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Geoffrey W. Freethey

Publications and source records attributed to Geoffrey W. Freethey.

11 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2010

Simulation of ground-water flow and solute transport in the Glen Canyon aquifer, East-Central Utah

The extraction of methane from coal beds in the Ferron coal trend in central Utah started in the mid-1980s. Beginning in 1994, water from the extraction process was pressure injected into the Glen Canyon aquifer. The lateral extent of the aquifer that could be affected by injection is about 7,600 square miles. To address regional-scale effects of injection over a decadal time frame, a conceptual model of ground-water movement and transport of dissolved solids was formulated. A numerical model that incorporates aquifer concepts was then constructed and used to simulate injection. The Glen Canyon aquifer within the study area is conceptualized in two parts—an active area of ground-water flow and solute transport that exists between recharge areas in the San Rafael Swell and Desert, Waterpocket Fold, and Henry Mountains and discharge locations along the Muddy, Dirty Devil, San Rafael, and Green Rivers. An area of little or negligible ground-water flow exists north of Price, Utah, and beneath the Wasatch Plateau. Pressurized injection of coal-bed methane production water occurs in this area where dissolved-solids concentrations can be more than 100,000 milligrams per liter. Injection has the potential to increase hydrologic interaction with the active flow area, where dissolved-solids concentrations are generally less than 3,000 milligrams per liter. Pressurized injection of coal-bed methane production water in 1994 initiated a net addition of flow and mass of solutes into the Glen Canyon aquifer. To better understand the regional scale hydrologic interaction between the two areas of the Glen Canyon aquifer, pressurized injection was numerically simulated. Data constraints precluded development of a fully calibrated simulation; instead, an uncalibrated model was constructed that is a plausible representation of the conceptual flow and solute-transport processes. The amount of injected water over the 36-year simulation period is about 25,000 acre-feet. As a result, simulated water levels in the injection areas increased by 50 feet and dissolved-solids concentrations increased by 100 milligrams per liter or more. These increases are accrued into aquifer storage and do not extend to the rivers during the 36-year simulation period. The amount of change in simulated discharge and solute load to the rivers is less than the resolution accuracy of the numerical simulation and is interpreted as no significant change over the considered time period.

Utah↗
USGS2001

Ground-water hydrology of Dugway Proving Ground and adjoining area, Tooele and Juab counties, Utah

Dugway Proving Ground (DPG) is a U.S. Department of Defense chemical, biological, and explosives testing facility in northwestern Utah. The facility includes about 620 mi 2 in Tooele County. The town of Dugway, referred to as English Village, is the administrative headquarters for the military facility, the primary residential area, and community center. The English Village area is located at the southern end of Skull Valley and is separated from the Fries area by a surface-water divide. Most of the facility is located just to the west of Skull Valley in Government Creek Valley, Dugway Valley, and the Great Salt Lake Desert (fig. 1).

Utah↗
USGS1991

Geohydrology of Mesozoic rocks in the upper Colorado River basin in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming, excluding the San Juan Basin

The purpose of this report is to provide a quantitative analysis of the occurrence, movement, and quality of water and the hydrologic characteristics of aquifers and confining units in the Mesozoic rocks of the Upper Colorado River Basin. The analysis is regional in scope and, hence, does not address site-specific problems caused by intricate localized quality, lithologic, or structural discontinuities. The report is intended to answer questions about the lateral flow of ground water from recharge to discharge areas, its vertical movement between aquifer systems, and the general water-yielding properties of aquifers. Because the investigation was regional in scope, analyses of recharge, ground-water movement, discharge, and storage were based on data and interpretations from the results of previous investigations and existing files from government and private sources. Analyses of hydrologic properties and water quality were based largely on the same sources but were supplemented with a small quantity of newly collected data for areas for which this type of information was lacking.

Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming↗
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↗
USGS1988

Models, data available, and data requirements for estimating the effects of injecting saltwater into disposal wells in the greater Altamont-Bluebell oil and gas field, northern Uinta Basin, Utah

Permits for disposing of salty oil-production water have been issued for 19 wells in the Greater Altamont-Bluebell field. During 1986 more than 500 million gallons of production water were injected into the Duchesne River, Uinta, and Green River Formations through 18 of these wells. The physical and chemical effects of injecting this water into aquifers containing potable water are poorly understood. Interfingering and the structural configuration of these formations add complexity to the description of the geometry and hydrogeology of the ground-water system. A preliminary assessment of the problem indicates that numerical modeling may offer a method of determining the effects of injection. Modeling possibilities include variable-density, three-dimensional flow, sectionaltransport, and areal-transport models. Data needed to develop these models can be derived from a synthesis of geologic, hydrologic, and hydrochemical data already available in the files of State and Federal agencies, oil companies, and private companies. Results from each modeling phase would contribute information for implementing the following phase. The result will be a better understanding of how water moves naturally through the groundwater system, the extent of alterations of both vertical and horizontal flow near the disposal wells, and an overall concept of the effects of deep injection on near-surface aquifers.

Utah↗
USGS1978

Water resources of the Cordova area, Alaska

This report is a compilation of ground-water, surface-water, and water-quality data collected by the U.S. Geological Survey, Water Resources Division on Eyak Lake and Power Creek, near Cordova, and wells in and near Cordova, Alaska. Many of these data were collected as part of a cooperative program with the city of Cordova. The purpose of this report is to present the data in a concise format for interested parties. Cordova is on the southeast shore of Orca Inlet in Prince William Sound (lat 60°33' N.; long 145°45' W.) at an altitude of approximately 90 feet (fig. 7). The limited development has occurred along the north shore of the west arm of Eyak Lake. The current population of Cordova is about 1,800. Commercial fishing and fish processing form the economic base for the community.

Alaska↗