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

U.S. Geological Survey

Programs in Utah

Earth Science in the Public Service

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Water datacollection sites

 Surface water

 Ground water

EXPLANATION

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has 

been assessing, mapping, and reporting on 

Utah’s earth resources for more than 100 

years. Ongoing USGS programs in Utah 

include topographic and geologic mapping, 

surface- and ground-water data collection, 

geochemical and biological investigations 

of lakes and rivers, mineral exploration, and 

assessments of water-quality, hydrologic, 

and geologic conditions, including earthquakes and floods. The USGS contributes to 

the health, safety, and economic well being 

of Utah’s citizens through each of these programs and in cooperative efforts with State, 

local, and Federal agencies, universities, 

and other public organizations.

Water-Data Collection and 

Monitoring Networks

The USGS has been collecting hydrologic data that relates to the occurrence, quantity, and quality of water resources in Utah 

since 1889. The USGS maintains a network 

of about 200 gaging stations on rivers, 

streams, lakes, and reservoirs in Utah, as 

well as in adjacent parts of Wyoming, Idaho, 

and Arizona and monitors about 1,100 wells 

throughout the State (fig. 1). Within this network, water-quality samples are collected at 

15 surface-water sites and about 185 wells. 

Additional water-quality samples are collected throughout Utah as part of investigative studies in which the hydrology of 

specific areas is examined. 

The USGS maintains a publicly accessible computerized data base with information 

that relates to more than 2,000 surface-water 

and 22,000 ground-water sites throughout 

Utah as well as adjacent parts of Wyoming, 

Idaho, and Arizona. In Utah, 37 streamflowgaging stations are equipped with satellite 

data-collection platforms. The data are used 

by water managers to monitor and allocate 

water to those who hold water rights and by 

commercial rafting companies to plan river 

trips. These data also are available to the 

public on the World-Wide Web at:

http://wwwdutslc.wr.usgs.gov/

Index of Subjects

Water-Data Collection and Monitoring 

Networks

National Water-Quality Assessment Program

Mineral-Resource Assessments of the 

Great Basin Province

Saline Water Source Identification

Topographic Mapping

Mapping Partnerships

Earth Science Information Center 

Consolidation

The National Spatial Data Infrastructure 

Competitive Cooperative Agreements 

Programs

Geologic Mapping

Ground-Water Movement in Salt Lake Valley

Great Salt Lake Brine Shrimp

Cooperative Programs

Figure 1. Surface- and ground-water data-collection sites.

These unbiased data, which span more 

than 100 years, are used by many agencies 

and local entities within the State to manage 

current water allocations and to make 

informed decisions when planning for 

future demands on the limited water 

resource. Data from the USGS also are used 

to improve bridge design for flood conditions and to help in the design of storm-runoff systems in urban environments.

Surface- and ground-water and waterquality data collected by the USGS are compiled and published in a series of annual 

reports that describe the hydrologic conditions in the State for each water year. Since 

1964, the USGS, in cooperation with the 

Utah Department of Natural Resources, also 

has published annual reports that detail the 

changes in ground-water conditions 

throughout the State. The reports contain 

information on well construction, groundwater withdrawals, water use, water-level 

changes, and related changes in precipita-
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tion, streamflow, and the chemical quality of water. Included in the annual report are 

maps that show ground-water-level contours 

during a specified period of time and that 

allow interested parties to keep abreast of 

changing ground-water conditions in local 

areas.

National Water-Quality 

Assessment Program

 In 1991, the USGS began implementing 

a full-scale National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program. The long-term 

goals are to describe the status and trends in 

the quality of a large representative part of 

the Nation’s surface- and ground-water 

resources and to provide a sound, scientific 

understanding of the primary natural and 

human factors that affect the quality of these 

resources. In meeting these goals, the 

NAWQA produces a wealth of water-quality 

information that is useful to policymakers 

and managers at Federal, State, and local 

levels.

A major design feature of the NAWQA 

Program enables integration of water-quality information at different areal scales. The 

basic buildingblock of the NAWQA Program is the study-unit investigation. The 60 

study-unit investigations that make up the 

NAWQA Program are hydrologic systems 

that include principal river basins and aquifer systems throughout the Nation. These 

study units cover areas from less than 1,000 

to more than 60,000 square miles and incorporate about 60 to 70 percent of the Nation’s 

water use and population served by public 

water supply.

 In 1993, assessment activities began in 

the Great Salt Lake Basins NAWQA study 

unit. Most of the 14,500-square-mile Great 

Salt Lake Basins study is in Utah but also 

includes areas in Idaho and Wyoming 

(fig. 2). The study area encompasses three 

major river systems that enter Great Salt 

Lake—the Bear, the Weber, and the Jordan. 

The study area includes Utah’s three largest 

cities (the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, 

Ogden, and Provo) and about 1.4 million 

people, or 85 percent of the population of 

the State.

Communication and coordination 

among the USGS and water-management 

and other water-resource agencies are key 

components of the Great Salt Lake Basins 

NAWQA study unit in the State. The 

projects distribute findings in a variety of 

reports to local, State, and Federal agencies 

as results become available. 

Owing to budget restraints in the 

NAWQA Program in 1994-95, however, the 

assessment activities in the Great Salt Lake 

Basins as well as four other NAWQA study 

units were curtailed. The 1996 budget for 

the NAWQA Program includes funding to 

restart assessment activities in the Great Salt 

Lake Basins study unit.

Mineral-Resource Assessments 

of the Great Basin Province

The Great Basin Province, which occupies the western one-third of Utah, contains 

the majority of commercial mineral deposits 

of the State and has the greatest potential for 

mineral deposits that remain to be discovered. The USGS, in collaboration with the 

Utah Geological Survey, has had a continuing program of regional and local mineralresource assessments. The collaborative 

work has resulted in updating and recompilation of mineral-resource information 

throughout the Province, these are valuable 

long-term data bases for governmental 

agencies and private industry. In addition, 

many new geologic maps have been produced at various scales for supporting multipurpose land-management evaluations. 

Preliminary mineral-resource assessments 

have been completed for the Tooele and the 

Cedar City 2-degree quadrangles, a final 

assessment has been completed for the 

Richfield quadrangle, and an assessment of 

the Delta quadrangle is nearing completion. 

During studies for the Delta project, USGS 

scientists identified a previously unrecognized volcanic feature, which is apparently 

related geologically to the Tintic mining district; this has prompted renewed mineral 

industry exploration interest in Utah.

Saline Water Source 

Identification

The most widespread contaminant of 

ground and surface waters in Utah is saline 

water. Increases in the salinity of water in 

some parts of the Navajo aquifer in southeastern Utah have been documented in 

recent years by the USGS. Oil is produced 

in this part of Utah, and saline ground water, 

which is produced with the oil (referred to 

as “oil-field brine”) and later injected into 

the subsurface to enhance oil recovery, was 

considered to be the most probable cause for 

the increase in salinity of water in the Navajo aquifer, according to previous studies. 

Additional possible sources of saline water 

include water from the underlying aquifer 

and brines not associated with oil deposits 

(referred to as “non-oil-field brine”).

Beginning in 1989, the USGS, with guidance from the Aneth Technical Committee, 

began collecting and interpreting geochemical data from ground-water samples in the 

study area to determine the possible origin(s) of saline water that could be mixing 

with the fresh ground water in the Navajo 

aquifer. Represented on the Aneth Technical 

Committee were the Bureau of Reclamation; the Bureau of Land Management; the 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; the 

Bureau of Indian Affairs; Texaco Exploration and Production, Inc.; Mobil Exploration 

and Producing U.S., Inc.; Phillips Petroleum, Inc., Utah Division of Oil, Gas, and 

Mining; the Navajo Environmental Protection Administration; the Navajo Nation 

Water Resources Management Department; 

and the USGS.

The geochemical (bromide–chloride and 

iodide–chloride ratios) and isotopic data 

from the study area were combined with 

hydrologic data and mixing models to 

improve understanding of the source of 

saline water. Results from this study indicate 

Figure 2. Great Salt Lake Basins National 

Water-Quality Assessment study area.
that the injected oil-field brines are not 

the source of saline water to the Navajo 

aquifer as was previously thought. Instead, 

the geochemical data consistently indicate 

that saline water from the underlying aquifer 

is the probable source that increases the 

salinity of water in the Navajo aquifer. The 

application of these geochemical data and 

techniques in demonstrating that injected 

oil-field brines are not the source of 

increased salinity precludes the possibility 

of devoting considerable financial resources 

to unnecessary remediation.

Topographic Mapping

Among the most popular and versatile 

products of the USGS are its 1:24,000-scale 

topographic maps (1 inch on the map represents 2,000 feet on the ground). These maps 

depict natural and cultural features of the 

landscape, such as lakes and streams, highways and railroads, boundaries, and geographic names. Utah is covered by 1,537 

maps at this scale. These maps have long 

been favorites with the general public for 

outdoor uses and scientists and engineers for 

conventional technical applications. 

Today, scientists and engineers depend 

increasingly on digital (computerized) base 

maps for their research and analyses. The 

USGS is working to ensure the availability 

of accurate digital cartographic data for the 

Nation to facilitate ground-water and hazards studies and land- and resource-management activities.

Mapping Partnerships

The USGS and the State of Utah Automated Geographic Reference Center 

(AGRC) are entering into a partnership to 

complete the digitizing of 1:24,000-scale 

maps that cover the State. The USGS provides financial assistance to the AGRC to 

contract for digital line graph (DLG) production for placement in the public domain. 

DLG data are especially valuable to State 

and local agencies for land and resource 

management.

The USGS and the Utah AGRC also have 

entered into agreements for the production 

of digital orthophotoquad (DOQ) coverage 

of Wasatch, Uintah, Cache, Utah, and Washington Counties. A DOQ is a digital image 

of an aerial photograph in which displacements caused by the camera and the terrain 

have been removed. It combines the image 

characteristics of a photograph with the geometric qualities of a map. DOQ data are 

especially valuable to State and local agencies for growth analysis, identification of 

land parcels, and environmental quality 

studies.

Earth Science Information 

Center Consolidation

The USGS Earth Science Information 

Center (ESIC), Salt Lake City Office, is now 

colocated with the U.S. Forest Service 

(USFS) Geometronics Service Center which 

is a national facility for USFS mapping and 

geospatial data development. The national 

ESIC network provides information about 

the USGS and its programs, products, and 

technological developments and distributes 

USGS and other public domain maps and 

charts, digital data, and earth science publications and reports.

The National Spatial Data 

Infrastructure Competitive 

Cooperative Agreements 

Program

The Competitive Cooperative Agreements Program (CCAP) was established by 

the Federal Geographic Data Committee 

(FGDC) through the USGS to help form 

data-sharing partnerships with the non-Federal sector. This program provides funding 

to State and local government agencies, academia, and the private sector to encourage 

resource-sharing projects through the use of 

technology, networking, and interagency 

coordination. 

Supported by the CCAP, the State of 

Utah AGRC works with participating Federal, State, and local agencies throughout the 

State to develop interfaces that will make 

their data available as part of the National 

Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI). The 

project involves establishing multiple NSDI 

clearinghouse nodes through the Internet, 

documenting existing geographic and cartographic data by using the FGDC metadata 

standard, developing easy-to-use tools to 

access clearinghouse data, and conducting 

training for agencies that are considering 

adopting the FGDC standards.

Geologic Mapping

The STATEMAP component of the National Cooperative Mapping Program funds 

important geologic mapping in several areas 

of Utah. The mapping is focused on landuse planning and mitigation of earthquake 

and other geologic hazards.

The corridor of rapid population growth 

along Interstate I–15 from Cedar City 

through St. George and adjacent communities is often subjected to landslides, slumps, 

and rockfalls, which move rocks down 

weak, unstable slopes. On September 2, 

1992, visitors at Zion National Park and 

local residents at Springdale were reminded 

of these slides when a magnitude 5.8 earthquake (epicenter, 8 miles southeast of St. 

George) reactivated a past landslide, 

blocked State Highway 9 into the park, and 

cut electrical power and telephone lines into 

the Park. Structures built on the slide area 

were damaged as they slid downhill with the 

slide. These landslides can be reactivated by 

periods of prolonged or heavy rainfall. This 

particular landslide had a history of moving 

after such rainy periods. Fortunately, past 

landslides can be readily identified from 

geologic maps of landslide-prone areas. 

Maps also are needed to aid in developing mineral-resource sites, locating wastewater-disposal sites, and defining floodprone areas. The USGS, in a cooperative 

geologic mapping program with the Utah 

Geological Survey, is finishing a series of 

geologic maps along the I–15 corridor that 

particularly emphasize geologic hazards. 

These maps include texts that specifically 

address geologic hazards, such as potential 

flooding, earthquake epicenters, active 

faults, and resultant landslides and rockfalls. 

Counties and municipalities use this information to aid in zoning decisions that can 

minimize potentially expensive damage to 

private and public buildings and roads.

Ground-Water Movement in Salt 

Lake Valley

Salt Lake Valley is the main population, 

economic, and industrial center in Utah. 

Maintenance of an adequate supply of water 

suitable for domestic use is one of the most 

important factors in sustaining the current 

population and in allowing for continued 

economic growth. Water managers need 

detailed information on the occurrence and 

potential movement of poor-quality ground 

water to anticipate and prevent migration of 

this water to points of withdrawal and to 

manage development of the ground-water 

system better

The USGS, in cooperation with the Utah 

Department of Natural Resources, the Utah 

Department of Environmental Quality, and 
For More

Information

Navajo aquifer

Salt Lake Valley

Great Salt Lake

Other study areas

 1985–1995

EXPLANATION 

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local water managers completed a study 

that describes the chemical composition of 

ground water in Salt Lake Valley and the 

movement of poor-quality ground water 

near selected points of withdrawal. As part 

of the study, a computer model of the 

ground-water flow system in the Valley was 

constructed and used to evaluate the movement of ground water in the vicinity of 

hypothetical wells. The model, combined 

with other software, was used to define 

zones of the aquifer that contribute water 

(capture zones) to the hypothetical wells. By 

defining capture zones of wells located near 

areas of poor-quality or contaminated 

ground water, the potential effects of current 

and future ground-water development on the 

quality of water withdrawn by those wells 

can be predicted.

The ground-water flow model is currently 

being used by local municipalities and water 

districts to evaluate the direction and rate of 

flow to more than 100 supply wells in the 

valley. The model and the results of the 

USGS study also will provide water managers in Salt Lake Valley with a tool to evaluate the potential effects of development on 

other aspects of the hydrologic system, 

including ground-water levels and rates of 

ground-water flow to streams.

Great Salt Lake Brine Shrimp

Brine shrimp in Great Salt Lake are a primary source of food for migratory birds and 

an economically valuable resource for Utah. 

Brine shrimp in Great Salt Lake have been 

harvested as adults since 1950 and as eggs 

since 1952. Harvest of the cyst form of 

shrimp egg has expanded dramatically, 

increasing from about 265 pounds in 1968 

to more than 3 million pounds in 1994, virtually replacing the harvest of adult brine 

shrimp. The retail value of the egg harvest 

varies from about $30 million to $90 million 

per year, and the rapid increase in egg harvest has increased concerns that both the 

food resource and the economic resource 

may be damaged by continued harvest at 

these greater levels.

Although much is known about brine 

shrimp, very little is known about the 

shrimp population and the biotic and abiotic 

conditions in Great Salt Lake. The USGS, in 

cooperation with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and Utah State University, is 

conducting a study of the population structure for the shrimp at various times of the 

year and the dynamics of the algal food 

source for the shrimp. The study includes 

collection of shrimp, egg, and algal data 

throughout the year and measurements of 

changing physical and chemical conditions 

in the lake, including nutrients, light quality 

and penetration, temperature, dissolved oxygen, and salt concentration. The program is 

designed to develop a consistent and reproducible protocol for the collection and analysis of biotic and abiotic variables that 

interact to determine the health and reproductive capacity of the brine shrimp population.

Cooperative Programs

The USGS supports an extensive variety 

of cooperative programs designed to assist 

State and local governments in answering 

critical natural-resource questions. These 

efforts frequently involve multi-State and 

multiagency cooperation and are an important aspect of many local, State, and Federal 

programs (fig. 3). Cooperative activities 

include water-resources data collection, 

interpretive water-availability and waterquality studies, biological sampling, mineral-resource assessments, earthquake and 

hazards monitoring, and mapping efforts.

Reports published as a result of these 

cooperative efforts serve as records for 

future reference and study. Many early 

USGS maps and reports are valuable sources of historical information and continue to 

be referenced in public and private-sector 

investigations. 

USGS State representative

1745 W. 1700 S.

Salt Lake City, UT 84104

(801) 975-3350

Fax: (801) 975-3424

Email: dc_ut@usgs.gov

Additional earth science

information can be found by

accessing the USGS Home Page

on the World Wide Web at

http://www.usgs.gov/

For more information on

all USGS reports and products

(including maps, images,

and computerized data), call

1-800-USA-MAPS

The USGS provides maps,

reports, and information to help

others meet their needs to manage,

develop, and protect America’s water,

 energy, mineral, biological, and land

resources. We help find the natural

resources needed to build tomorrow

and supply the scientific understanding needed to help minimize or mitigate the effects of natural hazards

and environmental damage caused

by natural and human activities. The

results of our efforts touch the daily

 life of almost every American.

U.S. Geological Survey

Fact Sheet FS-044-96

Figure 3. Location of recent cooperative 

studies.