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Scientific Investigations Report 2007–5261

**U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY  Scientific Investigations Report 2007–5261**

# Water Resources of the Basin and Range Carbonate-Rock Aquifer System, White Pine County, Nevada, and Adjacent Areas in Nevada and Utah

**Prepared in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management  This report is based on work by the U.S. Geological Survey, in collaboration with the Desert Research Institute, and the State of Utah  By Alan H. Welch, Daniel J. Bright, and Lari A. Knochenmus, Editors**

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## Table of Contents

Foreword

Conversion Factors, Datums, and Acronyms

Summary of Major Findings

Introduction

Hydrogeologic Framework

Ground-Water Conditions

Ground-Water Budgets

Acknowledgments

References Cited

Appendix A.  Component Estimates of Recharge, Discharge, Water Use, and Aquifer Storage.

Glossary

## Plates

Plate 1.	Hydrogeologic map and cross sections, White Pine County, Nevada, and adjacent areas in Nevada and Utah (PDF, 5.4 MB)

Plate 2.	Altitude of water table in the basin-fill aquifer, White Pine County, Nevada, and adjacent areas in Nevada and Utah (PDF, 1.46 MB)

Plate 3.	Potentiometric surface of the carbonate-rock aquifer, White Pine County, Nevada, and adjacent areas in Nevada and Utah (PDF, 1.55 MB)

Plate 4.	Distribution of ground-water recharge and discharge, and evapotranspiration units, White Pine County, Nevada, and adjacent areas in Nevada and Utah (PDF, 5.65 MB)

## Figures

Figure 1. Carbonate-rock province, Basin and Range carbonate-rock aquifer system study area, and selected regional ground-water flow systems, Nevada and Utah.

Figure 2. Hydrographic areas and subbasins, Basin and Range carbonate-rock aquifer system study area, Nevada and Utah.

Figure 3. Generalized stratigraphic column and hydrogeologic units in the Basin and Range carbonate-rock aquifer system study area, Nevada and Utah.

Figure 4. Location of new geophysical data for the Basin and Range carbonate-rock aquifer system study area, Nevada and Utah, 2005–06.

Figure 5. Major geologic events in eastern Nevada. 

Figure 6. Depositional facies and paleogeography, Great Basin, Nevada and Utah.

Figure 7. Example of low-angle detachment, northern Snake Range, eastern Nevada.

Figure 8. Depth-to-bedrock map of the study area showing interpreted lineaments or features, Basin and Range carbonate-rock aquifer system study area, Nevada and Utah.

Figure 9. Modeled depth to pre-Cenozoic rocks and location of sections, Basin and Range carbonate-rock aquifer system study area, Nevada and Utah.

Figure 10. Lower Cambrian siliciclastic rocks, southern Snake Range, Nevada. 

Figure 11. Lower Paleozoic sedimentary rocks, southern Egan Range, eastern Nevada.

Figure 12. Generalized Cenozoic basin stratigraphy.

Figure 13. Local example and generalized stratigraphy of synextensional basins.

Figure 14. Outcrop extent and inferred subsurface thickness of volcanic rocks, Basin and Range carbonate-rock aquifer system study area, Nevada and Utah. 

Figure 15. Characterized hydrographic area boundaries and surface geology, Basin and Range carbonate-rock aquifer system study area, Nevada and Utah.

Figure 16. Conceptual ground-water flow systems. 

Figure 17. Distribution of estimated extent of saturated basin-fill deposits and fine-grained playa deposits used to estimate storage in the Basin and Range carbonate-rock aquifer system study area, Nevada and Utah.

Figure 18. Ground-water storage estimates by hydrographic area based on a 100-foot lowering of water levels beneath valley floors, Basin and Range carbonate-rock aquifer system study area, Nevada and Utah.

Figure 19. Precipitation (snowfall) on a typical bedrock highland flanking an alluvial valley in the Basin and Range carbonate-rock aquifer system study area, Nevada and Utah.

Figure 20. Distribution of average annual precipitation in the Basin and Range carbonate-rock aquifer system study area, Nevada and Utah, 1970–2004.

Figure 21. Mean annual ground-water recharge to hydrographic areas in the Basin and Range carbonate-rock aquifer system study area, Nevada and Utah, 1895–2006.

Figure 22. Uncertainty in ground-water recharge estimates by hydrographic area, Basin and Range carbonate-aquifer system study area, Nevada and Utah.

Figure 23. Comparison of ground-water recharge estimates, Basin and Range carbonate-rock aquifer system study area, Nevada and Utah.

Figure 24. ET-unit acreage by hydrographic area, Basin and Range carbonate-rock aquifer system study area, Nevada and Utah.

Figure 25. ET-unit acreage by hydrographic area and hydrographic-area subbasin in the Basin and Range carbonate-rock aquifer system study area, Nevada and Utah.

Figure 26. Surface energy processes and typical daily energy budget for shrubs, Basin and Range carbonate-rock aquifer system study area, Nevada and Utah.

Figure 27. Estimated average annual ET-rate range for ET units identified, Basin and Range carbonate-rock aquifer system study area, Nevada and Utah.

Figure 28. Eddy-correlation site used for measuring evapotranspiration in greasewood dominated shrubland in Snake Valley, Nevada.

Figure 29. Daily ET from grassland/meadowland site (SPV-3) in Spring Valley, and a greasewood dominated shrubland site (SPV-1) also in Spring Valley, Basin and Range carbonate-rock aquifer system study area, Nevada and Utah, September 1, 2005, to August 31, 2006.

Figure 30. Total ET and precipitation measured at six ET sites in the Basin and Range carbonate-rock aquifer system study area, Nevada and Utah, September 1, 2005, to August 31, 2006.

Figure 31. Estimates of mean annual evapotranspiration and ground-water discharge from hydrographic areas by subbasin, Basin and Range carbonate-rock aquifer system study area, Nevada and Utah.

Figure 32. Estimates of mean annual evapotranspiration and ground-water discharge by ET unit from hydrographic areas, Basin and Range carbonate-rock aquifer system study area, Nevada and Utah.

Figure 33. Average annual precipitation to discharge areas by hydrographic area and by hydrographic-area subbasin, Basin and Range carbonate-rock aquifer system study area, Nevada and Utah.

Figure 34. Uncertainty in ground-water discharge estimates by hydrographic area, Basin and Range carbonate-rock aquifer system study area, Nevada and Utah.

Figure 35. Water-use estimates by hydrographic area, Basin and Range carbonate-rock aquifer system study area, Nevada and Utah, 2005.

Figure 36. Distribution of average annual reference evapotranspiration (ETo) and extent of irrigated fields, Basin and Range carbonate-rock aquifer system study area, Nevada and Utah, 2005.

Figure 37. Thematic mapper imagery showing irrigated fields in Lake Valley, Basin and Range carbonate-rock aquifer system study area, Nevada and Utah.

Figure 38. Estimates of irrigated acreage by hydrographic area, Basin and Range carbonate-rock aquifer system study area, Nevada and Utah, 2000, 2002, and 2005.

Figure 39. Irrigation of a recently cut alfalfa field in Lake Valley, Nevada.

Figure 40. Comparison of pre-development ground-water discharge estimates, Basin and Range carbonate-rock aquifer system study area, Nevada and Utah.

Figure 41. Regional ground-water flow through the Colorado, Great Salt Lake Desert, and other regional flow systems, Basin and Range carbonate-rock aquifer system study area, Nevada and Utah.

Figure 42. Cross sections used to estimate transmissivities of hydrogeologic units.

Figure 43. Perspective view of simplified three-dimensional geologic model of the study area.

Figure 44. Transmissivity estimates for the boundary segments and published ranges in the carbonate-rock province.

Figure 45. Ground-water flow paths, Basin and Range carbonate-rock aquifer system study area, Nevada and Utah.

Figure 46. Comparison of interbasin ground-water flow estimates.

Figure 47. Estimates of mean annual ground-water recharge, mean annual ground-water discharge, and the 2005 net regional ground-water use by hydrographic area in the Basin and Range carbonate-rock aquifer system study area, Nevada and Utah.

## Tables

Table 1. Description of hydrogeologic units of the Basin and Range carbonate-rock aquifer system study area, Nevada and Utah.

Table 2. Lithologic characteristics and occurrence of basin-fill deposits, Basin and Range carbonate-rock aquifer system study area, Nevada and Utah.

Table 3. Hydraulic conductivity values for hydrogeologic units of the Basin and Range carbonate-rock aquifer system study area, Nevada and Utah.

Table 4. Summary of exceedances of drinking-water standards for chemical constituents with available analyses from more than 25 sampling sites, Basin and Range carbonate-rock aquifer system study area, Nevada and Utah.

Table 5. Estimates of annual ground-water recharge, Basin and Range carbonate-rock aquifer system study area, Nevada and Utah.

Table 6. Estimates of annual ground-water discharge, Basin and Range carbonate-rock aquifer system study area, Nevada and Utah.

Table 7. Evapotranspiration (ET) units identified, delineated, and mapped for different vegetation and soil conditions in potential areas of ground-water discharge in the Basin and Range carbonate-rock aquifer system study area, Nevada and Utah, September 2005–August 2006.

Table 8. Geochemical modeling results for interbasin flow, Basin and Range carbonate-rock aquifer system study area, Nevada and Utah.

Table 9. Historical estimates of annual interbasin flow from and to hydrographic areas, Basin and Range carbonate-rock aquifer system study area, Nevada and Utah.

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#### Download    Appendix A (Excel, 159 KB)

#### Download Plates 1-4 (ZIP, 13.6 MB) 

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Direct questions or comments about this report to the editors,  **A.H. Welch**, (775) 887-7609,  **D.J. Bright**, (702) 564-4544, and  **L.A. Knochenmus**, (775) 887-7613.

For more information about USGS activities in Nevada, visit the **USGS    Nevada Science Center home page**.

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U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey  URL: https://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2007/5261  Page Contact Information: Publications TeamPage Last Modified: Thursday, 01-Dec-2016 20:00:02 EST