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At least 973 records · Page 54Linked to original sources
USGS1970

Water resources in the Big Lost River Basin, south-central Idaho

The Big Lost River basin occupies about 1,400 square miles in south-central Idaho and drains to the Snake River Plain. The economy in the area is based on irrigation agriculture and stockraising. The basin is underlain by a diverse-assemblage of rocks which range, in age from Precambrian to Holocene. The assemblage is divided into five groups on the basis of their hydrologic characteristics. Carbonate rocks, noncarbonate rocks, cemented alluvial deposits, unconsolidated alluvial deposits, and basalt. The principal aquifer is unconsolidated alluvial fill that is several thousand feet thick in the main valley. The carbonate rocks are the major bedrock aquifer. They absorb a significant amount of precipitation and, in places, are very permeable as evidenced by large springs discharging from or near exposures of carbonate rocks. Only the alluvium, carbonate rock and locally the basalt yield significant amounts of water. A total of about 67,000 acres is irrigated with water diverted from the Big Lost River. The annual flow of the river is highly variable and water-supply deficiencies are common. About 1 out of every 2 years is considered a drought year. In the period 1955-68, about 175 irrigation wells were drilled to provide a supplemental water supply to land irrigated from the canal system and to irrigate an additional 8,500 acres of new land. Average. annual precipitation ranged from 8 inches on the valley floor to about 50 inches at some higher elevations during the base period 1944-68. The estimated water yield of the Big Lost River basin averaged 650 cfs (cubic feet per second) for the base period. Of this amount, 150 cfs was transpired by crops, 75 cfs left the basin as streamflow, and 425 cfs left as ground-water flow. A map of precipitation and estimated values of evapotranspiration were used to construct a water-yield map. A distinctive feature of the Big Lost River basin, is the large interchange of water from surface streams into the ground and from the ground into the surface streams. Large quantities of water disappear in the Chilly, Darlington, and other sinks and reappear above Mackay Narrows, above Moore Canal heading, and in other reaches. A cumulative summary of water yield upstream from selected points in the basin is as follows : Above Howell Ranch: water yield: 345 cfs; surface water: 310 cfs; ground water: 35 cfs Above. Mackay Narrows water yield: 450 cfs; surface water: 325 cfs; ground water: 75 cfs; crop evapotranspiration: 50 cfs Above Arco: water yield: 650 cfs; surface water: 75 cfs; ground water: 425 cfs; crop evapotranspiration: 150 cfs Ground-water pumping affects streamflow in reaches , where the stream and water table are continuous, but the effects of pumping were not measured except locally. Pumping depletes the total water supply by the. amount of the pumped water that is evapotranspired by crops. The part of the pumped water that is not consumed percolates into the ground or runs off over the land surface to the stream. The estimated 425 cfs that leaves the basin as ground-water flow is more than adequate for present and foreseeable needs. However because much of the outflow occurs at considerable depth, the quantity that is salvageable is unknown. Both the surface and ground waters are of good quality and are suitable for most uses. Although these waters are low in total dissolved solids, they tend to be hard or very hard.

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USGS1970

Water resources data for Idaho, water year 1969: Part 1. Surface water records

Surface-water records for the 1969 water year for gaging stations, partial-record stations, and miscellaneous sites within the State of Idaho are given in this report and their locations shown in figures 2 and 3. Records for a few selected gaging stations in bordering States also are included. The records were collected and computed by the Water Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey, under the direction of W. L. Burnham, district chief, Water Resources Division. Through September 30, 1960, the records of discharge and stage of streams and contents and stage of lakes or reservoirs were published in an annual series of U.S. Geological Survey water-supply papers entitled "Surface Water Supply of the United States." Since 1951 there have been 20 volumes in the series; each volume covered an area whose boundaries coincided with those of certain natural drainage areas. The records in Idaho were contained in Parts 10, 12, and 13 of that series. Beginning with the 1961 water year, streamflow records and related data have been released by the Geological Survey in annual reports on a State-boundary basis. Distribution of these basic-data reports is limited and primarily for local needs. Records will be published in Geological Survey water-supply papers at 5-year intervals. These 5-year water-supply papers will show daily discharge and will be compiled on the same geographical areas previously used for the annual series; however, some of the 14 parts of conterminous United States will be further subdivided.

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USGS1970

Water resources data for Idaho, water year 1969; Part 2, Water quality records

Water-resources investigations of the U.S. Geological Survey include the collection of water-quality data on the chemical and physical characteristics of surface- and ground-water supplies of the Nation. These data for the 1969 water year for the quality of surface waters in Idaho are presented in this report. Data for a few water quality stations in bordering States are also included. The data were collected by the Water Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey under the direction of W. L. Burnham, district chief, Boise, Idaho. Water-quality information is presented for chemical quality, water temperatures, and fluvial sediment. Chemical quality includes concentrations of individual dissolved constituents and certain properties or characteristics such as hardness, sodium adsorption ratio, specific conductance, and pH. Water temperature data represent once-daily observations except for stations where a continuous temperature recorder furnishes information from which daily maximums and minimums are obtained. Fluvial-sediment information is given for suspended-sediment discharges and concentrations and for particle size distribution of suspended sediment and bed material. The Geological Survey, from 1941 through 1965, published an annual series of water-supply papers, "Quality of Surface Waters of the United States," which contained the chemical-quality, temperature, and suspended-sediment data of the water. Each volume covered an area whose boundaries coincided with those of certain natural drainage areas. The records for Idaho are contained in Parts 9-14 of the water-supply paper series. These publications are available in most public libraries. Beginning with the 1964 water year, water quality records for surface and ground water have been released by the Geological Survey on a state boundary basis. This report is primarily for local and immediate use, and its distribution is limited. These records will be published later in Geological Survey water-supply papers.

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USGS1970

Hydrology of the Upper Malad River basin, southeastern Idaho

The report area comprises 485 square miles in the Basin and Range physiographic province. It includes most of eastern' Oneida County and parts of Franklin, Bannock, and Power Counties of southeastern Idaho. Relief is about 5,000 feet; the floor of the Malad Valley is at an average altitude of about 4,400 feet. Agriculture is, by far, ,the principal economic .activity. In 1960 the population of the upper Malad River basin was about 3,600, of which about 60 percent resided in Malad City, the county seat of Oneida County. The climate is semiarid throughout the Malad Valley and its principal tributary valleys; ,above 6,500 feet the climate is subhumid. Annual precipitation ranges from about 13 inches in the lower Malad Valley to more than 30 inches on the highest peaks of the Bannock and Malad ranges. Owing to ,the normally clear atmospheric conditions, large daily and seasonal temperature fluctuations are common. Topography, distance from the Pacific Ocean, .and the general atmospheric circulation are the principal factors governing the climate of the Malad River basin. The westerlies transport moisture from the P.acific Ocean toward southeastern Idaho. The north-south tren4ing mountains flanking the basin are oriented orthogonally to the moisture flux so that they are very effective in removing precipitable water from the air. A minimum uplift of 6,000 feet is required to transport moisture from the Pacific source region; accordingly, most air masses are desiccated long before they reach the Malad basin. Heaviest precipitation is generally associated with steep pressure gradients in the midtroposphere that are so oriented as to cause a deep landward penetration of moisture from the Pacific Ocean. Annual water yields in the project area range from about 0.8 inch in the, lower Malad Valley to more than 19 inches on the high peaks north and east of Malad City. The mean annual water yield for the entire basin is 4 inches, or about 115,000 acre-feet. Evaporation is greatest in July when about 7 inches is lost from lakes, reservoirs, and waterlogged areas; losses from free-water surfaces may be as much .as 38 inches annually. An extensive ground-water reservoir consisting of sand and gravel interbedded with relatively impermeable beds of silt .and clay underlies much of the Malad Valley. Wells near the center of the valley exceeding 700 feet in depth do not reach bedrock. The Woodruff fault, which transects the constricted lower Malad Valley, is one of the main factors creating artesian conditions south of the latitude of Malad City. Recharge is obtained principally from mountain runoff which flows onto highly permeable alluvial fans surrounding the valley and from streams that flow across the valley floor. On the basis of a water balance analysis, under flow from the project area was estimated to be 28,000 acre-feet annually, surface-water outflow was 51,000 acre-feet, and transbasin imports were about 4,000 acre-feet. The principal tributaries of the Malad River are perennial along their upper and middle reaches and have well-sustained low flows. During the growing season, all surface water entering the Malad Valley is used for irrigation. Spine irrigation is practiced in the principal tributary valleys; however, a shortage of suitable reservoir sites has hampered surface-water development in these areas. The highly porous deposits underlying the Malad Valley tend to attenuate flood peaks. An unusual combination of meteorologic events early in 1962 effectively counteracted the high absorptive capacity of the valley and predisposed the basin to high flood risk. Subsequent rapid snowmelt combined with frozen ground produced the extraordinary flood of February 12, 1962. Calcium and bicarbonate commonly are the most abundant ions in the surface waters of the upper Malad River basin. In August 1967, the dissolved-solids content of streamflow ranged from 200 to 350 milligrams per liter in the middle and upper parts of the basin; however, much greater values were measured in the Malad River between Woddruff and Cherry Creek Lane. With the exception of that reach, the surface water of the project area is suitable for irrigating all but the most sensitive crops. The total water yield is not sufficient to meet all the water needs of the basin. A comprehensive water-management plan is required to ensure optimal use of the water resource.

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USGS1969

Quantitative comparison of some aesthetic factors among rivers

It is difficult to evaluate the factors contributing to aesthetic or nonmonetary aspects of a landscape. In contrast, aspects which lend themselves to cost-benefit comparisons are now treated in a routine way. As a result, nonmonetary values are described either in emotion-loaded words or else are mentioned and thence forgotten. The present report is a preliminary attempt to quantify some elements of aesthetic appeal while eliminating, insofar as possible, value judgments or personal preferences. If methods of recording such factors can be developed, the results promise to be a useful, new kind of basic data needed in many planning and decision-making circumstances. Such data would be especially useful when choices must be made among alternative courses of action. Such data would tend to provide a more prominent consideration of the nonmonetary aspects of a landscape. Assignment of quantitative estimates to aesthetic factors leads not so much to ratios of value as to relative rank positions. In fact, value itself tends to carry a connotation of preference, whereas ranking can more easily be used for categorization without attribution of preference and thus it tends to a void the introduction at too early a stage of differences in preference. Because the Federal Power Commission has been studying an application for a permit to construct one or more additional hydropower dams in the vicinity of Hells Canyon of the Snake River, the localities studied for the present discussion are in that region of Idaho. Hopefully, the data collected will provide some useful information on factors related to nonmonetary values in the region. The present discussion has been kept free of the preference judgments of the writer, and throughout the discussions observations are treated as facts.

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USGS1969

Availability of ground water for large-scale use in the Malad Valley-Bear River areas of southeastern Idaho: an initial assessment

Five areas within the Bear River drainage of southeastern Idaho offer potential for further development of ground water--the valley north of Bear Lake, north of Soda Springs, Gem Valley, Cache Valley in Idaho, and Malad Valley in Idaho. Saturated deposits north of Bear Lake are too fine-textured to yield large quantities to wells; the areas north of Soda Springs and in Gem Valley would provide large yields, but at the expense of current beneficial discharge. Northern Cache Valley has small areas of high yield in the northwestern part, but total annual yield would be only about 20,000 acre-feet and seasonal water-level fluctuation would be large. Malad Valley contains a large aquifer system within valley fill underlying about 75 square miles. The aquifer system is several hundred feet thick, and contains about 1.8 million acre-feet of water in storage in the top 300 feet of saturated thickness. Average annual recharge to the valley-fill aquifer is about 64,000 acre-feet. Lowering of the water level 100 feet uniformly over the valley area would theoretically yield about 300,000 acre-feet from storage and salvage a present-day large nonbeneficial discharge. Sufficient water to irrigate all lands in a planned project near Samaria could be pumped with a maximum 200-foot pumping lift and then delivered by gravity flow. Such pumping would cause water-level lowering of a few feet to a few tens of feet in present artesian areas, and would cause many present-day artesian wells to cease flowing at land surface. Chemical-quality problems in Malad Valley seem not to be sufficient to prohibit development and use of the ground-water resource.

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USGS1967

Scapolite in the Belt Series in the St. Joe-Clearwater Region, Idaho

S capolite is a common rock-forming mineral in parts of the Belt Series of Precambrian age in southern Shoshone County and adjoining parts of Clearwater County, Idaho. It is most abundant in moderately metamorphosed calcareous shaly layers of the Wallace Formation but occurs also in their highly metamorphosed equivalents and in the lowest part of the Prichard Formation. The mode of occurrence varies with distance from the Idaho batholith, with bulk composition, and with grade of metamorphism. In the northern part of the area where rocks were metamorphosed to the epidote-amphibolite facies, the highest concentration of scapolite is in layers rich in calcite, biotite, or hornblende and diopside. In biotite-rich layers interbedded with quartzite, scapolite is in round holoblasts; in carbonate granofels, crystals are euhedral to subhedral; and in hornblende- and diopside-bearing layers, small anhedral grains are common. In rocks metamorphosed to the amphibolite facies, such as diopside gneiss and calcium-magnesium-aluminum silicate rocks (here named “camalsite”), scapolite occurs in small anhedral grains. In diopside gneiss, scapolite is in thin layers that extend long distances parallel to the bedding. In camalsite, small masses exceptionally rich in scapolite are common. The mode of occurrence and the distribution parallel to the bedding suggest that scapolite crystallized from a sedimentary rock that contained saline minerals. The scapolite contains much Cl but only a little SO 3 , suggesting that halite was the chief source mineral. The local high concentrations of scapolite occur in a zone where elements have been redistributed, either because of metamorphism of dispersed or layered saline minerals with accompanying migration of chlorine or because of metamorphism of primary local masses of such minerals.

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USGS1967

Hydrology of the National Reactor Testing Station, Idaho, 1966

This annual report describes studies by the U. S. Geological Survey, sponsored by the U. S. Atomic Energy Commission, to determine the hydrologic effects of disposal of radioactive waste to the ground at the National Reactor Testing Station. The project has involved the collection and analyses of ground-and surface-water samples for radiometric and chemical changes. Results have been evaluated and mapped. Ground-water levels have also been mapped over the station. The net ground-water consumption after pumpage and waste injection has been determined. Two billion gallons of water were pumped during 1966 of which 40 percent was metered and returned to the Snake Plain aquifer. A record runoff of the Big Lost River during 1965 and 1966 induced a large amount of recharge to the Snake Plain aquifer. The recharge caused water levels to rise as much as six feet, but apparently did not have a great effect on the concentrations of waste products in the ground water. Pressure transmission, or mass transfer effects from the recharge, were observed as far as 50 miles southwest of the river. Tritium is the primary radioactive waste product discharged to the subsurface. Several aspects of tritium disposal have been studied in detail at the TRA (Test Reactor Area) and the ICPP (Idaho Chemical Processing Plant) areas. The distribution of waste tritium in the Snake Plain aquifer has been mapped, and background levels were determined to range from 0.05 to 0.1 pCi/m1 (picocuries per milliliter). Waste tritium in water from the Snake Plain aquifer has been detected 4-1/2 miles south of the ICPP. An estimated mass balance of total tritium remaining in the Snake Plain aquifer is presented for the TRA and ICPP areas. About 21,500 Ci (curies) of tritium at the ICPP and about 3,700 Ci at the TRA have been disposed from 1952 through 1966. About 14,000 Ci and 2,700 Ci of tritium, respectively, should remain after radioactive decay. Similar amounts are indicated to be present in the ground water. Waste tritium has been used as a tracer in studies of the complex flow characteristics of the aquifer in the ICPP area. Dissolved chromium has been used to trace TRA pond waste water in perched ground-water bodies and downgradient 2-1/2 miles in the Snake Plain aquifer. Concentrations of hexavalent chromium ranged as high as 1.7 ppm (parts per million) in the perched water and 0.4 ppm in the water from the Snake Plain aquifer. Chromium serves as a good tracer of TRA wastes because it does not occur in nearby ICPP wastes, is not usually present in natural waters, and can be determined in very low concentrations. Natural fluoride in the water of the Snake Plain aquifer has been used to trace the ground-water flow downgradient from the northeast end of the Snake River Plain. The fluoride, which is dissolved from certain rocks, indicates recharge areas and flow paths in the aquifer. A project to test the feasibility of disposing radioactive gases into the ground is presently underway. A seismic survey was used to map surface sediment thickness, and two test wells were cored to evaluate potential injection-well sites. A "breathing" well has been instrumented to study flow rates, temperature, humidity, and other aspects of vertical flow of air in the well. Results of the continuing study are presented. Studies made on several wells which had vertically flowing borehole water indicated that the physical and chemical properties of the water are influenced by the flow. One well with downward flow had a head difference of 0.01 to 0.07 foot between two permeable zones throughout the year.

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USGS1967

Ground-water aspects of the lower Henrys Fork region, Idaho

The lower Henrys Fork region includes the plains and low benches between Ashton and the junction of Henrys Fork and Snake River in eastern Idaho. The northwestern and western parts of the area are part of the Snake River lava plain. The central part of the area is occupied by alluvial plains of the Snake, Teton, and Falls Rivers, and Henrys Fork. The southeastern part of the area is a bench (Rexburg Bench), chiefly on silicic and basaltic volcanic rocks, which rises gradually to mountain peaks southeast of the area. The basalt, and the sand and gravel under the alluvial plains are good aquifers and yield large amounts of water with small drawdowns. The silicic volcanic rocks and the interbedded ash, pyroclastics, and sedimentary deposits generally yield much less water than the basalt and alluvium. The regional water table slopes southward beneath the basalt and alluvial plains. Seepage from stream channels and irrigated tracts has resulted in an extensive body of ground water perched above the regional water table. The perched water in part moves vertically down to the regional water table and in part laterally to the streams. Ground water beneath the Rexburg Bench moves generally northwestward to join the regional ground-water body beneath the alluvial plain. The regional water table is below the level of the streams in the area and ground water in the main aquifer, therefore is not tributary to the streams. Recharge to the regional water table is estimated to average 725,000 acre-feet annually. Pumping from the regional ground-water reservoir for irrigation or other uses would have no effect on streamflow or surface-water rights within the study area. However, depletion of the underflow would eventually reduce the inflow to American Falls Reservoir unless the depletion was offset by additional recharge. Total withdrawals of ground water for irrigation in 1962 were estimated to be 25,000 acre-feet and caused no significant decline in the water table. In the Ashton area surface-water irrigation has cause water to be perched in basalt above the silicic volcanic rocks and much of this perched water contributed to streamflow. The flow of Henrys Fork would be decreased by the amount of pumped ground water consumed by crops. Ground-water prospects for irrigation in the Falls River area are not encouraging.

Idaho↗
USGS1967

Ground water in the vicinity of American Falls Reservoir, Idaho

Analysis of ground- and surface-water relationships suggests that increasing the capacity of the American Falls Reservoir by raising the height of the dam 15 feet would increase leakage from the reservoir by less than 0.2 percent of the average inflow to the reservoir, or less than 10,000 acre feet per year. This amount is less than one-tenth of the evaporation rate from the reservoir. The American Falls Reservoir lies near the south margin of the Snake River Plain in southeastern Idaho. The Snake River Plain is about 200 miles long and averages nearly 60 miles in width. It is underlain by a thick sequence of basaltic lava flows, interbedded pyroclasties, and sedimentary deposits. The uppermost few thousand feet of this sequence is the Snake Plain aquifer, one of the great aquifers of the United States. Recharge to the aquifer is chiefly by water percolating from the Snake River, its tributaries, and irrigated tracts, and by underflow from surrounding areas. Ground water moves generally southwestward and discharges to the Snake River through springs in the American Falls Reservoir reach and in the Hagerman Valley reach (between Twin Falls and Bliss). Total discharge from the aquifer is about 9,000 cfs (cubic feet per second). The occurrence and movement of ground water in the viscinity of American Falls Reservoir are controlled by the local geology. Silt and tuff in the Neeley Formation and the Walcott Tuff and silt and fine sand in the FT ft Formation and American Falls Lake Beds have a low permeability. These rocks transmit little ground water compared with the basalt and intercalated pyroclasties and gravels of the Snake Plain aquifer. The less permeable deposits underlie the reservoir area and act as a barrier to the movement of ground water. Under present conditions the water table on the periphery of the reservoir slopes toward the reservoir, except within 3 or 4 miles of the dam, where the water table slopes away from the reservoir. Most of the springs discharge at altitudes above 4,370 feet, some 15 feet above the maximum reservoir stage. Thus, reservoir stage has little effect on ground-water inflow to the reservoir. A fairly close relationship exists between the annual amount of surface water diverted for irrigation of lands up the Snake River from the reservoir and the annual ground-water discharge through springs for the period 1911-60. After about 1952, greatly increased ground-water withdrawals from wells, which increased consumptive use, virtually balanced increased diversions from the surface- water system for irrigation, so that ground-water inflow to the reservoir remained about constant.

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