U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Scientific Investigations Report 2019–5043

Prepared in cooperation with the Pawnee Nation and the Bureau of Indian Affairs

Summary of Climatic, Geographic, Geologic, and Available 

Hydrologic Data and Identification of Data Gaps for the 

Black Bear Creek Watershed of the Pawnee Nation Tribal 

Jurisdictional Area, Oklahoma
Front cover, Black Bear Creek upstream from the 4th Street bridge in Pawnee, Oklahoma, 2012.
Summary of Climatic, Geographic, 

Geologic, and Available Hydrologic 

Data and Identification of Data Gaps for 

the Black Bear Creek Watershed of the 

Pawnee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Area, 

Oklahoma

By Matthew S. Varonka

Prepared in cooperation with the Pawnee Nation and 

the Bureau of Indian Affairs

Scientific Investigations Report 2019–5043

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey
U.S. Department of the Interior

DAVID BERNHARDT, Secretary

U.S. Geological Survey

James F. Reilly II, Director

U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2019

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Suggested citation:

Varonka, M.S., 2019, Summary of climatic, geographic, geologic, and available hydrologic data and identification 

of data gaps for the Black Bear Creek watershed of the Pawnee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Area, Oklahoma: U.S. 

Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2019–5043, 39 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20195043. 

ISSN 2328-031X (print)

ISSN 2328-0328 (online)

ISBN 978-1-4113-4321-4 
iii

Acknowledgments

The author appreciates helpful discussions with Josh Daniel, Monty Matlock, and Kelton Kersey 

of the Pawnee Nation. 

The author also appreciates assistance provided by Jerrod Smith, William Andrews, Carol 

Becker, Shana Mashburn, Kyle Rennell, and Daniel Martinez of the U.S. Geological Survey.

v

Contents

Abstract ..........................................................................................................................................................1

Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................1

Purpose and Scope .............................................................................................................................1

Location of Study Area .......................................................................................................................1

Methods of Analysis .....................................................................................................................................2

Selection and Analysis of Climatic, Geographic, and Geologic Data .........................................2

Selection and Analysis of Water-Use Data .....................................................................................2

Selection and Analysis of Streamflow and Surface-Water-Quality Data ..................................4

Selection and Analysis of Groundwater-Level and Groundwater-Quality Data ........................4

Quality Assurance ................................................................................................................................5

Surface-Water-Quality Data .....................................................................................................5

Groundwater-Quality Data ........................................................................................................5

Summary of Climatic, Geographic, and Geologic Data ..........................................................................6

Climate ...................................................................................................................................................6

Physiography ........................................................................................................................................6

Land Cover ............................................................................................................................................9

Soils ........................................................................................................................................................9

Geology ................................................................................................................................................12

Summary of Available Hydrologic Data ..................................................................................................12

Estimated Water Use .........................................................................................................................12

Streamflow and Surface-Water Quality .........................................................................................16

Streamflow Statistics and Long-Term Trends ......................................................................16

Surface-Water Quality .............................................................................................................21

Groundwater Availability and Quality .............................................................................................27

Groundwater Availability .........................................................................................................27

Groundwater Quality ................................................................................................................29

Identification of Data Gaps .......................................................................................................................34

Summary .......................................................................................................................................................35

References Cited .........................................................................................................................................36

Figures

1. Map showing locations of the Pawnee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Area and the 

Black Bear Creek watershed, Oklahoma .................................................................................3

2. Graphs showing climate data including annual precipitation and mean annual 

temperature, 1960 through 2015, within the Pawnee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional 

Area, Oklahoma ............................................................................................................................7

3. Map showing land surface relief of the Pawnee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Area, 

Oklahoma ......................................................................................................................................8

4. Graphs showing percentage land cover by type for A, the Black Bear Creek 

watershed within the Pawnee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Area and B, the 

Pawnee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Area, Oklahoma ..........................................................9
vi

5. Map showing land cover in the Pawnee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Area, 

Oklahoma, 2011 ..........................................................................................................................10

6. Map showing soil associations in the Pawnee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Area, 

Oklahoma ....................................................................................................................................11

7. Map showing surficial geology in the Pawnee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Area, 

Oklahoma ....................................................................................................................................13

8. Chart showing major stratigraphic units in the Pawnee Nation Tribal 

Jurisdictional Area, Oklahoma ................................................................................................14

9. Graph showing monthly mean streamflow at the Black Bear Creek at Pawnee, 

Oklahoma, streamflow-gaging station (station number 07153000), water years 

1968–2015 ....................................................................................................................................16

10. Graph showing monthly maximum, mean, and minimum streamflow at the Black 

Bear Creek at Pawnee, Oklahoma, streamflow-gaging station (station number 

07153000), water years 1968–2015 ..........................................................................................17

11. Boxplot showing seasonal distributions of monthly mean streamflow at the 

Black Bear Creek at Pawnee, Oklahoma, streamflow-gaging station (station 

number 07153000), water years 1968–2015 ............................................................................18

12. Graphs showing A, annual mean streamflow and annual mean base flow and 

B, annual mean base flow as a percentage of annual mean streamflow at the 

Black Bear Creek at Pawnee, Oklahoma, streamflow-gaging station (station 

number 07153000), water years 1968–2015 ............................................................................19

13. Graph showing annual peak streamflow at the Black Bear Creek at Pawnee, 

Oklahoma, streamflow-gaging station (station number 07153000), water years 

1968–2015 ....................................................................................................................................20

14. Graph showing flood recurrence intervals and exceedance probability at the 

Black Bear Creek at Pawnee, Oklahoma, streamflow-gaging station (station 

number 07153000) calculated for the regulated streamflow period, water years 

1968–2015 ....................................................................................................................................21

15. Map showing locations of selected surface-water-quality sampling sites within 

the Black Bear Creek study area, Oklahoma ........................................................................22

16. Boxplots showing distributions of A, pH, B, specific conductance, C, total 

dissolved solids, D, dissolved oxygen, and E, chloride concentration for seven 

sites along Black Bear Creek, north-central Oklahoma ......................................................24

17. Graphs showing A, concentrations of dissolved chloride and B, total phosphorus 

with streamflow collected at the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB) 

Black Bear Creek at Pawnee, Okla., Beneficial Use Monitoring Program (BUMP) 

station (OWRB station identifier 621200030010-001AT, map number 5 on fig. 15) 

on Black Bear Creek, Okla. ......................................................................................................26

18. Map showing locations of wells with groundwater-level and water-quality 

measurements in the Black Bear Creek study area, Oklahoma ........................................28

19. Stiff diagrams showing major-ion chemistry in groundwater collected from wells 

in the Black Bear Creek study area, Oklahoma, 2014 through 2018 ..................................31
vii

Tables

1. Data used to estimate water use for the Pawnee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional 

Area from water-use data for Pawnee and Payne Counties, Oklahoma ...........................4

2. Estimated water withdrawals during 2010 for Pawnee and Payne Counties and 

the Pawnee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Area, Oklahoma ..................................................15

3. Monthly and annual maximum, minimum, mean, and median streamflow at the 

Black Bear Creek at Pawnee, Oklahoma, streamflow-gaging station (station 

number 07153000), calculated for the regulated streamflow period, water years 

1968–2015 ....................................................................................................................................18

4. Duration table of daily mean streamflow at the Black Bear Creek at Pawnee, 

Oklahoma, streamflow-gaging station (station number 07153000), calculated for 

the regulated streamflow period, water years 1968–2015 ..................................................20

5. Recurrence intervals and exceedance probabilities of annual instantaneous 

peak streamflow at the Black Bear Creek at Pawnee, Oklahoma, streamflowgaging station (station number 07153000), calculated for the regulated 

streamflow period, water years 1968–2015 ...........................................................................20

6. Recurrence intervals of low-flow streamflow by duration period at the Black 

Bear Creek at Pawnee, Oklahoma, streamflow-gaging station (station number 

07153000), calculated for the regulated streamflow period, climate years 

1969–2015 ....................................................................................................................................21

7. Names, locations, and water-property measurements of selected surfacewater-quality sites sampled in the Black Bear Creek study area, Oklahoma, 1985 

through 2015 ...............................................................................................................................23

8. Coverage of surficial geologic units as a percent of the Pawnee Nation Tribal 

Jurisdictional Area and the Black Bear Creek study area, Oklahoma .............................29

9. Names, locations, and water-level measurements of groundwater wells in the 

Black Bear Creek study area, Oklahoma, 1972 through 2017 .............................................30

10. Water-property measurements and concentrations of major ions and nutrients 

measured in groundwater samples collected from wells in the Black Bear 

Creek study area, Oklahoma, 2014 through 2018 ..................................................................32
viii

Conversion Factors

U.S. customary units to International System of Units

Multiply By To obtain

Length

inch (in.) 2.54 centimeter (cm)

inch (in.) 25.4 millimeter (mm)

foot (ft) 0.3048 meter (m)

mile (mi) 1.609 kilometer (km)

Area

section (640 acres or 1 square mile) 259.0 square hectometer (hm2

) 

square mile (mi2

) 2.590 square kilometer (km2) 

Volume

gallon (gal) 3.785 liter (L) 

million gallons (Mgal) 3,785 cubic meter (m3

)

acre-foot (acre-ft) 1,233 cubic meter (m3

)

Flow rate

acre-foot per day (acre-ft/d) 0.01427 cubic meter per second (m3

/s)

acre-foot per year (acre-ft/yr) 1,233 cubic meter per year (m3

/yr)

cubic foot per second (ft3

/s) 0.02832 cubic meter per second (m3/s)

gallon per minute (gal/min) 0.06309 liter per second (L/s)

million gallons per day (Mgal/d) 0.04381 cubic meter per second (m3

/s)

Mass

pound, avoirdupois (lb) 0.4536 kilogram (kg) 

Hydraulic conductivity

foot per day (ft/d) 0.3048 meter per day (m/d)

Temperature in degrees Celsius (°C) may be converted to degrees Fahrenheit (°F) as 

°F = (1.8 × °C) + 32.

Temperature in degrees Fahrenheit (°F) may be converted to degrees Celsius (°C) as 

°C = (°F – 32) / 1.8.

Datum

Vertical coordinate information is referenced to the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 

(NAVD 88).

Horizontal coordinate information is referenced to the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD 83).

Altitude, as used in this report, refers to distance above the vertical datum.
ix

Supplemental Information

Specific conductance is given in microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius (μS/cm at 

25 °C).

Concentrations of chemical constituents in water are given in either milligrams per liter (mg/L) 

or micrograms per liter (μg/L).

Abbreviations

ALC Aquatic Life Criteria

BUMP Beneficial Use Monitoring Program

EPA U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

GMAP Groundwater Monitoring & Assessment Program

LOESS locally weighted estimated scatterplot smoothing

MCL maximum contaminant level

NLCD National Land Cover Database

NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NRCS Natural Resources Conservation Service

NWIS National Water Information System

NWS National Weather Service

OCS Oklahoma Climatological Survey

ODAFF Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry

OWRB Oklahoma Water Resources Board

PD percent difference

PNTJA Pawnee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Area 

RPD relative percent difference

RWD rural water district

SC specific conductance

STORET STOrage and RETrieval

SWSTAT Surface-Water Statistics

TDS total dissolved solids

USACE U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

USDA U.S. Department of Agriculture

USGS U.S. Geological Survey

WHO World Health Organization

Summary of Climatic, Geographic, Geologic, and Available 

Hydrologic Data and Identification of Data Gaps for the 

Black Bear Creek Watershed of the Pawnee Nation Tribal 

Jurisdictional Area, Oklahoma

By Matthew S. Varonka

Abstract

The Pawnee Nation is compiling a comprehensive 

water-management plan for the Pawnee Nation Tribal 

Jurisdictional Area in north-central Oklahoma. One of the 

first steps needed in preparing such a plan is a summary and 

analysis of available hydrologic data and reports that have 

been published for the area. In phase I of a three-phase, 

watershed-based approach to summary and analysis of water 

resources of the Pawnee Nation, the U.S. Geological Survey, 

in cooperation with the Pawnee Nation and Bureau of Indian 

Affairs, conducted a literature search and data analysis for the 

Black Bear Creek watershed within the Pawnee Nation Tribal 

Jurisdictional Area, referred to herein as the “Black Bear 

Creek study area.” This report summarizes the available data 

for the Black Bear Creek study area.

Climatic, geographic, geologic, water-use, and hydrologic 

data from previously published reports or databases were 

collected and analyzed for this report. Because of the limited 

amount of groundwater-quality data for the study area, a 

field collection of groundwater levels and water samples was 

conducted. Sixteen wells were identified, and groundwater 

levels were measured at each well. Eight wells were sampled, 

and water properties, major ions, and nutrients were measured.

Overall, there are few long-term monitoring stations to 

help determine trends of surface-water quality, groundwater 

quality, and groundwater levels across the study area. 

Establishing and maintaining long-term streamflow, surfacewater-quality, groundwater-level, and groundwater-quality 

monitoring sites would greatly increase the understanding 

of the water resources in the Black Bear Creek study area. 

Additionally, water-use estimates would be greatly improved 

by metering groundwater withdrawals. Establishing 

hydrologic and water-quality trends and having improved 

estimates of water use can aid decision makers in the 

stewardship of the water resources in this area.

This report can aid the Pawnee Nation in prioritization 

of future projects and serve as a background document for the 

development of a jurisdiction-wide comprehensive watermanagement plan.

Introduction

The Pawnee Nation is compiling a comprehensive watermanagement plan for the Pawnee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional 

Area in north-central Oklahoma. One of the first steps 

needed in preparing such a plan is a summary and analysis of 

available hydrologic data and reports that have been published 

for the area and gaps in those data. When gaps in available 

data have been identified, such data needs can be more 

effectively and efficiently addressed in future data-collection 

efforts.

In phase 1 of a three-phase, watershed-based approach 

to summary and analysis of water resources of the Pawnee 

Nation, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation 

with the Pawnee Nation and Bureau of Indian Affairs, 

conducted a literature search and data analysis for the 

Black Bear Creek watershed in the Pawnee Nation Tribal 

Jurisdictional Area. This report can serve as a comprehensive 

background document summarizing climatic, geographic, 

geologic, water-use, and hydrologic data. Knowledge of data 

gaps can be used to guide future data-collection efforts for the 

Pawnee Nation to produce a comprehensive Tribal watermanagement plan.

Purpose and Scope

The purpose of this report is to summarize and analyze 

available climatic, geographic, geologic, water-use, and 

hydrologic data and to identify data gaps for the Black Bear 

Creek watershed in the Pawnee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional 

Area. This report can aid the Pawnee Nation in prioritization 

of future projects and serve as a background document for the 

development of a jurisdiction-wide comprehensive watermanagement plan. 

Location of Study Area

The Pawnee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Area consists of 

approximately 450 square miles (mi2) in Pawnee County and 
2

Climatic, Geographic, Geologic, and Available Hydrologic Data and Identification of Data Gaps, Black Bear Creek Watershed

Payne County in north-central Oklahoma (fig. 1). The area is 

bounded by two major rivers (Arkansas and Cimarron) and is 

drained by several smaller streams (fig. 1). The largest of these 

streams is Black Bear Creek, which bisects the jurisdictional 

area before joining the Arkansas River. 

The study area described in this report is the extent of 

the Black Bear Creek watershed that lies within the Pawnee 

Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Area, also referred to as the 

“Black Bear Creek study area” (fig. 1). The Black Bear Creek 

study area lies entirely within Pawnee County and consists 

of approximately 176 mi2, or about 39 percent of the area 

of the jurisdictional area. The second largest community in 

Pawnee County, the City of Pawnee, lies within the Black 

Bear Creek study area and is both the county seat and center 

of government for the Pawnee Nation.

In anticipation of future studies, much of the climatic, 

geographic, geologic, and water-use data in this report are 

summarized for the entire Pawnee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional 

Area and, when possible, the Black Bear Creek study area. 

Streamflow, surface-water-quality, groundwater-availability, 

and groundwater-quality data are summarized only for the 

Black Bear Creek study area.

Methods of Analysis

Climatic, geographic, geologic, water-use, and hydrologic 

data from previously published reports or databases were 

collected and analyzed for this report. Additionally, a limited 

field effort was completed to provide additional groundwaterquality information. Data gaps were also identified and 

summarized in this report.

Selection and Analysis of Climatic, Geographic, 

and Geologic Data

Climatic data were obtained for two weather stations 

in the Pawnee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Area. Daily 

and annual data from the National Weather Service 

(NWS) weather station at Ralston, Okla. (station identifier 

USC00347390), were downloaded from the National Oceanic 

and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA; 2017). Daily data 

from the Oklahoma Climatological Survey (OCS) Mesonet 

weather station at Pawnee, Okla. (station identifier PAWN), 

were downloaded from the Mesonet website (OCS, 2017a). 

Annual values were not reported for years with missing data. 

Climatic trends are shown by using locally weighted estimated 

scatterplot smoothing (LOESS) curves (Cleveland, 1979) 

calculated by using R (R Core Team, 2016).

Physiographic data were collected from a number of 

sources. A digital elevation model for the Pawnee Nation 

Tribal Jurisdictional Area was obtained from the USGS 

National Elevation Dataset (USGS, 2016a). Soil data were 

obtained from the Natural Resources Conservation Service 

“Digital General Soil Map of U.S.” (U.S. Department of 

Agriculture [USDA], Natural Resources Conservation Service 

[NRCS], 2016) and mapped with the Soil Data Viewer 6.2 

ArcGIS plug-in (USDA NRCS, 2015). National Land Cover 

Database 2011 (NLCD) raster data were used to estimate land 

use in the study area (Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics 

Consortium, 2014; Homer and others, 2015). Crop information 

was obtained from the National Agricultural Statistics Service 

CropScape Cropland Data Layer (USDA National Agricultural 

Statistics Service, 2018).

Descriptions of the geologic and hydrogeologic settings 

were obtained from previously published reports in or around 

the study area including Pawnee, Payne, and Osage Counties. 

Geologic reports reviewed include Greene (1928), Greig 

(1959), Clare (1963), Fay and others (1979), Bingham and 

Bergman (1980), and Shelton and others (1985). Surficial 

geology and fault lines were obtained from Heran and others 

(2003). Hydrogeologic reports reviewed include Bingham and 

Bergman (1980), D’Lugosz and others (1986), and Andrews 

and Smith (2014).

Selection and Analysis of Water-Use Data

Water-use information was sourced from the 2010 

compilation of the USGS National Water Use Information 

Program, which estimates and characterizes water use by 

analyzing surface-water and groundwater withdrawals 

(Maupin and others, 2014). In this compilation, water-use data 

are aggregated by county, so specific water-use data are not 

available for the Pawnee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Area. 

Domestic, industrial, and commercial distributions of the public 

water supply withdrawals were not provided for Pawnee and 

Payne Counties in the 2010 water-use compilation, so data are 

reported as the aggregate public water supply for all uses. Selfsupplied water is reported by domestic, industrial, commercial, 

mining and petroleum production, irrigation, livestock, 

aquaculture, and thermoelectric power generation uses. 

A scaling procedure described by Andrews and others 

(2013) was used to estimate water use for the Pawnee Nation 

Tribal Jurisdictional Area from water-use data for Pawnee and 

Payne Counties from the USGS National Water Information 

System (NWIS) (USGS, 2017a). The water-use scaling 

procedure relies on calculations of land area, impervious 

land area (Xian and others, 2011; Multi-Resolution Land 

Characteristics Consortium, 2014), tree canopy (Coulston 

and others, 2012; Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics 

Consortium, 2014), and population (U.S. Census Bureau, 

2017) for the counties and the jurisdictional area (table 1). 

Percentages of impervious area and tree canopy area were 

generated by using the ArcMap Zonal Statistics as Table tool 

(Environmental Systems Research Institute, 2017). In addition 

to the scaling procedures described in Andrews and others 

(2013), the percentage of the county population living in the 

Black Bear Creek study area was applied to the public water 

supply withdrawals, and the scaling procedure used in Andrews 

and others (2013) for livestock and irrigation was applied to 

aquaculture as well.
Methods of Analysis

3

Council Creek

StillwaterCreek

Salt Creek

CoalCre ek

Creek

Long Branch

RanchCreek

Arkansas Rive r

e

CimarronRiver

CampCree k

OakCreek

Creek

LagoonLagoon

Black Bear CreekBlack Bear Creek

Sooner

Lake

Keystone

Lake

Cleveland

Cushing Drumright

Fairfax

Glencoe Hallett

Jennings

Morrison

Oilton

Pawnee

Stillwater

Westport

Yale

64

177

412

51

108

99

18

15

20

OSAGE

COUNTY

NOBLE

COUNTY

PAWNEE

COUNTY

PAYNE

COUNTY

CREEK

COUNTY

PAWN

Cimarron Turnpike

07152500

07153000

07163300

07163300

USC00347390

USC00347390

97°00' 96°50' 96°40' 96°30'

36°30'

36°20'

36°10'

CIMARRON TURNPIKE IMARRON TURNPIKE

PAWN

Drumright

Cleveland

Map area

Black Bear Creek

watershed

OKLAHOMA

0 5 10 MILES

0 5 10 KILOMETERS

Base modified from U.S. Geological Survey digital data;

scale, 1:355,000; USA Contiguous Albers Equal Area

Conic projection; North American Datum of 1983

Incorporated area from U.S. Census Bureau (2000);

hydrography from Horizon Systems 

Corporation (2015)

EXPLANATION

Pawnee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Area

Black Bear Creek watershed extent

Black Bear Creek study area

U.S. Geological Survey streamflow-gaging station and number

National Weather Service weather station and identifier

Oklahoma Mesonet weather station and identifier

Bug

Red Rock CreekRed Rock Creek

Figure 1. Locations of the Pawnee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Area and the Black Bear Creek watershed, Oklahoma.
4

Climatic, Geographic, Geologic, and Available Hydrologic Data and Identification of Data Gaps, Black Bear Creek Watershed

Table 1. Data used to estimate water use for the Pawnee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Area from water-use data for Pawnee and Payne 

Counties, Oklahoma (Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics Consortium, 2014; U.S. Census Bureau, 2017).

[PNTJA, Pawnee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Area]

Data type County

Pawnee Payne

County land area in PNTJA, in percent 61.5 11.5

Impervious area in PNTJA, in percent 0.463 0.677

Impervious area in counties, in percent 0.650 1.79

Tree canopy cover in PNTJA, in percent 20.0 26.0

Tree canopy cover in counties, in percent 24.4 21.4

Total county population 16,577 77,350

PNTJA population 5,198 2,453

PNTJA population, in percent of county population 31.4 3.2

PNTJA population density, in people per square mile 14.2 30.7

Selection and Analysis of Streamflow and 

Surface-Water-Quality Data

Streamflow data in the study area were limited to one 

long-term streamflow-gaging station operated by the USGS in 

cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) 

and the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB). Data 

from the Black Bear Creek at Pawnee, Okla., streamflowgaging station (station number 07153000) were downloaded 

from NWIS (USGS, 2016b). Monthly mean, annual mean, 

and annual peak flows and associated statistical calculations, 

including base flow, are reported for the regulated-streamflow 

period from water years (October 1 to September 30, 

designated by the calendar year in which the water year ends) 

1968 through 2015. Daily mean flows for water years 1968–

2015 were used to compute flow-duration data. Low-flow 

recurrence intervals were calculated by using flow data from 

climate years (April 1 to March 31, designated by the calendar 

year in which the climate year ends) 1969 through 2015.

Several software programs were used to calculate 

statistics related to flow data. Base flows were calculated by 

hydrograph separation by using the Base-Flow Index Standard 

method (Wahl and Wahl, 1995) implemented through the 

USGS Groundwater Toolbox software program (Barlow and 

others, 2016). Flood magnitude and frequency were computed 

according to methods described in Bulletin 17C (England and 

others, 2018) using the PeakFQ software program (USGS, 

2018a). Station-record skew was used in flood frequency 

and magnitude calculations because of the regulation of the 

stream by floodwater-retarding structures, as in Lewis and 

Esralew (2009). Flow-duration data and recurrence intervals 

of low-flow periods were calculated by using the SurfaceWater Statistics (SWSTAT) software program (Lumb and 

others, 1990; USGS, 2002) implemented through the USGS 

Groundwater Toolbox software program (Barlow and others, 

2016). LOESS curves, Wilcoxon rank-sum tests (Wilcoxon, 

1945), Kendall rank-correlation coefficients (Kendall, 1938), 

and Mann-Kendall trend tests (Mann, 1945) were calculated 

by using R (R Core Team, 2016) and the Kendall R package 

(McLeod, 2011). Linear regressions were calculated using the 

SigmaPlot software package (Systat Software, Inc., 2011).

Surface-water-quality data for the study area were 

collected by several agencies including the USGS, the 

OWRB, the Oklahoma Conservation Commission, the 

Oklahoma Corporation Commission, and the Pawnee Nation 

Department of Environmental Conservation and Safety. Data 

from 1985 through 2015 were summarized in this report. 

Data were retrieved from the USGS NWIS database and the 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) STOrage and 

RETrieval (STORET) database through the National Water 

Quality Monitoring Council’s Water Quality Portal website 

(EPA, 2017; National Water Quality Monitoring Council, 

2017; USGS, 2017b). Additional surface-water-quality data 

were obtained from the OWRB’s Beneficial Use Monitoring 

Program (BUMP) (OWRB, 2017a). Eighteen water-quality 

sites were identified in the study area, though many of the 

sites have only 1–2 years of water properties measured. 

Distributions of water-quality data are presented graphically 

as boxplots made by using the SigmaPlot software package 

(Systat Software, Inc., 2011). Pearson correlation coefficients 

for linear regression to relate selected water-quality variables 

were calculated by using R (R Core Team, 2016).

Selection and Analysis of Groundwater-Level 

and Groundwater-Quality Data

Groundwater-level data were obtained from the USGS 

NWIS and the OWRB (USGS, 2017b; OWRB, 2018a). 

Groundwater-quality data were obtained from queries of the 

NWIS and STORET databases through the National Water 

Quality Monitoring Council’s Water Quality Portal website 

(EPA, 2017; National Water Quality Monitoring Council, 
Methods of Analysis

5

2017; USGS, 2017b). Additional groundwater-quality data 

were obtained from the OWRB’s Groundwater Monitoring & 

Assessment Program (GMAP) (OWRB, 2018a). Because of 

the limited availability of groundwater-level and groundwaterquality data, a small field effort was conducted during June 

and December 2017 and March–May 2018 to start to fill 

this known data gap. Groundwater levels were measured at 

16 wells across the study area, and 8 wells were sampled for 

water properties (pH, temperature, and specific conductance), 

major ions, and nutrients. Groundwater wells were sampled 

according to USGS protocols (USGS, variously dated) and 

analyzed at the USGS National Water Quality Laboratory 

in Denver, Colo. (Fishman, 1993; Clesceri and others, 

1998; Patton and Kryskalla, 2011). The groundwater levels 

and groundwater-quality data for these wells are available 

from NWIS (USGS, 2018b). Stiff diagrams of major-ion 

concentrations (Stiff, 1951) were made by using R (R Core 

Team, 2016) and the smwrGraphs package (Lorenz and 

Diekoff, 2017) to compare and interpret the data.

Quality Assurance

Quality assurance is the process of analyzing qualitycontrol data to assess the reproducibility and accuracy of 

processes such as equipment cleaning, sample collection, 

and sample analysis. Quality-control data relating to waterquality sampling are described in this report and include blank 

samples and replicate samples. Water-quality data obtained 

from blank samples are used to evaluate potential positive bias 

introduced by equipment-cleaning, sample-collection, and 

sample-analysis methods on water-quality results. Replicate 

samples, which are samples that are collected from the same 

source at approximately the same time, provide an indication 

of variability of results due to sample collection and analysis, 

as well as the variability inherent in the aqueous system 

being analyzed over a short time period. This variability is 

assessed by calculating the relative percent difference (RPD) 

in replicate data, with smaller RPD indicating less variability 

and larger RPD indicating more variability. RPD is calculated 

according to

RPD = a b   / /     a b 2 100 

where

a is the constituent concentration of the field 

sample, and

b is the constituent concentration of the fieldreplicate sample.

Surface-Water-Quality Data

Surface-water-quality data were obtained by several 

different agencies with varying sampling and analytical 

procedures. Quality-control information was not available for 

data sourced from the STORET or OWRB databases. Surfacewater-quality data retrieved from the NWIS database were 

collected and analyzed according to the USGS “National Field 

Manual for the Collection of Water-Quality Data” (USGS, 

variously dated). One field-blank sample collected at the 

Black Bear Creek at Pawnee, Okla., streamflow-gaging station 

was identified in the NWIS database (USGS, 2018b). Majorion concentrations in the field-blank sample were below 

detection limits, with the exceptions of calcium, chloride, and 

sulfate. Concentrations of these ions in the field-blank sample 

were less than 3 percent of the concentrations in the related 

environmental sample.

Groundwater-Quality Data

In the study area, only one well with groundwater-quality 

data was identified through the NWIS and STORET databases. 

No quality-control information was available for these data. 

Data provided by the OWRB did not include quality-control 

information.

Data collected by the USGS during the limited field 

sampling during March–May 2018 involved several qualitycontrol measures. Equipment cleaning was performed by 

using USGS standard methods (USGS, variously dated). 

Groundwater levels and groundwater-quality data were 

collected according to the USGS “National Field Manual 

for the Collection of Water-Quality Data” (USGS, variously 

dated). Quality-control samples included an equipment blank 

and a replicate sample. The equipment blank was collected 

at the USGS Oklahoma Water Science Center by using 

reagent-grade water and analyzed for major ions and nutrients 

to ensure the quality of equipment-cleaning and sampling 

methods. Analytical results for the equipment blank for majorion and nutrient concentrations were below the detection 

limits set by the USGS National Water Quality Laboratory, 

with the exception of ammonia nitrogen, which was above the 

detection limit but below the set reporting limit. Replicate data 

for major-ion and nutrient concentrations were generally in 

agreement. RPD values for individual analytes ranged from 0 

to 22 percent. Percent difference (PD) of cation/anion balance 

was calculated by using the sum of major anions and the sum 

of major cations in milliequivalents per liter according to

PD cations anions / ( cations anions) 100

where

∑cations is the sum of calcium, magnesium, sodium, 

potassium, iron, manganese, and hydrogen 

ion concentrations, and

	 ∑anions is the sum of chloride, sulfate, fluoride, and 

alkalinity concentrations.

In all but one sample, PD of cation/anion balance was less 

than 3 percent. PD of cation/anion balance for the sample 

collected at USGS station number 361748096512201 was 

19.71 percent. The water from this well was gray and turbid, 
6

Climatic, Geographic, Geologic, and Available Hydrologic Data and Identification of Data Gaps, Black Bear Creek Watershed

and on the basis of the appearance and odor of the sample, 

some form of well contamination is suspected. Nutrient results 

for this sample were not completed. Because of these issues, 

water-quality results from this well are to be considered 

estimated.

Summary of Climatic, Geographic, and 

Geologic Data

Climatic, geographic, and geologic data from previously 

published reports or databases are summarized in this section. 

Because of the small size of the study area and possibility 

for future studies of adjacent watersheds, these data are 

summarized for the entire Pawnee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional 

Area. Climatic data include air temperature and precipitation 

at two stations in the jurisdictional area, and the geographicdata summary includes a description of the physiography, 

land cover, and soil types. Surficial and subsurface geology 

are described, and the water-bearing formations in the area 

are discussed. An understanding of the climatic, geographic, 

and geologic setting of the jurisdictional area and the study 

area can aid the Pawnee Nation in the development of a Tribal 

water-management plan. 

Climate

The majority of the Pawnee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional 

Area is in the Northeastern Oklahoma climate division 

(Guttman and Quayle, 1996), which is classified in the 

Köppen Climate Classification System as having a temperate 

humid subtropical (Cfa) climate (Kottek and others, 2006). 

Average air temperatures in the jurisdictional area can range 

from approximately 94 degrees Fahrenheit (°F) in July to 

approximately 24 °F in January (OCS, 2017b). Annual average 

air temperatures are approximately 60 °F (OCS, 2017b). 

The area receives an average of approximately 39 inches 

of precipitation annually, with the majority of precipitation 

occurring in spring and fall (OCS, 2017b). Snowfall varies, 

with approximately half of all years with 10 or more inches 

of snow (OCS, 2017b). Winds are typically out of the south 

or southeast and average approximately 9 miles per hour, 

bringing humidity north from the Gulf of Mexico, especially 

in late spring, when significant thunderstorms and tornados 

can develop (OCS, 2017b). From 1950 through 2015, the 

NWS recorded 29 tornados in Pawnee County, including three 

F4 tornados, two of which were in late April 1984 and the 

other in late April 1991 (NWS, 2018b). 

The NWS station at Ralston, Okla., is the only longterm weather station in the area. Precipitation data have 

been collected since 1925, and temperature data have 

been collected since 1960 at this station (fig. 2A). LOESS 

curves show mostly flat trends for temperature and 

precipitation from 1960 to 1980 at the Ralston, Okla., station. 

Temperatures and precipitation trended higher from 1980 

through the early 1990s and then decreased to pre-1980 

conditions in the late 1990s. From 2000 onward, temperature 

has trended slightly higher, and precipitation has trended 

slightly lower. These trends are influenced by the historic 

drought of 2011, when less than 20 inches of precipitation 

and an average temperature of about 64 °F were measured at 

the Ralston station.

In 1994, the OCS Mesonet station at Pawnee, Okla., was 

established, adding a second continuous weather station in 

the jurisdictional area, though precipitation and temperature 

data are only available from 1998 onward (fig. 2B). Because 

of the relatively short period of climate record at this station, 

trends for this dataset are unclear, though the data do agree 

well with measurements at the NWS Ralston station within 

the period of data overlap of those two stations.

Physiography

The topography of the Pawnee Nation Tribal 

Jurisdictional Area is dominated by shallow east-facing 

ridges or cuestas, with relief generally less than 150 feet (ft) 

(fig. 3) (Greig, 1959). The highest point in the jurisdictional 

area (1,138 ft) is near the Cimarron Turnpike (NW1⁄4SW1⁄4 

sec.11, T. 20 N., R. 05 E.), and the highest point in the 

Black Bear Creek study area (1,135 ft) is approximately 

1 mile north, in SE1⁄4NW1⁄4 sec.03, T. 20 N., R. 05 E. (fig. 3). 

The lowest point in the jurisdictional area (728 ft) is on the 

eastern boundary of the jurisdictional area, in NE1⁄4SE1⁄4 

sec.01, T. 21 N., R. 06 E. The lowest point in the Black 

Bear Creek watershed (751 ft) is the confluence of Black 

Bear Creek and the Arkansas River. The jurisdictional 

area is drained by the Arkansas River to the north and 

northeast and by the Cimarron River to the south and 

southwest. Black Bear Creek bisects the jurisdictional area, 

meandering from the western border of the jurisdictional area 

approximately 43 miles through the City of Pawnee to the 

Arkansas River in the east. The Arkansas River and Black 

Bear Creek drain approximately 75 percent of the county, 

with the Cimarron River and a number of smaller tributaries 

draining the remaining area (USDA Soil Conservation 

Service, 1959).
Summary of Climatic, Geographic, and Geologic Data

7

56

58

60

62

64

66

68

70

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

56

58

60

62

64

66

68

70

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015

Mean annual temperature, in degrees Fahrenheit

Precipitation, in inches per year

Year

Annual precipitation

Mean annual temperature

Annual precipitation 

LOESS curve

Mean annual temperature

LOESS curve

Temperature data incomplete

EXPLANATION

A

B

* * * *

*

*

*

Figure 2. Climate data including annual precipitation and mean annual temperature, 

1960 through 2015, within the Pawnee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Area, Oklahoma. A, 

National Weather Service station at Ralston, Okla. (station identifier USC00347390). 

B, Oklahoma Climatological Survey Mesonet station at Pawnee, Okla. (station 

identifier PAWN) (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2017; Oklahoma 

Climatological Survey, 2017a). Trends are shown by using locally weighted estimated 

scatterplot smoothing (LOESS) curves.
8

Climatic, Geographic, Geologic, and Available Hydrologic Data and Identification of Data Gaps, Black Bear Creek Watershed

725–750

751–800

801–850

851–900

901–950

951–1,000

1,001–1,050

1,051–1,150

97°00' 96°50' 96°40' 96°30'

36°30'

36°20'

36°10' Council Creek

Stillwater Creek

Salt Creek

CoalCre ek

Creek

Long Branch

RanchCreek

Arkansas Rive r

CimarronRiver

CampCreek

OakCreek

Cre ek

Black Bear CreekBlack Bear Creek

Keystone

Lake

Sooner

Lake

Keystone

64 Lake 177

412

51

108

99

18

15

20

CIMARRON TURNPIKE Cimarron Turnpike IMARRON TURNPIKE

Cleveland

Cushing Drumright Drumright

Fairfax

Glencoe Hallett

Jennings

Morrison

Oilton

Pawnee

Stillwater

Westport

Yale

LagoonLagoon

EXPLANATION

Pawnee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Area

Black Bear Creek watershed extent

Black Bear Creek study area

Highest elevation in the Black Bear Creek study area

Lowest elevation in the Black Bear Creek study area

Highest elevation in the Pawnee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Area

Lowest elevation in the Pawnee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Area

Elevation, in feet above the

North American Vertical Datum of 1988

Map area

Black Bear Creek

watershed

OKLAHOMA

0 5 10 MILES

0 5 10 KILOMETERS

Elevation data from U.S. Geological Survey (2016a);

hydrography from Horizon Systems 

Corporation (2015)

Base modified from U.S. Geological Survey digital data;

scale, 1:355,000; USA Contiguous Albers Equal Area

Conic projection; North American Datum of 1983

OSAGE

COUNTY

NOBLE

COUNTY

PAWNEE

COUNTY

PAYNE

COUNTY

CREEK

COUNTY

1,138 ft

1,135 ft

751 ft

728 ft

Bug

Red Rock CreekRed Rock Creek

Figure 3. Land surface relief of the Pawnee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Area, Oklahoma.
Summary of Climatic, Geographic, and Geologic Data

9

Land Cover

The Pawnee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Area lies within 

the Central Great Plains Level III ecoregion and the Cross 

Timbers Transition Level IV ecoregion, with the Northern 

Cross Timbers ecoregion bordering to the east and the Prairie 

Tableland ecoregion bordering to the west (Woods and others, 

2005). Approximately 60 percent of the land in both the 

jurisdictional area and the Black Bear Creek study area is 

grassland or scrub (figs. 4 and 5), much of which is used for 

ranching (Homer and others, 2015). Approximately 20 percent 

of both areas are covered by forest consisting of Juniperus

virginiana (eastern redcedar), Quercus spp. (oak), and Ulmus

spp. (elm) trees, mostly concentrated along riparian zones 

(Woods and others, 2005). Cultivated crops including winter 

wheat, soybeans, sorghum, alfalfa, and corn (USDA National 

Agricultural Statistics Service, 2018) cover approximately 

15 percent of the land area, utilizing an average growing 

season of 197 days (OCS, 2017b). Approximately 5 percent 

of both areas are developed or barren, and approximately 1 

percent is water or wetlands.

Soils

The soils underlying the Pawnee Nation Tribal 

Jurisdictional Area are ustic to udic alfisols and mollisols 

ranging from silty clays to sandy loams (USDA NRCS, 2016). 

Silty clay loams of the Zaneis-Renfrow-Grainola-Coyle, 

Summit-Shidler, and Steedman-Coyle-Agra soil associations 

underlie most of the jurisdictional area (fig. 6). These soils 

were formed from weathered sandstone and shales of the 

Permian and Pennsylvanian ages and are typically well 

drained, with moderate permeability and runoff potential 

depending on the slope of the soil (USDA NRCS, 2016). 

Along the Arkansas River, Cimarron River, Black Bear Creek, 

and Camp Creek, soils of coarse sandy loams of the YaholaGaddy-Dale, Yahola-Gracemore-Goodnight-Gaddy, and 

Yahola-Pulaski-Port-Ashport associations predominate (fig. 6). 

These associations are characterized by well-drained, rapidly 

permeable alluvial soils (USDA NRCS, 2016). Typically 

adjacent to the Yahola series soils are loamy sands or sandy 

loams of the Konawa-Eufaula-Dougherty, StephenvilleNiotaze-Darnell, and Vanoss-Norge associations (USDA 

NRCS, 2016). These soils occur on the stream terraces and 

are generally well drained and moderately permeable (USDA 

NRCS, 2016). 

Land cover, 2011

Water or wetland

Developed or barren

Forest

Grassland or scrub

Pasture, hay, or 

cultivated crops

EXPLANATION

A

B

18.80

0.74 

59.10

4.86

16.50

21.45

1.22

58.57

5.30 13.46

Black Bear Creek watershed within 

Pawnee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Area 

percent land cover

Pawnee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Area 

percent land cover

Figure 4. Percentage land cover by type for A, the Black 

Bear Creek watershed within the Pawnee Nation Tribal 

Jurisdictional Area and B, the Pawnee Nation Tribal 

Jurisdictional Area, Oklahoma.
10

Climatic, Geographic, Geologic, and Available Hydrologic Data and Identification of Data Gaps, Black Bear Creek Watershed

97°00' 96°50' 96°40' 96°30'

36°30'

36°20'

36°10'

Keystone

Lake

Sooner

Lake

64

177

412

51

108

99

18

15

20

CIMARRON TURNPIKE Cimarron Turnpike IMARRON TURNPIKE

Council Creek

Stillwater Creek

Salt Creek

CoalCre ek

Creek

Long Branch

RanchCreek

Arkansas River

CimarronRiver

CampCreek

OakCreek

Cre ek

Black Bear CreekBlack Bear Creek

Cleveland

Cushing Drumright

Fairfax

Glencoe Hallett

Jennings

Morrison

Oilton

Pawnee

Stillwater

Westport

Yale

Cleveland

Yale

Drumright

LagoonLagoon

Water or wetland

Developed or barren

Forest

Grassland or scrub

Pasture, hay, or 

cultivated crops

EXPLANATION

Pawnee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Area

Black Bear Creek watershed extent

Black Bear Creek study area

Land cover, 2011

Map area

Black Bear Creek

watershed

OKLAHOMA

0 5 10 MILES

0 5 10 KILOMETERS

Land cover from Multi-Resolution Land

Characteristics Consortium (2014);

hydrography from Horizon Systems

Corporation (2015)

Base modified from U.S. Geological Survey digital data;

scale, 1:355,000; USA Contiguous Albers Equal Area

Conic projection; North American Datum of 1983

OSAGE

COUNTY

NOBLE

COUNTY

PAWNEE

COUNTY

PAYNE

COUNTY

CREEK

COUNTY

Bug

Red Rock CreekRed Rock Creek

Figure 5. Land cover in the Pawnee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Area, Oklahoma, 2011.
Summary of Climatic, Geographic, and Geologic Data

11

Cleveland

Cushing Drumright

Fairfax

Glencoe Hallett

Jennings

Morrison

Oilton

Pawnee

Stillwater

Westport

Yale

97°00' 96°50' 96°40' 96°30'

36°30'

36°20'

36°10'

Keystone

Lake

Sooner

Lake

Keystone

£¤ £¤64 Lake 177

£¤412

UV51

UV108

UV99

UV18

UV15

UV20

CIMARRON TURNPIKE Cimarron Turnpike IMARRON TURNPIKE

LagoonLagoon

Drumright

Council Creek

Stillwater Creek

Salt Creek

CoalCre ek

Creek

Long Branch

RanchCreek

Arkansas River

CimarronRiver

CampCreek

OakCreek

Cre ek

Yahola-Gracemore-Goodnight-Gaddy

Yahola-Pulaski-Port-Ashport

Zaneis-Renfrow-Grainola-Coyle

Steedman-Coyle-Agra

Stephenville-Niotaze-Darnell

Summit-Shidler

Vanoss-Norge

Konawa-Eufaula-Dougherty

Soil associations

EXPLANATION

Pawnee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Area

Black Bear Creek watershed extent

Yahola-Gaddy-Dale

Map area

Black Bear Creek

watershed

OKLAHOMA

0 5 10 MILES

0 5 10 KILOMETERS

Soil unit data from U.S. Department of Agriculture,

Natural Resources Conservation Service (2016);

hydrography from Horizon Systems 

Corporation (2015)

Base modified from U.S. Geological Survey digital data;

scale, 1:355,000; USA Contiguous Albers Equal Area

Conic projection; North American Datum of 1983

OSAGE

COUNTY

NOBLE

COUNTY

PAWNEE

COUNTY

PAYNE

COUNTY

CREEK

COUNTY

Black Bear Creek study area

Bug

Red Rock CreekRed Rock Creek

Black Bear CreekBlack Bear Creek

Figure 6. Soil associations in the Pawnee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Area, Oklahoma.
12

Climatic, Geographic, Geologic, and Available Hydrologic Data and Identification of Data Gaps, Black Bear Creek Watershed

Geology

The surficial geology of the Pawnee Nation Tribal 

Jurisdictional Area is dominated by shelf deposits of 

Pennsylvanian-age sediments laid down on the cratonic 

Central Oklahoma platform and overlain with Quaternary 

deposits in some areas, principally near rivers and streams 

(fig. 7) (Heran and others, 2003). The Pennsylvanian beds, 

along with exposed Permian deposits to the west and 

Mississippian deposits to the east, form the Prairie Plains 

homocline, which is the result of westward tilting during 

the late Permian and subsequent erosion (Greig, 1959). 

In the jurisdictional area, strata dip gently to the west at 

approximately 50 ft per mile, exposing from west to east the 

Late Pennsylvanian Oscar, Vanoss, and Ada Groups, which 

are composed of alternating beds of limestone, shale, and 

sandstone (fig. 7) (Clare, 1963).

Pennsylvanian-age beds extend deep into the subsurface, 

with an aggregate thickness ranging from 3,900 ft in the 

western extent of the study area to 2,200 ft in the eastern 

extent (Greig, 1959; Clare, 1963). Beneath the Pennsylvanianage sedimentary rocks lies a thick layer (100–300 ft) of 

Mississippian limestone known as the Keokuk Limestone and 

the Reeds Spring Formation, the Late Devonian Woodford 

(Chattanooga) shale and Misener Sandstone, older members of 

the Ordovician Simpson Group, and finally younger members 

of the Cambro-Ordovician Arbuckle group (fig. 8). Basement 

rock is thought to be the equivalent of the Precambrian 

Spavinaw granite (Greig, 1959).

Freshwater aquifers in the Pawnee Nation Tribal 

Jurisdictional Area include Quaternary-age alluvium 

and terrace deposits, the minor bedrock aquifers of the 

Oscar and Vanoss Groups, and the Ada Group of the AdaVamoosa aquifer. Alluvium and terrace deposits consist 

of unconsolidated silt, sand, and gravel (fig. 8) and occur 

along the Arkansas River, Cimarron River, Salt Creek, and 

Black Bear Creek (fig. 7) (Bingham and Bergman, 1980). 

Alluvium and terrace deposits along the major streams range 

in thickness between 15 and 50 ft and between 0 and 50 ft 

along the minor streams (Bingham and Bergman, 1980). The 

Late Pennsylvanian-age Oscar and Vanoss Groups underlie 

the majority of the jurisdictional area and the Black Bear 

Creek study area and consist of layers of limestone, shale, 

and fine-grained arkosic sandstone hundreds of feet thick 

(Bingham and Bergman, 1980). The Ada Group, part of the 

Ada-Vamoosa aquifer, consists of layers of limestone, shale, 

and fine-grained sandstones and is accessible along the 

extreme eastern border of the jurisdictional area (Bingham and 

Bergman, 1980). Recharge to the Ada group is primarily due 

to infiltration of precipitation in outcrop areas (D’Lugosz and 

others, 1986). With increasing distance and depth from the 

recharge areas, salinity increases, and the Ada Group is not a 

source of freshwater in the Black Bear Creek study area. The 

most productive sources of freshwater in the jurisdictional area 

are the alluvium and terrace deposits along the larger streams 

like the Arkansas River, Cimarron River, and Black Bear 

Creek (Bingham and Bergman, 1980). The Pennsylvanianage formations produce moderate amounts of freshwater but 

can also produce saline water if penetrated too far from the 

outcrop (Greig, 1959).

Summary of Available Hydrologic Data

Available hydrologic data include several components. 

Estimated water use and streamflow, surface-water quality, 

groundwater availability, and groundwater quality are 

described in this section.

Estimated Water Use

As described in the “Methods of Analysis” section of this 

report, water-use data for Pawnee and Payne Counties were 

obtained from the 2010 compilation of the USGS National 

Water Use Information Program, and a scaling procedure 

was used to estimate water use for the Pawnee Nation Tribal 

Jurisdictional Area from the county data (table 1) (USGS, 

2017a). Because of the small size of the Black Bear Creek 

study area and the small amount of water use for the entire 

jurisdictional area, estimates of water use were not calculated 

for the Black Bear Creek study area. 

The Pawnee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Area is primarily 

pasture with little water use (Maupin and others, 2014). 

The population of the jurisdictional area, calculated from 

county population data (U.S. Census Bureau, 2017), was 

approximately 7,700 people (table 1). Primary economic 

activities of the area are ranching, oil production, and mining. 

Urban centers include the city of Pawnee central to the 

jurisdictional area, the city of Yale in the southern portion of 

the jurisdictional area, and the town of Ralston in the northern 

portion of the jurisdictional area.

Total water withdrawals for the Pawnee Nation Tribal 

Jurisdictional Area were estimated to be 8.01 million gallons 

per day (Mgal/d) (table 2), consisting of about 84 percent 

groundwater withdrawals and 16 percent surface-water 

withdrawals. The dominant water-withdrawal types for the 

area were public water supply for domestic, industrial, and 

commercial use, self-supplied water for agriculture (livestock 

and irrigation), and self-supplied water for mining and 

petroleum production.
Summary of Available Hydrologic Data

13

Cleveland

Cushing Drumright Drumright

Fairfax

Glencoe Hallett

Jennings

Morrison

Oilton

Pawnee

Stillwater

Westport

Yale

97°00' 96°50' 96°40' 96°30'

36°30'

36°20'

36°10' Council Creek

Creek

Salt Creek

CoalCre ek

Creek

Branch

RanchCreek

Arkansas River

CimarronRiver

CampCreek

OakCreek

Cre ek

Red Rock CreekRed Rock Creek

Black Bear CreekBlack Bear Creek

Keystone

Lake

Sooner

Lake

CIMARRON TURNPIKE IMARRON TURNPIKE

Black Bear Creek study area

Sooner

Lake

Long

Stillwater Stillwater

LagoonLagoon

Vamoosa Formation (IPva)

Ada Group (IPa)

Vanoss Group (IPv)

Oscar Group (IPo)

Terrace deposits (Qt)

Alluvium (Qal)

EXPLANATION

Surficial geologic unit Pawnee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Area

Black Bear Creek watershed extent

Mapped fault

Pennsylvanian

Quaternary

Map area

OKLAHOMA

Central Oklahoma platform

Southern portion of the

Prairie Plains homocline

(Arbenz, 1956)

Black Bear Creek

watershed

Black Bear Creek

watershed

0 5 10 MILES

0 5 10 KILOMETERS

Surficial geologic units and faults from

Heran and others (2003);

hydrography from Horizon Systems

Corporation (2015)

Base modified from U.S. Geological Survey digital data;

scale, 1:355,000; USA Contiguous Albers Equal Area

Conic projection; North American Datum of 1983

OSAGE

COUNTY

NOBLE

COUNTY

PAWNEE

COUNTY

PAYNE

COUNTY

CREEK

COUNTY

Bug

Figure 7. Surficial geology in the Pawnee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Area, Oklahoma.
14

Climatic, Geographic, Geologic, and Available Hydrologic Data and Identification of Data Gaps, Black Bear Creek Watershed

Figure 8. Major stratigraphic units in the Pawnee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Area, Oklahoma.

[ft, feet; Fm., Formation; Sh., shale; Ss., sandstone; Ls., limestone; Dol., dolomite; Cht., chert; lithology listed in order of prominence in formation. Modified 

from Greig, 1959; Heran and others, 2003; Clare, 1963; Andrews and Smith, 2014; Shelton and others, 1985; Fay and others, 1979; Greene, 1928]

Time-stratigraphic unit Group Surficial deposits 

and formations Lithology Thickness, in feet

Quaternary

Alluvium Gravel to clay 0–20

Terrace deposits Gravel to clay 0–30

Pennsylvanian

Oscar Numerous Sh., Ss., Ls. 0–400

Vanoss Numerous Sh., Ls., Ss. 0–500

Ada Numerous Sh., Ss., Ls. 0–400

Vamoosa Fm. Sh., Ss., Ls. ≤ 630

Ochelata

Tallant Fm. Ss., Sh. 80–220

Barnsdall Fm. Ss., Sh. 45–165

Wann Fm. Sh., Ss., Ls. 360–565

Iola Ls. Ls., Ss., Sh. 20–130

Chanute Fm. Ss., Sh. 80–220

Skiatook

Dewey Ls. Ls., Ss., Sh. 5–35

Nellie Bly Fm. Sh., Ss. 30–110

Hogshooter Ls. Ls., Sh. 5–25

Coffeyville Fm. Sh., Ss. 250–330

Checkerboard Ls. Ls. 2–15

Seminole Fm. Sh., Ss., Coal 70–240

Marmaton Numerous Sh., Ls., Sh. 150–310

Cabaniss Numerous Ss., Ls., Sh. 180–275

Krebs Numerous Ss., Ls., Sh. 155–375

Mississippian

Keokuk Ls. Ls., Cht.

100–300

Reeds Spring Fm. Cht., Ls.

Mississippian/Devonian

Woodford Sh. Sh. 10–45

Misener Ss. Ss. 0–25

Ordovician

Viola Ls. Ls. 0–60

Simpson

Bromide Fm. Ss.

70–310

Tulip Creek Fm. Sh.

McLish Fm. Ss.

Oil Creek Fm. Ss.

Cambro-Ordovician Arbuckle Numerous Dol., Ss. 60–780
Summary of Available Hydrologic Data

15

Table 2. Estimated water withdrawals during 2010 for Pawnee and Payne Counties and the Pawnee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Area, 

Oklahoma (U.S. Geological Survey, 2017a).

[Mgal/d, million gallons per day; PNTJA, Pawnee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Area]

Water-withdrawal type County/area Estimated water withdrawals, in Mgal/d

Groundwater Surface water Total

Public water supply for domestic, industrial, and commercial use Pawnee 0.45 2.64 3.09

Payne 1.71 2.52 4.23

PNTJA 0.20 0.91 1.11

Industrial, self-supplied Pawnee 0.00 0.00 0.00

Payne 0.00 0.00 0.00

PNTJA 0.00 0.00 0.00

Commercial, self-supplied Pawnee 0.00 0.00 0.00

Payne 0.00 0.00 0.00

PNTJA 0.00 0.00 0.00

Domestic, self-supplied Pawnee 0.39 0.00 0.39

Payne 0.83 0.00 0.83

PNTJA 0.15 0.00 0.15

Livestock, self-supplied Pawnee 0.06 0.49 0.55

Payne 0.07 0.68 0.75

PNTJA 0.04 0.34 0.38

Irrigation, self-supplied Pawnee 0.00 0.01 0.01

Payne 0.33 0.05 0.38

PNTJA 0.05 0.01 0.06

Mining/petroleum production, self-supplied, saline groundwater, 

fresh surface water

Pawnee 9.12 0.10 9.22

Payne 5.44 0.00 5.44

PNTJA 6.23 0.06 6.29

Thermoelectric power generation, self-supplied Pawnee 0.00 0.00 0.00

Payne 0.00 0.00 0.00

PNTJA 0.00 0.00 0.00

Aquaculture, self-supplied Pawnee 0.00 0.00 0.00

Payne 0.23 0.01 0.24

PNTJA 0.03 0.00 0.03

Total withdrawals Pawnee 10.02 3.24 13.26

Payne 8.61 3.26 11.87

PNTJA 6.69 1.32 8.01

Water supplied for public distribution systems to 

domestic, industrial, and commercial users in the Pawnee 

Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Area accounted for 1.11 Mgal/d, 

or about 14 percent of the total water use for the jurisdictional 

area. Surface-water withdrawals made up about 82 percent 

of the total public-supplied water in the jurisdictional area 

with groundwater withdrawals making up the balance. This 

water was supplied by several water systems, including the 

Lone Chimney Water Association, Pawnee County Rural 

Water District (RWD) 3, Pawnee County RWD 4, Payne 

County RWD 4, and the Yale Water and Sewer Trust Authority 

(OWRB, 2018b). Though a breakdown of water use by 

sector is not available, most of the public-supplied water was 

likely delivered to domestic customers, as there is relatively 

little commercial and industrial development within the 

jurisdictional area. Industrial and commercial self-supplied 

(not supplied by a public distribution system) water use 

was estimated to be 0 Mgal/day for both Pawnee and Payne 

Counties and the jurisdictional area (table 2) (USGS, 2017a). 

Self-supplied water for livestock and irrigation 

totaled 0.44 Mgal/d (table 2) (USGS, 2017a). Grassland 

or scrub cover approximately 60 percent of the Pawnee 

Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Area (fig. 4), and the majority 

(86 percent) of the water use is for livestock, provided 
16

Climatic, Geographic, Geologic, and Available Hydrologic Data and Identification of Data Gaps, Black Bear Creek Watershed

primarily (89 percent) by surface-water withdrawals. Selfsupplied water for irrigation was primarily withdrawn from 

groundwater sources and totaled 0.06 Mgal/d, or about 

14 percent of the total agricultural water use.

Self-supplied water for mining and petroleum production 

totaled 6.29 Mgal/d, or about 79 percent of the total water 

use, for the Pawnee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Area 

(table 2) (USGS, 2017a). More than 99 percent of this water 

was derived from saline groundwater sources and used for 

hydraulic fracturing and secondary oil recovery in petroleum 

production and dust control in aggregate mining (Maupin 

and others, 2014). Marginally saline waters will likely 

continue to be a target of exploration because of the continued 

development of petroleum resources but also potentially 

for public water supply and agricultural uses as treatment 

technologies advance.

Future water use will likely be driven by population 

change or changes in oil and gas production. The cities 

of Pawnee and Yale underwent population declines of 1.5 

and 8.6 percent, respectively, between the 2000 and 2010 

decennial censuses (U.S. Census Bureau, 2017). Further 

decreases in population could reduce withdrawal amounts for 

public distribution systems serving primarily domestic users. 

Demand for oil and gas, the viability of current oil fields, the 

discovery of new petroleum sources, and advances in oil-field 

technologies could also drive changes in water use in the 

Pawnee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Area.

Streamflow and Surface-Water Quality

Streamflow statistics and long-term trends are described 

in this section of the report for the Black Bear Creek at 

Pawnee, Okla., streamflow-gaging station (station number 

07153000). Surface-water-quality data for 18 sites in the study 

area are also summarized.

Streamflow Statistics and Long-Term Trends

The Black Bear Creek at Pawnee, Okla., streamflowgaging station (station number 07153000) is the only 

streamflow-gaging station in the Black Bear Creek study 

area. This station is located at latitude 36°20ʹ37′′N, longitude 

96°47ʹ57′′W, where State Highway 18 crosses Black Bear 

Creek (fig. 1). The station upstream drainage area is 576 mi2

(USGS, 2016b). The period of record for this station is from 

July 1944 to the present, but the flow has been regulated by 

upstream floodwater-retarding structures since 1968 (Lewis 

and Esralew, 2009). To more accurately describe current 

streamflow conditions, statistics reported in this section 

summarize only the regulated streamflow period from water 

years 1968–2015.

Monthly mean streamflow at the Black Bear Creek at 

Pawnee, Okla., streamflow-gaging station increased from 

about 145 cubic feet per second (ft3

/s) in the late 1960s to 

Date

1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 

0.01

0.1

1

10

100

1,000

10,000

Monthly mean streamflow LOESS curve

EXPLANATION

Monthly mean streamflow, in cubic feet per second

a peak of about 330 ft3/s in 1994 (fig. 9). Monthly mean 

Figure 9. Monthly mean streamflow at the Black Bear Creek at Pawnee, Oklahoma, streamflow-gaging station 

(station number 07153000), water years 1968–2015 (U.S. Geological Survey, 2016b). Trends are shown by using locally 

weighted estimated scatterplot smoothing (LOESS) curves.
Summary of Available Hydrologic Data

17

streamflow then decreased to about 82 ft3/s by 2015. Over the 

regulated streamflow period, monthly mean streamflow was 

trending lower (τ=−0.178, p=0.028), probably influenced by 

the severe drought periods of 2002–6 and 2010–14. Monthly 

mean streamflow was greatest in May and lowest in January, 

with streamflows of 529 ft3/s and 97.4 ft3/s, respectively 

(fig. 10, table 3). October was the most variable month, with 

the largest maximum streamflow of 4,025 ft3/s in 1986 and 

smallest minimum streamflow of 0.02 ft3/s in 2012 (USGS, 

2016b). 

Seasonally, spring (March–May) was the period of 

greatest streamflow with an average monthly mean streamflow 

of about 420 ft3/s, and winter (December–February) was the 

period of least monthly mean streamflow with an average of 

about 122 ft3/s (fig. 11, table 3). Monthly mean streamflow 

of summer (June–August) and fall (September–November) 

averaged about 218 ft3/s and 171 ft3/s, respectively. The fall 

and winter distributions of monthly mean streamflow were 

not significantly different from each other, whereas the spring 

and summer distributions of monthly mean streamflow were 

significantly different from each other and from the fall and 

winter seasons (fig. 11).

Annual mean streamflow varied from a maximum of 

835 ft3/s (water year 1987) to a minimum of 13.4 ft3/s (water 

year 2014), with a mean for the regulated flow period of 

233 ft3/s (fig. 12, table 3). Annual mean base flow, or the 

portion of streamflow sourced from groundwater or the 

underlying aquifer and not from surface-water runoff from 

precipitation, ranged between 2.2 (water year 1971) and 

33 percent (water year 2011) of the annual mean streamflow. 

Annual mean base flow as a percentage of annual mean 

streamflow was generally highest the year before a drought 

period, as seen in 1976 and 2010–11, prior to decreases in 

groundwater levels due to drought. Annual mean base flow 

as a percentage of annual mean streamflow appears to be 

trending upward from 1968 to 2015, but this trend is not 

statistically significant (τ=0.149, p=0.138).

Flow-duration statistics, derived from daily mean 

streamflow, indicate the percentage of time in which the 

streamflow was equaled or exceeded for the analysis period 

(table 4). For the Black Bear Creek at Pawnee, Okla., 

streamflow-gaging station during water years 1968–2015, 

10 percent of daily mean streamflows were greater than or 

equal to 488 ft3/s, and 90 percent of daily mean streamflows 

were greater than or equal to 1.6 ft3/s.

Month

Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sept.

0.01

0.1

1

10

100

1,000

10,000

0

Minimum

Mean

Maximum

EXPLANATION

0 Zero value not plotted

Streamflow, in cubic feet per second

Figure 10. Monthly maximum, mean, and minimum streamflow at the Black Bear Creek at Pawnee, 

Oklahoma, streamflow-gaging station (station number 07153000), water years 1968–2015 (U.S. Geological 

Survey, 2016b).
18

Climatic, Geographic, Geologic, and Available Hydrologic Data and Identification of Data Gaps, Black Bear Creek Watershed

Annual instantaneous peak streamflow at the Black 

Bear Creek at Pawnee, Okla., streamflow-gaging station 

ranged from 19,200 ft3/s (water year 1987) to 717 ft3/s (water 

year 2014) (fig. 13). Annual instantaneous peak streamflow 

increased from the late 1960s through the early 1990s and 

then decreased through 2015. Annual instantaneous peak 

streamflow did not increase or decrease significantly (τ=0.082, 

p=0.419) for water years 1968–2015. 

Peak-flow frequency statistics provide recurrence 

intervals and exceedance probabilities for annual 

instantaneous peak streamflow. Based on annual instantaneous 

peak streamflow for water years 1968–2015 at the Black 

Bear Creek at Pawnee, Okla., streamflow-gaging station, the 

50-year flood (2-percent exceedance probability), the 100-year 

flood (1-percent exceedance probability), and the 500-year 

flood (0.20-percent exceedance probability) are expected to 

have peak streamflows of 16,800, 18,800, and 23,200 ft3/s, 

respectively (table 5). Based on the peak-flow frequency 

statistics, Black Bear Creek at Pawnee, Okla., exceeded flood 

stage at 17 ft (NWS, 2018a) approximately every 6 years 

(fig. 14).

Table 3. Monthly and annual maximum, minimum, mean, and 

median streamflow at the Black Bear Creek at Pawnee, Oklahoma, 

streamflow-gaging station (station number 07153000), calculated 

for the regulated streamflow period, water years 1968–2015 (U.S. 

Geological Survey, 2016b).

[ft3/s, cubic foot per second]

Month

Maximum 

streamflow, 

in ft3

/s

Minimum 

streamflow, 

in ft3/s

Mean 

streamflow, 

in ft3/s

Median 

streamflow, 

in ft3/s

October 4,025 0.02 192 28.9

November 2,359 0.03 175 33.6

December 720 0.03 107 24.4

January 595 0.11 97.4 25.8

February 1,013 1.95 169 52.1

March 1,607 1.88 387 147

April 1,821 2.00 353 176

May 2,933 1.59 529 328

June 2,082 5.96 379 176

July 1,927 0.71 159 48.0

August 1,592 0.14 127 21.1

September 1,076 0.00 155 37.6

Annual 835 13.4 233 178

0.1

1

10

100

1,000

10,000

Monthly mean streamflow, in cubic feet per second

Season (months)

Winter

(Dec.–Feb.)

Spring

(Mar.–May)

Summer

(June–Aug.)

Fall

(Sept.–Nov.)

144 144 144 144

A

C

A

B

0

144

EXPLANATION

Number of values (months)

90th percentile

75th percentile

Median

25th percentile

10th percentile

A Constituent distributions with

the same letter are not significantly

different (p-value of the Wilcoxon

rank-sum test greater than or equal

to 0.05)

Mean

Outlier

0 Zero value not plotted

Figure 11. Seasonal distributions of monthly mean streamflow at the Black Bear Creek at Pawnee, Oklahoma, 

streamflow-gaging station (station number 07153000), water years 1968–2015 (U.S. Geological Survey, 2016b).
Summary of Available Hydrologic Data

19

Annual mean streamflow

Annual mean base flow

Annual mean base flow, in cubic feet per second

Anuual mean base flow, in percent of annual streamflow Anuual mean streamflow, in cubic feet per second

EXPLANATION

Water year

1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 

Water year

1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 

0

200

400

600

800

1,000

0

200

400

600

800

1,000

0

10

20

30

40

Annual mean base flow percentage

Linear regression

y=0.0004x + 0.0988

Coefficient of determination (R2

)=0.0805

EXPLANATION

A

B

Figure 12. A, Annual mean streamflow and annual mean base flow and B, annual mean base flow as a percentage 

of annual mean streamflow at the Black Bear Creek at Pawnee, Oklahoma, streamflow-gaging station (station number 

07153000), water years 1968–2015 (U.S. Geological Survey, 2016b).
20

Climatic, Geographic, Geologic, and Available Hydrologic Data and Identification of Data Gaps, Black Bear Creek Watershed

Table 4. Duration table of daily mean streamflow at the Black Bear Creek at Pawnee, Oklahoma, streamflow-gaging station (station 

number 07153000), calculated for the regulated streamflow period, water years 1968–2015 (U.S. Geological Survey, 2016b).

[ft3/s, cubic foot per second; %, percent]

Streamflow, in ft3/s, which was equaled or exceeded for indicated percentage of time

1% 2% 5% 10% 15% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 95% 98% 99%

3,790 2,540 1,190 488 261 158 68 35 21 14 8.3 4.4 1.6 0.44 0.03 0.00 Anuual peak streamflow, in cubic feet per second

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

Annual peak streamflow

Annual peak streamflow LOESS curve

EXPLANATION

Water year

1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 

Figure 13. Annual peak streamflow at the Black Bear Creek at Pawnee, Oklahoma, streamflow-gaging station 

(station number 07153000), water years 1968–2015 (U.S. Geological Survey, 2016b). Trends are shown by using locally 

weighted estimated scatterplot smoothing (LOESS) curves.

Table 5. Recurrence intervals and exceedance probabilities of annual instantaneous peak streamflow at the Black Bear Creek at 

Pawnee, Oklahoma, streamflow-gaging station (station number 07153000), calculated for the regulated streamflow period, water years 

1968–2015 (U.S. Geological Survey, 2016b).

[ft3/s, cubic foot per second; %, percent]

Streamflow, in ft3/s, for indicated recurrence interval, in years, and exceedance probability, in percent*

2 5 10 25 50 100 200 500

50% 20% 10% 4% 2% 1% 0.50% 0.20%

5,440 9,180 11,700 14,700 16,800 18,800 20,800 23,200

*

Station-record skew = −0.571.
Summary of Available Hydrologic Data

21

10 4 2 1

1,000

10,000

100,000

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Exceedance probability, in percent per year

Streamflow, in cubic feet per second

Recurrence interval, in years

2 5 25

50 20

Flood stage (17 feet) (National Weather Service, 2018a)

Figure 14. Flood recurrence intervals and exceedance probability at the Black Bear 

Creek at Pawnee, Oklahoma, streamflow-gaging station (station number 07153000) 

calculated for the regulated streamflow period, water years 1968–2015.

Recurrence intervals and non-exceedance probabilities 

of low-flow streamflow were calculated from annual series 

of the lowest daily mean flows for 1-, 3-, 7-, 10-, 30-, and 

60-day periods (table 6). For example, on the basis of the 

data for climate years 1969–2015 at the Black Bear Creek 

at Pawnee, Okla., streamflow-gaging station, every 20 years 

the streamflow can be expected to be 0.10 ft3/s or less for a 

60-day consecutive period. Normally the streamflow would 

increase with increasing period for each recurrence interval; 

for example, the streamflow for the 60-day period would be 

greater than the streamflow for the 30-day period. However, 

zero-flow days can cause anomalies in the calculations 

where streamflow does not increase with period for a given 

recurrence interval (Lewis and Esralew, 2009), as is the case 

for the 2-year recurrence interval with 1-day and 3-day period 

low flows of 0.93 and 0.82 ft3/s, respectively (table 6).

Surface-Water Quality

Surface-water-quality data for 18 sites in the Black Bear 

Creek study area were summarized (fig. 15, table 7). Seven 

of the 18 sites were along Black Bear Creek itself, with the 

remaining sites on lakes or tributaries that discharge to Black 

Bear Creek in the study area. Many of the sites have relatively 

short periods of record (generally 1–2 years) with limited 

water-quality parameters measured. Data were collected by the 

USGS, the OWRB, the Oklahoma Conservation Commission, 

the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, and the Pawnee 

Nation Department of Environmental Conservation and Safety. 

The most extensive water-quality dataset was collected at the 

OWRB Black Bear Creek at Pawnee, Okla., BUMP station 

(OWRB station identifier 621200030010-001AT). The USGS 

also periodically collects water-quality data at this site, as well 

as water-property measurements at Pawnee Lake and Lone 

Chimney Lake. Boxplots of water properties for the sites along 

Black Bear Creek are presented in figure 16. Water properties 

were collected along Black Bear Creek and several tributaries 

as part of a water-quality monitoring program by the Pawnee 

Nation Department of Environmental Conservation and Safety 

(table 7).

Table 6. Recurrence intervals of low-flow streamflow by 

duration period at the Black Bear Creek at Pawnee, Oklahoma, 

streamflow-gaging station (station number 07153000), calculated 

for the regulated streamflow period, climate years 1969–2015

(U.S. Geological Survey, 2016b).

[ft3/s, cubic foot per second; %, percent]

Period 

(consecutive 

days)

Streamflow, in ft3

/s, for indicated 

recurrence interval, in years, and 

nonexceedance probability, in percent

2 5 10 20

50% 20% 10% 5%

1 0.93 0.00 0.00 0.00

3 0.82 0.01 0.00 0.00

7 1.19 0.07 0.00 0.00

10 1.51 0.13 0.01 0.00

30 3.79 0.58 0.12 0.01

60 8.10 1.28 0.35 0.10
22

Climatic, Geographic, Geologic, and Available Hydrologic Data and Identification of Data Gaps, Black Bear Creek Watershed

Cleveland

Cushing Drumright rumright

Fairfax

Glencoe Hallett

Jennings

Morrison

Oilton

Pawnee

Stillwater

Westport

Yale

97°00' 96°50' 96°40' 96°30'

36°30'

36°20'

36°10' Council Creek

Stillwater Creek

Salt Creek

CoalCre ek

Creek

Long Branch

RanchCreek

Arkansas River

CimarronRiver

CampCreek

OakCreek

Cre ek

Keystone

Lake

Sooner

Lake

64

177

412

51

108

99

18

15

20

CIMARRON TURNPIKE Cimarron Turnpike IMARRON TURNPIKE

3,4,5

14

11

15

1 7

2

16

12

17 6

18

13

10

9

8

LagoonLagoon

Red Rock CreekRed Rock Creek

Black Bear CreekBlack Bear Creek

Map area

Black Bear Creek

watershed

OKLAHOMA

0 5 10 MILES

0 5 10 KILOMETERS

Hydrography from Horizon Systems

Corporation (2015)

Base modified from U.S. Geological Survey digital data;

scale, 1:355,000; USA Contiguous Albers Equal Area

Conic projection; North American Datum of 1983

OSAGE

COUNTY

NOBLE

COUNTY

PAWNEE

COUNTY

PAYNE

COUNTY

CREEK

COUNTY

EXPLANATION

Pawnee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Area

Black Bear Creek watershed extent

Black Bear Creek study area

Location of surface-water-sampling sites (refer to table 7)

Bug

Figure 15. Locations of selected surface-water-quality sampling sites within the Black Bear Creek study area, Oklahoma.
Table 7. Names, locations, and water-property measurements of selected surface-water-quality sites sampled in the Black Bear Creek study area, O2015 (U.S. Geological Survey, 2016b; National Water Quality Monitoring Council, 2017; Oklahoma Water Resources Board, 2017a).[Map numbers from fig. 15 for this report; μS/cm, microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius; mg/L, milligram per liter; --, not measured or calculated; the number of sawater-property measurements]

Site 

(map) 

number

(fig. 15)

Agency Site name (station number or identifier, if available) North decimal latitude Decimal longitude Median pH, in standard units Median specific conductance

in μS/cm 

1 Oklahoma Conservation Commission Black Bear Creek (CCA12-074) 36.347 −96.852 7.97 (2) 1,536 (2) 2 Oklahoma Conservation Commission Black Bear Creek: Lower (OK621200-03-0010G) 36.330 −96.830 7.94 (14) 607 (15) 

3 U.S. Geological Survey Black Bear Creek at Pawnee, Okla. (07153000) 36.344 −96.799 7.90 (41) 1,015 (42) 4 Oklahoma Corporation Commission Black Bear Creek (310810040030E) 36.343 −96.800 7.75 (9) -- 

5 Oklahoma Water Resources Board Black Bear Creek at Pawnee, Okla., BUMP 

(621200030010-001AT)

36.343 −96.800 7.96 (145) 732 (143) 

6 Pawnee Nation Department of 

Environmental Conservation and Safety

Black Bear Creek 36.334 −96.779 8.06 (37) 725 (50) 

7 Oklahoma Conservation Commission Black Bear Creek: Lower (OK621200-03-0010D) 36.340 −96.692 7.99 (39) 670 (41) 8 Pawnee Nation Department of 

Environmental Conservation and Safety

Peters Creek 36.273 −96.876 8.25 (4) 271 (3) 

9 Pawnee Nation Department of 

Environmental Conservation and Safety

Pepper Creek 36.301 −96.854 8.24 (10) 485 (10) 

10 Pawnee Nation Department of 

Environmental Conservation and Safety

Pawnee Lake 36.361 −96.802 8.72 (17) 384 (17) 

11 U.S. Geological Survey Pawnee Lake at Dam (362129096481101) 36.358 −96.803 -- 382 (6) 

12 Pawnee Nation Department of 

Environmental Conservation and Safety

Black Bear Creek (OK621200030010) 

(coordinates locate north of Black Bear Creek)

36.356 −96.802 8.15 (7) 555 (8) 

13 Pawnee Nation Department of 

Environmental Conservation and Safety

Lone Chimney Lake 36.248 −96.827 8.50 (17) 320 (17) 

14 U.S. Geological Survey Lone Chimney Lake at Dam (361518096493301) 36.255 −96.826 -- 212 (6) 

15 Oklahoma Conservation Commission Camp Creek (CCA12-068) 36.293 −96.789 7.63 (2) 530 (2) 

16 Oklahoma Conservation Commission Camp Creek (OK621200-03-0040F) 36.301 −96.719 7.83 (19) 427 (21) 

17 Pawnee Nation Department of 

Environmental Conservation and Safety

Camp Creek (OK621200030040) 36.319 −96.707 7.26 (8) 395 (8) 

18 Pawnee Nation Department of 

Environmental Conservation and Safety

Crystal Creek 36.381 −96.674 7.27 (18) 389 (18) 
24

Climatic, Geographic, Geologic, and Available Hydrologic Data and Identification of Data Gaps, Black Bear Creek Watershed

Site number

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

1 0 4 0 145 34 20

Chloride, in milligrams per liter

Site number

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

2 15 4 0 144 46 41

Dissolved oxygen, in milligrams per liter

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

2 15 42 0 143 50 41

Specific conductance, in microsiemens per centimeter

pH, in standard units

7

6

8

9

10

11

12

2 14 41 9 37145 39 No data No data

No data No data

14

EXPLANATION

Number of values

90th percentile

75th percentile

Median

25th percentile

10th percentile

Mean

Outlier

A B

E

C D

0

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

1,400

1,600

1,800

2,000

No data

No data

Total dissolved solids, in milligrams per liter

1 0 8 7 144 0 20

Figure 16. Distributions of A, pH, B, specific conductance, C, total dissolved solids, D, dissolved oxygen, and E, 

chloride concentration for seven sites along Black Bear Creek, north-central Oklahoma.
Summary of Available Hydrologic Data 25

Surface-water samples in the Black Bear Creek study area 

were slightly basic, with a median pH per site ranging from 

8.72 to 7.26 standard units (table 7). Flow across Pennsylvanian 

limestone units to the west is likely responsible for the slight 

basicity. High or low pH can affect the taste of drinking water 

and the viability of wildlife. One site, map number 10 (fig. 15, 

tables 6, 7), had a median pH value greater than the EPA 

secondary drinking-water standard of between 6.5 and 8.5, 

though no sites had median pH values greater than the EPA’s 

National Recommended Aquatic Life Criteria (ALC) table of 

between 6.5 and 9.0 (EPA, 2018a; EPA 2018b). The median pH 

at site (map number) 10, Pawnee Lake, was 8.72 (n=17) and 

measured over pH 10 three times in late 2014 and early 2015: 

December 2014 (10.99), January 2015 (10.32), and April 2015 

(10.01) (National Water Quality Monitoring Council, 2017). 

Values of pH greater than 10 are high for natural waters and 

are typically only seen in saline-alkaline lakes. The source of 

basicity to Pawnee Lake is not apparent. Values of pH above 11 

have been associated with eye and skin irritation (World Health 

Organization [WHO], 1996).

Specific conductance (SC) is a measurement of the ability 

of water to conduct electricity and is tied to the concentration 

of total dissolved solids (TDS). TDS is typically composed 

of major ions and can be influenced by natural sources, such 

as the inflow of brackish groundwater (base flow) or flow 

over evaporites or carbonates, or anthropogenic sources, such 

as fertilizer runoff or leaks of oil-field-produced water. High 

SC and concentrations of TDS can result in poor water taste 

and inhibit growth of aquatic life (EPA, 2018a; EPA 2018b). 

Median SC measured along Black Bear Creek ranged between 

607 and 1,536 microsiemens per centimeter (μS/cm) (fig. 16B, 

table 7), which is high for a natural stream but not unusual in 

northern Oklahoma. Median specific conductance measured in 

tributaries to Black Bear Creek in the study area were generally 

less than 500 μS/cm (table 7). Median TDS along Black Bear 

Creek ranged from 291 to 1,028 milligrams per liter (mg/L) but 

at sites across the study area were generally less than 500 mg/L 

(fig. 16C, table 7), which is the EPA secondary drinking-water 

standard for TDS (EPA, 2018a). Concentrations of chloride, 

one of the constituents accounted for in TDS, ranged between 

10 and 564 mg/L along Black Bear Creek (fig. 16E). The 

median chloride concentration at the OWRB Black Bear Creek 

at Pawnee, Okla., BUMP station (site number 5) was 118 mg/L 

(fig. 16E), less than the EPA secondary drinking-water standard 

of 250 mg/L and the EPA ALC of 230 mg/L for chloride (EPA, 

2018a; EPA, 2018b). Chloride concentrations negatively 

correlate with increased streamflow (Pearson’s r=−0.266, 

p-value=0.001), indicating that chloride concentrations may be

related to brackish groundwater discharging into streams or by

point-source contamination rather than runoff processes 

(fig. 17A).

Nutrients, primarily compounds of nitrogen and 

phosphorus, can enter a waterway through natural processes 

or as a result of anthropogenic sources such as fertilizer 

runoff or wastewater discharge (Dubrovsky and others, 2010). 

These compounds are vital for aquatic plant growth, but large 

concentrations can lead to eutrophication of streams and 

lakes, reducing dissolved oxygen concentrations and leading 

to wildlife die off (Dubrovsky and others, 2010). The EPA 

has set total nitrogen and total phosphorus criteria for streams 

in Aggregate Nutrient Ecoregion V of 0.88 and 0.067 mg/L, 

respectively (EPA, 2001). Additionally, the State of Oklahoma 

has set a total phosphorus limit of 0.037 mg/L for Scenic 

River designation (State of Oklahoma, 2014). Total nitrogen 

concentration at the OWRB Black Bear Creek at Pawnee, 

Okla., BUMP station exceeded the EPA criterion of 0.88 mg/L 

in less than 10 percent of samples (n=37) (OWRB, 2017a). 

However, total phosphorus at the same site exceeded the EPA 

criterion of 0.067 mg/L in 91 percent of samples (n=145) 

and exceeded the State of Oklahoma Scenic River limit of 

0.037 mg/L in 97 percent of samples (fig. 17B). Median total 

phosphorus at this site was 0.187 mg/L, nearly three times 

greater than the EPA criteria (OWRB, 2017a). Phosphorus 

concentrations are strongly correlated with increased 

streamflow (fig. 17B) (Pearson’s r=0.542, p-value <0.001), 

indicating that phosphorus loading is likely attributable to 

surface-water runoff associated with precipitation. 

Dissolved oxygen is necessary for respiration of aquatic 

life and can vary seasonally and diurnally with changes in 

photosynthetic production and temperature, or as a result of 

changes in surface-water contact with the atmosphere with 

changing flow and turbulence. Median dissolved oxygen 

concentrations at sites across the study area ranged from 

5.03 to 9.13 mg/L, with minimum measured values greater 

than 3.4 mg/L for all sites (fig. 16D). All seven of the sites 

along Black Bear Creek had median dissolved oxygen 

concentrations greater than the minimum EPA cold water 

standard of 5.5 mg/L (fig. 16D, table 7) (EPA, 1986). Only 

one site in the study area, Camp Creek (Pawnee Nation 

Department of Environmental Conservation and Safety station 

identifier OK621200030040, map number 17), near the 

confluence with Black Bear Creek, had a median dissolved 

oxygen concentration (5.03 mg/L; table 7) less than the 

recommended concentrations, but this result could be due to 

the small sample size (n=8) being collected in just one water 

year (2007).

Trace-metals data were only available for samples 

collected at the OWRB Black Bear Creek at Pawnee, Okla., 

BUMP station (OWRB, 2017a). Of the metals listed as 

priority contaminants by the EPA ALC table (EPA, 2018b), 

cadmium (n=14), mercury (n=14), selenium (n=14), and 

silver (n=14) concentrations for all samples were below 

the laboratory reporting limit, and chromium (n=14), lead 

(n=22), nickel (n=14), and zinc (n=14) concentrations were 

reported for 4, 6, 3, and 11 samples, respectively. The reported 

values were below the EPA ALC chronic freshwater limits 

set for each contaminant, with the exception of lead (EPA, 

2018b). Dissolved lead concentrations ranged from below the 

reporting limit to 5.3 μg/L and exceeded the EPA ALC chronic 

freshwater limit of 2.5 μg/L in four samples. All samples were 

below the EPA maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 15 μg/L 

for public water supply, however (EPA, 2018c).
26

Climatic, Geographic, Geologic, and Available Hydrologic Data and Identification of Data Gaps, Black Bear Creek Watershed

0.001 0.01 0.1 1 10 100 1,000 10,000 100,000

A

B

1

10

100

1,000

Streamflow, in cubic feet per second

0.001

0.01

0.1

1

10

Linear regression line (Pearson’s r=0.542, p-value <0.001)

EPA Aggregate Nutrient Ecoregion V

limit (0.067 mg/L) (EPA, 2001)

Oklahoma Scenic Rivers standard limit (0.037 mg/L)

(State of Oklahoma, 2014)

EXPLANATION

Linear regression line (Pearson’s r=−0.266, p-value=0.001)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Aquatic Life Criteria chronic criterion (230 mg/L)

(EPA, 1988)

EXPLANATION

Total phosphorus concentration, in milligrams per liter (mg/L) Dissolved chloride concentration, in milligrams per liter (mg/L)

Figure 17. A, Concentrations of dissolved chloride and B, total phosphorus with streamflow collected at the Oklahoma Water 

Resources Board (OWRB) Black Bear Creek at Pawnee, Okla., Beneficial Use Monitoring Program (BUMP) station (OWRB station 

identifier 621200030010-001AT, map number 5 on fig. 15) on Black Bear Creek, Okla. (OWRB, 2018a).
Summary of Available Hydrologic Data

27

Although most forms of Escherichia coli (E. coli) and 

enterococci bacteria are not inherently pathogenic, they can 

be indicators of potentially harmful bacterial contamination 

from animal feces. The EPA MCL for public water supply for 

all coliforms, including E. coli, is zero detected colonies per 

100 milliliters (mL) (EPA, 2018c). The State of Oklahoma 

primary body contact recreation support limits for E. coli and 

enterococci are 126 and 33 colonies per 100 mL, respectively 

(State of Oklahoma, 2014). Based on 36 samples collected 

from May through September of 2001–15, the median 

numbers of colonies per 100 mL at the OWRB Black Bear 

Creek at Pawnee, Okla., BUMP station for E. coli and 

enterococci were 66 and 287, respectively (OWRB, 2017a). 

Because of the high levels of enterococci bacteria, drinking 

from or bathing in Black Bear Creek during summer could 

pose a health risk.

Groundwater Availability and Quality

Groundwater-availability and -quality data for the 

Black Bear Creek study area are sparse. Groundwater 

levels or water-quality data were identified for 28 wells 

(fig. 18). Groundwater levels were measured at 10 wells in 

the study area in 1972, and the OWRB recently established 

a groundwater monitoring site near the confluence of 

Black Bear Creek and the Arkansas River. The only waterquality data found were from the Oklahoma Department of 

Agriculture, Food and Forestry (ODAFF), which sampled an 

irrigation well periodically in the early 2000s for a small suite 

of herbicides. Because of the extremely limited amount of 

data available, a field campaign was conducted that measured 

groundwater levels at 16 additional wells and sampled 8 wells 

for a suite of inorganic constituents. Historical data and the 

results from the field campaign conducted for this report are 

described in this section.

Groundwater Availability

Important hydrogeologic formations of the Pawnee 

Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Area include the Quaternary-age 

alluvium and terrace deposits (including the Arkansas River 

alluvial aquifer), the minor bedrock aquifers of the Oscar 

and Vanoss Groups, and the Ada Group of the Ada-Vamoosa 

aquifer. 

Quaternary-age alluvium and terrace deposits are 

composed of unconsolidated silt, sand, and gravel and cover 

approximately 20 percent of the Pawnee Nation Tribal 

Jurisdictional Area and approximately 15 percent of the Black 

Bear Creek study area (table 8). Alluvium are sediments that 

are actively moving in a stream valley. In the jurisdictional 

area, alluvium adjoins rivers and streams and occurs mainly 

along the Arkansas River, Cimarron River, Salt Creek, and 

Black Bear Creek (fig. 18). Terrace deposits are located 

adjacent to alluvium at higher elevations and represent 

alluvium deposited during floods or other periods of high 

water. Terrace deposits occur along the Arkansas River and 

Cimarron River, though a small section occurs along the 

western edge of the jurisdictional area along Black Bear Creek 

(fig. 7). Thicknesses of alluvial deposits along the Arkansas 

River and Cimarron River vary between 15 and 60 ft, and 

wells completed in these deposits can produce between 50 and 

600 gallons per minute (gal/min), depending on the thickness 

of the saturated basal sand and gravel zone (Bingham and 

Bergman, 1980). 

The Oscar and Vanoss Groups underlie the majority 

of Pawnee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Area and almost 

85 percent of the Black Bear Creek study area (fig. 7, table 8). 

These units serve as minor bedrock aquifers and generally 

produce less than 25 gal/min (Bingham and Bergman, 1980).

The Ada Group along the eastern border of the Pawnee 

Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Area (fig. 18) is part of the 

sandstone Ada-Vamoosa aquifer. The Ada Group surficial 

exposure is approximately 7 percent of the jurisdictional area 

(table 8) and is only accessible along the extreme eastern 

border of the jurisdictional area. The Ada Group generally 

yields between 25 and 35 gal/min (Bingham and Bergman, 

1980); however, brine contamination of the aquifer from 

historical oil-field development is an issue in some localities 

(Runkle and others, 2000). Though the Ada Group underlies 

the Oscar and Vanoss Groups in central and western areas of 

the jurisdictional area, the increasing depth and salinity with 

western downdip make the formation unsuitable as a source 

of freshwater in most of the jurisdictional area and the Black 

Bear Creek study area (Urban Planners, 1968). 

Historical groundwater-level measurements for the area 

are limited. Only 10 wells in the study area were identified in 

the USGS NWIS database; all were measured on one occasion 

in 1972 (USGS, 2018b) (fig. 18, table 9). Because of the 

limited amount of data, a field campaign to identify additional 

wells was conducted for this study. Sixteen additional wells 

were identified, and groundwater levels were measured at 

each well during 2017 (fig. 18, table 9). Most of the wells 

in the database and those that were measured for this study 

were completed in the minor bedrock aquifers associated with 

the Oscar and Vanoss Groups. One well, map number 4, is 

completed in terrace deposits along Black Bear Creek, and 

three wells, map numbers 14, 15, and 16, are completed in the 

Arkansas River alluvial aquifer (fig. 18, table 9).
28

Climatic, Geographic, Geologic, and Available Hydrologic Data and Identification of Data Gaps, Black Bear Creek Watershed

Council Creek

StillwaterCreek

Salt Creek

CoalCre ek

Creek

Long Branch

RanchCreek

Arkansas Rive r

e

CimarronRiver

CampCree k

OakCreek

Cre ek

Sooner

Lake

Keystone

Lake

OSAGE

COUNTY

NOBLE

COUNTY

PAWNEE

COUNTY

PAYNE

COUNTY

CREEK

COUNTY

97°00' 96°50' 96°40' 96°30'

36°30'

36°20'

36°10'

LagoonLagoon

Red Rock CreekRed Rock Creek

Black Bear CreekBlack Bear Creek

Historical USGS depth-to-water measurements

EXPLANATION

Pawnee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Area

Black Bear Creek watershed extent

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) depth-to-water measurements

for this report

Oklahoma Water Resources Board GMAP well 

(OWRB station number 124387, location name ARKN-026)

USGS depth-to-water and water-quality measurements for this report

Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry well

(STORET station identifier ODAFF_WQX-38)

Black Bear Creek study area

Groundwater wells (refer to tables 9 and 10)

Vanoss Group (IPv)

Oscar Group (IPo)

Terrace deposits (Qt)

Alluvium (Qal)

Surficial geologic unit

Ada-Vamoosa

Arkansas River Alluvial

Oklahoma Water Resources

Board (2017b) major aquifers

Pennsylvanian

Quaternary

0 5 10 MILES

0 5 10 KILOMETERS

Aquifer boundaries from Oklahoma 

Water Resources Board (2017b);

surficial geologic units from 

Heran and others (2003);

hydrography from Horizon 

Systems Corporation (2015)

Base modified from U.S. Geological Survey digital data;

scale, 1:355,000; USA Contiguous Albers Equal Area

Conic projection; North American Datum of 1983

Map area

Black Bear Creek

watershed

OKLAHOMA

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

1

2

3 4

12

13

14 15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28 Bug

Figure 18. Locations of wells with groundwater-level and water-quality measurements in the Black Bear Creek study 

area, Oklahoma.
Summary of Available Hydrologic Data

29

Table 8. Coverage of surficial geologic units as a percent of 

the Pawnee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Area and the Black Bear 

Creek study area, Oklahoma.

[PNTJA, Pawnee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Area; BBCSA, Black Bear 

Creek study area; area may not sum to 100 percent because of rounding]

Geologic 

formation

Area, in percent

PNTJA BBCSA

Alluvium 9.71 9.51

Terrace deposits 9.49 5.58

Oscar Group 23.8 36.1

Vanoss Group 50.0 48.8

Ada Group 6.89 0.00

Vamoosa Formation 0.03 0.00

Although coverage of the study area with individual 

groundwater-level measurements is important, a long-term 

record of groundwater levels at the same well can be a 

valuable indicator of changes within the groundwater system. 

No such site existed in the study area until 2014, when the 

OWRB established a monitoring site near the confluence of 

Black Bear Creek and the Arkansas River as part of the GMAP 

(fig. 18). The site (OWRB station number 124387, location 

name ARKN-026, map number 28) is a shallow irrigation well 

in the Arkansas River alluvial aquifer with a total depth of 

31.5 ft (fig. 18). Three water-level measurements are available 

through the end of 2015: 22.57 ft (7/28/2014), 23.44 ft 

(9/22/2014), and 23.75 ft (1/8/2015) (OWRB, 2018a) below 

land surface. Though little data are available for this site 

now, continued data collection at this site could serve as an 

important indicator of water-level trends in the aquifer.

Groundwater Quality

Groundwater-quality data for the study area also are 

extremely limited. A search of both the USGS NWIS and 

EPA STORET databases yielded water-quality data from just 

one well in the Black Bear Creek study area. The ODAFF 

collected samples from a well near the center of the study area 

(fig. 18, table 10, STORET station identifier ODAFF_WQX38, map number 27) and analyzed for a suite of four herbicides 

on 19 occasions between 2000 and 2009. Atrazine, alachlor, 

simazine, and metolachlor were below detection levels in all 

samples. Water-quality data also were collected by the OWRB 

as part of GMAP (fig. 18, table 10, OWRB station number 

124387, map number 28), though data were only available for 

1 year during the study period. Because of the limited amount 

of groundwater-quality data in the study area, a field collection 

of water samples was conducted. Eight wells were sampled 

during 2018, and water properties, major ions, and nutrients 

were measured (figs. 18–19, table 10). 

Groundwater pH in samples collected in the study 

area was about neutral, varying from 6.3 to 7.6 standard 

units, with a mean pH of all sampled wells of 6.9 standard 

units (table 10). Only one sample did not meet the EPA 

secondary drinking-water standard for pH of between 6.5 and 

8.5 standard units. That groundwater sample had a pH value 

of 6.3 standard units. Water with a pH less than 6.5 can have 

a bitter taste and can cause corrosion of metal pipes (EPA, 

2018a).

The mean concentration of TDS for sampled wells was 

446 mg/L, which is less than the EPA’s secondary drinkingwater standard of 500 mg/L. Approximately 33 percent of 

samples had concentrations of TDS exceeding 500 mg/L, 

however. Water with a concentration of TDS greater than 

500 mg/L can taste salty and cause deposits and stains to form 

on plumbing fixtures (EPA, 2018a).

Concentrations of individual major ions are presented 

in table 10. Groundwater in the study area is dominated 

primarily by bicarbonate (table 10), likely from the dissolution 

of carbonate rocks in the area. Stiff diagrams (Stiff, 1951) 

are visual representations of major-ion concentrations and 

show that the dominant water type in most of the Black 

Bear Creek study area is calcium bicarbonate followed by 

sodium bicarbonate (fig. 19). Calcium and magnesium ions 

in water contribute to the measure of water hardness. Hard 

water can contribute to scale buildup in pipes, eventually 

reducing flow and potentially causing failure of appliances 

like water heaters (EPA, 2018a). Water across the area was 

generally hard (defined as between 121 and 180 mg/L) to very 

hard (defined as greater than 180 mg/L), with an average of 

223 mg/L as calcium carbonate (EPA, 2018a). For all samples, 

concentrations of major anions including chloride, fluoride, 

and sulfate were less than the EPA secondary drinking-water 

standards of 250, 2, and 250 mg/L, respectively (EPA, 2018a).

Nutrients applied at the land surface, mainly for 

agricultural purposes or due to sewage leakage, can infiltrate 

groundwater basins and contaminate sources of drinking 

water. For the two common, nitrogen-derived nutrients, nitrate 

and nitrite, the EPA has set the MCLs for nitrate at 10 mg/L 

and nitrite at 1 mg/L (EPA, 2018c). Long-term exposure 

to water containing concentrations of these compounds 

above these MCLs in infants under 6 months old can lead to 

methemoglobinemia, or blue-baby syndrome (EPA, 2018c). 

Ingestion of nitrate is also “probably carcinogenic to humans” 

according to the WHO International Agency for Research 

on Cancer (WHO, 2010). The sum of nitrate plus nitrite, in 

milligrams per liter as nitrogen, is presented in table 10 for 

the sampled wells. Concentrations measured in the collected 

groundwater samples ranged from below the detection limit 

of 0.04 mg/L to 42.4 mg/L, and three samples had nitrate 

plus nitrite concentrations greater than 10 mg/L. The water 

sample taken from USGS station number 362003096533801 

(map number 4, fig. 18, table 10) had a nitrate plus nitrite 

concentration of more than four times the EPA MCL. This 

well was unused, and the source of contamination is unknown.
30

Climatic, Geographic, Geologic, and Available Hydrologic Data and Identification of Data Gaps, Black Bear Creek Watershed

Table 9. Names, locations, and water-level measurements of groundwater wells in the Black Bear Creek study area, Oklahoma, 1972 

through 2017 (National Water Quality Monitoring Council, 2017; Oklahoma Water Resources Board, 2018a; U.S. Geological Survey, 

2018b).

[Map numbers from fig. 18 for this report; altitudes are in feet above North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88); ft, foot; LSD, land-surface datum; 

>, greater than; --, data not available; USGS, U.S. Geological Survey; ODAFF, Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry; OWRB, Oklahoma 

Water Resources Board]

Map 

number 

(fig. 18)

Agency Station number 

or identifier

North 

decimal 

latitude

Decimal 

longitude

Well 

depth, 

 in ft

Altitude 

of land 

surface, 

in ft 

above 

NAVD 88

Water 

level 

referenced 

to vertical 

datum, in 

ft above 

NAVD 88

Water 

level 

below 

LSD, 

in ft

Waterlevel 

measurement 

date

Completion 

unit

1 USGS 361856096551801 36.3157 −96.9218 80 930 909 21 6/14/2017 Oscar Group

2 USGS 361718096551701 36.2882 −96.9213 350 951 934 17 6/14/2017 Oscar Group

3 USGS 362004096535601 36.3344 −96.8989 127 899 871 28 12/7/2017 Oscar Group

4 USGS 362003096533801 36.3341 −96.8938 44.22 922 899 23 12/7/2017 Alluvium

5 USGS 361712096532501 36.2866 −96.8902 >150 1,023 926 97 6/28/2017 Oscar Group

6 USGS 362235096521101 36.3764 −96.8698 140 912 885 27 6/28/2017 Vanoss Group

7 USGS 361748096512201 36.2966 −96.8561 130 948 903 45 12/6/2017 Vanoss Group

8 USGS 361738096512501 36.2940 −96.8569 130 947 907 40 12/6/2017 Vanoss Group

9 USGS 362242096501801 36.3783 −96.8384 110 1,006 993 13 6/28/2017 Vanoss Group

10 USGS 361446096473201 36.2462 −96.7921 130 1,062 1008 54 6/14/2017 Vanoss Group

11 USGS 361540096471401 36.2612 −96.7873 80 1,001 987 14 6/14/2017 Vanoss Group

12 USGS 361814096470601 36.3038 −96.7851 185 954 854 100 12/6/2017 Vanoss Group

13 USGS 362101096465701 36.3502 −96.7826 67 861 829 32 6/23/2017 Vanoss Group

14 USGS 362306096424901 36.3850 −96.7136 32.52 846 823 23 12/7/2017 Alluvium

15 USGS 362258096421101 36.3827 −96.7031 26.53 822 805 17 12/7/2017 Alluvium

16 USGS 362426096402601 36.4071 −96.6740 76 935 918 17 6/23/2017 Alluvium

17 USGS 361915096550001 36.3208 −96.9170 192 913 761 152 3/21/1972 Oscar Group

18 USGS 361925096532001 36.3236 −96.8892 118 922 912 10 3/21/1972 Oscar Group

19 USGS 361550096531001 36.2639 −96.8864 59 1,042 1,023 19 5/1/1972 Oscar Group

20 USGS 362250096500001 36.3806 −96.8336 125 1,013 995 18 5/23/1972 Oscar Group

21 USGS 362055096490001 36.3486 −96.8170 115 879 863 16 3/21/1972 Vanoss Group

22 USGS 361515096490001 36.2543 −96.8170 120 914 809 105 3/21/1972 Vanoss Group

23 USGS 362150096475501 36.3639 −96.7989 202 924 844 80 3/21/1972 Vanoss Group

24 USGS 361955096473001 36.3319 −96.7920 65 817 784 33 3/1/1972 Vanoss Group

25 USGS 361830096455501 36.3084 −96.7656 150 918 907 11 3/21/1972 Vanoss Group

26 USGS 361715096413001 36.2875 −96.6917 68 935 875 60 5/1/1972 Vanoss Group

27 ODAFF ODAFF_WQX-38 36.3770 −96.6992 -- 838 -- -- -- --

28 OWRB 124387 36.4198 −96.6447 35 784 761 23 7/28/2014 Alluvium

761 23 9/22/2014

760 24 1/8/2015
Summary of Available Hydrologic Data

31

Council Creek

StillwaterCreek

Salt Creek

Cre ek

RockCreek

CoalCre ek

Creek

Long Branch

RanchCreek

Arkansas Rive r

e

CimarronRiver

CampCree k

OakCreek

Cre ek

Sooner

Lake

Keystone

Lake

OSAGE

COUNTY

NOBLE

COUNTY

PAWNEE

COUNTY

PAYNE

COUNTY

CREEK

COUNTY

97°00' 96°50' 96°40' 96°30'

36°30'

36°20'

36°10'

Black Bear

LagoonLagoon

EXPLANATION

Pawnee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Area

Black Bear Creek watershed extent

Black Bear Creek study area

Vanoss Group (IPv)

Oscar Group (IPo)

Terrace deposits (Qt)

Alluvium (Qal)

Surficial geologic unit

Pennsylvanian

Quaternary

Ada-Vamoosa

Arkansas River Alluvial

Oklahoma Water Resources

Board (2017b) major aquifers

0 5 10 MILES

0 5 10 KILOMETERS

Aquifer boundaries from Oklahoma 

Water Resources Board (2017b);

surficial geologic units from 

Heran and others (2003);

hydrography from Horizon 

Systems Corporation (2015)

Base modified from U.S. Geological Survey digital data;

scale, 1:355,000; USA Contiguous Albers Equal Area

Conic projection; North American Datum of 1983

Map area

Black Bear Creek

watershed

Sodium OKLAHOMA

Calcium

Magnesium

Chloride

Bicarbonate

Sulfate

0246810 2 4 6 8 10

Milliequivalents per liter

Stiff diagrams

Map number (refer to 

tables 9 and 10)

7

9

10

4

12

13

14

15

28

4

Red

Bug

Figure 19. Major-ion chemistry in groundwater collected from wells in the Black Bear Creek study area, Oklahoma, 

2014 through 2018.
Table 10. Water-property measurements and concentrations of major ions and nutrients measured in groundwater samples collected from wells in tarea, Oklahoma, 2014 through 2018 (National Water Quality Monitoring Council, 2017; Oklahoma Water Resources Board, 2018a; U.S. Geological Surve[Map numbers from fig. 18 for this report; μS/cm, microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius; mg/L, milligram per liter; CaCO3, calcium carbonate; SiO2, silicone dioxi

USGS, U.S. Geological Survey; REP, replicate sample; ODAFF, Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry; OWRB, Oklahoma Water Resources Board; --, not mthan; BLANK, blank sample] Map number (fig. 18) Agency Station number or identifier Sample date pH, in standard units Specific conductance, in μS/cm Total dissolved solids, in mg/L Hardness, in mg/L as CaCO3 Calcium, in mg/L Magnesium, in mg/L Potass

in mg

1 USGS 361856096551801 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

2 USGS 361718096551701 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

3 USGS 362004096535601 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

4 USGS 362003096533801 5/11/2018 6.7 879 564 284 79.4 20.7 1.6

5 USGS 361712096532501 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

6 USGS 362235096521101 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

7 USGS 361748096512201* 4/27/2018 7.0 1,150 616 149 34.9 15.1 8.6

8 USGS 361738096512501 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

9 USGS 362242096501801 5/11/2018 6.6 526 332 206 51.4 18.8 1.1

10 USGS 361446096473201 3/28/2018 7.0 578 340 261 55.8 29.5 0.6

REP USGS 361446096473201 3/28/2018 -- -- -- 263 56.1 29.9 0.7

11 USGS 361540096471401 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

12 USGS 361814096470601 3/29/2018 7.6 821 501 95 21.4 10.2 1.6

13 USGS 362101096465701 3/30/2018 7.2 854 498 202 50.9 18.1 2.0

14 USGS 362306096424901 3/15/2018 6.3 676 424 235 74.8 11.8 0.7

15 USGS 362258096421101 5/22/2018 6.8 721 448 343 116.3 12.7 0.216 USGS 362426096402601 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

17 USGS 361915096550001 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

18 USGS 361925096532001 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

19 USGS 361550096531001 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

20 USGS 362250096500001 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

21 USGS 362055096490001 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

22 USGS 361515096490001 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

23 USGS 362150096475501 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

24 USGS 361955096473001 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

25 USGS 361830096455501 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

26 USGS 361715096413001 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

27 ODAFF ODAFF_WQX-38 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

28 OWRB 124387 9/23/2014 6.9 479 295 193 57.7 10.1 0.5 

BLANK USGS 353000097300001 3/29/2018 -- -- -- <0.1 <0.022 <0.011 <0.1 

Mean excluding BLANK 6.9 743 446 223 59.9 17.7 1.8 
Table 10. Water-property measurements and concentrations of major ions and nutrients measured in groundwater samples collected from wells in tarea, Oklahoma, 2014 through 2018 (National Water Quality Monitoring Council, 2017; Oklahoma Water Resources Board, 2018a; U.S. Geological Surve[Map numbers from fig. 18 for this report; μS/cm, microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius; mg/L, milligram per liter; CaCO3, calcium carbonate; SiO2, silicone dioxi

USGS, U.S. Geological Survey; REP, replicate sample; ODAFF, Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry; OWRB, Oklahoma Water Resources Board; --, not mthan; BLANK, blank sample]

Map 

number 

(fig. 18)

Agency Station number or identifier Sample date Bicar­ bonate, in mg/L Bromide, in mg/L Carbonate, in mg/L Chloride, in mg/L Fluoride, in mg/L Silica, in mg/L as SiO2 Sulfate, in mg/L 

n

m

1 USGS 361856096551801 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

2 USGS 361718096551701 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

3 USGS 362004096535601 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

4 USGS 362003096533801 5/11/2018 142 0.391 0 64.4 0.20 23.4 55.2 

5 USGS 361712096532501 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

6 USGS 362235096521101 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

7 USGS 361748096512201* 4/27/2018 618 0.276 0.3 50.9 0.55 16.6 60.2 

8 USGS 361738096512501 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

9 USGS 362242096501801 5/11/2018 184 0.233 0 16.4 0.50 18.3 50.4 

10 USGS 361446096473201 3/28/2018 285 0.192 0.1 13.9 0.25 13.4 52.0 

REP USGS 361446096473201 3/28/2018 284.6 0.164 0.1 11.2 0.25 13.8 43.1 

11 USGS 361540096471401 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

12 USGS 361814096470601 3/29/2018 458 0.094 0.3 23.9 0.24 17.6 33.7 

13 USGS 362101096465701 3/30/2018 376 0.306 0.2 71.7 0.27 22.6 32.2 

14 USGS 362306096424901 3/15/2018 211 0.390 0 61.3 0.22 27.7 34.5 

15 USGS 362258096421101 5/22/2018 366 0.107 0.1 17.4 0.16 22.6 36.0 

16 USGS 362426096402601 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

17 USGS 361915096550001 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

18 USGS 361925096532001 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

19 USGS 361550096531001 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

20 USGS 362250096500001 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

21 USGS 362055096490001 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

22 USGS 361515096490001 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

23 USGS 362150096475501 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

24 USGS 361955096473001 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

25 USGS 361830096455501 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

26 USGS 361715096413001 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

27 ODAFF ODAFF_WQX-38 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

28 OWRB 124387 9/23/2014 240 0.251 <6 <10 0.25 24.3 15.4 

BLANK USGS 353000097300001 3/29/2018 -- <0.01 -- <0.02 <0.01 <0.018 <0.02 

Mean excluding BLANK 316.5 0.2 0.1 36.8 0.3 20.0 41.3 

*Due to suspected well contamination, water-quality results from this sample are considered estimated.
34

Climatic, Geographic, Geologic, and Available Hydrologic Data and Identification of Data Gaps, Black Bear Creek Watershed

Phosphate nutrients ingested via drinking water are 

not generally considered a health risk. In fact, phosphates 

are added to some public water systems to inhibit heavymetal leaching from pipes and fixtures into drinking water. 

Orthophosphate concentrations, in milligrams per liter as 

phosphorus, measured in the collected groundwater samples 

ranged from 0.005 to 0.135 mg/L (table 10). Wells yielding 

water from alluvial aquifers, including USGS station numbers 

362306096424901 and 362258096421101 (map numbers 14 

and 15) and OWRB station number 124387 (map number 28), 

had relatively high orthophosphate concentrations. These wells 

are relatively shallow at less than or equal to 35 ft (table 9), 

so contamination from surficial sources of phosphorus is 

possible.

Trace-metals data were only available for the well 

sampled by the OWRB (OWRB station number 124387, map 

number 28) near the northeastern edge of the Black Bear 

Creek study area (fig. 18). Metals with established EPA MCL 

drinking-water standards, including antimony, arsenic, barium, 

beryllium, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, mercury, and 

selenium, were measured at concentrations either below 

detection limit or below the recommended MCL for the only 

sample within the study area (EPA, 2018c; OWRB, 2018a). 

Thallium concentrations were not available. Concentrations of 

metals included on the EPA secondary drinking-water standard 

list, including aluminum, iron, manganese, silver, and zinc, 

were either below detection or less than the recommended 

MCL (EPA, 2018a; OWRB, 2018a).

Generally, groundwater in this area contains slightly 

elevated concentrations of TDS and is considered to be hard 

to very hard. Localized contamination of nutrients is probably 

due to surface-water infiltration into shallow groundwater 

sources. The limited number of samples makes it difficult to 

statistically correlate water properties and concentrations of 

major ions and nutrients with factors such as well depth and 

completion unit. In general, however, water sampled from 

deeper wells had less nutrient contamination but also had 

higher concentrations of chloride, possibly due to proximity to 

deeper saline groundwater sources.

Identification of Data Gaps

Hydrologic, water-quality, and water-use data for the 

Black Bear Creek study area are sparse. Though a few 

datasets of discrete measurements are available, there is a lack 

of long-term monitoring stations to help determine trends of 

surface-water quality, groundwater quality, and groundwater 

levels across the area. Based on the available data, the 

following data gaps were identified for the Black Bear Creek 

study area: 

1. There is a lack of streamflow-gaging stations. As the 

only measurement of streamflow in the study area, 

it is vital to continue data collection at the Black 

Bear Creek streamflow-gaging station. Additional 

streamflow-gaging stations where Black Bear Creek 

enters the jurisdictional area and near the confluence 

with the Arkansas River could provide a comprehensive 

measurement of streamflow changes (long-term trends in 

availability and streamflow losses or gains) in the Black 

Bear Creek study area.

2. There is a lack of surface-water-quality data collected 

at long-term monitoring sites. Though the USGS and 

OWRB conduct discrete water-quality monitoring 

at the Black Bear Creek streamflow-gaging station, 

continuous monitoring of water-quality parameters and 

constituents such as chloride, nitrate, and phosphorus 

could provide valuable data for future trend analysis and 

help identify possible contamination events. Recently, 

the Pawnee Nation has started collecting water-quality 

parameters at surface-water sites along Black Bear Creek 

and tributaries. Continuing to monitor water-quality 

parameters at these sites, along with sampling for major 

ions, nutrients, and bacteria on a reoccurring basis, could 

allow for a better understanding of surface-water-quality 

trends across the Black Bear Creek study area.

3. There is a lack of recent groundwater-level 

measurements at long-term monitoring sites. 

Establishing a set of sites across the jurisdictional area 

to measure groundwater levels on at least an annual 

basis under similar hydrologic conditions, such as during 

the winter months when groundwater levels are likely 

to be at the highest level, and installing continuous 

groundwater-level monitors in the minor bedrock 

aquifers and the alluvial aquifers could allow for 

evaluation of trends in groundwater storage and provide 

information to water-resource managers, especially 

during drought conditions.

4. There is a lack of recent groundwater-quality data. Prior 

to the analyses conducted for this study, there was very 

little groundwater-quality data for the Black Bear Creek 

study area. Establishing several long-term monitoring 

sites for periodic sampling could provide an indication 

of groundwater-quality changes in the groundwater 

system. When possible, additional sampling, by both 

increasing the number of sites and analyzing for 

additional constituents (such as trace metals), across 

the area could provide a clearer picture of groundwater 

quality in the study area. 

5. There is a lack of local-scale water-use data. The State 

of Oklahoma does not require metering on permitted 

wells and does not require a permit for domestic users. 

Estimates of water use can be made on the county 

scale by using State water permits, but there is no 

actual measurement of water withdrawals. Metering 

withdrawals would allow for more accurate estimates of 

water use.
Summary

35

Summary

The Pawnee Nation is compiling a comprehensive watermanagement plan for the Pawnee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional 

Area in north-central Oklahoma. One of the first steps 

needed in preparing such a plan is a summary and analysis of 

available hydrologic data and reports that have been published 

for the area. In phase 1 of a three-phase, watershed-based 

approach to summary and analysis of water resources of 

the Pawnee Nation, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in 

cooperation with the Pawnee Nation and Bureau of Indian 

Affairs, conducted a literature search and data analysis for the 

Black Bear Creek watershed within the Pawnee Nation Tribal 

Jurisdictional Area, referred to herein as the “Black Bear 

Creek study area.” This report summarizes the available data 

for the Black Bear Creek study area.

The Pawnee Nation Tribal Jurisdictional Area consists 

of approximately 450 square miles (mi2

) in Pawnee County 

and Payne County in north-central Oklahoma. The Black 

Bear Creek study area described in this report lies entirely 

in Pawnee County and consists of approximately 176 mi2, 

or about 39 percent of the area of the jurisdictional area. 

The topography of the area is dominated by shallow eastfacing ridges or cuestas, with relief generally less than 

150 feet. Approximately 60 percent of the land in both the 

jurisdictional area and the Black Bear Creek study area is 

grassland or scrub, much of which is used for ranching, and 

approximately 20 percent of both areas are covered by forests 

consisting of eastern redcedar, oak, and elm trees. The surficial 

geology of the jurisdictional area is dominated by shelf 

deposits of Pennsylvanian-age sedimentary rocks laid down 

on the cratonic Central Oklahoma platform, overlain with 

Quaternary-age deposits in some areas, principally near rivers 

and streams.

The jurisdictional area is primarily pasture with little 

water use. The population of the jurisdictional area, as 

calculated from county population data, is approximately 

7,700 people. Primary economic activities of the area are 

ranching, oil production, and mining. Total water withdrawals 

for the jurisdictional area were estimated to be 8.01 million 

gallons per day, consisting of about 84 percent groundwater 

withdrawals and 16 percent surface-water withdrawals. 

The USGS Black Bear Creek at Pawnee, Okla., 

streamflow-gaging station (station number 07153000) is the 

only streamflow-gaging station in the Black Bear Creek study 

area. Monthly mean streamflow at the Black Bear Creek at 

Pawnee, Okla., streamflow-gaging station increased from 

about 145 cubic feet per second (ft3

/s) in the late 1960s to a 

peak of about 330 ft3/s in 1994 and then decreased to about 

82 ft3

/s by 2015. Over the regulated streamflow period (water 

years 1968–2015), monthly mean streamflow was trending 

lower. No statistically significant trends in annual mean 

base flow or annual instantaneous peak streamflow were 

observed for the regulated streamflow period. Based on the 

peak-flow frequency statistics, Black Bear Creek at Pawnee, 

Okla., exceeded flood stage approximately every 6 years. The 

50-year flood (2-percent exceedance probability), the 100-year 

flood (1-percent exceedance probability), and the 500-year 

flood (0.20-percent exceedance probability) are expected to 

have peak streamflows of 16,800, 18,800, and 23,200 ft3

/s, 

respectively.

Surface-water-quality data for 18 sites in the Black 

Bear Creek study area were summarized. Surface-waterquality samples collected in the Black Bear Creek study area 

were slightly basic, with a median pH per site ranging from 

8.72 to 7.26 standard units. Median specific conductance 

measured along Black Bear Creek ranged between 607 and 

1,536 microsiemens per centimeter (μS/cm), and the median 

chloride concentration at the OWRB Black Bear Creek at 

Pawnee, Okla., BUMP station was 118 milligrams per liter 

(mg/L). Total nitrogen concentration at the OWRB Black 

Bear Creek at Pawnee, Okla., BUMP station exceeded the 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) criterion of 

0.88 mg/L in less than 10 percent of samples (n=37); however, 

total phosphorus at the same site exceeded the EPA criterion of 

0.067 mg/L in 91 percent of samples (n=145). Concentrations 

of dissolved oxygen and trace metals measured at the Black 

Bear Creek at Pawnee, Okla., streamflow-gaging station were 

generally not of concern; however, high levels of enterococci 

bacteria could pose a health risk to people drinking or bathing 

in the creek.

Important hydrogeologic formations in the area include 

the Quaternary-age alluvium and terrace deposits, the minor 

bedrock aquifers of the Oscar and Vanoss Groups, and the Ada 

Group of the principal Ada-Vamoosa aquifer. Wells completed 

in the alluvium and terrace deposits generally produce up to 

600 gallons per minute (gal/min) in areas with thick, granular 

deposits. Wells in the Oscar and Vanoss Groups, which 

underlie approximately 85 percent of the Black Bear Creek 

study area, generally produce less than 25 gal/min. Where 

accessible, the Ada Group generally yields between 25 and 

35 gal/min.

Groundwater-quality data for the study area are extremely 

limited. To supplement available data, a field collection of 

samples from eight wells was conducted, and water properties, 

major ions, and nutrients were measured. Groundwater 

pH was about neutral with a mean pH of all sampled wells 

of 6.9 standard units. The average concentration of total 

dissolved solids for sampled wells was 446 mg/L, just under 

the EPA’s secondary drinking-water standard of 500 mg/L. 

Concentrations of major anions including chloride, fluoride, 

and sulfate were well below the EPA secondary drinking-water 

maximum contaminant levels. Generally, the groundwater in 

the area is hard to very hard, and localized contamination by 

nutrients is probably due to surficial sources infiltrating into 

shallow groundwater.

Hydrologic, water-quality, and water-use data for the 

Black Bear Creek study area are sparse. Establishing and 

maintaining long-term streamflow, surface-water-quality, 

groundwater-level, and groundwater-quality monitoring sites 

could greatly increase the understanding of the water resources 

in the Black Bear Creek study area. Additionally, water-use 
36

Climatic, Geographic, Geologic, and Available Hydrologic Data and Identification of Data Gaps, Black Bear Creek Watershed

estimates could be greatly improved by metering groundwater 

withdrawals. Establishing hydrologic and water-quality trends 

and having improved estimates of water use could aid decision 

makers in the stewardship of the area’s water resources.

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For more information about this publication, contact

Director, Oklahoma Water Science Center

U.S. Geological Survey

202 NW 66th Street, Building 7

Oklahoma City, OK 73116

For additional information visit 

https://www.usgs.gov/centers/ok-water/

Publishing support provided by

Lafayette Publishing Service Center

Varonka—Climatic, Geographic, Geologic, and Available Hydrologic Data and Identification of Data Gaps, Black Bear Creek Watershed—SIR 2019–5043

ISSN 2328-031X (print)

ISSN 2328-0328 (online)

https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20195043

I SBN 978- 1- 4113-4321- 4

9 7 8 1 4 11 343214