infiltration of precipitation and seepage from ephemeral and perennial streams. The primary source of discharge is assumed to be evapotranspiration; however, subsurface discharge near Ash Creek Reservoir also may be important. The character of two of the hydrologic boundaries of the upper Ash Creek drainage basin ground-water system is speculative. The eastern boundary provided by the Hurricane Fault is assumed to be a no-flow boundary, and a substantial part of the ground-water discharge from the system is assumed to be subsurface outflow beneath Ash Creek Reservoir along the southern boundary. However, these assumptions might be incorrect because alternative numerical simulations that used different boundary conditions also proved to be feasible. The hydrogeologic character of the aquifers is uncertain because of limited data. Differences in well yield indicate that there is considerable variability in the transmissivity of the basin-fill aquifer. Field data also indicate that the basin-fill aquifer is more transmissive than the underlying alluvial-fan aquifer. Data from the Pine Valley monzonite aquifer indicate that its transmissivity may be highly variable and that it is strongly influenced by the connection of fractures. The Navajo and Kayenta aquifers provide most of the potable water to the municipalities of Washington County. Because of large outcrop exposures, uniform grain size, and large stratigraphic thickness, these formations are able to receive and store large amounts of water. In addition, structural forces have resulted in extensive fracture zones that enhance ground-water recharge and movement within these aquifers. Aquifer testing of the Navajo aquifer indicates that horizontal hydraulic-conductivity values range from 0.2 to 32 feet per day at different locations and may be primarily dependent on the extent of fracturing. Limited data indicate that the Kayenta aquifer generally is less transmissive than the Navajo aquifer. The aquifers are bounded to the south and west by the erosional extent of the formations and to the east by the Hurricane Fault, which completely offsets these formations and is assumed to be a lateral no-flow boundary. Like the Hurricane Fault, the Gunlock Fault is assumed to be a lateral no-flow boundary that divides the Navajo and Kayenta aquifers within the study area into two parts: the main part, between the Hurricane and Gunlock Faults; and the Gunlock part, west of the Gunlock Fault. Generally, the water in the Navajo and Kayenta aquifers contains few dissolved minerals. However, two distinct areas contain water with dissolved-solids concentrations greater than 500 milligrams per liter: a larger area north of the city of St. George and a smaller area a few miles west of the town of Hurricane. Mass-balance calculations indicate that in the higher-dissolved-solids area north of St. George, as much as 2.7 cubic feet per second may be entering the aquifer from underlying formations. For the area west of Hurricane, as much as 1.5 cubic feet per second may be entering the aquifer from underlying formations. On the basis of measurements, estimates, and numerical simulations, total water moving through the Navajo and Kayenta aquifers is estimated to be about 25,000 acre-feet per year for the main part and 5,000 acre-feet per year for the Gunlock part. The primary source of recharge is assumed to be infiltration of precipitation in the main part and seepage from the Santa Clara River in the Gunlock part. The primary source of discharge is assumed to be well discharge for both the main and Gunlock parts of the aquifers. Numerical simulations indicate that faults with major offset, such as the Washington Hollow Fault and an unnamed fault near Anderson Junction, may impede horizontal ground-water flow. Also, increased horizontal hydraulic conductivity along the orientation of predominant surface fracturing may be an important factor in regional ground-water flow. Simulations with increased north-south hydraulic conductivity substantially improved the match to measured water levels in the central area of the model between Snow Canyon and Mill Creek. Numerical simulation of the Gunlock part, using aquifer properties determined for the city of St. George municipal well field, resulted in a reasonable representation of regional water levels and estimated seepage from and to the Santa Clara River. To further quantify the Gunlock part of the Navajo and Kayenta aquifers, a better understanding of ground-water flow at the Gunlock Fault is needed.

Utah↗
USGS1998

Selected hydrologic data for the central Virgin River basin area, Washington and Iron Counties, Utah, 1915-97

Hydrologic data were collected in Washington and Iron Counties, Utah, from 1995 to 1997 to better understand the hydrologic system. Data from earlier years also are presented. Data collected from wells include well-completion data, water-level measurements, and physical properties of the water. Data collected from springs and surface-water sites include discharge and physical properties of the water. Selected water samples collected from ground- and surface-water sites were analyzed for isotopes, chlorofluorocarbons, and dissolved gases.

Utah↗
USGS1995

Origin of water that discharges from Calf Creek Spring, Garfield County, Utah

Calf Creek Spring provides drinking water to users of Calf Creek Campground, which is operated by the Bureau of Land Management in southcentral Utah. Use of all methods and tools available indicates that surface water from Calf Creek does not contribute to the discharge of Calf Creek Spring. Microscopic Particulate Analysis of spring water indicates that the spring has a low risk of surface-water contamination, which is substantiated by a bacterial test of water from the point of discharge of Calf Creek Spring, the Calf Creek Spring collection box, a tap from the water distribution system, and Calf Creek near the picnic area. Bacteria colonies were found in Calf Creek near the picnic area. Calf Creek Spring discharges from fractured Navajo Sandstone where the potential for contamination by animal or human microbes is slight. Calf Creek probably gains water along its entire length from the aquifer in the Navajo Sandstone. Once at the surface, water in Calf Creek is exposed to animal- and human-borne microbes. If the water level in the Navajo aquifer at the spring remains higher than the water level of the creek, mixing is unlikely to occur and contamination is unlikely. The water level of Calf Creek Spring in June 1994 was at least 4 feet above the water level of Calf Creek. Water from Calf Creek Spring is a mixed type composed of magnesium, calcium, sodium, bicarbonate, and sulfate ions, and water from Calf Creek is a mixed type composed of calcium, magnesium, bicarbonate, sulfate, and chloride ions. Compositional similarity is not unusual if both water sources are derived from the Navajo aquifer. Discharge and temperature measurements at the spring and in the creek in May and June 1994 vary independently and do not indicate a hydraulic connection. Turbidity measurements, though not conclusive, indicate that no direct hydraulic connection exists between Calf Creek and Calf Creek Spring. Hydrologic characteristics of Calf Creek provide evidence that the probable long-term, sustainable source of water is the Navajo aquifer and not precipitation-derived runoff. Ground-water leakage from adjacent drainages could contribute to perennial flow in Calf Creek. Fractures modify the movement of ground water to discharge areas, such as Calf Creek Spring.

Utah↗
USGS1995

Hydrology of Sanpete Valley, Sanpete and Juab Counties, Utah, and simulation of ground-water flow in the valley-fill aquifer

The surface-and ground-water hydrology of Sanpete Valley and the San Pitch River drainage basin, Sanpete and Juab Counties, Utah, was studied to define the current conditions of the hydrologic system, to detect causes for downstream changes in water quality in the San Pitch River and in areas of high concentration of dissolved solids in ground water, and to determine the possible effects of present changes in irrigation methods and possible future increased ground-water withdrawals from the valley-fill aquifer. Measurements of water levels in wells show responses to climatic variation. The dissolved-solids concentration of water from the San Pitch River increases downstream. Principal areas of ground water with high concentrations of dissolved solids occur downgradient from outcrops of rocks of Jurassic and Tertiary age. One local-scale ground-water flow system discharges small volumes of water with high concentrations of dissolved solids to the San Pitch River southwest of Ephraim. Although ground water occurs in both valley-fill and consolidated-rock aquifers in the study area, more hydrologic information is available for the valley-fill aquifer. The valley-fill aquifer consists primarily of fine-grained silt and clay in the center of the valley and coarser deposits along the margin of the valley. Surface- water inflow to the valley is estimated to be about 152,000 acre-feet per year. Recharge to the valley-fill aquifer is estimated to be between 74,000 and 103,000 acre-feet per year. A three-dimensional, ground-water flow model was developed to better define present ground-water conditions and to determine possible effects of future changes in ground-water withdrawals from the valley-fill aquifer. Computer simulation results indicate the possibility of recharge to the valleyfill aquifer as subsurface inflow from consolidated-rock aquifers. Simulation of water-level changes during the late 1980's indicate that some of the declines could have been caused by conversion from flood irrigation to sprinkler irrigation. Predictive simulations using three times the average pumping rates indicate possible water-level declines of as much as 70 feet.

Utah↗
USGS1991

Hydrologic reconnaissance of the Sevier Lake area, west-central Utah

The hydrologic system of the Sevier Lake area, at the terminus of the Sevier Lake drainage basin in west-central Utah, was studied during 1987-88 to determine baseline hydrologic conditions prior to anticipated development. Sevier Lake was reestablished during 1983-87 on the normally dry playa as a result of record volumes of surface-water runoff, but the lake was receding during the study. In June 1985, the lake reached a maximum depth of about 13 feet, with a water-surface altitude of 4,527 feet above sea level. The basin-fill aquifer includes a coarse-grained facies at higher altitudes of the alluvial slopes, and a fine-grained facies at lower altitudes around Sevier Lake. Water levels indicate a potential for lateral groundwater movement away from the lake and toward the northwest, west, and south. Transmissivity of the coarse-grained facies, determined from one well, was 4,120 feet squared per day. Transmissivity values for the fine-grained facies ranged from 1 X 10 -3 to 5 X 10 -2 foot squared per day, determined from slug tests of shallow wells near the shoreline of the lake, and 5.2 feet squared per day determined from a well in the lakebed. The predominant constituents of water sampled in the Sevier Lake area are sodium, sulfate, and chloride. The concentration of dissolved solids ranges from 480 to 120,000 milligrams per liter. Smaller concentrations of dissolved solids were determined for water from wells completed in the coarse-grained facies, and larger concentrations were determined for water from wells completed in the fine-grained facies.

Utah↗
USGS1988

General hydrogeology of the aquifers of Mesozoic age, Upper Colorado River Basin - excluding the San Juan Basin - Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and Arizona

The objective of the Upper Colorado Regional Aquifer Systems Analyses (RASA) project is to assess quantitatively the occurrence, movement, and availability of water stored in rock formations underlying the basin. This is one of a series of preliminary reports that describe what is currently known (1984) about the geometry and hydrologic properties of the aquifer systems, and the chemistry of the water in known or potential aquifers. This report provides the foundation needed for the assessment of the ground-water resources of the region. The report describes only part of the hydrologic system; that is, formations of Mesozoic age. Younger and older formations significant to the hydrologic system are described in other reports.

Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming↗