STATE OF NEVADA
·DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES
DIVISION OF WATER RESOURCES
Carson City
/
Photograph by Lawrence Radiation Laboratory·
Sedan Crater was formed in the dry a lluvium of Yucca Flat by on underground atomic detonation.
WATER RESOURCES-RECONNAISSANCE SERIES
REPORT 54
REGIONAL GROUND-WATER SYSTEMS IN THE NEVADA TEST SITE AREA,
NYE, LINCOLN, AND CLARK COUNTIES, NEVADA
By
F. Eugene Rush
Prepared cooperatively by the
Geological Survey, U.S. Department of the Interior
1970
WATER RESOURCES -
RECONNAISSANCE: SEJUES
REPORT 54
·.
REGIONAL GROUND-WATER SYSTEMS·IN THE NEVADA TEST SITE AREA,
NYE, LINCOLN, AND CLARK COUN'riE:S, NEVADA
By
F. Eugene Rush
PreparBd cooperatively by the
Geological Survey,
u.s.
Department of the Interior
1971
\
FOREWORD
The progr~m of reconnaissance water-resources studies was
authorized by the 1960 Legislature to be carried on by Division
of Water Resources of the Departc.ment of· Conservation and Natural
Resources in cooperation with the u.s. Geological Survey.
This report is the 54th in the series to be prepared by the
staff of the Nevada District Office of the U.S. Geological
Survey.
These 54 reports describe the hydrology of 185 valleys.
The reconnaissance surveys make available pertinent
information of great and immediate value to many State and
Federal agencies, the State cooperating agency, and the public.
As development takes place in any area, ,]c,,mands for more detailed
information will arise, and studies to supply such information
will be undertaken.
In the meantime, these reconnaissance
studies are timely and adequately In<'eet tlle immediate needs for
information on the wate.r resources of the areas covered by the
reports.
/;(4
../)#.
(~J~
Roland
Westergard{/·
D •.
State F,;nglneer
1971
Division of water Resources
••
CONTENTS
Page
SUMMARY •
•
1
•
3
IN'l'RODUC'l'ION
Purpose and scope of t:he .si::udy·
Previous·work
HYDROLOGIC ENVIRONMENT
Location . ; . . .
Clim~te and precipitation
Geology
. . . . .
GROUND-WATER PESERVOIRS
REGIONAL GROUND-WATER FLOW SYSTEMS
Ash Meadows ground -water c;ys·tem
Pahute Mesa ground-w~ter system
S~rcobatus Flat qround-~a·ter s~~tem
3
3
4
4
4
7
8
10
10
ll
ll
RECHARGE: Fl{QM Pl1.ECIPITJ\'I'ION
12
GROUND--W/\T.BR DISCHAPGE.
16
GROUND-WA'I'ER BUDGET
17
PERENNIAL YIELD
19
GROUND WA'I'ER. IN STORAGE
20
REFERENCTI:S.
21
.
•
LIST OF PREVIOUSLY PUBLif;HJJ:D REPOE'I'il
23
ILLUS1.'Ri\TIONS
Pago;
Plate.
l.
G(~n<-::ralized
.hyc.i.rO~{(;:;ology
of t.he Nevada
In pocket
Test Site a.r·ea
Figu;re· l.
Mu.p showi:i1g area in N~~vacl.r.:•. \.lr:3~cx:·ibe..d itl
previous reports of the Water ResourcesSeriest anq the area
de~cribed in this report .
.
Recsnnaissanc~
5
TAB LEo)
Table 1.
2.
Summary of physiography.
Minimum depths to water beneath valley
..
3.
flc;:~ors
,
•.
9
~
Estimated average ·annual precipl.tation and
ground-water
•
6
u~charge
.
13
-tJ
REGIONAL GROUND·-WA'l'ER fOYS'I'EMS IN 'I'HE NEV:'IDh 'l'ES'l' SI'l'E -7\REl\,
'
NYE,
LINCOLN, _AND CI,ARK COLJN'J'IES, NEVADA
By ·F. Eug6nc Rusl1
The area covered by this report_ includes 16 hydrographic .areas
betwe.en Tonopah und :r.~as · Vega.s, _Nevada;
~nd
cen t.er s i3 bot~ _t ·the,. NeVada
Test Site of the u.s. Atomic Energy Commission.
'I'he area·is arid
to semiarid, having an average ann~al precipitation of about
5 inches on the villey floors to as much as 20 inches in the
wetter mountains.
The.consolidilted rocks of the area are ~~stly ·volcanic
some ext0nsive areas ol: carbo11a.tt:!-."rOcl<:.s h.:i.ve·
been mapped.
rocks·;· hoWever,
Three types of ground-water reservoi.rs are identified:
valley-fill, volcanic-iock, and caibonate-rock aquifers.
Alluvium beneath vu.lley floors is ccmm1only c;at.urated only at
great depth.
water in the valley-fill reservoirs generally
leaks downward to underl yin9 vol cc1nic c::r ca1:-bcn:.a. t.e J70Cks ~
Volcu.ni.c-rock aquifers in the r2astern pc.u~t. of t:he Gtudy
area locally tran~mit water downward to carbonu.te-rock aquifers.
In the western petri; of t"he area, the volcani.c-rock aquifere;
transmit u. regional flow of water, as do the carbonate-rock
aquifers of the eastern part of the area.
The transmissivity of volcu.nic-rock aquifers of the
western part of the study area averu.ges about 10,000 gallons
per day per foot.
The transmissivity of the carbonate-rock
aquifer generally is much higher, re(,;ul t.i.ng in low flow
gradients.
~hree regional interbasin ground-water flow systems h~ve
been identified:
The Ash Meadows system in the eu.atern twothirds of ·th~ area~ the Pahute Mesa s~stem in tt1e western thirdr
and the Sarcobatus Flat system west of the c;tudy area and
including Cactus Flat. _ G>:ound wa·ter in the 1\.sh Meadows c;ystem
flows generu.lly sout.hward 'to A.sh Meadows to <J.i.c;charge at sprin')'s,
by evapot>:u.nc;piration, and possibly by c;ubsurfacc outflow across
a fault bu.rrier to the south end of the Pahute Mesa system in
.•
.l\margosa Desert_
The Pa.bute Mesa. system
flo\'"':~
qenf-2rally
south-~
wu.rd to discharge l;l,l;gely by evu.pot:ranropiration in AmC~rqosa
Desert.
Ground· wa'ter is believed 'l~o flow southwest.ward fro"'
'
1
.
-
Cactus Flat to Sarcobatus Flat where it is latgely discharged
by evapotranspiration. Some of the water in the first two
systems may move southwestward as underflow to Death Valley
through the carbonate rocks of the Funeral Range.
The estimated average annual recharge and discharge for the
Ash Meadows regional system are 33,000 and at least 17~000 acrefeet, respectively; for the Pahute Mesa regional system these
estimates are 11,000 and 9,000 acre-feet, respectiveli; and for
Sarcobatus Flat regional system, 3,500 acre~feet.
For the Ash
Meadows and l'ahute. Mesa systems; which join in Amargosa Desert,
the computed excess of.recharge ove.r discharge of some 18,000
acre.- feet per year may flow southwestward t.o Dea·th VallEly,
asstiming of course. that substantial e.rrors in the estimates do
no·t exist.
Because virtuaJ.ly all the ground-water discharge from the
hydrographic areas is by subsurface outflow at conside.rable
deptll, most ground--water development probably will be from
ground water in storage. One exception is the western part of
Groom.Lake Valley where an estimated 2,500•acre-feet per year
could be salvaged. Beneath valley floors, an estimated 10
million acie~feet of ground water is in transient stbrage in the
uppermost 100 feet .of satur.ation.
•
2
. INTRODUCTION
Many reports have·been
~ritten
or1
various aspects of the
hydr.ogeology of the Nevada TeEt Site (NTS) and adjoinincj areas,
but most' of them were :prepared on behalf of the U.S .. h·tornic
Energy Commi.ssion by 'tllf.' {}.~3. Geoloc;:i.cal Survey as atds ·to t:he
Bec.:~.n::;E:\
Commission's tes t.i.ng· pr-::,Jgrarn.
.of the lim.it.ed dist.ribu-
tion of these reports, much of the i_nfcrnwtion in t.hcm is not
readily available to the general J?'.lbi :Lc.
Th;p; repor.t. has been
writt.en to mak0 ·th<rt informat·ion ava:llahlc on the <JCneral ground-
wa·ter conditions of the area4 Manv o:f the qeneral c:onclusions
presen.ted here are abst~ra.cte.d :from~ these ot-.fte.t· reports.
\.
Objectives· of this reconn~issance are to (l) describe the
general hydrologic environment, (2) appraise the source, occurrence, and movement of ground water in the area, and (3) estimate
average a11nual ·recharge to ar1d discha~ge f~om three m~j·or qroundwat~er systems.
Because of thE-:J_,.. physicaJ.. lim_t·tat:ions <-Jove:t;ning the
hyJroloqy, no preJ.irninary estim~tes :of perenniQl yield were· made,
as i.s 11suaJ.J.y doile j_n
tl1e~;e
reconnai.ssance st\ldiGs.
Ho~0veri
the yields est.i.m<l·ted for Amargosa D<o)o1Bl"t- I.Wal l<,(,r and Eakin,
1963) and Saxcoba.tus Plat. (MalinbeJ:·c_r and Bak:Ln, 1962) are con-
•
sidered rough :measures of t1J.e yi.elds for t~l:..e 7\;::;h t·1ec:H.l.ov.. s, Pahute
Mesa 1 and ~~c1.rcobatus Flat~ regional gronnd·-:v.r.=.:ct::t:~r sy~::;t.E":'!J.il.S of this
7
report.
·
·rh(~ compilation of infortl\ation thiJ.t forms the bu.sis of this
report was made largely in January and February 1970.
Pre1r.i.ous WoJ.:k
A li.irge number of .reports have been w:r;i.'tt:en on var."LolJS
aspects df the hydrogeology of the area,
Many of the conclusion~ in ·t.his report are bt:t~ed On th0 findings of I~akin cuHl otJH:jr~-='
(1963), I, J. Winoqrad and otheJ~s (wr,;i.ttcm commun., 1970),
Winograd and.Thordarson (1968), Winograa (1963), ~nd R. K.
!Jlankcnnagel and ,J. E. weir ('ATritt:en commun,, 1970).
Jn add.H:ion,
geologic maps have been prepared o.f the southe.J.:n J?•J.J;"t: of Nye
County by Cornwcill (1967), r.incoln County :by Tschanz and
Pampeyan (1961), and Clark County by Long,Tell a.ncl ot:hers (1965).
Several hundred additiortal reports or1 vctriotts aspects of tho
hydr6logy and geology of the Nevada Teet·sitc are listed bv ·
Ohl ( 1967).
3
HYDROLOGIC ENVIRONM8NT
Location
The arect covered.by this report is in southern Nevada, as
shown in figure l, ctnd includes 16 hydrographic arects plus the
extreme northern pctrt of Las Vegas Valley, as shqwn by Rush
(1968) and as shown on plctte 1 and listed in table 1. The
project area is J.n the southern part of the Great Basin and covers
about 6,200 square miles.
Las Vegcts is 30 mJ.les sout.lieast of the areu; Tonopah,
to the northwest.
U.S. Highway 9 5 travc'rses the
southern part of the area and State Route 25,. the northeast
part.
The small towns of Indian Springs, Cactus Springs,
Lathrop Wells, and Beatty are on Highway 95 in t.he southern
part of the area (pl. l).
3 0 miles
Prior to the development of the Nevada 'l'est Site by the
U.S. Atomic Snergy. Commissi.on, lit.tl.e humctn activity took place
in the area.
Since. World Wctr II, inost of the area. hcts been
usee! as a bombing and gunnery range for NGll.is Air Force Bctse,
Las Vegas.
Climate and Precipitation
The area is characterized by short, mild winters with light
At the
snow in the mountai.ns ctnd long, hot, and dry summers.
higher altitudes, the summer night.s. are cool.
•
..
';-
The arect is generally semiarid to arid.
Precipitation
ranges from less than 5 to more than 20 in.ches.
The distribu·tion
of precipitation is related to the altitudG of the land surfacG
and .. latitude--the higher mountains in the southeastern part o.f:
the area .r.eceive the largest amounts of .precipit-a.tion and ·the
northwestern vallGy floors the leas·t.
Most of the precipitation
falls in the winter, but'somG precipitation occurs in the.surnmGr
as thunderstorms.
'l'hG estimated average annual precipiL'ltion is summarized
by hydrographic areas in the sec'L:ion· on rechar.qe (table 3).
'l'he
distribution of precipitation use~ in this repbrt is based on
e~timates presented in·other hydrologic reports of this report
s·eries (listed in the· back of the report) for adjacent areuB.
The hydrographic area having the smallest average annual precipitation is Rock Valley, receiving an averaqe slightly less than
6 inches; the wettest is that part of Las V~gas ValJ.ey included
in the report, receiving an average of about ll inches. Most
of the hydrographic areas receive an average of between 6 and
8 inches per year.
4
••
[/Vit.!pt~~d
fr0m H1tr-:>h,
•
.l9(~H!
---------·--·-·1\ppioximate..
S tr·r:am
Approxim~l.t.E;.
"Ln(lmv
tmd
m.f.]c~.~!) ·----'(!:t2.::..fl ____,c""nl ~-L lc_!i
rJr.c.a
Hydrogr~Pitic
(squ.:.t.Lc~
n~~;±
.::-llt.t tude of
vaLLey .floor
CENTRt;},__@,JHI£::1(APHI.!:_B}'/; IS!_Ji
---·~--------------~----------­
:,o 3
5,400
H(.me
-----~·~--·-~-~-----------~~-----~-~­
f:1 n/~
5,200
t1one
Vallev --··~-----------·-~--------­
Yttc:c;{ FJ.at ~-----•m--------------------­
3~0
5,500
None.
305
Lf :1' 000
Ncm~.::
c:a~ttlf;
Flat
Gn.l..J
~t.
11 '.1
Er~,."d.c.h
-------------------~~·---­
/1 () :·1
3,200
Non~
!! n.pOUt-'1~ Lnk e vR J.J.c:y -~-----------w·~-·-~-~
Groom J.nkc Vnlley ----------~---------­
lO /~
~,GOO
l;on(
6G3
1.,()00
~jon
Fr.C".Tl chman Fla r
Tikapuo V.:.~J.J.'~'-J:
Not·thern p.:.~rt --~·~-~~--------------~--­
Soli the: rn p.~·t':" l -- ---------·~-----------­
'111rcc.~
L~:tkes
fl :.: "/
/i ~
:;BO
J,l,l)()
293
3,600
3,200
300
c:
Out f lc~;
1nfl()tl·
V~d.l~~y;
N c~r the~ l·n p;rl: t:. ,~·------------~-----~----~
T.nd i ..:1n S p ri.n g~·= Valley -----------------·-
h55
NonE:
None~
i:.LJplKAD.!,l l(lVFH f1ASIN
Thr-ee r.nkc~s. Valley:
Sont:hcrn part.:: --~-~--------;-;------~Lr1:..; Vc:gu~; VallEy~ westf:).rn slope o.f
Shcc.p Rdnw::: on.l.y -------~.,-~-~--~------
HiiC.kb0.ani "1'-·l~~.;e:t
Mercury \/alley
Rock Val ley
J :.1c.kns r.;
Cr~tor
3'
l()()
In ;:J.ov.r
gH
3,400
Outflow
2 !!()
JJJ)
5 , OliO
3,100
Outflc!w
Ou;;:flc.1w
82
J,JOO
Our.fl.c• d
-~~--------------------~·-·--
/79
-----~-----------------~---
lH2
:1, :iOO
3;2.00
Jlotl.>
Ou tfln\..J
--~-~-----------------------
Plat~·:;
F].cit
JJ.l
•
1
~·-~~·-
'"' h -
•
c;eoloqy
The distribution of consolidated rocks and alluvium is
shown on plate 1. The cons_olidated rocks are mostly volcanic
rocks- of Ter·tj.ary .age; however, there are ext.ensi ve outcrops of
carbonate rocks of Paleozoic age that have been mapped by
Cornwall _(1967), Tschanz and Pampeyan (196.5), and Longwell and
others (1965).
The alluvium is of late Tertiary and Quaternary
age.
Only ·two hydrographic areas do not. have_ outcrops- of
carbonate rocks--Cactus and Gold Flats (pl. 1).
Kawich Valley
and Buckboard M8sa have only a small part of the consolidated
rock cropping out. as carbonate rocks.
All other hydrographic
areas included in this report have a moderate to large proportion
of carbonate rocks making up the consolidated rocks.
0ncler the
valley fill, a similar distribution of carbonate rocks is
probabl"' ;.
'l'he dis·tribution- of carbonate rocks has hydrologic significance because _in this area, as well as in many areas of Nevada,
th8y transmit flow in regional ground-wat8r systems beneath
topographic divides.
7
GROUND-Wl\TEP. RESERVOIP.S
Three types of ground-water reservoirs or ~quifers were
identified by I. J. Winograd and others (written commun., 1970) and
E. K. Blankennagel and J. E-. Weir (written conunun., 1970)
valley-fill, volcanic-rock, and carbonate-rock aquifers.
Alluvium up to 2,000 feet in thickness (Winograd and
others, written commun., 1970), derived from the surrounding·
mounte~ins, underlies the valley floors and where saturated is
a reservoir for- ground water.
Depth-to-water data beneath
ve~lley floors are provided in table 2.
These data indicate that
in some areas the valley fill may not be saturated and often,
where saturated, only at gree~t depths.
In all valleys, little
ground water is discharged to the atmosphere, except at a few
springs such as Indian Springs.
Indian Spring discharge, less
the~n 500 gpm (gallons per minute) , is small in relation to the
totul recharge to the area.
In the topographically closed
hydrographic areas, ground water flows through the valley fill
and moves laterally or vertically downward to volcanic-rock or
curbonate-rock aquifers. Beneat.h Yucca and Frenchman Flats,
Winograd and others (written commun., 1970) estimated that the
downward leakage to the carbonate-rock aquifers is less the~n
100 acre-feet per year in each valley.
The volcanic-rock aquifers locally transmit water throughfractures in the eastern two-thirds of the project.area. This
flow, as in alluvium, is to underlying carbonate-rock aquifers.
However, in the wester.n third of the area, where carbonatE rocks
are absent, the fr.actured volcanic-rock aquifers transmit ground
water beneath topographic divides and.unite the area into a
regional ground-water flow system. l3lankennagel and Weir
(wri·t·ten commLm. , 197 0) estimated t.ha t the transmissivity of the
volcanic-rock aquifers ranges between 1,400 gpd (gallons per day)
per foot to mo.re than 100,000 gpd per foot and muy have a mean
value near 10,000 gpd per foot.
Several thousand feet of satfirated curbonate-rock aquifers is
believed to underlie most of the eastern two-thi.rds of the area.
These aquifers are highly fractured limestone and dolomite,
having transmissivities ranging from as small as about 6 to
as large as 6 million gpd per foot (Winograd and others, written
commun., 1970). Ground water is transmitted through carbonaterock aquifers on a regional basis to form a large ground-wuter
system. The grudient of the piezometri.c surface is commonly
only il few feet per mile (pl. l); however, across major faults,
water-level altitudes muy differ as much as 500 feet within a
valley and 2,000 feet between vulleys (Winograd and others,
written commun., 1970).
8
•
Tnble. 2.--Hi.ni.rnum depths to v..rater beneath valley floors
[Principally L<1serl on data b~om \,Jinograd .:.mil others. and
BJ.3.nkc.~Tinagcl anJ l.Jeir (w1~i.t.tcn commun., 1970)]
Approximrtte
rniniumm fkpth
t { ) ,.mtr.:r
---'-H"vJiE_graphic are;L
Groom
•
-=·
T.akE~
Approximat1?. 8lt:Ltude of
t>urLJcc "t-7hGT.~ depth
to watt:r i.s a min:·. mum
wat~r
____A=y-"u~ifr:,".r'-_____( fn~~):...__ _ ____,(!...\~!nt ahnve sea lr:vr::,!L
VB.lle.y
All11Vi.u!:l
]_(){)
4,31,()
2,100
2,500
>500
<3,700
Papoose Lake: Valley
Tikapoc V:1lle.y
Norther-n part
Southern !' nT t
Las Vcg;w V11lley
t.festern slope of
Sht•.e p Ran gr. ,;n ly
Three l.,nlu~::_;· VallC"'.y
Northr.r.n part
Carbonate~
Southcn1 parl
Indian Sprir1gH Vnlley
Yucca F.lnt
F.rc~n chman Fl. at.
Alluvi.nm
A,l.luvturn
Al.ltJV:iUlil
h 1, 500
7.,400
1\.l.Juvi.um
c: HOO
2' .1100
J<..-H.:kas~.;
r~ock
(unl.:no\Jn)
lOIJ- 300
2 '7.'50-1, 900
3,100-3,175
Fl.'lts
Erwtr::rn one-thi.r:d only
Rock V;:lley
Al.ltJViutn or
voJcan i.C""'.
1,150-l,JOO
eo~.J·-S.Jo
M" rcu ry V e1lle.y
Cold FLn
Alluvium
Kawicb Valley
Iluckhoard Hesal/
( uuknoi\rn)
.Jacknss Flats
\Ve.s tern tt•Jo-thirJs only
Crater Flat
1. :mo-7., 35D
~ocks
:z.:Hl-)50
I,, H80~4, 9 70
I,Q()
1,, 200-s, tioo
Vnl.c.Mn.ic rock
J 400-450
5,700-5,800
Alluvium
voJ.canir..:
Alluv i urn
volc:mi.c
e
.300- 3.SO
?., 300-2,350
or
rocks
or
rocb;
), 300-2.400
Si\RCfJIJATUS FLA'I' CIWUND-Wi\TER SYSTJ•:M.ic/
C;qc.tu.s Flat
d
90-150
s·,2o0-5,300
Also includes the." eastern pnrt of Amargosa Desert.
Also includes Oasi.s Val.h~y, t..;rcstern part of Am,:n:~osa Dc.~;r.rt., And possibly thr.
soutl1c-~rn part.: o.f Rcueill.e V!l~.] f.:y.
3.
No vallP.y floor prr..scnt; d~pth is hc}_ow nte~a.
4. nostly i•J<:~st of n~port r~.n_'CI. Cac:tw> l'];.lt may he part of P.:.1ltute Mt~~;a gro11nd-·
wat~r t;ystem .
l.
2.
••
a.
cl.
h.
Near Indi.an Sprinf~s._
Eakin ar1d others (l~iG3, table J.)
re~orts 670 feet.
c. Eakin ;Jntl othc~rs (10GJ, tRlJle J.)
repor-ts ()HJ fe.et.
·~~.
f.
- 9 -
s~mi.rercheJ water.
Near l.athrop hle.lls ..
Southern part of valley floor.
RBGJONAL GROUND-WATER FLOW SYSTEMS
Three regional interbasin ground-water systems have been
in the study area (pl. 1):
(1) the Ash Meadows groundwater system in the eas·tern part of the area (the Ash Meadows GroLtndWat.er Basin o.f Winograd ·and others, written commun.·, 1970);
(2) th~· Pahute Mesa ground-water syst.em in the western part
(informally designated by.wi·nograd as the Oasis Valley-l"ortymile
Cariyon basin);· and (3) ·the Sarcobatus Flat ground-water system,
mos·tly west of the report area and probably· including'· Cactus
Flat. Because the first two .flow systems converge in the
Amargosa Desert, they act.uaJ.ly may be parts of one large regional
ground-water basin that could extend southward to and include
much of Death Valley.
identifi~d
Plate l and tables l and 2 show that th~ bulk of the Ash
Meadows and Pahute Mesa ground-water systems are made up of the
16 hydrographic areas described in this report .. Of these.hydrographic areas, 10 are topographically closed valleys.
The
piezometric contours of plate 1 show that the regional groundwater flow generally is southwes·tward to the Amargosa Desert. ·
The north-trending boundary between the 7\sh Meadows and
Pahute Mesa ground-water systems is largely based on the great
difference in water levels of at least 2,000 feet near the
central part of the area (pl. l).
Southward, the disparity is
less pronounced, amount.ing to less than 100 feet in the Amargosa
Desert.
Northward, the disparity also seems to decrease, .but
·water-level data are lacking to define the amount.
Moreover,
the northern extent of the ··boundary has not been de£ ined 1i~: .
Ash Meadows
Ground~Water
system
The boundaries of the Ash Meadows ground-water system have
not bee~ precisely fixed, esp~cially at-its northern end. A
reconnaissance was made of water levels in wells that. tap
alluvium in the southern part of Penoyer Valley (pl. 1). The
water-level data indicate that-the local flow in alluvium i~
northward, suggesting the presence of a ground-water divide
probably in the vicinity of the topographic divide between
Penoyer Valley and Tikapoo and Groom Lake Valleys. According
to Eakin and others (1963, p. 13) Penoyer Valley probably is
hydrologically closed.
East of Tikapoo vailey, Eakin (1966) described a separate
regional ground-wat.er flow system in the White River area, which
may be hydrologically separate from the Ash Meadows system (pl. 1)
The southwestern boundary of the system is ~ithin the
Spring Mountains.
For the purposes of this report. it is assumed
to coincide with topographic divides, as shown on plate l and
10
I
• !
....•·
' ;
'I
limited to. the study area.
In addition,.the western fl.ank of
the Sheep_Range of Las Vegas Valley (pl. l) probably contributes water to the Ash Meadows system (Winograd and others,
written commun., 1970).
At Ash Meadows in the Amargosa Desert one or more faults
(pl. 1) form ·a barrier to ground-water flow, probably causing
water from the system to be discharged as springs (Winograd and
others, written commun., 1970). However, the effect.iveness of
the barrier to ground-water flow is not known. Appreciable
leakage across the barrier may occur.
Pahute Mesa Ground-Water System
•
-=.
The Pahute Mesa regional ground-water system probably
includes th~ western one-third of the study area (excluding
Cactus Flat), Oasis Valley, Amargosa Desert·west of the Ash
Meadows fault; and possibly that part of Reveille Valley south
of the topographic divide near its center in T. lN., (Blankennagel and Weir, ·written commun., 1970), Cactus Flat (pl. l)
may drain southwestward to Sarcobatus Flat ·as part of the
Sarcobatus Flat regional ground-water system.
The southern part
of Reveille Valley, north of Kawich Valley and an extension of
Railroad Valley (~1. l) may contribute ground water ~ither
southward to the study area or eastward to R~ilroad Valley.
Ground water in the system gene~ally flows through interconnected faults and joints southwestward toward Oasis Valley
and southward to the Amargosa Desert where most of the water is
believed to be discharged (Blankennaqel and Weir, written coinmun.,
1970). The volcanic-rock aquifer is the principal medium through
which the regional flow occurs; however, the valley-fill
aquifer also transmits flow beneath the Amargosa Desert. Part
of the combined ground-water outflow from the llsh Meadows
and Pahute Mesa,regional systems, as previously mentioned,
may flow southw'a'rd through carbonate rocks to Death Valley.
Sarcobatus Flat Ground-Water System
,.
As stated earlier, Cactus Flat may be part of either the
Pahute Mesa of Sarcobatus Flat ground-water systems. Because
no local ground water is discharged by evapotranspiration, the
drainage may be southwestward toward Sarcobatus Flat or southeastwar:d toward Gold Flat.
For the purpose of compiling groundwater budgets in this report, flow is assumed to be toward
Sarcbbatus Flat. Other areas that probably drain to Sarcobatus
Flat are Stonewall Flat and Lida Valley, both west of the
sfudy· area and north of Sarcobatus Flat. Ground water may also
drain to Sarcobatus Flat from Ralsto~ and Stone Cabin Valleys,
northwest of Cactus Flat (Rush, 1968, p. 27).
11
1:-,.
RECHARGE !"ROM PR8CIPITATION
On the valley floors, where the amount of precipitation is
small, little of the precipitation directly infiltrates to the
ground-water reservoirs.
The· greater amounts of prec.i.pi tcit.ion
in the mountains p.rovKle moS't of the recharge principally by
seepage losses from streams; some reaches the ground-water
reservoirs from the mountains by lateral or vertical seepage.
Most of the precipitation is evaporated ei t.ber before in fil tration or after it £emporarily adds to soil mois11re at shallow
depths.
The general distribution of precipitation in the area
has been compiled on a mi'lp by Hardman (1965)
A method described by Eakin and others (1951, p. 79-81)
is used to estimate recharge in this report as in the other
reconnaissance reports in Nevada.
The method assumes that a
percentage of the average annual precipitation recharges the
ground-water reservoirs.
Table 3 summarizes the estimated average
annual recharge.for each of the hydrographic areas and the ~hree
regional ground-water systems ·cove~ed by this report.
Eakin
and others (196'3) computed differ.ent values for rechar.g,e in some
of the valleys.
Since that time, additional precipitation and
other hydrologic data have become available allowing crude
refinements in the earlier reconnaissance estimates.
According to
Blankennagel and Weir (wr.itten commun., 1970), the estimated
average annual recharge to the northern half of ~ahute Mesa
ground-wa t.er system ·is· on the order of 8, 00 0 acre-feet, which
is slightly smalier than the estimate of the recharge for the
entire system in this report.
For the Ash Meadows system, recharge averag.es only about. .
2 percent of the total precipitation; for the Pahute Mesa sysf~m.
about 1 percent.
12
•
\
••
·
Tnbl:= J.--J.~sti_ll]ated avc~1~a;:;e <ill11l.J<=l_U2!~'25"JJ~.:!:_~j.!_tion~~lCl ,eround-\-:ratc.r r€cl,U.llJ"&
=·•
1~:ltntLN1
- ~-
.
;:~:-,i.t<:~
,.. ____
·------·-·---~-~~---~----··~··-·:---_--.
·
i<f:>t.:u:r.;=\tc!d prec.l.pJ.tttl::.t.on
t·:~::timatcd
~--
:rechFII;".f,E'
.
-----~--~·--·-··-·~·--··-·--~---~-~~-··-·~-·----~---~·~ ---·--~
(t:J·l0U!:::.::l,H1~;
An,~n
of
;\·F(:~T'-1!.~.'.-.'.
R0.nw.!.
/\.vnT-St£;1::
Pt~rc.~~~"'!t.''2ge
o£
X1.~:5'.:. 0._____
. _Ll:":·X~:~>_l__,.,~(-~:!~::..U.~p_aL___(EL~~-t. ___ CP.(:'-~!:~~JL~:::.C_0__ .J?J~.!".:.L£:~~-t-~·~.t.is.~~___1:i.Z2 =.:f e ~!.;.
_.y::; l i__ll_GA ~~~}\-!::.;
(~ll9..!.!_~J_)-i:{!\T ~~!U:~~2..J~i~!I_
GP0(}~1
IJ1\KE V.·\LLT::Y
. !.l
') 0
:-:w
l.D
9(1
2.5
20
8-<J
7-ll
1,011\1
.1.:5-'10
12·-1.5
1.)
1,500
15
27.0
l..l
18,00()
S6,000
H1, non
6-7
m,ooo
8-lZ
<6
]_.16_, ()(I()
<(]
Suhtot.al ( ro!JllJe.d)
4:.22 t 000
~-.:..~~
l!Q.Jl\1!2
7
3
:fit~~·~l-
.6
2 'JO, ()00
J.
:) , 200
:~
_, 10
0
."
l '300·
1,700
PAI' 1 00SE LAI<E Vj\I...LEY
160
···II
i~JJli_)_
<()
Subtot:.:1.l ( t'ounded)
L_l,
7-11
h-1'
<6
_,_,,
,-
t,Qo
', :~:
()
12-15
8-12
,ooo
·il
]_:'I_,_Q_i~(~
.'
' .n
.LI 0
2,:100
1:3 '000
41,000
l. :)
l.J.
.u
-.(
l,.o.L,OOO
).30
'3/! ~()()()
·'
l.:·.i-ZO
.51' 01!11
.L~·
SuLtolal (roun<1e.tl)
• f3
67,900
hO
1, ~Jt~o
8--''
>fl
<P
.b
ri~~
O.OO.J
'•'lO
25
:10
J..~i
340
l,OOO
1,?00
J}ll ,J!Scl.cll
7
J
M:!-J!!J.E.
)3() '()()()
1
? , ()()()
:)00
7,800
25
15
LJ,OOO
7
TIYAPOO VALLEY, SUOTII.IJ\N P/\KT
•H
r,no
7-ll
5,180
12,()()()
6-7
5-6
/~.3~200
•:5
.!R2 ,OOQ_
Stibt:otaJ. (rounded)
J 1.3 '000
l.B
.1..5
1.1
.8
20
lJ-2()
JL-Li
8-1:2
<fl
1 '1(10
.1<5,000
3
c
') 1 JJlJ.I.!.
:vfinor
.6
1.50,000
d
1,200
"10
1,(;00
--2
3,400
LAS VEG,\S VAT.J,r:Y (WESTI'.I<N Sf.Ol'E. OF SlH:i::~ RANCV. ONLY)
,?'
.. .J
.l '000
15
.1,000
7
3
520
J 80
.c
5,900
.-l-.2.,.!1!!.2.
M'inor
--
.9
1;8,000
•·8
6,720
>20
.1..8
7-8
6-7
4. 5 Jll
l'i-20
1. ~)
1:'-l'i
8-12
<B
1.1
.8
··:5
7,340
30' 650
Suhtotal ( rounJ"d)
56,01)()
_f)-h
6, no
_)
12,000
6,800
7' 1,00
10
4,700
IIII.ZEE I_.AI<ES VM.I.YY, NO!fl'llEKi PAWl'
,.
.,..s
7-3
6-7
780
l,"l50
< ~i
7,970
36,000
)- 4 §.,_ilQ_(~
Subtotal ( ruun de d)
ln,ooo
5-6
>2(1
:l.fl
1' ,, 00
2S
350
lS-/0
1.7-1.1)
l.S
1,900
1''_)
8,800
7
;) 80
620
870
l.l
H-12
< ::~
-
.n
. -'r
_IJ, 000
-~
•6
ll.O,OOO
"
l.J -
19,000
]
.,
2 , 1)1)0
Prc:.cipitation
E.s t irna tf~.d p r('.C ipJ t-~ t ion
zunc
(thousands of
Area
--~f. C <-co't ' - " - - - - - ( .•1C r"s)
E~t·i.mat.:e.d
re.cba.rge
---
Range
1\ve..ragc~
1\vc.ragc
Pe:~rcent.:.age. of
i i. n c It e ';)__ ( f<o c t:)_ _,(..:;il;;::C'"'r'-"e'--·---=f"'c"'.e~-,t"'-)_;_;P..;r.=e.:oc=J·=l'i t:_,'l ti "''--Ac r.o- fee t
TIIREF: LAKES \IALU:Y, SOIJIHERN PART
.8
6,200
-:.-?0
7·<~
6--7
(),/20
.U, 3011
~)--6
26~500
15-:-:o
12-15
il-12
.,')
_l47,000
-:8
(round~ d)
Suhtotnl
1.1~
11,001)
1.5
10, ()()()
.l..J.
2,HOO
25
15
1,500'
<) 80
7
3
]_/, ' (II) II
•
~.•..-~
21,000
_l_j_,.Q 0 (~
.!iino~
------
.7
1_30,0()(1
5
G .000
•H
199,001!
630
IN!ll1\N S f. RL);CS VAT.I,/C'I
1
>8
7,.')(1()
•?(I
l.fl
_1/,' 0()(1
7-R
Jli '200
1..:5-:~o
1;-7
22,800
69,100
17-l.~)
1.5
l.l
.II
J o!±..,~o. .r~c.~
<g
. . ....:.2
?1,0110
2 5 '000
55,000
.t.•; rL,Q 0 Q_
.6
270,000
s-·r,
.,-5
Suhtotal ( roundc:d)
il-l?.
418 '()(.l()
YUCCA
25
3,.500
1.5
7
J
~
3,200
1,800
·1,.600
--10,000
FIAT
>7
3,0110
>12
l.l
J,JOO
7
7.30
6-7
10, I)()()
•R
16,000
:l.
480
<6
.lh'i_,DQI_~
8-L!
·•-R
Subtot.ol ( round~_d)
19? '(!:Ill
,.
_ •.J._
.5
ouo
M.i_r~
100,000
0.7
700
3
100
g;.'!
I''REN C:H,'I AN HAT
>()
<: ()
.Subtotnl (rounded)
4,000
2 n, ooo
>8
.P.
J,2.00
-·: il
..:.;2_
l50_J~~i~
..
c
2 96 '000
)
Mii.!fL!:_
1..50,0()0
0.07
100
.JACKASS FLII'I'S_l_/
-;
6-1
Minor
l,li40
:j-h
7, 1 1i1
<J
___;)i!,.2.QQ
~·
Subtot-al (rounded)
> 1.1
l ..'.)
12-15
8-L!
'"8
Ll
.G
._:__5"
,.
. -'
S9,500
1.5
1,700
5,701)
2'i 'ClQQ
110
1.70
7
3
~OT:
32,000
0.9
:100
HUCK VI>LLEY
~ubtotal
>S
1,100
_:-g
<s
_50' oou
<B
( rounJ~d)
.8
c
. -'
. ,.
51,100
_)
-~ 1.·.: 11.CURY
9110
:t:·fln or-
26,000
0.1
>7
200
•·-u
1.5
]()()
1,250
lL--J~)
Ll
..2,
.8
__.:..2_
J., !,()()
I, 500
33,000
.5
:lfl, II() 0
5
Subtotal (rounded)
380
66' lj!Jl_
8-~ 1
·,._)
71,9110
"
30
VALLEY
6-7
)-6
!.1.,
30
3
25_,.QJIO
li+
-
J..·-)
.,7
,, .
_J
50
].()()
JOO
.)
1.110
.r
0. 7
•
,Precipitation
Estimated precipj.tati.on
zone
( thmwands of
feet)
Area
(acres)
Range
OTHER AREAS -
·,
Average
_Average
(in"ches) · (feet)
l~sttmatec.l
:Percentage~
(acre-feet)
Eastern part of. Amargosa
re.charge
of
precipitation
A<..:re-fe.et
t<1i.nor
De~;ert
33,000
TOTAL FOR ASH }!EADO\<S GROUND-WATER SYSTEM (.rounde.d)
PAII.Un: Mt':SA CROlJND-WA'l'ER S_':iSTEt:J.
:ou.J
FLAT
C
e
1,260
7-8
di
1"1 ' 400
91,0011
:!25,000
Subtota-l (rounded)
40\.'i,OOO
~_.
(i
-7
l . _f)
l.l
·:·lS
12 -1.')
8-12
,.g
1,900
l.S
..,.
.8
1:!,000
73,000
)
160,000
7
3
Minor
.6
2'i0 ,000
2
15
280
:, '300
::,200
KAWICH VAI.J.F:Y
>H
:wo
>15
1.5
450
7-B
12-15
6-7
18,200
85,0110
LJ
.8
<6
12 7 '()()()
<8
. ')
70,000
68,000
64 001)
Subtotal ( ronnd<Od)
230,000
•7
8-12
Il!JCKBOARD
•
•
>7
fi-7
6' /+_()()
39,400
<6
l05.>..2Q_Q
Snbtotal ( ronndccl)
151,000
>7
6-7
5-6
.·:5
Minor
3,280
lil. 300.
101,000
Subtot"l (rounded)
1.19,000
1,400
2,000
1.'50' 000
2
3,500
960
m:s11
·12
1.1
7,0110
8-12
•8
.8
__o2
32,000
7
3
5:2,000
Minor
•6
'Jl,OOO
2
JACKASS
4<)()
FJ.ATS~.f
>15
1.5
12-lS
l.l
•8
1--)-12
<8
70
7
3
Hi. nor
15
3,600
11,000
,.
7
3
250
330
. J
~.:o,
ooo
Mi.no1~
-5
(>5 ,000
O.Y
580
7
3
20
200
Minor
'(). 4
CRATE I( FLAT
·,. (l
Z20
>12
1.1
H,OHO
o-u
lOH,OOO
<H
.8
.5
240
6,500
54,000
~5
61,000
.'5-6
<5
Subtotal (rounded)
116,000
>7
420
6-7
<6
39' 300
ns,ooo
Sub to ta 1 (rounded)
278,000
OASIS VALLEY
>12
.l . .l
G-12
• u
::H
•5
460
33,000
120 000
.5
150,000
0
7
3
120
30
990
Mi.nor
---
0.7
l,OOD
OTHER AREAS
Wc~tcrn
pa.rt of Amargosn Desert
Southern part of
J{eve:lll.c~
TOTAL l'OR PAHUTI·; MESA GROlJND-Wi\TER SYSTEN (rounded)
Valley
Minor
" 1,000
12,000
·~
Precipitation
( thonsa::.1.ds of
Ef:;timat.ed recharge.
EstimAted p rec:i.p i t;-t tion
7. one.
/\rc~a
JL=mgc
Averafw
fee. U: _____!._("''"-c"'rEe!"SL_)__ U!.1 c.h~t;)
( ff'.C:l)
Ave. rage..
(ac:re.-fc:et)
Percentage of
precipitatio-n
. ·t
Acre-fe:~t ·
SARC:ORI\TlJS FLAT r;IWUNII-HATF.R ~;YSTEH1/
'
.
C:M:TlJS FT.AT.!c/
>9
101)
8-Y
J,no
>15
.L'-15
l . .J
1.1
7-H
.Ll, SrI()
8-17.
.H
Ll ,000
•• 7
2·~0,000
.-:8
•5
120 '()()()
Suht:otnl (rounded)
257,000
.s
Minor
----
LJO, 000
0. :)
150
'.1.5
3,600
7
:l
20
250
330
. ~~id
·'
'-"':·
.,,.
..
;:
600
OTHER AI<E,\S
Stonr""ll Flat (11uslt, 196<3, p. ]2)
l.i.da Va1J.~:~y (Rusl1~ 1.96?3, p. 32)
S.c1rc.ohat.w; Flat (i'·1almbe.~-~~- and Enkin, 1962, p. 15)
'l'UTAL FOR SARCODATUS FLAT (;fU>UNil-HNrr:R SYSTEM
100
500
l., 200
2,400
1.
Eastc-:·rn onc-t.:h:i..n.l cml.y.
He;, tc: rn tvJo~ thirds nn Jy .
.'3. Compo:3ed of scv.-:-~ral hydrographic. ;n.-~~as draining l:O Sarc<?b<Jtus Flllt, west o.f. th£~
n~porl: area.
4.
Only hydrogrartlir:-. f!Y"C<l i.n the: report .::.H~e.<J. that may drain to SarcObattw Flat.
:~.
a.
E.stimat.:eJ by Blankenn.:;Jgc.l and \-.lc~ir (writt.E~n commnn. ~ .1.970).
. . :)
.-.. ~>i
-
](,
-
.e
GROUND-WI\~rF.:R
DISCHARGE
Most natural disch~rge of ground wa~er from the study
area is by regional subsurface outflow to 7\sh Meadows, Amargosa
Desert, Sar.cobatus Flat, Oasis Valley, and possibly Death Valley,
as sho-wn on plate l. 1\J.J. devths ·to water are t.oo grea·t for local
discharge by phr.eatophytes (greater than 50 feet) or by appreciable
evaporation from bare-soil ar~as (greater than 15 feet).
A few
sp~ings, such as Indian Springs (flows abou£ 500 acre-feet per
yea.r'), discharge a relatively small net amount of water in
relation ·to the total recharge ·to the report area.
water supplies have been develop~d by the U.S. Atomic
Energy Commi.ssion and the milit.ary; the bulk of t.he water is
apparently used for various operational, maintenance, and
construction purposes attendant to the nuclear testing program
and camp facilities on _the Nevuda Test Site.
The Atomic Energy
Commission report<ood that during the 12-month period. ending
Ma.r.ch . 3)·, 1970, approximately J., 700 acre-feet of ground water
WilS pumped on the Nevada Test Site.
•
The estimated averuge annual discharge from just the springs
at Ash Meadows is 17,000 acre-feet, according_to Walker and
Eakin (1963, p. 21) and Winograd and others (written commun.,
1970). Additional discharge from the Ash Meadows ground-water
system may occur (l) by evapotranspiration in and ·wGst of the
spring area, and (2) by subsurface flow acros.s ·the llsh Meadows
fault burrier (pl. l) to the wes-tern pa.r.t of Amargosa Desert
and thence to Death Valley.
The Gstimated averuge annuill dischurge from the Puhute
Mesa ground-water system is 9,000 acre-feet.
Of this amount,
2,0DO acre-feet is discharged in QQsis Vulley (pl. l), according
to Malmberg and Eakin (1962, p. 25); the remainder, about 7,000
acre-feet, is discharged west of the Ash Meadows fault (Blarikennugel and Weir., written commun., 1970).
For the Sarcobatus Flut ground-wuter system, the estimated
average annual discharge is possibly 3,500 acre-feet. Of this
total, 3,000 acre-feet is estimated to discharge by evapotranspiiution from .Sarcobatus Flat and possibly 500 acre-feet as
subsurface outflow from Sarcobatus Flat to Grapevine Canyon
(nort.hwest of Sarccibatus Flat.) (Malmberg and Eakin, 1962,
p .. 22) .
.•
'
17
GPOUND-WATER BUDGET
•
For long-·term 'concH tica1s, recharg,;•. to ancl di schurge from a
ground-water .system are about equal, if there bus been no net
ch~nge in stored water in the system resulting from ldng-term
climatic changes or diversions from storage d~e to de~elopment.
Thus 1 the purpose of preparing a water budget· ~s to compare· ;the
estimates of recharge and discharge, to determl.he the magriittide
of the difference between estimates, and wheJ) posiible to ·sel,ect
a value that may reasonably represent both the recharge and
.
discharge.
The following tabulation shows the water budget for the
7\.sh Meadows, Pahute Mesa, and Sarcoba·tus Flat: _regj.ona.l. groundwater systems:
Regional groundwater system
Est1mated average
annual ground-wat.er
recharge (table ,3)
(acre-feet)
Ash Meadows·
Pahute Mesa
Sarcobatus ~'lat
EStimated average
:;oit'IiTrti·al·:t·
-~r:o·u:n:d-~wa·t·ej:··
,- ..
•: . -~o!''J:;...;.---~.----.-;'1.
'.,,,.,·.\•
d~scharge
. (.p·.
(acre-feet)
'"'
( l)
33,000
1_2,000
2,400
(2)
r
.
Imbalance
(acre-feet)
'(l)- (2)
a 17,000
b 9,000
3,500
a.
Discharge 1n Amargosa Desert east of Ash Meadows fault, largely
from springs.
b.
Discharge in Amargosa Desert we.st of Ash Meadows fault about
7,000 acre-feet; discharge in Oasis Valley, about·2,000 acre-feet.
Fo,r t.he Ash Meadows and Puhu te Mesa systems, t.he es·tj.mated
average unnual discharge as measu~ed in Amargosa Desert totals ·
at least 21 1 000 acre-feet (Walker and Eakin,
.1.963, p. 27).
The
above table shows that the estimated average annual recharge to
the two systems totals e>bout 45,000 acre-fee:t. ·The imbulance
between recharge and total discharge is s~emingly an excess of
19,000 acre-feet per year.
Althobgh the excess may reflect
errors in the estimates, a substantial part may be accounted for
by subsurface flow to Death Vulley, as prevl.ous.l.y described.
Pistrang and Kunkel (1964, p. Y.l.J.) estimated that about
4,000 acre-feet of discharge occurs in the Furnace Creek Wash
·(southwest of Amargosa Desert), not including uny subsurface flow
to the floor of Death_ Valle~ Basecl on their recharge culculations (p. Y20), probably only a few hundred acre-feet 6f recharge
could be generated in the Furnace Creek.watershed.- Therefore,
much of the 4,000 acre-feet of discharge in t~e Furnace Creek
Wash area may be from the Amargosil Deser·t.
Moreover, additional
quanti·ties of ground water may flow from t.he Amargosa Desert
to the valley floor of Death Valley to discharge largely by
evaporation.
18
--
•
An evaluation of the entire Death Valley ground-water basin
was beyond the scope of this report.
Accordingly, whether a
contribution of some 19,000 acre-feet per year from this study
area to Death Valley is a reasonable value was not determined.
For Sarcobatus Flat, where the imbalance is computed to be
1,100 acre-feet per year, the writer has no more confidence in
one estimate than the other. Therefore, the average quantity of
3,000 acre-feet per year is selected for the value of recharge
and discharge .
••
••
19
•'.
~'=-
PERENNIAL YIELD
\
The perennial yield of a ground-water reservoir may be
defined as the maximum amount. of natural discharge that cctn be
salvaged each year over the long term by pumping without bringing
about some undesired result. All the discharge from the project
area is subsurface out. flow, except .f.or a few spri.ngs.
ThiB outflow
could be salvaged at the discharge areas in l\e-.h Meadows, the l'irrial:gosa Desert, Oasis Valley, ·sarcobatus Flat, and perhaps in-Death
Valley.
The yields in all these areas, except Death V~lley, have
been described by Walker and ~akin (1963) and Malmberg and Eakin
(1962).
.
The possibility of salvaging all or part of the outflow by
pumping within the study area north of the Amargosa Desert is
dependent upon the nature ctnd. ext.ent of the transmitting J.i tho logy,
which is only partly known, and the effectiveness of any structural
barriers to ground-water flow.
Not until substantial development
has taken place will the controlling conditions be defined.
In
the meantime, in most of these hydrographic area, initial groundwater development probably would be by the depletion of ground
water in storage rather than the salvage of any appreciable amount
of subsurface outflow.
The only known exceptions to the above general conclusion
exists in Groom Lake and Indian Springs Valleys. According to
Winograd and Thordarson (1968 1 p. 37-41), ground water flows from
the western part to the eastern part of Groom Lake Valley over a
consolidated-rock "threshold" near the western edge of Groom Luke
playa. At ·this threshold the dept.h ·to wuter is about 100 feet.
If ground-water levels were lowered to a level below the threshold,
this purt of the valley, assuming no other subsurface outlets,
would become hydrologically isolated. As a result, the subsurface
outflow from this part of the valley could be salvaged. Recharge
originating in the western part of the valley is at least 75
percent of the total, or on the order of 2,500 acre-feet.
If the
western part of Groom Lake Valley becomes hydrologically isolated
;from ·the Ash Meadows ground-wuter system, then ultimately the
natural discharge of the system will be reduced a like amount.
Because of the very slow rate of ground-water flow in the
system and the large distance between Groom Luke playa and Ash
Meudows, the nutural discharge probably would not be affected
for many centuries. The perennial yield of Indiun Springs Valley
is essentially limited to the flow of Indian Springs or about
500 acre-feet.
20'
•
GROUND WATER IN STORAGE
The amount· of ground water stored, or more precisely in
transient storage, in the valley-fill, volcanic-rock, and carbonaterock aquifers is the product of the selected area, saturated
thickness, and specific yield. Although most of the area is underlain by one or. more of these aquifers, only·. the valley-floor areas
are used to compute the gene~al magnitude of the. stored water
in the uppermo~t 100 fee~ of satur~tion.
The valley-floor areas
are selected largely because they are the areas most likely to
be developed for water supplies.
If the specific yield of these aquifers averages 5 to·lO
percent, and selected area totals ab6ut 1,200,000 acres, the
amount of ground water in storage would be roughly 10 million
acre-feet.
Obviously, if the highland areas were included, the
amount would be considerably more .
•
'
21
REFERENCES
-
.,
Cornwall, H. R., 1967, Prelim{nary geological map of southern Nye
County, Nevada:
u.s. Geol. Survey open-file' report.
Eakin,. T. E., 1966, A regional interba.si'n ·ground-water system in
the White River area, southeas·tern Nevada:
Nevada Dept·.
Conserv." and Nat. Resources, Water ·Resources Bull.: 33.
Eakin, T. E., and others, 1951, contributions. to ihe hYdrology of
eastern Nevada: Nevada Dept. Conserv. and Nat. ResourcesWater Re~ources i~Il.
12, p. 14-16.
.
.
1963, Regional hydtology of a part of southern Nevada:
---reconnaissance:
u.s. Geol. survey TEI-:833, 40 p.
A
Hardman, George, 1965, Nevada precipitation map, adapted from
map prepared by George Hardman and others, 1936: Nevada
Univ. Agr. Expt. Sta. Bull. 183, 57 p.
Longwell, C. R., and others, 1965, Geology and mineral deposits
of Clark County, Nevada: Nevada Bur. Mines Bull, 62,
218 p.
Malmberg, G.~ .• and Eakin, T. E., 1962, Ground-water appraisal
of Sarcobatus Flat and Oasis Valley, Nye County, Nevada:
Nevada.Dept. Conserv. and Nat. Resources, Ground-Water
Resources - Reconn. Ser. Rept. 10, 39 p.
Ohl, J. P., 1967, Bibliography of reports by the Geological
Survey, Special Projects Branch personnel, May 16, 1958
to July 31, 1967:
U.S. Geol. Survey mimeo. report,
146 p.
Pistrang, M: A., and Kunkel, Fred, 1964, A brief geologic and
hydrologic reconnaissance of the Furnace Creek Wash area,
Death Valley National Monument, California:
U.S. Geol.
Survey Water-Supply Paper 1779-Y, 35 p.
Rush, F. E., 1968, Index of hydrographic areas in Nevada:
Nevada Dept. Conserv. and Nat. Resources, Div. Water
Resources, Water Resources - Info. Ser. Rept. 6, 38 p.
Tschanz, C. M., and Pampeyan, E. H., 1961, Preliminary geologic
U.S. Geol. Survey Mineral
m~p of Lincoln County, Nevada:
Inv. Field Studies Map MF-206.
Walker, G. E., and Eakin, T. E., 1963, Geology and ground water
of Amargosa Desert, Nevada-California: Nevada Dept. Conserv.
and Nat. Resources, Ground-Water Resources - Reconn. Ser.
Rept. 14, 45 p.
22.
•
•
.
-_
'..
•
'
Winograd, I. :r., 1963, 7\ summctry of the ground-water hydrolo9y
of the ctrect ·.between the Las Vegcts Vctlley ctnd thG Arndr<JOSa
Desert, Nevctda:
U.S. Geol. survey open-file report, TEI-840.
Winograd, I. J. , and 'rhordarson, vlilliam, 1968, Structural contr·ol
of ground-water movement in mioqeosynclinal rocks of southcentral Nevada in Eckel, E. B., Nevada Test Site:
Geol.
Soc. America Mern. 110, p. 35-48 .
•
•
23
LIS~ OF PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED REP6RTS .IN f~is SERIES
(See fig.
RGport
no.
1
2
3
4
5
6·
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
1)
Report
no •
Valley or arect
Newctrk (out of print)
Pine (out of print)
Long (out of print)
Pine Forest (out of print)
Imlay area (out of print)
Dictmond
(out of print)
Desert.
Independence
Gabbs
Sctrcobcttus and Oasis
Hualapai Flat
Ralston and s·tone Cctbin
Cave
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
Arnt:].rgosa De.sert, Mercury,
Rock, l''ortymile Canyon
Crater Flat, and Oasis
. J. 5 Sctge Hen, Guctno, Swan Lake,
Massacre Lake, Lonq 1 Mctcy
Flett, Colemctn, Mosquito,
Warner, and Surprise
16 Dry I,ake ctnd Delctmar
17 Duck Lctke
18 Garden ctnd Coal
19 Middle Reese and Antelope
20 Black Rock Desert, Granite
Basin, H1gh Rock Lake,
Mud .Meadow, and Summit
Li::tke
21 Pahra·na<Ja t and Pahroc
22· Pueblo, Continental Lctke,
Virgin, ctnd Gridley LctkG
23
Dixie 1 stingaree, Fairview,
Pleasant, Eastgate,
Jersey, and Cowkick
24 Lake
25 Coyote Spring, Kctne Springs,
ctnd Muddy River Springs
26
Edwards Creek
27
Lower Meadow, Pa~terson,
Spring (nectr Panacct),
Rose, Pi::tnaca, Ectgle,
Clover, ctnd Dry
28
Smith Creek and lone
.29
Grass. (near Winnemuccct)
37
Valley or ctrea
.Monitor,_ Antelope, Kobeh,
arid Stevens Basin
Upper. Reese
Lovelock
Spring (near Ely; out of
print)
Snake, Hctmlin, Antelope,
Pleasant, and Ferguson
Desert (out of print)
So~th ?ork, Huntington, and
Dixie CreGk-Tenmile Creek
(out of pri.nt)
Eldorado, Piute, and
Colorado River
Crass (near Austin) and
Carico Lr::1.k0
38
3.9
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
Hot Creek, Little Smoky,
and Little Fish Lctke
Eagle (Ormsby County)
Walker Lake and Rctwhide Flat
Wets hoe
_Steptoe
Hone:ycLake, Warm Springs,
Newcomb Lake, Cold Spring,
Dry, Lemmon, Red Rock,
Spanish Springs, Bedell
Flett, Sun, and A~telope
Smoke C.J:eek DGsert, Sctn
Emidio" Desert, Pilgrim
Flat, Pctinters Flat,
Skedaddle Creek, Dry (near
Sane Pass) , ahd Sano
ClaytOJl, Stonewall Flat,
Alkali Spring, Oriental
Wctsh, Lida, and Grapevine
Canyon
Mesquite, Ivanpah, Jean
Lake and Hidden
Thousand Springs and
(;:cons e Creek
Little Owyhee River, South
J1'ork Owyhee River,
.•
Independence,' ·owyhee River,
Bruneau Ri ve.r, ,Jctrbid<Je
Riv·er, Salmon Fall'>
Creek, 6nd Goose Creek
>.
24
'1-· ~. •
49
50
51
52
53
Butte
Lower Moapa, Black Mountains,
Garnet, Hidden, California
Wash, Gold Butte and
Greasewood
Virgin River, Tule Desert,
and Escalante Desert
Columb~s Salt Marsh, Soda
Spring Valley
Antelope Valley
•
25
STATE OF NEVADA
UN ITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF TH E INTERIOR
DEPART MEN T OF CONSERVATION AND NATURA L RESOURCES
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
DIVISION OF WATER RESOURCES
EX PLANAT ION
D
- ·
116" 45 '
,..
,.. "'
"'<
Alluvlurn
r
~··
116'15'
•
:
<
1
N
w
<<
>-
0"
z
,..
Spring
.........-..........
"u ~<"'
Consolldutod
rocks
<C 1--
J
g:
w
~
Well t~nd altitude of water le~e l
In teet above sea level
< "'
"
<
"'oz
P'"""l
~
T
• 4120
0 z
j::Zffi
o:::
1--
Highest regional Pleisto cene
lake level
0"
...........
Playa
(dry lake)
" · \
-......j
Ground ·wa ler
system boundary
T
.• -
I
-- ++ ·- -· / . :
Topographic divide
'y ./// •. ·~·•••
>-.. .V : ·!· '-
-.
-.i.
~
Hy drogrtlphlc
area boundary
: ~ ., /
>'· ..._\ "-- •'.-/
Directio n of reg ional ground-waler flow .
Questio n mark where uncertain
---- . ,. -- --
Co ntact
110"00'
Piezometric co r1\our of regional
ground·water syste m. Da shed
where approKimatoly located
11S" JO'
T
Faull
2
5
I
:
Scale
i
r.
T
I
\'
\
.'L. - '
."'- · - \.· .:::...
T
3
3
5
5
PENOYER
VALLEY
.
1
T
'5
"'
"',.
I
)
I'
~
n
,."'
0
c!
"'
,1
T '
6
s ........ ,J
115"15'
T
7
p
5
T
a
5
T
11
5
,.<
r
~
T
12
5
----~
\
(
T
13
5
38"45'
'
(
\
~\
\
I
I I
(
\
I
I
I
I
\
'\ '-
I
)
/ r:f
\
/
/
T
16
5
\
T
17
5
/
\\
+- . ~
/
1T8
5
"TO
R sgE
11~"3(1'
\,,
/
LAS VEGAS
/
., ~
I/
./
,/
,,,
T
/
/
T
19
R SIIE
5
R 53E
"s
11S 0 JCI'
R 57E
R SAE
118" 00 '
VA LLEY
R 55E
ansa: U.S. Geo toglcn l S1.1rvcy 1:250,0011 topoornnh lc scr!ea ; Cnllanta (196:2),
Oaolh Valley (1961), Got dflald (1962), nnd Loa Vagna (11HJ2)
Cortograph~ by C. Bosch nnd P. Ollonhausar
PLATE 1.-GENERALIZED HYDROGEOLOGY OF THE NEVADA TEST SITE AREA
R l56E
H ydrcvoolooy b~ F, E, Ru8h, 11170. Goolooy odap1od lrom Cornwall (11167),
T •chuntand Pampnyan (19{15), nnd l on"well AI'd ot her• (1!HIS) . H ~dro tog ~
adaphuJ lrom Wlnogrod nnd other• (Unp1.1bllthad map1, 197CI), Bl anko nnnp e1
nnd Wotr (Uno1.1btlthed m1101, 1910), and Eakin an d Olher a(1963 ).