57TH CoNGREss, t HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. { DocuMENT 

1st Session. f No. 55. 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

'VATER-SUPPLY 

AND 

IRRIGATION PAPERS . 

OF THE 

UNITED STATES· GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

No. 55 

GEOLOGY AND 'VATER RESOURCES OF A PORTION OF 

YAKIMA COUNTY, W ASH.-SMITH 

WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 

1901 

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

CHARLES D. WALCOTT, DIRECTOR 

GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES 

·oF 

A PORTION 0~1 YAKIMA COUNTY, WASH. 

BY 

GEORGE OTIS SMITH 

WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 

1901 

CONTENTS" 

Let1;er of transmittal _. __________ _ 

Introductory _________________ _ 

Geography _ _ _ _ _ ____ .. _ _ _ _ _ _ _______ _ 

Topography _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ____ _ 

Climate _____ . _____ . ______ _ 

Soil _ _ _ _ _ _____ . _________________ _ 

Agriculture __________ . _______________ _ 

Geology _ _ _________________________ _ 

General features ____________________ _ 

Formations __________________________ _ 

Yakima basalt _________________ _ 

Ellens: ,nrg formation __________ _ 

Andesite _ _ _ _ _ _____________________ _ 

Alluvium _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _________ _ 

Structure _ _ _ _________________ _ 

Arches __________________ . ___ . ________ _ 

Troughs__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___ _ 

Water resources . _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .. ___ . __________ _ 

Surface waters _ . _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ____ . __ . _____ -

Yakima River___ _ _ _ _ _ __________ _ 

Wen as Creek _____ . ___ . __ . _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ 

Naches River ____________ . __________ .. _____ -

Cowiche Creek _____ _ 

Atannm Creek_ _ _ _ ________________ _ 

Gaging stations and records ______ . __ . ____ _ 

Underground waters _ _ _ _ _ _ _________ _ 

General conditions _______________ . _______ _ 

Ground water ______ _ 

Artesian water _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ______ . _____ _ 

Artesian basins _ _ _. _ _ _ __ _ _ _ ______ .. __ . __ _ 

Atanum-Moxee Basin _______________ _ 

W enas-Selah Basin ___________ . _ _ 

Rye Grass Flat. _________________________________ _ 

Cowiche Valley _________ • _ _ _ _ _ _ ________ -

Other areas in central Washington __________ _ 

Artesian wells of Atannm-Moxee Basin _________________________ _ 

General features _ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ . __________ . _________________ _ 

Descriptions of wells ________ . ______________ _ 

Area watered_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ - _ _ -.. 

Source of the artesian water _____________________ _ 

Precipitation _ _ __________________ _ 

Stream contribution __________ _ 

Page. 

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4t; 

,')3 

55 

55 

56 

Leakage from a lower basin________ _ _ _ 56 

Temperature data ____ .. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ 58 

Permanence of supply _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 62 

Decrease of pressure ___ .. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 62 

Increaseinnumberofwells _____ -------------·--- -·----- 62 

Precautions to be observed __________ _ 

Index_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _______________________ . _ _ _ _ ____________ . - __ - . - -- . - __ ... - - -. - -

5 

63 

67 

ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Page. 

PLATE I. General view of Atanum-Moxee Valley. _________ . __ ·------------ 11 

II. Geologic map of the vicinity of North Yakima, Wash ____ ----____ 14 

III. A, Dam site of proposed O'Neil reservoir; B, Irrigated lands on 

south side of Moxee Valley _ . _ . ____ . ___ . __ . ___ . __ . ___ .. _____ . 28 

IV. Siphon of Yakima Valley canal, Cowiche Canyon . _ . __ . __ ..... _ _ _ 3{) 

V. A, Gaging station on Yakima River; B, Naches River near gaging station _______ . _ . __ .. __ . _ . _________________ . _ . __ . ___ . __ . _ _ _ _ _ _ 34 

VI. Clark well No. 1, Moxee Valley . ____ . ___________ . ___ . ________ ... _ 50 

VII. Gano well, Moxee Valley . _____ . ___ . __ ... __ . _________ .. _______ . __ .. 52 

FIG. 1. Map of central Washington ___ ... __ .. __ .. _____________ . ____ ... _ _ _ _ _ 11 

2. Map of reservoir site on Sherman's ranch, Wenas Ct:eek ____ .. ______ 27 

3. MapofO'Neilreservoirsiteon WenasCreek ...... ---·-----··------ 28 

4. Map of vicinity of North Yakima, showing irrigation canals. __ . _ _ _ 30 

5. Map of Cowiche reservoir_ ... __ . _______ .... ___________ .. __ .. __ _ _ _ _ 32 

6. Diagrammatic section of artesian basin._____ _ . _ _" ________ . ____ --~ _ _ 38 

7. Plat showing form of Moxee Basin and location of artesian wells___ 48 

8. View of Wilson well, Wide Hollow ________ . ___ . _______ . __ . _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 53 

7 

LETT:ER OF TRANSMITTAL. 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, 

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, 

DIVISION OF HYDROGRAPHY, 

TVashZ:ngfon, Aprill, 1901. 

SIR: I have the honor to transmit herewith a paper entitled Geology 

and \Vater Resources of a Portion of Yakima County, Wash., by 

George Otis Smith, and to recommend that it be published in the 

series of pamphlets on water supply and irrigation. Mr. Smith has, 

in connection with his studies of the geology of the vicinity of North 

Yakima and Ellensburg, familiarized himself with the geology of this 

region, and in the above-described paper has given special attention 

to the artesian development of the Yakima Valley. In Bulletin No. 

108, by Prof. I. C. Russell, published in 18f)3, there will be found a 

description of the geologie structure adjacent to the drainage basin 

of Yakima River, giving speeial attention to the occurrence of artesian 

wells. Professor Russell eontinued his studies in 1896, and the results 

were published in Water-Supply Paper No. 4:, entitled A Reconnoissanee in Southeastern Washington. Mr. Smith, after a more detailed 

investigation, has been able to give additional faets regarding the 

conditions of this section. 

Very respeetfully, F. H. NEWELL, 

Hydroyrapher h~ Charge. 

Hon. CHAS. D. WALCOTT, 

D1>rectur United States Cfeolog1:cal Hwrt,ey. 

9 

U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER NO. 55 PL. I 

{ ' 

GENE.RAL V I EW OF ATANUM-MOXEE VAL LEY. 
GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES OF ~ PORTION OF 

YAKIMA COUNTY, WASH. 

By GEORGE OTIS SMITH. 

INTRODUCTORY. 

The region discussed in this report is in central Washington. It 

is mapped in Pl. II and in fig. 1. The area shown in Pl. II includes 

more than 75Q square miles, but the district to which special attention 

is given comprises about 50 square miles in the vicinity of the city of 

FIG. 1.-Map of central Washington. 

North Yakima. The western half of the area is included in the 

Ellensburg quadrangle. It has been surveyed both topographically 

and geologically by parties from the United States Geological Survey, 

and a geologic atlas of the district is now in course of preparation. 

11 
12. G EO LOGY AND WATER RESOURCES, YAKIMA CO. , WASH. [No. 55. 

The fLeld ~work upon which this report is based was carried on during July and August, 1900. A reconnaissance of the same area was 

made eight years ago by Prof. I. C. Russell. 1 A.t that time, however, 

only a beginning had been made in the. development of the artesian 

resources of the district, and, in addition, Professor Russell's opportunities for observation were limited by the hurried character of his 

reconnaissance. In the preparation of this paper the writer has had 

before him the report of Professor Russell's reconnaissance, and the 

modifications of Professor Russell's conclusions which may be proposed 

herein are based upon additional evidence which has been collected 

since that report was written. 

The writer wishes to express his indebtedness to Mr. F. H. Newell, 

hydrographer in charge, also to :1\'Ir. Cyrus C. Babb, of the Division 

of Hydrography, for suggestions made in the course of the preparation of this report. In the discussion of surface waters extracts have 

been freely made from the reports of Mr. Newell and Mr. Babb, and 

some entire paragraphs have been written by the latter gentleman. 

GEOGRAPHY. 

TOPOGRAPHY. 

In its general aspect this region resembles the Great Plains of the 

Columbia, except that it possesses greater t,opographic diversity. 

Broad valleys, with bounding ridges, trend east and west, or transversely to the course of Yakima River. The bold character of the 

canyons which this river has cut through the ridges can not fail to 

impress the traveler, but unless he leaves the railroad he often does 

not observe the broad valley stretches. The floors of the transverse 

valleys slope gently toward the river, and rarely are deeply scored by 

its tributary streams. Above these valleys the ridges rise to elevations of several thousand feet, their level-topped crests interrupted 

only by the deep water-gaps of Yakima River. The slopes of the 

ridges, except in these gaps, are gentle, and merge into the valley 

floor below. 

The east-west ridges divide the region into convenient topographic 

groups, whieh are recognized locally. Thus the Atannm or Yakima 

Ridge on the south, and the Selah Ridge and Cowiche Mountain on 

the north, inclose the long transverse valley which east of Yakima 

River is known as Moxee Valley, and west of the river as Atanum 

Valley and vVide Hollow. North of Selah Ridge and its western continuation is the transverse depression known as Selah Valley and 

Wenas Valley, while south of Atanum Ridge is the broad valley 

known as Reservation Valley, which is in large part included within 

the Yakima Indian Reservation. These subdivisions of the area are 

geologic as well as topographic, and they will be mentioned further on. 

1 See A geological reconnoissance in central Washington, by I. C. Russell: Bull. U. S. Geol. 

Survey No. 108, 1893. 
SMITH.] GEOGRAPHY. 13 

CLIMATE. 

This region has the arid climate of the Columbia Plains. In the 

vicinity of North Yakima the annual rainfall averages slightly more 

than 8 inches, and in the eastern part of the area the precipitation is 

doubtless even less; but the western and higher portions share in part 

the climatic influence of the Cascade Range, and there the annual 

precipitation in the form of rain and snow is considerably greater. As 

an illustration of this increase, the records kept at Clealnm and Ellensburg, both situated in the upper Yakima Valley, may be cited. At 

the former place, which is 25 miles farther up the valley, the annual 

precipitation is more than three times that at Ellensburg, while the 

latter place has a rainfall exceeding that at, North Yakima, lower in 

the same valley. If records were available a similar increase could 

undoubtedly be shown in the upper portions of Atanum, Cowiche, and 

W enas valleys. 

The summers are hot and dry, and with the high percentage of 

bright, clear days are very favorable to agriculture. In the lower 

valleys the winters are short, and very cold weather is uncommon. 

The mean annual temperature in the vicinity of North Yakima is 

about 50° l!". The record kept in the year 1895 in Moxee Valley gives 

the mean as 49.7° F. 1 An excellent index of the varied climate of the 

region is afforded by the native vegetation. Along the rivers and 

streams only a few trees are found, the cottonwood being abundant 

on the east bank of the Yakima near North Yakima, but the rest of 

the lower valleys, and even the ridges in the central and western portions of the area described, are treeless and of desolate appearance. 

Sagebrush and associated desert shrubs grow wherever the land is in 

its primeval state, and the nutritious bunch grass is plentiful on the 

ridges, except where excessive grazing has destroyed it. In the western quarter of the area mapped the yellow pine appears first in scattered single trees, and then in open groves which add much to the_ 

beauty of the scenery as one traverses the higher ridges. 

SOIL. 

Analyses of soil from Atanum and Wenas valleys:! show that it is 

rich in potash, magnesia, lime, and phosphoric and sulphuric acids, 

constituents which are essential to plant life. The fine texture of the 

soil is a characteristic doubtless even more important than its chemical 

composition, for it not only facilitates cultivation, but renders soluble 

and available a greater percentage of the mineral matter. The aridity 

of the climate also doubtless has had a beneficial effect, in that the 

soil has not lost it.s most valuable constituent by the leaching of subsurface waters. 

1 First Ann. Rept. Bureau of Statistics, Agriculture and Immigration of State of Washington, 

1896, p. 24. 

2 Op. cit., p. 26. 
14 GEOLOGY .AND W .ATER RESOURCES, YAKIMA CO., W .ASH. [No. 55. 

In this connection it may be well to sound a word of warning against 

the waste of water. Excessive irrigation h~s already injured certain 

portions of the lower valleys in this county. Not only does the 

constant presence of water result in leaching out some of the more 

soluble of the valuable soil elements, but in the lower levels the action 

of this water is to bring to the surface certain salts that are injurious 

to vegetation. Such waste of water in irrigation is thus a double 

evil. In an irrigation district the good of the community should 

constantly be considered, and it is the duty of the individual to think 

of the future as well as the present productiveness of the soil. 

AGRICULTURE. 

Yakima County is preeminently an agricultural region. The valleys 

along Yakima River are within easy reach of the Northern Pacific 

Railway, which gives them ready communication with Puget Sound. 

The rapid growth of the trans-Pacific trade is encouraging, and can 

not fail to benefit the agricultural industry. The Pnget Sound cities 

and Roslyn, a coal-mining town farther up the valley, already are 

important markets for the products of the Yakima region, and as the 

mining industry of the Cascades develops additional markets will be 

afforded. 

These valleys are also situated close to the mountainous regions which 

. furnish summer grazing for large herds of cattle and bands of sheep. 

Grazing in these mountains has often been destructive, but now, under 

the conservative management of the Secretary of the Interior, it is 

judiciously regulated. The permanence of these mountain pastures 

is important to the agricultural industries of the valley, for the cattle 

and sheep constitute a home market for much of the hay raised there, 

since winter feeding is necessary. 

The crops that are cultivated in this district are many and varied. 

In the irrigated portion hay is raised which commands a higher price 

in the Puget Sound markets than that from any other locality. 

Alfalfa, clover, and timothy are the forage plants commonly grown. 

Of the cereals, wheat and oats are the most important. Potatoes, 

sweet corn, and other garden vegetables grow well in the Yakima valleys, and are readily marketed in the Sound cities. Of orchard fruits, 

apples, peaches, prunes, pears, cherries, and apricots grow to the 

highest perfection, and the fruit industry may be considered only 

partially developed, although its success is assured. All of t.he small 

fruits grow equally well. This region has also long been famous for 

the excellent quality of its hops, which crop continues to be an impor't 

tant one. Sorghum is raised to some extent, and as the agricultural 

possibilities are gradually developed, doubtless the culture of many 

other crops will be found to be profitable. 

At a few localities dry farming has been attempted, but with little 

success. Wheat and barley are the crops raised where irrigation is 
U.S.GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 

Topography by 

A.E.Murlin and Nort.hernTransconti -

nental Survey. 

WATER-SUPPLY AND I RRIGATION PAPER N9 55 PL II 

GE OLOGlCAL MAP OF THE VlCINI'l'Y OF N ORTH Y.AKIMA,WASHJN G'fON .BY 

GEORGE O'L'! S SMl'I'H 

Scale 

o'--~l=="-"""'====t--t=oi;.;-...t===ir MJ .LES 

190 0. 

LEGEND ~ 

g)l 

I l 

Ellensburg ~ forn1ation w 

u 

D~ Yakima 

basalt 

Artesian 

wells 
SMITH.) YAKIMA BASALT. 15 

impossible. It seems probable that with careful sel{':ction of northern 

slopes on ridges where the winter precipitation is considerable and 

the soil is fine and well fitted to retain the moisture, success may be 

had in raising these crops. The experience of Mr. John Cleman in 

raising winter wheat on t.he north side of Umptanum Ridge is instructive in this connection, for it has proved that that crop can be grown 

there successfully-and profitably. 

GEOLOGY. 

GENERAL FEATURES. 

rrhe basin of Yakima River described here forms an intermediate zone between the Columbia Plains on the east and the Cascade 

Mountains on the west, and geologically it possesses many features 

of each. r.rhe geologic formations are chiefly those of the Columbia 

Basin, but the structure is more nearly related to that of the Cascade 

Range. The rock formations are folded into arches and troughs, but 

the structure is simple and readily understood by even the railway 

traveler passing up Yakima River. 

The rock seen everywhere along this river is the black basalt, but 

in certain valleys on the flanks of the ridges white sandstone is visible. 

These two formations; with the andesit,e which occurs locally and 

the alluvium of the valleys, will be described more fully on the 

following pages. 

FORMATIONS. 

YAKIMA BASALT. 

This formation includes the great series of lavas poured out over 

this region in late Tertiary time-flood after flood of molten rock, 

which covered the vast area between what is now the crest of the Cascade Mountains on the west and the mountains of Idaho on the east, 

and between the mountains of northeastern Washington on the north 

and the Blue Mountains of Oregon on the south. 1 Solidified tree 

trunks found at a number of localities show conclusively that considerable intervals separated the lava eruptions. The number of successive flows undoubtedly varies in different parts of the area. In 

Snake River Canyon, where 3,000 feet of lava is exposed, Russell 

counted eight distinct lava sheets. 2 Ten or more Reparate flows can 

be counted in the canyon of Yakima River, and individual flows be 

traced great distances. The depth to which the basalt accumulated 

1 The names Columbia lava and Columbia River lava have been used by Prof. I. C. Russell in 

describing the extensive 1a va series of the Columbia River Basin. Under these terms are included 

basalts of both Eocene and Miocene age (Twentieth Ann. Rept. U. S. Geol. Survey, Pt. II, p.l29), 

also hypersthene-andesite, which is of post-Tertiary age (Water-Supply and Irrigation Paper 

U.S. Geol. Survey No.4, p. 43). In the detailed mapping of the Yakima area, which is a part 

of the Columbia River Basin, it has been found inadvisable to use this general formation name, 

because the lavas of different ages must necessarily be separated, and therefore the term Yakima 

basalt is used for that of the Miocene period. 

2 Water-Supply and Irrigation Paper U. S. Geol. Survey No. 4, p. 48. 
16 GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES, YAKIMA CO., WASH. [No. 55. 

can be stated only approximately. In the Snake River region the 

maximum thickness is estimated to be in excess of 5,000 feet. 1 In 

the Yakima region more than 2,500 feet is exposed in vertical section in the canyon of Yakima River, and as the section includes 

neither the top nor the base of the lava series, the real thickness 

may possibly approximate that along Snake River. To the west and 

north the basalt series is plainly thinner where it overlaps the older 

rocks. 

Examination of the lower contact of the Yakima basalt shows that 

at the time of the earlier eruptions the topography was extremely 

rugged. The depressions were, however, gradually filled with molten 

rock and the inequalities obliterated, just as the waters of a lake 

conceal the uneven bottom, so that at the cessation of tlm eruptions 

the lava series had the aspect of a monotonous waste, rough in detail 

but generally level over a vast extent, of country. 

As seen in Yakima County, the basalt is a black rock, compact and 

heavy. On the weathered surface it is often of a brownish color, but 

wherever exposed it is dark, and the appearance of the ridges is dull 

and somber, unrelieved by even tho desert vegetation. In a few 

places, where the residual soil can be found unmixed with alluvial or 

other foreign matter, it is of a bright-red color. 

The most noticeable feature of the basalt rock is the columnar 

parting by which the black sheets of lava are broken up into long 

colonnades. In some localities these columns are prismatic, with 

sharp edges and even sides, the prisms being often so regular as 

to suggest the work of human hands. This parting is the result 

of contraction or shrinkage of the solidified lava as the rock mass 

gradually cooled. The presence of these joint cracks is important, 

because they afford passages for water in a rock relatively impervious. It therefore is interesting to note the presence or absence of 

the jointing of the basalt where it is exposed, and such observations 

have their bearing upon the discussion of the course of the underground waters. 

rrhe basalt of certain flows has ext,remely rough and scoriaceous 

surfaces, due to small cellular cavities which were formed by the 

steam in the molten rock and which greatly alter its appearance. 

These varieties, which tell so graphically the story of·the· lava eruptions, are less common than the compact basalt. Fine and coarse 

tuffs, or so-called ash beds, are found at a few horizons in the basalt 

series, but such beds are insignificant when compared with the 

thicker and more common lava sheets. In a 'few in,stances, however, 

these fragmental deposits are of importance, one noteworthy locality 

being Bald Mountain, at the head of W enas Creek. There the beds 

of yellow tuff, full of angular fragments of glassy basalt, aggregate 

1 Op. cit., p. 42. 
SMITH.) ELLENSBURG FORMATION. 17 

several hundred fe_et in thickness, and are very noticeable on the 

northeastern slope of the peak. 

ELLENSBURG FORMATION. 

Lying directly upon the basalt is the sedimentary series to which 

the name Ellensburg formation has been given. This series includes 

partiaily consolidated sandstones, shales, nnd conglomerates, with 

unconsolidated sands and gravels, and represents sediments deposited upon the basalt immediately after the cessation of the eruptions. 

In the larger part of the North Yakima area, however, some of these 

sediments were laid down before the eruption of the last flow of the 

basaltic. lava, for at a number of localities 20 to 100 feet of the white 

Ellensburg can be seen capped by a similar thickness of black lava 

with the characteristic basaltic parting, over which the succeeding 

sediments have accumulat.ed to a thickness of more than 1,500 feet. 

Fossil leaves found in the vicinity of the city of Ellensburg show 

these deposits to be of Miocene age. 1 

The Ellensburg formation occurs in the valleys, where for the 

most part, it is concealed under an accumulation of valley alluvium; 

but it is visible along the banks of the streams and where irrigation 

ditches have been cut down through the alluvial covering. Along 

the borders of the valleys the white rocks can be seen, often extending several hundred feet up the lower slopes of the ridges. Such soft ... 

rocks as these friable sandstones and shales can not well resist even 

the slight erosion of this arid country, so that the presence of the 

Ellensburg formation is frequently indicated only by the bits of 

andesitic pumice lying on the surface around badger holes. 

The best exposure of the series is along the north side. of Naches Valley, where the white bluffs extend for miles. Here the character of the 

rocks can easily be determined. A careful measurement of this section, made by Mr. Frank C. Calkins, who served as geologic field 

assistant· in the survey of the Ellensburg quadrangle, is as follows: 

Section of Ellensburg formation along the north side of Naches Valley, 

Feet. 

Brown pumice sand, varying in texture and color, in part 

concealed, approximately ______________ .. ____ . ____ . _ _ _ 145 

Brown pebbly sandstone or conglomerate, with small 

basalt pebbles in a matrix of ashy sand_. __ .. _ .. _ .. _ .. _ _ 100 

Gray and brown sandstone and pumice sand _______ .. _ _ _ _ 90 

Conglomerate, andesitic pebbles, with a few basaltic pebbles, in ashy matrix .. __ _ ____ . ____ . _____ . _______ .. _ _ _ _ 15 

Brown tuffaceous sandstone, with much pumice ____ . __ .. 25 

Partly consolidated sand, composed mainly of pumice 

grains _______ --------------·----------------------.... 85 

Soft light-gray ash ___________ ·-- __ ---------------·------ 1 

1 Bull. U. S. Geol. Survey No. 108, p. 103. 

IRR 55-01--2 
18 GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES, YAKIMA CO., WASH. [No.55. 

Section of Ellensburg formation along the north side of N ac!tes Valley-Continued. 

Brown pumice sand __ . . _ ... ___________ . _ . __ .. _________ . __ 

Porous sinter ____ . __ . _ . ___ .. _ _. _ ... ______ .. _ ...... _ . _ . 

Coarse, brown, tuffaceous sand, partly consolidated_ _ .. 

Coarse, soft, gray sandstone, composed of angular andesite fragments ___ --·_ . __ .. __ ...... --·---- --.--------. 

Yellowish-white pumice conglomerate .. __ ... __ ..... ---. 

Fine gray sand, silt, and pumice sand well stratified._ 

Coarse to fine-grained, brownish-gray, soft tuffaceous sandstone, with pumice and andesite fragments .... ____ . 

Pumice conglomerates and interbedded tuffaceous sandstone __ . _ . _ . ____ .. _ . ___ . __ . . . _ . __ . ____ .. _ .. _ _ _ _ _ _ . ___ . 

Hard, fine, gray sandstone. ______ .. __ ------ ____ ----. ---. 

Fine brown sand, partly consolidated._ . _. __ . _ .. __ . __ .. 

Grayish-brown sand, with a few pumice pebbles ____ . __ . _ 

Reddish-brown conglomerate, with large bowlders .... __ • 

Hard sandstone, with calcareous layers._ ... __ . ___ . . -.-. 

Coarse, gray, pebbly sand, cross bedded .. _ .. __ . __ . ______ . 

Brown tuffaceous saud, with lapilli. _. _____ ... ___ . _ . __ . _. 

Coarse conglomerate of andesite and pumice. ______ .. __ .. 

Grayish-brown tuffaceous sandstone, with pumieepehbles. 

Well-bedded gray sandstone and shale, with pumice pebbles _____ ... ____ .. _ . __ ... _____ . __ . _ -- . - - o - • - •• - - - - •• - - - - -

Brown tuffaceous sandstone, pebbly_ .. _ ... _. _. __ . __ . ___ . 

Andesite conglomerate and partly consolidated sand, with some pumice pebbles. __________ . _________ . ___ .. . . .. ... 

Pumice and andesite conglomerates .. ___ -------. ________ _ 

Fine, cross-bedded, soft sandstone, with bed of angular pumice _ . __ .. _____ . ____ . ___________________ . _ .. ______ ... 

Coarse pumice conglomerate __ . __ • ___ . ___ . _____ . _ ..... __ _ 

Fine gray sand and silt, with much pumice ________ .. ___ . 

Pebbly sand, with pumice pebbles._ ... ____ . ___ ........ _--

Pale-lavender soft shale __ .. __ . ________________ ... ___ . ___ _ 

Gray tuff and sand _________ ... _ .. ________ . ___________ ... _ 

Light-brown fine sandstone, grading up into chocolate 

clay . _ .. ______________________ .. _ . _ _ _ _ ___________ .. __ ... 

Pebbly sandstone, in part tuffaceous, with intercalated 

layers of pumice pebbles and fragments ___ ... __ ...... _ 

Andesitic agglomerate, fine grained ____________ .. ___ . ___ 

Medium-grained gray sandstone . ______ ... __ . _. __ ·- __ - __ 

Andesitic gravel . _______ . __ . ___ .. ____ . ___ .. ____ . ___ .. __ _ 

Coarse sand and gravel __________________ ---------- ____ _ 

Hard sandstone __ . _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ... _ _ _ __ . __ . ____ . _ . __ . _ . __ __ 

Fine to coarse, medium-fine, gray and brown sands, with 

I a pilli and pumice pebbles ___ .. _ . __ . ______ . __ . ____ . _ - _ 

Coarse sand, with bowlders stained brown . __ . . __ . ___ . __ 

Medium-grained hard sandstone __ . _____ .. __ . _ .. _ ... __ . 

Fine andesite gravel, with coarse sand, partly consolidated ___________ . ___ . _______ . _____ . ____________ . _ _ . __ _ 

Gray tuffaceous sand, with fine pumice ______ . _____ . _ .. _. 

Conglomerate pebbles, averaging about 2 inches, covered 

with dark-brown varnish ________ . ______________ . ___ .. 

Fine, light-gray, tuffaceous sandstone_. _. ___ .. __ - ..... _ .. 

Feet. 

10 

1.5 

3 

2 

5 

2 

25 

12.5 

1 

3 

3 

20 

1 

15 

1.5 

5 

6 

18.5 

3 

30 

3.5 

9 

1 

4 

10 

1 

5 

7. 

32 

2 

4 

4 

5 

3 

28.5 

6 

3 

10 

- 6 

20 

2 
S~IJTHo] ELLENSBURG FORMATION. 19 

Section of Ellensburg formation along thenarth side of Naches Valley-Continued. 

Feet. 

Dark-gray coarse sand, cross bedded, with small andesite 

pebbles __________ . __________ o· ___ 0 _ 0 _____ 0 oO ____ • _ 0 ____ 0 5 

Fine to medium-grained, light-gray, tuffaceous sandstone 

and silt_ _ _ _ _ _______ 0 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 0 ____________ 

0 

_ 0 0 _ _ • _ _ _ 6. 5 

Andesitic agglomerate, fine grained 00 __________ • _. 0 ___ • _ _ 10 

Dark-gray sand, cross bedded __ 0 __ • ____ • ____ • ______ • _ _ _ _ 1. 5 

Conglomerate pebbles, mostly andesite, with a few of 

basalt, averaging about 2 inches, obscurely cross bedded, with ienses of sand ______________ . _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ 20 

Sandy tuff, withfinelapilli OOOoO ------o---------- _______ 6 

Fine gray sand, cross bedded __ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ ____ ... __ _ _ 1 

White tuff, fine lapilli in matrix of feldspathic sand.____ 2 

Light brownish-gray ash _ _ __ _ _ _ _ ______ . __ __ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ 4 

Soft sand ____ . _ .. _ _ _ _ _ _ ___________ 0 ____ 0 0 __ 0 __ ..... ____ 0 _ 5 

Fine white silt. _________ .. _______________ .. _ .... ____ .. _ _ _ _ 8 

Fine, light-gray, tuffaceous sandstone and ash, coarser in 

upper portion.__ . ____ 0 ___ 0 0 __ 0 __ • _ 0 __ • _ • _ • 7 

Coarse agglomeratic sandstone, composed of subangular 

fragments of andesite interstratified with gray sand· 

stones and pumice tuff and conglomerate 0 __ • _. ____ ... _. 38. 5 

Fine tuff, light gray, structureless . 0 00 ______ • __ .. __ .. ___ •. _ _ 4. 5 

Rough sandy conglomerate of andesite pebbles ___ . _. ___ . 5 

Fine, light- to dark-gray, hard sandstone, in part cross 

bedded, with pumke pebbles. ___ .. ___________ .. 0 0 • ___ 9 

Fine light-gray sandstone and brownish tuffaceous sandstone 0 _ _ 0 _ 0 0 ___ • _ 0. 0 0 __ • ___ • 0 ______ • _ 0 __ • _ _ _ 9 

Fine light-gray tuff, with lapilli ___ 0 ____ • ___ ,. ____ .. _ __ 2 

Fine, light-brown, tuffaceous sandstone, structureless. _ 0 4 

Hard, light-gray, pebbly sandstone and interbedded tuff 

offinepumicefragments ------- ______ 0 ____ ·------- 11.5 

Cross-bedded, soft, gray sandstone, with abundant pumice 

pebbles_. __ 0 _____________ o, 

0 

__ 0 0 ... ____ • ___ 0 ... ____ 0 6 

Fine andesite agglomerate, grayish brown_ _ ___ 0 • ____ 0 _ 1. 5 

Cross-bedded, fine, gray sandstone and shale, with small 

pumice pebbles___ _ _ .. 0 __ 0 .. 0 _____________ .. __ __ _ _ )0. 5 

White and lavender shale, passing into shaly sandstone 

above _. _ .. __ . ___ . ____ . . _ . _ 0 _ 0 __ 0 •• _____ • 0 0 ••• 0 _ _ _ _ 8 

Fine light- to dark-graysandstone .. _______ 0 ______ _____ 10 

Cross-bedded dark-gray sandstone, with pumice pebbles._ 3 

Whiteshale --------- ----------------· 0---- ---------- 1.2 

Fine to coarse, gray,'tuffaceous sandstone, structureless, 

with some pumice pebbles __ __ _ __ _ _ __ _ __. ____ . _ _ _ _ 14 

White shale and fine gray sandstone, interbedded. ____ . . . 19 

Lavender and white laminated shale, in part sandy. __ ._ 0 10 

Light rusty-brown agglomeratic sandstone _. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 0 0 8 

Cross-bedded sand and gravels, pebbles with blackened 

surfaces _ . _ 0 __ 0 0 •• _ 0 0 • _______ • __ •• 0 • _____ • _ • ______ •• _ _ 8 

Fine-grained gray sandstone and silt 0 ___ • _ •• _____ • __ 0. _ _ 15 

Medium-grained tuff composed of lapillL ---- ... ________ . 1 

Light-gray sandstone grading into ail t _ 0 ___ • __ 0 _ _ •• ___ ... 15 

Conglomerate, with large and small andesite pebbles and 

sand lenses ____ . _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ . _ 0 ___ • __ • _ •• ______ • _. __ : _ _ _ 60 
20 GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES, YAKIMA CO., WASH. [No.55. 

Section of Ellensburg formation along .the north side of Naches Valley-Continued, 

Feet. 

Fine, soft, gray sandstone and silt, coarser in upper portion, cross bedded ... ___ . _ . _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ . __ . _ . _. __ . _ . 8. 8 

Medium-fine light-brown tuffaceous sandstone .. ________ . 9 

Gray and greenish soft sandstone and sandy shale _ ... _. _ 10 

Medium to coarse light-gray sandstone, locally grading 

into fine conglomerate __ .. _ . _____ . _ _ _ _ _ _ ___ .. . _ ..... _ 20 

Fine, soft, light-gray sandstone and lavender shale _ .. . . . .. 1. 4 

Coarse brown silt ___ . _ . _ . _____ .•. ____ . __ . _ .. ___ . __ .. _. _ 4 

Conglomerate, finer in lower portion __ ... ____ .. _: ___ .. _. 6 

Coarser cross-bedded sandstone, with pebbles_ .. _ .... ___ . 6 

Fine conglomerate and medium-grained light-gray sandstone ... _ _ _ _ _ .... ___ . .. _ _ _ _ _ _ . _ .. ____ . ___ . __ . _ . _ . , . . 2. 7 

Coarse to fine, gray, cross-bedded sand . _. _ ... _. ___ . ___ . 5 

Lavender silt and ash. with larilli, white above .. -------- 7 

Fine lapilli, unconsolidated _ _. __ . _____ · .... ___ . _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 1 

Fine light-brown sandstone _ .. _ . ____ .. _. _. _ ... ___ .. _ _ _ _ _ 4 

Coarse tuff, with rounded pumice pebbles in a sandy ma- trix _ _ . _ . _ . ______ . . . . ____ . . _ .. ____ . . _____ .. _ _ _ .. _ _ _ _ 3 

Light-gray tuffaceous sandstone, with lapilli . ___ ... _____ . 2 

Fine andesitic agglomerate .. ___ . _____ .. _____ . _ _ _. _ ... _. 3 

Medium-grained, gray and yellow, soft, cross-bedded sandstone, with small pebbles .. _____ . __ . __ ..... ____ . _. _ _ 8 

Medium to fine tuffaceous sandstone, buff colored, struc 

tureless. ____ . _ . __ . . _ . __ . _ .. _____ .. _ _ _ _ _ _________ . . 8 

Medium to coarse-grained, cross-bedded, bluish-gray sandstone, with small pumice pebbles. ____ ... _ _ __ ___ __ _ _____ 12 

Whitesilt_ ___ --·-·-·----· _______ ---··--------------· 1 

Light-gray cross-bedded sandstone and silt._. __ ..... ____ 10 

Drab and gray tuffaceous sandstone, structureless _ . __ .. _ 15 

Soft white tuff of fine pumice fragments _____ .... _ . ____ . 1. 5 

Soft tuffaceous sandstone, structureless . _______ . _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 7 

Cross-bedded gray sand, with pumice pebbles and interbedded silt _ . _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ . __ . _ . __ . . . . . . _ _ _ _ _ . _ ... __ .. ___ . 6 

Fine drab sand and lavender silt, interbedded_ ...... ____ 6 

Fine lavender tuff, structureless . __ . ___ . _ .. __ ... ---· ···-- 1. 3 

Fine sand and clay, irregular stratification ___ . __ . _ .. _ . . 5 

Medium-grained sand, with scattering pebbles of pumice. 1. 5 

Fine light-gray sand and lavender-colored silt _____ ... _ _ _ 3 

Dark-gray cross-bedded sandstone, with small pumice pebbles .. ___ . __ . _ . _ .. _ _ _. ____ .. __ . _ _ _ ... ______ . 6 

Hard, grayish to brownish, medium-grained· sandstone. .. 2. 5 

Coarse gray sandstone and tuff, with lapilli in sandy 

matrix . __ . _ _ _ . . ______ ... __ . _ . . _______ . _ . __ . _ _ _ _ 1. 5 

Fine sand and lapilli, partly consolidated . __ . __ . _____ . _ . 1. 5 

Tuff, with angular fragments of andesite, pumice, and 

feldspar . __ . . ________ . . _ . . . _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ . ___ . . . .. . . . . ... _ . 4 

Fine light-gray sandstone, with beds of silt in upper part_ 16 

Lavender shale . _ .. __ . _____ . _ _ _ _ _ _ _. _. ______ . ____ . ___ . _ 1 

Light-yellow ash and lavender shale, passing into fine 

sandstone _________ ... ______ ...... _____ ------------- __ 10 

Conglomerate, with seams of sand, large andesite and 

pumice pebbles ___ . ________ . __ . _ .. ______ . __ . _. ___ . _ _ _ _ 10 
SMITH.] ELLENSBURG FORMATION. 21 

Section of Ellensburg formation along the north side of Naches Valley-Continued. 

Feet. 

Medium to coarse, cross-bedded, soft, gray sandstone, finer 

in upper portion _ . ____ . _ .. _. __ . _ .... __ - __ . _. ---.. _---. 10 

Lavender-colored ash, feldspathic ______ ... ________ . _. _ _ _ 5 

Medium-grained, light-brown to greenish, tuffaceous sandstone, with andesite and pumice pebbles ____ ._. _ .. __ .- .. . 4 

Cross-bedded sand, with lapilli and andesite pebbles. ___ . . 9 

White tuff, with small angular lapillL _____ . _____ .. __ . _.. . 5 

Interbedded silt and sand. drab colored, with lapillL. _ _ _ _ 7 

Fine, bluish-gray, soft sandstone, with pockets of lapillL. 8 

Medium coarse gray sandstone ______ . _____ . _____ ._ .. _... 3 

Lavender tuff, with a medial bed of drab-colored silt __ .. 2 

Coarse sandstone, with much feldspar and fine lapilli, finer 

toward the top .. _ . _. _ .. __ . ____ . __ . _. _ .. __ ... ___ --- _ 3. 5 

Coarse light-gray ash ___ .... __ . _. ___ ... _. _____ ... _ .. _ _ _ _ 2 

Medi urn-grained, light-gray, tuffaceous sandstone, with 

angular la pilli _____ .. ________ . : _ .. _ . _ . _____ ... _ . _ .. _ . _ 1. 8 

Medium- to fine-grained gray sandstone. ________ ... __ . __ . 9 

l!J_parse, stream-bedded, gray sandstone, with pebbles of andesite and pumice. _ . ___ .. ____ . _ . __ . _ . _____ ... _ ... __ . 2. 8 

Conglomerate, with small pebbles of andesite and larger 

pebbles of pumice; some sand lenses _ ... __ .. __ -· ___ . _. 4. 5 

Coarse buff-colored ash containing much feldspar .. __ .. _ 7 

Gray sandstone and silt._ . ___ . __ . _ .. __ .. _ .. _____ . _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 20 

Fine light-gray ash, structureless . _ _ .. _ . _____ . _____ . __ . . 20 

Sand and gravel, stream bedded, pebbles 2 inches average 

diameter, gravel finer in upper portion ... _. _____ .. . _. · 33 

Fine gray ash, structureless, siiky luster, composed of fine 

particles of glass. ____ ... _ . _. ___ . ___ . _ _ _ .. _ .. _ .. _____ . 4 

Fine, gray, tuffaceous sandstone, with lapilli one-fourth 

inch in diameter ___ .. _ . _____ . __ ... _ . _ ... ___ . _ . _ .... _ _ _ 3 

Conglomerate interbedded with sand; pebbles of black andesite 1 to' 4 inches in diameter . _ .. _ _ _ ___ ... __ ... _ _ _ _ 10 

Basalt, two flows, columnar, with vesicular upper surfaces, 25 feet in thickness._ ... _. ___ . _ ... _ .. ____ .. _ ... _ .. __ . 

Gray ash ___ . ___ ... __ .... ___ . _. ___ ... _ .. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 1 

Light-gray tuff, with pebbles of andesite __ .. _ ... ___ . _ .. _. 25 

Total sediments resting upon upper surface of main 

body of Yakima basalt . ____ . ___ . _ ... __ . ______ . 1, 569. 5 

As will be seen from the foregoing section, the most noteworthy 

characteristic of the Ellensburg formation is the presence throughout 

of white andesitic pumice in angular pebbles and small bowlders. 

More compact andesitic lava is the material next in importance, while 

basalt is noticeably unimportant. The rare and sporadic occurrence 

of pebbles of basalt in this sedimentary formation is remarkable, 

and, as shown in the section, the basaltic material is more common 

near the top of the series. Another conspicuous feature is the cross 

bedding of the sandstones. r.rhese characters afford evidence as to 

the nature of the water body existing at that time and the conditions 

of sedimentation. 
22 GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES, YAKIMA CO., WASH. [No.55. 

It is demonstrated that in Miocene time, immediately following the 

eruptions of the great basalt flows, central Washington was covered 

with water, but until the whole area has been studied it can not be 

stated how ext,ensi ve or how deep this body of water was. In the 

North Yakima region the streams washed down vast quantities of 

material from adjoining areas where andesitic lava was being erup~ed. 

Stream-rounded pebbles and bowlders were thus deposited; and the 

deposition apparently took place in shallow water, since t,he stratified 

beds of sand and gravel show the effect of current,s which could not 

have existed in deep waters. The beds of finer material, however, 

are more perfectly stratified, showing that at times deposition took 

place in more quiet waters. 

ANDESITE. 

Between the lower Naches Valley and the valley of Cowiche Creek 

there is a broad plateau with peculiar features. Its topography is 

noticeable from the presence of undrained depressions and a.general 

hummocky surface. It is about 12 miles long, from li to 3 miles 

wide, and from 300 to 700 feet above the valley. It represents the 

lower end of a lava stream which had its source in the Tieton Basin, 

to the west,, and following down t,he canyon of Tieton River flowed 

out over the broad valley at the junction of Cowiche Creek and 

Naches River. The irregular though generally flat surface remains 

just as when ·the molten rock cooled, while at the edges of the old 

flow the columnar jointing of the cooled lava ·is seen. The latter 

feature is exhibited in a wonderful manner at Pictured Rocks. (See 

Pl. IV.) The rock of this plateau is an andesite which occurs 

nowhere else in the area here discussed. Its eruption occurred much. 

later than the great basalt eruptions, and in fact is the latest important incident in the geologic history of the region. As this andesite 

area has little or no agricultural value, being too high to be supplied 

with water, its eruption may be regarded as of the nature of a disaster. The flood of molten rock poured into Naches Valley and doubtless converted fertile bottom land into this arid plateau. 

ALLUVIUM. 

The valleys of t,his region owe their value for agricultural purposes 

to the fine-grained alluvial deposits. The finest of silt extends over 

large areas of bottom lands, which represent the sediments that have 

been deposited by the streams flowing slowly upon their flood plains. 

In the Atanum-Moxee Valley some fine material doubtless was deposited in the ponded waters during Glacial times, when a large lake 

covered hundreds of square miles in central Washington, and when 

the large granite bowlders that are found in Wide Hollow were 

dropped from masses of ice floating in this lake, to which the name 

Lake Lewis has been ·given. Farther south these fine lacustrine 

deposits are more prominent, and can be seen at many points along 
SMITH.) GEOLOGIC S'l'RUCTURE. 23 

the roads south of Union Gap. In fact it is this fine silt deposit which 

renders these roads almost impassable during the dry season. Under 

irrigation, however, this land becomes of great agricultural importance. Coarser alluvium, sand, and gravel cover portions of the 

valleys. In no place, however, are these areas of coarse material 

large. Such gravel flats can be seen near the junction of Naches and 

Yakima rivers, where they form low terraces, but even these grr..velcovered areas are not without agricultural possibilities, as is provej 

by the orchards in the vicinity. 

STRUCTURE. 

The geologic structure of the North Yakima region is simple. The 

manner in which the rock formations are built up to form the crust 

of the earth, or what might be termed its architecture, is often exceedingly complicated, and in most localities the constant tearing down 

by atmospheric agencies most effectual~y conceals the plan of construction. In this region, however, owing to the arid climate, the 

action of running water has affected the surf~ce very little, except 

where certain larger streams have cut their canyons. So it is that the 

configuration of the surface very clearly indicates the structure of 

the rocks beneath. This direct relation between topography and 

structure is exceptional, but its presence in the vicinity of North 

Yakima renders it possible to see and understand the manner in which 

the rocks have been folded, and consideration of the structural relations is quite essential to the discussion of the problems connected 

with the artesian water supply. The parallelism between the surface 

and the rock structure is shown in the fact that the ridges are rock 

arches and the valleys inverted arches or troughs. In more technical 

language, the ridges are anticlines and the valleys are synclines. 

ARCHES. 

The anticlinal st,ructure can be observed at many places where 

Yakima River has cut across the ridges, as, for instance, at Union 

Gap, a few miles south of North Yakima, where on either side of the 

river the sheets of basaltic lava can be traced upward from the river 

level in a broad arch extending high up on the steep sides of the gap, 

and then down again to the river. (See Pl. V, A.) A similar arch is 

shown in the gap north of North Yakima, but there the relations are 

not so distinct, because the Yakima and Naches rivers in their meanders have cut away portions of the sides of the arch. Farther east, 

however, along Selah Ridge, the arch can be seen in its entirety. To 

the north, the next ridge which lies between Selah Creek and Burbank 

Canyon shows very plainly this same arched structure, and at many 

other places along Yakima River opportunity is afforded for observing, 

even from the car window, the geologic structure of the region. 

Atanum or Yakima Ridge is one of the more prominent of the anti- · 

clinal ridges of the district, and from its proximity to the artesian-
24 GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES, YAKIMA CO., WASH. [No. 55. 

water area it deserves a few words of description. As a ridge it 

begins in the elevated region south of the headwaters of the South 

Fork of Atanum Creek; thence it extends eastward about 25 miles, 

to Union Gap, being well-defined, from 2 to 3 miles broad, and rising 

from 1,000 to 1,500 feet above the bordering valleys. Its slopes are 

gentle and its crest is even, with a slight eastward slope. At Union 

Gap, where, as already mentioned, the anticlinal structure of the 

ridge is plainly revealed, it is interrupted by a canyon 1 mile in 

length, 800 feet in depth, and as steep sided as a railroad cut. Five 

miles east of Union Gap there is a sudden change in the structure and 

in the topography of the ridge. The crest of the arch shows a distinct 

saddle or transverse buckle, so that a low pass is formed not more 

than 100 feet above Moxee Valley, to the north. Here the basalt, 

which is prominent on the ridge throughout its whole extent westward, drops below the surface, and the Ellensburg sandstone overlying the basalt is found in"'the pass where the wagon road cr.osses. 

East of this pass th~ arch of basalt reappears, and the ridge for the 

most part assumes its topographic character and extends for many 

miles to the southeast, where, according to Professor Russell, it finds 

its continuation in Rattlesnake Mountain. 

Selah Ridge, north of North Yakima, is of the same type of structure as Atanum Ridge. It begins on the north side of the headwaters 

of Atanum Creek, forming Cowiche Mountain, a well-defined anticlinal elevation with a general east-west trend. East of Cowiche 

Mountain the ridge is somewhat lower, and is also cut by Cowiche 

Creek and Naches River. In this portion it appears to have lost 

much of its anticlinal character, through the undercutting of its 

flanks by the meanders of Yakima River, as already mentioned. 

East of Yakima River the full arch can be seen, and the ridge continues eastward many miles, in fact not dying out until Columbia 

River is reached. 

Other ridges occur to the north and south of those just described, 

and, like them, have a general east-west trend and are, without exception, anticl~nal in structure. The arches have flat crests and steep 

sides, so· that where best exhibited the cross section is comparable to 

an inverted U. The steep sides of the anticline cause steep slopes of 

certain of these ridges, and the change from the gentle slope near the 

crest to the steeper slope on the side of the arch is often so sudden 

that a fault scarp is suggested. A careful study of these ridges in the 

excellent sections afforded by the gaps cut by Yakima River fails to 

show the presence of any extensive or important fault, and the general absence of faulting may in fact be mentioned as one of the characteristics of the region. 

TROUGHS. 

As already noted, in the description of the topography of the region, 

a conspicuous feature is the presence of long valleys, which in their 
SMITH.] GEOLOGIC STRUCTURE. '25 

medial portions are crossed by Yakima River. The correspondence 

between topography and structure is expressed in the noticeable 

fact that wherever one of these east-west valleys is seen on one 

Ride of Yakima River its continuation is to be found on the opposite 

side. The Atanum-Moxee Valley is such a depression, and is the 

most important in the present discussion, for it is there that the 

artesian wells are located. This valley is 40 miles long, about 6 

miles wide, and has a general east-west trend, being crossed by 

Yakima River about midway in its length. The slope from Yakima 

River to either end of the valley is very gentle, and to the east Moxee 

Valley finds its continuation in Rattlesnake Valley, just as Atanum 

Ridge to the south finds its eastward continuation in Rattlesnake 

Mountain. The elevation of the floor of this valley in the vicinity of 

North Yakima is between 1,000 and 1,100 feet above sea level. The 

structure of the trough is best indicated by the fact that the upper 

beds of basalt, which occur on the surface along the crest of Atanum 

Ridge to the south of the Atanum-Moxee Valley at an elevation of 

about 2,150 feet, are found at a depth of about 1,200 feet below the 

surface of the valley. 

The W enas-Selah syncline is to the north of Selah Ridge. While 

W enas Valley is not so plainly a valley of the same type as that 

already mentioned, it has an eastward continuation in Selah Valley 

which is exactly similar to Moxee Valley, to the south, except that 

the basalt is not so deep beneath the surface as in the latter valley. 

rrhe valley of Roza Creek and Burbank Canyon constitutes the next 

synclinal valley to the north, being followed by the U mptanumSquaw Creek Valley. In these cases the trough is well shown on both 

sides of Yakima River. Farther north is Kittitas Valley, a valley of 

the same type, in which is situated the city of Ellensburg, and which 

is the next area of agricultural importance to the north of North 

Yakima. South of North Yakima the Reservation Valley has a similar structure and the same topographic characters. 

Such of these valleys as are important in the discussion of the artesian problems will be described more fully further on. 

WATER RESOURCES. 

In an arid region like the North Yakima country, where extensive 

areas are well adapted to agricultural purposes, by reason of the favoring topography, the composition and texture of the soil, and the moderately high mBan annual temperature, water becomes one of the most 

valuable natural resources. Upon it depend land values, so that 

the proper conservation and utilization of the water supply is of 

greatest economic importance. Such a water supply is in part visible 

and in part concealed. The former comprises the rivers and streams, 

and will be discussed under the title of surface waters. The latter 

includes the water stored beneath the surface, or the underground 

water. Both hav~ one origin, beiug derived from the rainfall and 
26 GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES, YAKIMA CO., WASH. [No. 55. 

snowfall, t.he surface waters representing the run-off and the underground waters that portion which sinks beneath the surface. In 

an arid region neither the surface waters nor the underground waters 

are wholly indigenous, but are derived from adjoining areas where 

the precipitation is heavier, so that, in order to discns8 intelligently 

this economic problem, observation must cover a great expanse o£ 

country. 

SURFACE WATERS. 

Although the area herein described lies within the Arid Region, it is 

close to the western border of that belt, and is, therefore, well supplied with flowing streams, which have their source in the mountains. 

These will be described briefly, on account of the important bearing 

which they have upon the subject of irrigation in these valleys. 

YAKIMA RIVER. 

The master stream of the area is Yakima River. East of t.his river 

the tributary streams are only seasonal, but those entering from 

the west are more important. These tributaries, .like the Yakima, 

head against the snow peaks of the Cascade Range. Yakima River 

has its source in Keechelus Lake, close to the crest of the range. 

This lake is supplied with water from the surrounding peaks, on 

which the snow remains until late summer, and in many cases persists from year to year. Kachess and Clealum rivers are the two 

important headwater tributaries of the Yakima, being the outlets of 

large lakes of the same names. Both of these rivers are supplied 

throughout the summer by melting snow and glacier ice. The next 

large tributary is Teanaway River, which drains an extensive 

area to the north of Yakima Valley. Other tributaries are Swank, 

Reeser, Taneum, Manastash, Wilson, and Naneum creeks, the waters 

of all of which are used in the irrigation of Kittitas Valley, the 

important broad valley in which Ellensburg is .situated. In 1892 

extensive plans were proposed by the Northern Pacific land department for irrigating Yakima Valley, and detailed surveys for reservoir 

sites were made on the three ·lakes mentioned. All of these lakes 

outlet through glacial deposits, and it was proposed by the Northern 

Pacific, Yakima and Kittitas Irrigation Company to construct crib 

dams 30 feet in height at the lake outlets. This plan, however, was 

not carried out, although timber for the purpose was prepared and 

remains piled up at the outlet of Keechelus Lake. 

Several years ago a canal was proposed to take water from 

Yakima River at Easton, and portions of it were constructed. It is 

known as the Kittitas Valley irrigation canal, and if completed it 

would have irrigated a large portion of that valley. At present the 

valley, which comprises a large amount of arable land well adapted 

to the cultivation of .alfalfa and the cereals, is irrigated solely by 

local ditches, which use the water from the creeks already mentioned. 
SMITH.] SURF ACE WATERS. 27 

One of these, Reeser Creek,' receives some water which has been 

diverted into its channel from First Creek, one of the tributaries of 

Swank Creek. This diversion is interesting, as the water is made to 

follow the old abandoned waterway through Green·Canyon. Some 

attempt has also been made t;o improve the water supply of Manastash 

Creek, a small dam having been built at the outlet of Manastash Lake, 

so that a small amount of water is stored at that point. 

Tributary streams which enter Yakima River within the area·here 

discussed are Wenas Creek, Naches River, and Cowiche and Atanum 

creeks. 

WENAS CREEK. 

Wenas Creek drains the limited area lying south of the Manastash 

drainage and east of the small tributaries of Naches River. As seen 

on the map (fig. 1), it has a general southeasterly course and enters 

FIG. 2.-Map of reservoir site on Sherman's ranch, Wenas Creek. 

Yakima River about 10 miles above the city of North Yakima. It 

drains a broad, fertile valley, which was early settled, being on the old 

stage road between The Dalles and Ellensburg, and the region beyond. 

Irrigation along the stream has, therefore, been developed to a considerable extent, and the ditches built effected so complete a diversion of the water during the dry seasons that lawsuits have been 

brought to determine a proper division of the water. The courts have 

ordered a more or less equitable division, but this solution of the 

problem is not wholly satisfactory, and attempts have been made to 

devise a system of storage. 

The natural basin in sees. 2 and 3, T. 15 N., R. 17 E., was examined 
28 GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES, YAKIMA 00., WASH. [No.55. 

by Mr. Cyrus C. Babb in 1898. The results of the survey made at 

that time are given in the following table: 

Capacity of reservoir site on A. L. Sherman's ranch, Wenas Creek. 

Contour. 

Feet. 0 ••••••....••••••.•. -----

10 ______ ---- --·--· --------

20.-----------------------

30--------------··--------

40 ....•• ------------------

50 ••..•• ---·-·--·-·------- 60 ........ -----· ...... ---· 

70 .... ---- ·--- ·----- ·-----

80 .. ----··-- ·--·-- --·· ----

Area. 

Acres. 

0.1 

3.9 

16.0 

38.3 

56.1 

74.2 

88.4 

106.0 

123.6 

Total Capacity. capacity. 

Ac1·e-jeet. 

1 

20 

100 

271 

472 

653 

812 

972 

1,149 

Acre-feet. 

1 

21 

121 

392 

864 1,517 

2,329 

3,301 

4,450 

A similar investigation was made by Mr. Sydney Arnold in the 

summer of 1900, when what is known as the O'Neil reservoir site was 

T.I6N.R./6£. 

Sec.J 

Sec./0 

Feet. 

FIG. 3.-Map of O'Neil reservoir site on Wenas Creek. 

surveyed. The resulting map is reproduced here (fig. 3) in 10-foot 

contours. The length of the dam at the base would be 90 feet; the 

top length at an elevation of 80 feet would be 350 feet. The total 

capacity of the reservoir with a dam of that height would be 1, 753 

acre-feet, and the capacity with a dam 100 feet high would be 3,519 

acre-feet. Results of the survey are disappointing, in that the total 

content of the reservoir is small compared with the size of the dam 

required. A view of the dam site is shown in Pl. III, A. The fol-
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER -S UPPLY PAPER f\0. 55 PL. 1:1 

_,.[. DA M SITE OF PROPOSED O'I"EIL RESERVOIR. 

Jl. IRRIGATED LANDS ON SO UTH SID E OF MOXEE VALL EY. 
SMITH.] SURF ACE WATERS. 29 

lowing table gives the capacity of a reservoir at thiR site for every 

1D-foot contour: 

Capacity of 0' Neil reservoir site on Wenas Creek. 

Contour. 1

1 

Capacity. 

1--------1---~----1----1 

Area. Total 

capacity. 

Feet. 

0 .•••••••••••••••••••••• 

10 ...................... . 20 .....•................. 

30 ••••.••••.• ······-····· 40 .••••••••••••••.••••••• 

50.············-····-···· 

60 ..•••••••••••• ·--------- 70. ··-··· .•••.........•.. 80 ........•.........•.... 

90. ····-· ····-······-·-·· 100 _____ •. ··-··-----·-----

Acres. 0 

1.8 

4.9 

9.0 

15.2 

25.0 

36.4 

50.1 

67.3 

87.6 

110.8 

Acre-feet. 

0 

1 

34 

70 

121 

201 

307 

432 

587 

774 

992 

Ac1·e-jeet. 

0 

1 

35 

105 

226 

427 

734 

1,166 

1, 753 

2,527 

3,519 

An attempt has also been made by some of the ranchers in Wenas 

Valley to divert waters tributary to Naches River around the southern slope of Bald Mountain into the North .Fork of Wenas Creek. 

When seen in the summer of 1900 the ditch dug for this purpose did 

not appear to be a success. 

NACHES RIVER. 

Naches River is considered the most important stream· for irrigation 

purposes in the State of Washington. It reaches Yakima Valley at 

a point where its waters are immediately available for irrigating extensive areas of the best agricultural lands. Already a number of irrigation systems take water from this river, and in view of new irrigation 

projects its storage possibilities have been investigated by the hydrographic division of t,he Geological Survey. 

In the summer of 1897 Mr. Cyrus C. Babb made a survey of a reservoir site at Bumping Lake, on Bumping River. This lake, which is 

within the Mount Rainier Forest Reserve, lies close to the crest of the 

Cascade Range and is surrounded by high peaks. Its shores are 

covered with dense forests.· On August 26, 1897, a measurement of 

the discharge at the outlet was made, giving 83 second-feet. At that 

time the water surface was 115 feet wide. The water marks around 

the lake show an annual fluctuation of about 3 feet. Its height may 

reach 7 feet during exceptionally wet seasons or after a winter of 

heavy snowfalls. At a height of 10 feet the water surface would be 

about 150 feet wide. The length of the proposed- dam, at a height of 

25 feet above the bed of the river, would be 480 feet. The area of 

the lake is 631 acres; the area at the 25-foot contour, the height of the 

proposed dam, is 1,153 acres, giving a reservoir capacity of 22,300 

acre-fe~t. The. Northern Pacific, Yakima and Kittitas Irrigation. 

Company surveyed this site in September, 1894, and prepared for construction by hewing, in the immediate vicinity, tamarack timbers for 

the dam. These are now piled up at the outlet pf the lake. 

Tieton River, which enters the Naches about 15 miles above its 

mouth, is an important stream, and being in greater part fed by 
30 GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES, YAKIMA CO., WASH. [No. 55. 

glacial streams it maintains a large discharge during the hot months 

of summer, when its waters are most needed for irrigation purposes. 

The North Yakima region is the most extensively irrigated of any 

district in the State of Washington, and the importance of Naches 

River is shown by the canals which take water from it. Some of the 

principal of these may here be mentioned. 

The Selah Valley irrigation canal is on the north side of Naches 

River, :lts intake being just above the mouth of Tieton River. It is 

about 30 miles in length, and irrigates about 3,000 a('res, under cultivation, in Naches and Selah valleys. Below this, on the north side, 

head the Wapatuck and Naches canals, 17 and 7 miles long, respectively, which irrigate the bot,tom lands of Naches Valley. 

Fm. 4.-Map of vicinity of North Yakima, showing irrigation canals. 

T.,.,.N. 

R.Zf£. 

TIJN 

R.l/£. 

T.,ZN. 

R.~/&. 

On the south side the Yakima Valley canal heads about 12 miles 

from North Yakima. (See Pl. IV.) For the first 10 miles of its 

course it is in a flume. At the high point known as Pictured Rocks 

it is carried around on a trestle about 70 feet high, and then crosses 

Cowiche Canyon in an inverted siphon; thence it continues in flume 

and canal around into Wide Hollow, but it has not been found expedient to extend it farther into Atanum Valley, for the reason that the 

canal is not high enough to cover much of the valley, and because it 

carries hardly sufficient water for the land now under it, for which 

water rights have been sold. The length of the canal is 16 miles,. and 

it irrigates 3,000 acres. 

The Hubbard ditch heads close to Pictured Rocks, on the south side 

of Naches River, just below the bridge crossing that stream (Pl.V, B). 

This ditch, with the Yakima Water, Light and Power Company's 

canal, and the Shanno, Broadgage, Union, and Town ditches, which 

head between the Hubbard ditch and the lower highway bridge, in 

the order named, serves to water the lands in the immediate vicinity 
U . S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER - SUPPLY PAPER NO. 55 PL. IV 

SIPHON OF YAKIMA VALLEY CANAL, COW I CHE C ANYON. 
SMITH.] SURF ACE WATERS. 31 

of the city of North Yakima. The Yakima Water, Light and Power 

Compa y's canal discharges into the reservoir, whence a drop of 20 

feet is btained, developing sufficient power for the city pumping 

plant a d the electric lights. 

In 18, 5 the survey for a large canal, called the Naches and Columbia Riv r irrigation canal, was made under the direction of the State 

arid la d commission, formed after the passage of the Carey act. 

The int ke of this canal was to be on the north side of Naches River, 

3 miles elow the head of the Selah Valley canal. The canal was to 

cross Y kima River a short distance above the mouth {)f Naches River, 

by mea s of an immense inverted siphon, circle Moxee Valley, pass 

throng the ridge east of Union Gap, by a tunnel 6,100 feet long, and 

continu down Yakima Valley to Rattlesnake Mountain, around which 

it wast~ pass to lands overlooking Columbia River. It was to be 

140 miles long, and to carry at its head 2,000 second-feet of water. 

The intention was to use the Bumping Lake storage reservoir. No 

·work bas been done on this canal. 

A few; years ago a survey was also made for a canal called the Burlingame canal, which was to take water from the south side of Naches 

·River, jlust below the month of Tieton River, and carry it around 

into At~nnm Valley, thence around Atanum Ridge, to the bench 

lands above •roppenish Creek on the Yakima Indian Reservation. 

About a miles of construction work was done on this canal near its 

head. frhe canal as far down as Pictured Rocks would be expensive 

to cons~ruct, on account of the andesitic formation through which it 

would phss, and doubtless would be very expensive to maintain. 

Ment~on may here be made of four canals which take water from 

Yakimaj River nearly opposite the month of Naches River and constitute tlhe irrigation supply for the lower part of Moxee Valley, j-ust 

southeast of the city of North Yakima. These are the Selah-Moxee 

canal, recently constructed, 1 the Moxee Company's canal, the Hubbard ditch, and the Fowler ditch. 'rhe last three irrigate about 3,000 

acres; the Selah-Moxee irrigates about 5,000 acres. 

The largest canal of the region is Sunnyside canal, which has its 

intake on the east sideofYakima River, about 9 miles southofNorth 

Yakima and ·close to the southern edge of the area included in the map 

(fig. 4 ). It is 42 miles long, and was constructed by the Yakima 

Investment Company, successors to the Northern Pacific, Yakima and 

Kittitas Irrigation Company. 

COWICHE CREEK. 

Cowiche Creek, which flows into Naches River about 3 miles from 

North Yakima, is formed by two forks which in the vicinity of their 

junction have rather extensive alluvial bench lands. The headwaters of these forks do not reach back far enough to secure a constant 

supply of water, and on this account attempts have been made to 

l This canal was opened about June 1,1901. 
32 GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES, YAKIMA CO., WASH. [No. 55. 

devise a storage system. The plan adopted was the construction of 

a reservoir on the plateau between Cowiche Creek and Naches River. 

A natural depression in the surface _of the hard andesitic lava flow 

was utilized, and retaining dams were constructed, making a reservoir which can he filled during the flood season in the early spring, 

at which time an abundant supply of wat.er is furnished by the North 

Fork of Cowiche Creek. This reservoir does not hold sufficient water 

to irrigate more than a very small portion of the Cowiche bottom 

lands, but it is of interest as it is the first of its kind in the State. 

FIG. 5.-Map of Cowiche reservoir. 

ATANUM CREEK. 

Atanum Valley, which includes the southwestern portion of the 

North Yakima area, was one of the earliest sections settled in this 

vicinity. Here, again, nearly all of the available summer flow of the 

creek has been utilized for irrigation, and as a consequence a number 

of cases have been tried in the courts. During the season of unusually low water in 1892 an action was brought in the superior court of 

Yakima County, by certain riparian proprietors on Atanum Creek, 

"to restrain certain appropriators from diverting the water of said 

stream from above and conducting the same to and from their land, 

situated at a distance therefrom, for the purpose of irrigation." The 
SMITH.] SURF ACE W A'l'ERS. 33 

injunction was granted, and the case was appealed to the State 

supreme court, where it was upheld, by decision rendered July 2, 1897. 

A. large tract of land is under cultivation on the benches north of the 

river, and it would seem that under this decision irrigation will have 

to be discontinued unless water can be obtained from other sources. 

On July 26, 1897, the discharge of A.tanum Creek just below the 

junction of the North and South forks was 40.1 second-feet. This is 

above the head of most of the important canals. In July, 1897, a 

series of measurements of A.tanum Creek and the canals taking water 

therefrom was made by Mr. Cyrus C. Babb, for the purpose of determining the seepage, or the amount of water returning to the creek. 

The following table, prepared by Mr. Babb, gives the results of these 

measurements: 

Discharge measurements made in July, 1897, of Atanum Creek and canals taking 

water therefrom. Second-feet. 

North Fork of Atanum Creek above Anderson's ranch, sec. 12, T. 12 N., R. 15 E ________ . __ ..... _ . ___ . ____ . ____ -.. --. 50.1 

Cox ditch at Charles Anderson's, sec. 12 . __ . ___________ . ___ . 6. 9 

Two small ditches below Cox ditch, sec.12 ______ . __ . _ _ _ . _. 1. 0 

Slough at Dan Kinney's house, sec. 7, T. 12 N., R. 16 E __ .. _ _ _ 4. 5 

North Fork road bridge near Tampico, sec.18 _____ ------ . _. 25.2 

Waste water near Allen's house (into creek)._ .... ____ .. ___ . 2. 2 

Atanum Creek below forks, sec. 17 ____ .. _ ... ___ . __ .. _ .... ___ 40. 1 

Dan Lash ditch, sec. 16 __ . __ . _. _. ___ .... ___ .. ____ .. __ . _ _ _ _ _ . 6 

Atanum Creek at Narrows, or Rocky Cliff ___ . ___ ------ __ -- 49.8 

Harke's ditch (upper), sec. 14. ____ . ________ . _ ... _____ . ___ -. . 5 

Harke's ditch (lower),sec.14_ ________________ ---- -----· ____ .5 

Morris ditch above North slough .... _____ ----------------.. 2.5 

Small CathoJic Mission ditch___ _ ____ . _ .. __ .. _ _ . _ . __ . _. __ - . 3 

North slough above mission, sec.13 _____ .. __ .- ___ ----- .. --- 23.4 

Atanum Creek 100 feet below Middle slough. ___ . _ .. _ ... --- 9. 0 

Middle or Second slough 75 feet below head, sec. 18, T. 12 N., 

R. 17 E .... __ . ___ . ______ ... - _. _ _ __ . _ ..... -----.-.--.-.. --- 9. 8 

Lynch ditch, sec. 17 ________ . _ .. __ . . ... __ ... _ ... -.--.. -.. ---. 

Yallup Indian ditch,sec.16 __________ ----------------------

Atanum Creek below Indian ditch __ .. __ .. _.- ...... -.--... - Simpson's ranch ditch ___ .. ___ .. __ . __ . _ . _ _ __________ .. _ .. . 

Woodhouse ditch . _ . _ . _ . _ _ _ . ____ . _ . . . __ . __ . __ . __ -- . ____ _ 

Atanum Creek at Woodhouse ranch, sec.14 .. _ .... -.. -... --

Atanum Creek.at Tanner bridge, sec.8, T. 12 N., R.18E _. __ _ 

Indian ditch, sec. 8. _ _ ... __ . _ . __ ...... _ ...... -. --- ... -- ----

Atanum Creek at line between sees. 11 and 12 .. -.--- . :----.-

Waste slough, sec. 1 .. __ ....... __ .. ___ .... - -- --- -. -- - - - --- .. --

Wide Hollow waste slough, sec. 1 .. ___ . _. _.. . . . . . -.-. -. -- . 

Atanum Creek at Union Gap bridge, sec.8, T.12N.,R.19 E. 

.3 

8.4 

8.4 

3.0 

.6 

.7 

.8 

1-.0 

.9 

2.5 

14.9 

12.5 

In September, 1898, a reconnaissance was made by Mr. Babb, for 

the purpose of thoroughly exploring the upper basin of Atanum 

Creek to as~ertain whether there existed any possible reservoir sites 

in which, by the construction of suitable dams, the spring freshets of 

the stream could be stored and used upon the irrigable lands below 

IRR 55-01--3 
34 GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES, YAKIMA CO., WASH. [No.55. 

during times of low water. The results of this investigation were disappointing, no reservoir sites being found. 

In order to determine whether an additional water supply for 

Atanum Valley could not be obtained by the diversion of some of the 

tributaries of Klickitat River across the divide into Atanum Basin, 

in August, 1900, Mr. Sydney Arnold made a reconnaissance of the 

IUickitat Basin. Diamond Fork of Klickitat River and South Fork of 

Tieton River receive their waters from t.he peaks of Goat.rock Mountains, which are covered with snow throughout the year, thus insuring a constant supply. Gold Fork of Klickitat River, the only stream 

to be considered in this connection, drains a lower country and has 

not so abundant a supply. Mr. Arnold's investigation showed the 

futility of any diversion from the Klickitat Basin into the Atanum 

Basin. Gold Fork is lower, by at least 1,000 feet, than the lowest elevation of the divide between it and the basin of Atanum Creek. The 

lowest point of the divide between the Tieton and Gold Fork, as 

shown by leveling, is lower, by several hundred feet, than any point 

on the Atanum-Klickitat divide, so that none of the waters of Gold 

Fork can be carried over to Atanum Creek. 

GAGING STATIONS AND RECORDS. 

A number of gaging stations have been maintained by the United 

States Geological Survey on Yakima River and its main tributary, 

Naches River. On August 14, 1893, a station was established on the latter stream at the high way bridge a short distance above its mouth. (See 

Pl. V, B.) Owing to the change in the channel, by excessive floods, 

the station was discontinued in 1897, but was resumed the following 

year, from which time continuous records have been maintained. 

A gaging station on Yakima River was established at Union Gap, 

7 miles below North Yakima, on August 14, 1893, but continuous 

records have been maintained only since August, 1896. (See Pl. V, A.) 

In 1897 an attempt was made to obtain data regarding the flow of 

Naches River, and accordingly a gaging station was established on 

Yakima River at the Selah bridge, 4 miles above the mouth of Naches 

River, the idea being that the difference between the discharge at the 

station at Union Gap, below Naches River, and that at Selah, above 

the river, would give the discharge of that stream. The results were 

not altogether satisfactory, however, for the canals of Moxee Valley 

divert water between the two stations, and some waste water from the 

Naches River canals enters between t.he two points. It was for this 

reason that the Naches station was resumed in 1898. 

The following tables give the monthly discharges at the three 

stations mentioned for the periods during which continuous records 

have been kept. 

More detailed descriptions of these stations will be found in the 

various annual reports of the Geological Survey, Part IV, and in 

Water-Supply Papers Nos. 16, 28, and 38. 
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER NO. !i5 PL. V 

.A. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY GAGING STATION ON Y AKIMA RIVER AT UNION GAP, 

WASHINGTON . 

B. NACHES RIVER NEAR GAGING STATION, SHOWING WING DAM AND HEAD 

GATES OF NACHES AND COWICH E CANAL COMPANY. 
SMITH.) ~URF AOE WATERS. 35 

Estimated monthly discharge of Yakima River at Selah, Wash. 

[Drainage area, 1,960 square miles.] 

I Discharg~ in second-feet. Run-off. 

Month. Total in Secondacre-feet. feet per Depth in 

square inches. 

mile. 

Maxhnum.l Minimum. Mean. 

-------------1----~i~-----1---- ------ --------

1897. 

May 19-31. ............•. ·... •... ..•. 13,848 June ..... ------ .......•.••• ----.... 6, 391 July ..........•...•.....••••• ------ 3, 74b 

August 1-21 ......... -------- ....•. 1,015 

September .... -------------------- ......... .. October20-3L. -------- ..•• .... .... 828 

November .... ------------........ 19,811 December......................... 8,570 

6,142 

2,875 

1,012 

644 

828 

828 

1,472 

9,318 

4,021 

2,057 

811 

a700 

828 3,979 

2,702 

240,266 

239,266 

126,481 

33,798 

41,653 

19,704 

236 766 

166:140 

4. 75 

2.05 

1.05 

2.03 

.42 

:~I 1.38 

1.97 

2.29 

1.21 

.32 

.40 

.17 

2.26 

1.59 

Estimated monthly discharge of Naches River at North Yakima, TVash. 

[Drainage area, 1,000 square miles.] 

Discharge in second-feet. Run-off. 

Month. Total in SecondMaximum. Minimum. Mean. acre-feet feet per Depth in 

square inches. 

mile. 

1896. 

August .... ------------------------ September ......••.......... ------ October ............••.•.•.•....... 

November ·----------------------- December .......••...•••.•••••.••. 

1898. 

1,640 

490 

450 

5,200 

2,950 

490 

350 

310 

365 

1,450 

January ..... ----------------·----- •.••....•........•.•..... February.---------••...•••..•••..................... _____ _ 

March ....• ---------------- ..... -~- 2,131 913 

June............................... ti~~l- ====~~===:========== ::::=====~ 6,640 ~: m 2,484 l: ~~ 

~£~~~~:::~::::~~::::~:~:~~:: r:m '·m 

November .... -----· ---- ...• ---··· 709 3&5 

December ..... -------------------- 2,867 225 

The year ••• :. ...... ·--------- 7,480 225 

849 

417 

347 

1, 707 

1,940 

a500 

a3,000 

1,507 

3,159 

5,186 

4,500 

1, 798 

594 

362 

445 

510 

580 

1,845 

52,203 

24,814 

21,336 

104,945 

117,071 

a30, 744 

a166,612 

92,662 

187,973 

318,877 

267,768 

110,555 

36,524 

21,540 

27,362 

30,347 

35,663 

1,326,627 

0.85 

.42 

.35 

1. 71 

1.94 

a.50 

a3.00 

1. 51 

3.16 

5.19 

4.50 

1.80 

.59 

.36 

.45 

.51 

.58 

1.85 

0.98 

.47 

.40 

1.91 

2.24 

a.58 

a3.12 

1. 74 

3.53 

5.98 

5.02 

2.08 

.68 

.40 

.52 

.57 

.67 

24.89 

1800. 1=======1========1======1========1===== 

January.-------- .•.• ----......... . 

ft~%~a~-~ :::::: ~ :::::: :~::: :::::::: 

April ............ -----------------· May .............................. . 

June ............ --.------------ ·- -- July ......................... ------

t~~~~ber·:::::::::::: :::::::::::: 

October ............... --------.. .. November ------ ................. . December ........................ . 

The year ....•• ·-------------

4,325 

2,675 

1,500 

3,050 

6,700 

6, 700 

5,800 

2,675 950 1,500 

7,300 

5,500 

7,300 

600 

1,350 950 1,200 

2,500 

5,500 

2,850 

950 

500 

~- 1,200 

425 

1,458 

1,827 

1,115 

2,246 

4,534 

6,220 

4,606 

1,605 

666 

728 

2,612 

2,941 

2,546 

89,649 

101,466 

68,559 

133 646 278:785 

370,116 

283,212 

98,688 

39,630 

44,763 

155.425 

180,835 

1,844, 774 

1.46 

1.83 

1.12 

2.25 

4.53 

6.22 

4.00 

1.60 

.67 

. 73 

2.61 

2.94 

2.50 

1.68 

1.91 

1.29 

2.51 

5.22 

6.94 

4.61 

1.84 

.74 

.84 

2.91 

3.39 

33.88 

1900. l=======i========l======l========l====== 

January .... ---------- •••.•••...•• February ........ -------------- ... . March .....••••.... --------·------- April ............ -------- .••....... May ..... ----- ..................... . June .. _____ ....................... . July ....... --·--- .............. ___ _ Aug-ust ........................... . September ...................... .. October ........... ____ .... ---- ___ _ November ..................... ___ _ December ....................... .. 

The year--------------------

6,100 

1,550 

4,310 

5,200 

5,200 

3,010 

1,000 

530 

590 

2,000 

1,420 

5,800 

6,100 

1,420 

1,000 

1,090 

1,690 

1,550 

1,090 

470 

370 

390 

390 

910 

1,300 

370 

a Approximate. 

2, 369 145,664 2. 37 2. 74 

1, 199 66, 589 1. 20 1. 25 2, 720 167,246 2. 72 3.14 

2, 953 175, 716 2. 95 3. 29 

3, 166 194, 670 3. 17 3. 66 1, 806 107,464 1. 81 2. 02 

640 393,521 .64 . 74 

423 26, 009 . 42 . 48 448 26, 658 . 45 -50 721 44, 332 . 72 . 83 

1, 189 70, 750 1. 19 1. 33 2, 711 166, 693 2. 71 3.13 1-----l-----t~----

1, 695 1, 585, 312 1. 70 23. 11 
36 GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES, YAKIMA CO., WASH. [No.55. 

Estimated monthly discharge of Yakima River at Union Gap, Wash. 

[Drainage area, 3,300square miles.] 

Discharge in second-feet. 

Month. 

Maximum. Minimum. Mean. 

Total in 

acre-feet. 

Run-off. 

Second- I 

mile. . 

1896. 

feet per I Depth in 

square inches. 

--j---1---~--

t~~:be~:: November ~: = ~:: ~: ~ = ~ = = = ~ = = ~ = = =: ....................... . December ....................... .. 

2,600 

1,170 

910 

45,550 

10,439 

1,170 

910 

840 

910 

2,320 

1,650 

1,071 

860 

7,652 

5,162 

101,454 

63,729 

52,879 

455,32.') 

-:U7,399 

.26 .30 

2.32 2.58 

1.56 1.80 

0:rJ I! OJ~ 

1897. ==l===l===l= 

~e::j\~~~::::::~~j==:::H- :::::~~~r::}~: ~:I fl a2,100 I 129,125 a 3,000 166,612 

2,472 151,998 

15,004 89'~. 7118 

15,685 964,439 

June ........ ----.... ...... .... .. .. 10,826 4, 738 7,109 423,014 2.15 2. 40 July . ...... ........ ...... .. .... .... 6, 365 1,6.50 3,291 202,357 1. 00 1.15 

August............................ 1,440 915 1,168 71,818 .35 .40 September........................ 915 ·705 .24 .27 

October--------------------------- 1,020 705 .24 .28 

817 48,615 

810 49,805 

November........................ 25,135 915 5,274 313,824 1.60 1.79 

December......................... 11,220 2,320 3,969 244,046 1.20 1.38 

The year ......................................... __ _ 

.1898. 

January ......................... .. 

fr~~~a_r_~: ::::::::::::::::::::::::: April ............................ .. May ............................. .. June ............................. .. July ............................. .. 

~7i~be~::=:~:=~=====~====:==~== November ....................... . December ........................ . 

The year ...... ---------- .... 

1899. 

January .......................... . February ____ .•.• ------ ........... . March ........................... .. April ............................. . 

f:Je:: ::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::~: July ............................. .. August ........................... . September ...................... .. October ......................... .. November ....................... . December ........................ .. 

The year .................. .. 

1900. 

January ......................... .. 

fi~~~~~~~-: ~~ ~=:: ~~=: ::~:: = =~ = ===== April ............................. . 

fu~e: ~=== :::: :::~ :::::::: _:::: ::::: July ............................. .. 

t:tt~~i>er :::::::::::::::::::::::: 

October ......................... .. November ...................... .. 

December--------------··-··-·---· 

The year .................. .. 

8,270 

22,246 

6,969 

12,446 

18,500 

15,091 

5,250 

2,170 

985 

1, 775 

2,644 

10,059 

22,246 

10,500 

8,050 

3,900 

6,300 

13,750 

17,011 

9,800 

4,525 

2,450 

2,900 

12,030 

14,180 

17,011 

19,150 

4,800 

11,450 

11, 80ll 

10,750 

4,800 

2,600 

1,150 

1,350 

6,600 

4,250 

13,550 

19,150 

1,b94 

1, 775 

2,818 

3,000 

8,270 

5,250 

2,170 

885 

685 

685 

1,315 

985 

685 

2,000 

3,500 

2,450 

2,600 

4,525 

9,800 

4,525 

2,600 

1 605 1;355 

2,300 

2,150 

1,35.1) 

4.000 

3;060 

3,500 

4,800 

3, 750 

2,800 

1,150 

650 

850 

950 

2,800 

4,250 

650 

a Approximate. 

5,058 

3,350 

6,804 

4,538 

6,901 

12,388 

9,514 

3,480 

1,364 

855 

1,300 

1,971 

1,98!:\ 

4,538 

4,813 

4,810 

3,006 

4,273 

9,424 

13,346 

7,554 

3,299 

1, 9'20 

1,&ll:i 

4, 711 

5,95l 

5,416 

8, 752 

3,770 

7,474 

7, 747 

7,066 

3,828 

1,635 

876 

1,090 

2,2431 3,472 

7,092 i 

4,5871 

3,658,451 

205,985 

377,87.1) 

279,033 

410,637 

761,713 

566.121 

213;978 

83,870 

50,876 

79,934 

117,282 

122,238 

3, 269,542 

1.53 

1.02 

2.06 

1.38 

2.09 

3. 75 

2.88 

1.05 

.41 

.26 

.39 

.60 

.60 

1.37 

20.76 

1.18 

2.14 

1.59 

2.33 

4.33 

3.21 

1.21 

.47 

.29 

.45 

.57 

.69 

18.56 ---------------

295, 940 1. 46 1. 68 

267, 134 1. 45 1. 51 

184,832 . 91 1. 05 

254, 261 1. 29 1. 44 

579, 4.')9 2. 85 3. 29 

794, 142 4. 04 4. 52 

464,477 2.28 2.62 

202, 848 • 99 1.14 

114, 248 . 58 . 64 

116, 089 • 57 . 66 

280, 324 1. 42 1. 58 

--~-913~1~ 

3, 919, 667 1. 64 22. 21 

538,139 2.65 3.06 

209,375 1.14 1.19 

459,558 2.26 2.61 

460.978 2.35 2.62 

434,471 2.14 2.47 

227,782 1.16 1.29 

100, 5."32 .50 .58 53,863 .27 .31 

64,859 .33 .37 

137,917 .68 . 78 

206,598 i.Ofi 1.17 

436,070 2.15 2.48 

3,330,142 1.39 18.93 
SMITH.) GROUND WATER. 37 

UNDERGROUND WATERS. 

GENERAL CONDITIONS. 

Often the concealed water is the mof't important supply of a region. 

If the surface is hard and not well adapted to receive moisture, a large 

part of the rainfall is contributed to the run-off; or if the surface is 

poorly drained, evaporation may claim a large share. On the other 

hand, where the soil is sandy and open in texture, the percentage of 

rainfall that sinks into the ground may be considerable. The course 

which such waters take after their disappearance beneath the surface 

depends upon geologic conditions. The presence of an impervious . 

subsoil or rock floor will cause the retention of the moisture immediately beneath the surface, where it is within the reach of vegetation, 

and is, through the agency of plants and the action of capillarity, 

brought again to the surface and eventually evaporated, never contributing to any general storage of underground waters. In the 

Yakima Basin these conditions are found at many localities where 

deposits of fine soil, of alluvial or possibly of reolian origin, directly 

overlie the solid basalt. The northern slope of Umptanum Ridge is a 

good example, and it is there that the ''dry" cultivation of wheat and 

barley is found to be practicable. 

GROUND WATER. 

More commonly the water seeps through the subsoil and seeks lower 

levels, directed in its course by the relative porosity of the various 

layers of soil or rock encountered. Where the underground water is 

unconfined and practically free to keep its own level, it may be termed 

ground water. Such conditions obtain where the impervious bed simply underlies the water-carrying strata. Thus the ground water may 

be said to form an underground drainage system roughly comparable 

to the system of surface streams. In the underground system, however, there is less concentration into streams, and the rate of flow is 

much less rapid, since the water circulates through the minute spaces 

between soil particles or rock grains. Where relatively impervious 

rocks are traversed by joints or fissures these openings become channels for underground waters, and then the conditions are more favorable for rapid flowage than in the ordinary pore openings of the most 

porous rock. 

The availability of the ground water is governed by geologic relations. The character and attitude of the different rock formations 

directly affect the position of the water table or the upper surface of 

the zone in which the soil and rock are saturated with water. Where 

porous sandstone or loose open sands and gravels overlie beds of clay 

or impervious rock, the zone of easy passage by the underground 

waters is well detined. If such water-carrying beds are near the sur-
38 GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES, YAKIMA CO., WASH. (No. 55. 

face they constitute the source of supply for surface wells; and if the 

water-saturated beds reach the surface the ground water is returned 

to the surface drainage system through the agency of springs. Innumerable examples of the utilization of the underground supply of 

water in the Yakima region could be cited. All of the surface wells of 

the lower valleys derive their supply from the water-saturated sands 

and coarser alluvium. In localities where the wells are close to the 

stream it is probable that the well water is derived from the underflow 

or underground portion of the stream. This is plainly the case where 

the surface stream is seasonal in character and only the underflow 

persists through the summer. rrhe North Fork of Cowiche Creek is 

such a stream, and shallow wells have been dug in the stream bed to 

reach this underflow and thus insure a water supply during the dry 

season. As an example of the use of the available ground water in rock 

close to the surface, the tunnel driven horizontally into the hill slope 

on a ranch on Wenas Creek (sec. 11, T.l5 N.,R. 17 E.) may be cited. 

The water which permeates the sandstone is in this manner collected 

and piped to the house. In the same valley these porous sandstone 

beds also feed numerous surface springs.· 

ARTESIAN WATER. 

The second class of underground water is water under pressure. 

Where confined within a porous bed between impervious strata the 

FIG. 6.-Diagrammatic section of artesian basin. 

action of the water is different from that of the ground water just 

described. When such a water horizon is reached by a well the confined water rises and is said to be artesian, whereas ground water 

simply flows into a well opening, never rising above the surface of the 

zone of saturation. The degree to which the water possesses the artesian property is controlled by the pressure, and this is most important, 

since upon it depends whether the artesian well is a flowing or a pumping well. Fig. 6 illust,rates an artesian basin, and shows the· relation 

of the porous bed and the impervious strata. 

The essential conditions of artesian water are geologic and topographic; that is, they involve both the underground structure and 

the surface configuration-the occurrence of permeable or porous 

rock beds or strata between other beds relatively impervious, the 

disposition of these strata in basin-like form, and the relatively high 

outcrop of the edges of the permeable strata. It will be noticed that 

two of these conditions depend upon geologic structure, while the 

third relates to the topographic features of the region. 

The presence of a porous stratum between impervious strata is 
SMITH.l ARTESIAN WATER. 39 

necessary, because it constitutes the area of accumulation or storage 

of underground water. The water-carrying bed may be sand or 

sandstone, the interstices of which afford ready ._passage for the circulating waters. When confined by underlying and overlying impervious rocks, such as clay~ shale, or some dense and compact igneous 

rock, the· porous stratuni becomes saturated with water, which can 

find outlet only through the porous bed itself. 

The second condition mentioned as essential is the basin or trough 

structure of the rock strata, shown in fig. 6. This structure is a controlling factor, because the water-carrying strata must in no place 

reach the surface at a lower level than the elevation of the well. A 

lower outlet would prevent the storage of water under pressure, with 

the result that the water would fail t.o rise in the well, in which event 

the supply tapped would not be artesian, but of the nature of ground 

water, as already explained. 

The third controlling condition is the existence of an adequate 

source for the artesian water. The outcrop of the porous beds at the 

surface constitutes the area of supply or Imbibition. Here surface 

and ground waters pass downward and enter the artesian basin or 

area of accumulation. To adopt a common illustration, the outcrop 

of the water-carrying bed may be compared to the intake of a city 

water main at the reservoir; thence the city's water supply is carried 

beneath the surface, but is available wherever a surface pipe taps the 

main and brings the water to the surface again, the pressure at any 

hydrant being directly dependent upon the elevation of the reservoir. 

This comparison of an artesian basin to a city water system of the 

gravity type may be found helpful to the practical man. 

If all of the conditions specified obtain in a region,· an artesian 

water supply is assured, and the water which is stored in the artesian 

basin can be tapped by a well driven through. the confining cover, 

thus affording an outlet for the water which saturates the porous beds. 

The height to which the artesian water will rise in the well is dependent upon the head or pressure, which in turn is directly controlled by 

the elevation of the upper end of the wat.er body, or the point where 

the water-saturated beds reach the surface. If the mouth of the well 

is relatively lower than the point where the beds receive their supply, 

the pressure will be sufficient to force the artesian water to the surface, and the well will be a flowing well. If, however, the mouth of 

the well is higher than the outcrop of the water-carrying beds, the 

water in the well will not reach the surface, and pumping will be 

necessary. Friction within the water-carrying beds and the well 

casing of course enters as a factor, slightly decreasing the pressure. 

The facts which bear directly upon these three essentials of artesian 

water must be ascertained in different ways and with varying degrees 

of success. The area of accumulation or storage is subterranean, and 

therefore is known only through ''logs" or well records. Geologic 
40 GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES, YAKIMA CO., WASH. [No.55. 

observations of the surrounding country-the more widely extended 

the better-also afford a basis for a comparatively accurate knowledge of the underground conditions. This is equally true of the 

second factor, the structure. Accurate mapping of the geologic 

formations, with careful study of their structure; enables the geologist to estimate the probability of the presence of an artesian water 

supply. The third condition is directly available for study, since the 

area of supply or outcrop of the porous beds is at the surface, and 

observation can be made of the areal extent of the outcrop and the 

amount of precipitation, which factors directly affect the supply of 

water and the storage area below, and a knowledge of them is necessary to any discussion of the amount and constancy of an artesian 

water supply. 

ARTESIAN BASINS. 

In the light, of the foregoing·discussion of general principles it may 

be well to describe now· certain areas of eentral Washington which 

possess, or are t,hought, to possess, artesian water. At present there 

is known within this region no artesian basin which can be compared 

to such basins in other parts of the country. As before stated, central Washington is unique in the geologic structure of its mountain 

ridges and valleys.. The conditions which exist in the one known 

artesian basin are peculiar, and for that reason require special consideration. '.rhe presence of a supply of artesian water where it could 

hardly be expected renders careful study of the geologic conditions 

imperative. To this end a description of the Atanum-Moxee Basin 

is necessary, and the knowledge that is acquired from a study of that 

artesian basin can be applied to the other areas where water is desired. 

ATANUM-MOXEE BASIN. 

The Atanum and Moxee valleys occupy the synclinal fold or trough 

described on page :!5. The structure of this composite valley becomes 

its most important feature in relation to its value as an artesian basin, 

and it will be seen to possess the form essential to make it a reservoir 

for artesian water. The valley itself may be described as canoe 

shaped, but the trough structure of the underlying rocks is more 

accentuated, and may better be compared to a flat-bottomed scow. 

For 15 or more miles along the central part of this rock fold the beds 

have little slope or dip, but at each end there is a rather sudden 

change to an upward slope. Thus, while 5 miles east or west of 

Yakima River the base of the Ellensburg sandstone or the t,op of 

the Yakima basalt is at a depth of from 1,000 to 1,200 feet, a few 

miles beyond it is much nearer the surface. In Atanum Valley the 

slope of the bottom of this rock trough is known from a well record 

and from surface observations. I.ess than 2 miles east of the village 

of Atanum the upper surface of the basalt is more than 1,200 feet 
ARTESIAN BASINS. 41 

beneath the valley floor, while 6 miles west of that place the basalt 

appears at the surface. This represents a total upward slope at this 

end of the trough of more than 1, 700 feet, while west of Tampico the 

basalt sheets slope upward even more rapidly, until the top of the 

inclosing ridge is reached. The outcrop of the basalt for a few miles 

along Atanum Creek below Tampico is due to a step-like interruption 

in the general eastward slope of the rocks at that point. This is 

important, as will be explained further on, because the water horizon 

near the base of the Ellensburg sandstone is-here brought to the surface. 

· At the sides of the Atanum-Moxee Basin the upward slope of both 

the surface and the rock beds is quite abrupt, but the dip of the rocks 

is steeper than the slope of the surface. In the vicinity of Union 

Gap and westward for a few miles along the southern wall of the basin, 

t.he Ellensburg sandstone, wherever observed, is sharply upturned, 

and dips of 50° to 80° can be seen, while at a few points the rocks 

stand in a vertical position or are slightly overturned. · This is also 

true on the north side of Wide Hollow, near Naches River.· 

While this area has the essential basin structure, it will be noticed 

at once that Yakima River has cut across the rim of the basin at 

points approximating 1,000 feet above sea level. At that level, then, 

the lower beds of the Ellensburg formation occur under the alluvium 

of the river bed, and, since these beds constitute the water horizon, 

it presumably would follow that the artesian basin would be tapped 

at that level. Furthermore, these being the lowest points in the 

Atanum-Moxee Valley, no flowing wells could reasonably be thought 

possible there; but such wells do exist, and will be described_further 

on, and as they occur more than 100 feet higher than the sea level, it 

is evident that the artesian basin is not tapped. 

So anomalous a condition of course requires an explanation. Two 

hypotheses may be advanced to account for the absence of leakage 

at the river level. The cover of fine alluvium may be so impervious as effectually to seal the exposed edges of the water-carrying 

beds. It has been recognized that the fine-grained sediment of the 

flood plains of a river sometimes is so firmly compacted as to be practically impervious. In view of the fact, however, that surface springs 

occur along some of the creeks in this vicinity, it seems hardly probable that the alluvium of Yakima River is sufficiently compact to 

prevent the upward passage of artesian water with the pressure that 

it is known to possess elsewhere in the basin. An explanation of this 

sealing up of the lower beds of the Ellensburg formation is more 

probably to be found in the structure of the synclinal fold. rrhe 

steep dips observed along the sides of this fold in the vicinity of 

Yakima River is evidence of a certain degree of _compression of the 

fold. Especially is this apparent where the lower strata are overturned. Such lateral pressure must have its effect upon the rocks, 

and it appears quite probable that the sandstone, which in other parts 
4 2 G EO LOGY .A.ND W .A.TER RESO TJRCES, YAKIMA CO. , WASH. [No. 55. 

of the basin is open textured and porous, may here have become so 

oompacted as to be relatively impervious. 1 In this way the lower 

strata, which constitute the water horizon along the bottom of the 

trough, are so changed in character along the sides as to cease to be 

water-bearing. Were it not for this feature the artesian basin would 

be drained at about 1,000 feet above sea level, and flowing wells would 

be possible at no point within the Atanum-Moxee Valley. As it is, 

however, more than a score of wells with flowing water prove the 

value and importance of this artesian basin. These wells will be 

described in a later section. 

The structure of the basin in the immediate vicinity of the Moxee 

wells can best be illustrated by deformation contours. Fig. 7 (p. 48) 

shows, by :rpeans of contours or lines of equal elevations, the elevation above sea level of the lowest water-carrying beds, which mark 

approximately the base of the Ellensburg formation. The depths at 

which the water horizon is found in the different wells, together with 

observations made along the sides of the valley, constitute the basis 

for this map. It will be noticed that the syncline is unsymmetrical, 

having a steep side on the south and a gentle slope on the north. 

WENAS-SELAH BASIN. 

This transverse valley, as already noted, has somewhat the same 

general topographic and structural relations as the Atanum-Moxee 

Valley. The points of difference, however, are those which are most 

important with reference to the artesian water supply. The synclinal 

fold of this valley is much more shallow and gentle than the AtanumMoxee trough. Taking the upper surface of the Yakima basalt as a 

datum plane, the lowest part of the W enas-Selah syncline is not much 

below 1,000 feet above sea level, whereas in the Atanum-Moxee fold 

the basalt surface at its lowest point is undoubtedly considerably 

below sea level. This difference iR significant, since it means that 

Yakima River not only cuts across the sides of the fold, but has cut 

down almost to the base of the Ellensburg sandstone along the bottom 

of the trough. Of course sueh a relation involves a draining of the 

basin by the river, since, as in all of these transverse folds, the lowest 

portion of the syncline appears to be in the vicinity of Yakima River. 

As can be seen on the geologic map (Pl. II), east of Yakima 

River the syncline is so high, with reference to the river, that the 

Ellensburg formation is largely wanting, and the valley is floored 

with basalt. West of the river the Ellensburg sandstone is present 

i~ great thickness, and it is in this syncline that the section given on 

pages 17 to 21 was measured. In the valley of W enas Creek the geologic 

1 This hypothesis is supported by the occurrence of sandstone northwest of North Yakima, 

at a point where the lower beds of sandstone are overturned. There it is compact enough to be 

quarried for building stone. Along the bottom of the trough these same beds are represented 

by soft sandstone and loose sand which in places is almost a quicksand. 
SMITH.) ARTESIAN BASINS. 43 

relations at first sight seem to warrant investigation. The sandstone 

series extends upward on the ridge to the north, while to the south 

the same formation rises in high cliffs. The basin structure is present, 

with the elevated outcrop of the water-bearing beds; but again it iS 

. to be noted that the stream occupying this synclinal valley has cut 

down to very near the base of the Ellensburg, and in fact reaches it 

near where the main Wenas-North Yakima road turns southward 

and crosses the creek at the Cleman ranch. 

In 1900 some work was done toward sinking a well on the Stauffer 

ranch, in Wenas Valley (sec. 34, T. 15, R. 18). The elevation of this 

well is approximately 1,500 feet, and it was sunk about 400 feet in 

Ellensburg sandstone. Ground water in good amount was found at a 

depth of 152 feet. The depth to which the sandstone was found to 

extend points to a shallow basin existing between the southern slope 

of the anticlinal ridge north of Wenas Valley and the exposure of 

basalt along the creek 2t miles southeast of the well. Any water in 

this basin, however, would find a surface outlet near the creek level, 

so that no artesian supply would exist to be tapped by a well having an 

elevation of 1,500 feet. These relations are therefore unfavorable, 

and the statements that have been made are corroborated by the 

occurrence of large springs near W enas Creek, on the Cleman ranch, 

at just the point where the lowest beds of sandstone must reach the 

alluvium-covered valley floor. Mr. Cleman states that the water of 

these springs is much warmer than the creek watel'. As mentioned 

on page 38, surface springs occur elsewhere along this creek, affording further evidence that the water of the sandstone finds a natural 

outlet throughout the length of this valley and is not stored in an 

artesian basin. It is indeed probable that if the water could be shut 

off in the upper part of W e-nas Valley, the contributions from springs 

in the lower valley would be sufficient to maintain a small stream in 

the lower course of the creek. 

There is a possibility that water may be stored in the lowest beds 

of sandstone which underlie the latest flow of Yakima basalt. These 

beds are exposed on the ridge north of W enas Creek. As this sheet 

is at least 100 feet thick at this locality, it is quite doubtful whether 

the expense of penetrating it would be warranted by the prospect of 

finding water below, especially in view of the fact that the bed of sandstone beneat,h the basalt is often only a few feet thick and would not 

carry any considerable amount of artesian water. Furthermore, since 

the lower bed is cut by Yakima River on the north side of Selah 

Ridge, it is quite possible that the water content of this bed is also 

tapped and that artesian conditions do not obtain. 

RYE GRASS FLAT, 

On the north side of Selah Valley there is a smaller valley, known 

locally as Rye Grass Flat. As can be seen on the map, Pl. II, this flat 
44 GEOLOGY AND WATERRESOURCES, YAKIMA CO., WASH. [No.55. 

is separated from the main valley by a low ridge, across which, however, a small seasonal stream bas cut a narrow channel. As is 

universally true in this region, the topographic valley occupies a stru.ctural basin which is well defined. Along the southern and southwestern slopes of this basin the EllEmsburg sandstone and shale plainly. 

outcrop, with northern and northeastern dips of about 20 degrees. 

Several hundred feet of the Ellensburg formation are thus exposed, 

underlain by the basalt which forms the inclosing ridges. On the 

north side of the basin the sandstone is seen dipping to the south, but 

at a much lower angle. 

In the summer of 1900 a well was driven to a depth of 270 feet in 

sec. 15, T. 14, R. 20, near the western end of Rye Grass Flat. At 54 

feet surface water was found in what appeared to be alluvium. 

Here the fine alluvium or soil is 18 feet deep, with bowlders below. 

In its lower portion this well is undoubtedly in the Ellensburg sandstone, but it has not reached the lowest beds. The basin structure is 

favorable to the storage of artesian water, and where the well is 

located the drainage outlet of the valley is not so low as to prevent 

the water rising to within a short distance of the surface. The stream, 

however, appears to receive some water from this basin in even the 

middle of summer, and it is therefore quite doubtful whether the conditions are favorable for a flowing well. The well will undoubtedly 

be continued to a greater depth, as the search for .artesian water in 

Rye Grass Flat is well worth the necessary expenditure, since there is 

considerable land of excellent quality that would become very valuable if water could be found. 

COWICHE Y ALLEY. 

The valley of Cowiche Creek contains· several thousand acres of 

land that only requires water to make it valuable. Barley and wheat 

are raised there without water, but only with a moderate degree of 

success. On several ranches along the south fork of the creek irrigation is practicable and excellent crops of alfalfa are raised. On the 

north fork of the creek attempts have been made at a few points to 

store the waters that flow so abundantly in the spring months, and 

surface wells have also been dug and windmills erected. 

Study of the geologic relations of this topographic basin shows that 

it is not in any sense an artesian basin. As can be seen, it is in reality 

only a portion of the large synclinal valley that lies north of Cowiche 

Mountain and Selah Ridge. The valley is inclosed on the northeast 

by the andesite plateau, but this is merely a surface flow superimposed 

upon the eroded surface of the Ellensburg sandst.one, and therefore 

offers no obstruction to the flow of underground water within the 

sandstone beds. The conditions are therefore unfavorable for finding 

artesian water. However, the supply of ground water on the lower 

levels of the valley may be further drawn upon, while the strength of 
SMITH.] ARTESIAN BASINS. 45 

the prevailing winds of summer appears to be very favorable for windmill irrigation. 

OTHER AREAS IN CENTRAL WASHINGTON. 

At several other focalities in central Washington attempts have 

been made to find artesian water. So far as the areas come within 

the region the geology of which has been described in this paper, the 

foregoing discussion may be helpful in suggesting the probability of 

finding water, and the few general statements which follow may aid 

in deciding whether or not to prospect for it. 

The Ellensburg sandstone is the water-carrying formation, and 

generally the best water horizon is found near its base. The transverse synclinal valleys along Yakima River would possess a structure 

favorable to the collection and storage of underground waters were it 

not that the river has cut across their lowest parts, so that only under 

exceptional circumstances are they artesian basins. The great thickness of the Yakima basalt makes it inadvisable to prospect for artesian water in that formation. While it is often in the basalt areas 

that "there is the greatest need of water, the chance of finding artesian 

water in it is far too small to warrant the great expenditure that 

would be necessary. The springs found along the flanks of the basalt 

ridge are almost without exception cold-water springs, and therefore 

do not point to any deep-seated supply. 

The only other area that deserves special mention is Kittitas Valley. This broad valley has the basin structure, and from its great 

extent it appears well suited to the accumulation of underground 

waters. 'rhe water-bearing beds extend up on the slopes of the 

inclosing ridges, and must receive contributions from the precipitation over a large area. In the central part of the valley the water horizon lies at a depth of several hundred feet. As reported by Professor 

Russell,1 the Sanders well, an experimental well about 2 miles northwest of Ellensburg, reached basalt at about 700'feet. When abandoned 

it had water at 40 feet below the surface. The evidence which it 

afforded was unfavorable, yet it is quite possible that this well, like 

many others, was drilled by an inefficient well man, and that the 

record is untrustworthy. 'rhe loss of tools is sometimes the occasion 

for falsifying the log, in order that the well may be abandoned without loss to the operator. 

At the Clerf Spring, at the east end of the valley, water with considerable pressure is found flowing upward through the basalt. In the 

summer of 1900 the drilling of a well was commenced in the immediate 

vicinity of this artesian spring, about 10 feet higher, and it seems 

probable that not far from the surface water will be found which can 

be used to augment the stream already issuing from the spring. The 

spring has also been enlarged, its flow being. increased fourfold. 

1Bull. U.S. Geol. Survey No. lOS, p. 69. 
46 G EO LOGY AND WATER RESOURCES, YAKIMA CO. , WASH. [No. 55. 

The water is seen to issue from crevices in the sandstone and the 

honeycombed basalt beneath. It has a temperature of 6S0

, and may 

be derived from interstratified sandstone beneath an upper sheet of 

basalt. If any considerable flow of water is dev~loped at this locality 

it can all be used to good advantage in the eastern part of Kittitas 

Valley. 

The gap where Yakima River cuts through the rim of the Kittitas 

Basin, 5 miles below Ellensburg, is of course the critical point in the 

structure of the basin. The exposures of the Ellensburg sandstone 

at this locality are poor, but they are sufficient to show that the lower 

beds· are sharply upturned. Immediately south of the edge of the 

valley a transverse fault gives further evidence of marked dynamic 

action on this side of the basin. Whether this is sufficient to prevent 

tapping the artesian basin, as appears to be the case at Union Gap, 

south of the Atanum-Moxee Basin, can not definitely be stated. The 

possibility of a t,rue artesian basin being found to exist here appears, 

however, sufficient to encourage the drilling of another experimental 

well in Kittitas Valley. This should not be done by a tyro, but by 

the most experienced and reliable well man available. · 

Larger irrigation canals- taking water from upper Yakima River may 

possibly be built in the future, which would obviate the necessity for 

artesian water in this valley, in which event it would not be econom# 

ical to expend any money in searching for an artesian supply. 

ARTESIAN WELLS OF ATANUM-MOXEE BASIN. 

GENERAL FEATURES. 

Within ten years more than thirty artesian wells have been put 

down in Moxee Valley. As can be seen from the accompanying map, 

fig. 7, the principal wells are within an area of about 6 square miles. 

They are from about 600 to more than 1,000 feet in depth, and have 

flows varying from 0.05 to 2 second-feet. The water is warm, ranging 

from 67° to 76° F. Sulphureted hydrogen can usually be detected in 

it, but not in any great quantity, and being clear and apparently free 

from other impurit.ies, it is used for domestic purposes as well as for 

irrigation. Owing to the temperature of the artesian water, in winter 

the cattle prefer it to stream water. 

The wells show varying degrees of skill on the part of the well 

borers. In general they have been cased only as demanded in the 

progress of sinking them, and often the casing has been drawn in 

order to save it. Such economy is likely to be followed by a loss of 

flow through leakage or caving. Many of the wells have not been 

located so as best to serve the purposes of irrigation. It is worth 

noting, however, that the tendency in this region is toward greater 

care in the sinking of artesian wells, and the latest wells are much 

superior to those put down earlier. 
S.MITH.] ARTESIAN WELLS O:B' .ATANUM·M:OXEE BASIN. 47 

The logs of the wells, when preserved, have little value as records 

of the beds penetrated by the bit. The fineness of the material 

brought to the surface prevents very accurate determination, and 

often the designation of the beds as shale, sandstone, or basalt is 

purely a guess based upon the rate of progress made by the drill. 

The attempt to use these records to construct a general section of the 

Ellensburg formation under Moxee Valley has proved fruitless, and 

on that account the logs are omitted from this report. In many logs 

basalt is reported at several horizons, whereas along the slopes of the 

ridges bordering the valley only one sheet of basalt is known to be 

interbedded with the sandstone. It is very probable that some of the 

conglomerates of the Ellensburg formation, containing, as they do, 

large bowlders of hard andesite, as well as some of basalt itself, have 

been mistaken for basalt. 

rrhe logs which record ·the depth at which the different :flows of 

water are tapped are more valuable. While data on this subject can 

not be obtained for every well in the valley, the information available is sufficient to show that it is possible to correlate the different 

:flows tapped by wells some distance apart. The water horizons thus 

indicated appear to afford trustworthy data for the determination of 

the form of the basin. 

rrhe table on page 49 shows the relative position of the various 

:flows in some of the wells. From this table it will be seen that the 

first principal :flow and the lowest :flow are separated by intervals of 

from 148 to 235 feet, and these principal :flows can be recognized 

throughout the field. Smaller :flows occur between these two, but 

they do not seem to be so persistent. In certain of the wells small 

:flows also were encountered above the first principal :flow, even within 

180 and 200 feet of the surface. 

Tl..e plat (fig. 7) showing deformation contours is based in large 

part upon these well records, and shows in a graphic manner the configuration of the :floor of the artesian basin. The local ridge along 

the center of this basin, in sections 8 and 9, has been noticed by well 

men, since there the water horizons are found nearer the surface. 

· Reference to this map will show that there is a westward dip of the 

water horizon, amounting to about 300 feet in the mile along the line 

between sections 5 and 8. The deformation also shows how the Clark 

well in section 31, and the Sauve well in section 8, reach the water 

horizon at almost exactly t.he same level. A glance at the map will 

show why the well in section 12, near the west line of section 7 of 

the next township east, as stated further on, did not find water at 

a depth of 700 feet. rrhe lower water horizon is probably several 

hundred feet below sea level, so that even the upper :flow could not 

be expected at a depth less than 1,000 feet, and it seems quite possible that this well might be deepened 500 feet before water is 

obtained. It should be stated that this map, showing the position of 
48 GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES, YAKIMA CO., WASH. [No. 55. 

the water horizon or lower flow, is based upon so scanty data that 

it must not be considered as showing the exact elevation of the floor 

of the basin, but only its approximate position and general form. 

DESCRIPTIONS OF WELLS. 

The table on the next page is a list of the principal wells, with the 

more important data concerning them. Fig. 7 will assist in locating 

the wells. Several of the earlier ones have been omitted from the map 

and from the list, sinee they have ceased to flow or are so nearly 

dry as to be of little value. The wells which are dry are outside of 

the area of flowing wells in sec. 32, T. 13, and in sees. 3, 4, and 10, 

FIG. 7.-·Plat showing form of Moxee Basin and location of artesian wells. 

T. 12. With one exception the elevations of the wells are approx.imate, being based on aneroid measurements referred to the United 

States Geological Survey bench mark at North . Yakima, which is 

1,067 feet above sea level. The elevation of the Wilson well in Wide 

Hollow was accurately determined by a level line run by Mr. Sydney 

Arnold, connecting with the United States Geological Survey bench 

mark 1066, 4 miles east of Atanum. The location of this well is outside of the Moxee area, but it can be seen by reference to the general 

map, Pl. II. The measurements of flow were made in April, 1901, 

by Mr. Sydney Arnold, a weir being used except where otherwise 

stated. r.rhe numbers of the wells given in the table correspond with 

the numbers on the map. 
SMITH.] ARTESIAN WELLS OF ATANUM·MOXliJE BASIN. 

List of wells in Atanum-:~Womee Basin. 

No! 

Location. 

ApproxName of well. 

sec I~: imate Depth. Flow. eleva- R. tion. 

f - --~ 

! 

1 I Clark No. L ______ J<~eet. Feet. Sec.-ft. 6 12 20 1,110 940 1.34 

2 Clark No. iL _____ 31 13 20 1,130 1,026 .15 

3 Clark No.3. ______ 31 13 20 1,120 1,000 .52 4 Longevin No. 1. __ 8 12 20 1,070 637 .40 5 Haines ___________ 8 12 20 1,145 902 .984 6 Bradford _________ 9 12 20 1,155 623 .904 7 Dickson.---·. ____ 8 12 20 1,095 525 (a) 

8 Gano _____________ 8 12 20 l,o-75 851 (a) 

9 Sauve------------ 8 12 20 1,155 1,0'20 .475 

10 1 Ellens No.1 ______ 7 12 20 1,065 835 .13 11 I HollandNo.l ____ 5 12 20 1,100 736 b2.00 12 · Regim hal ________ 5 12 20 1,105 689 1.09 

13 Buwalda _________ 32 13 20 1,150 6.1)3 .05 14 Ellens No.2 _____ . 8 12 20 1,100 676 (a) 

15 Buwalda and Haines. _________ 5 12 20 1,140 636 b .566 16 Holland No.2 ____ 5 12 20 1,115 686 .35 

17 Clark No.4 _______ 31 13 20 1,140 960 .197 

18 Allwardt _________ 9 12 20 1, 18.1) 809 .64 

19 Deeringhoff ---·-- 4 12 20 1,165 625 -·------ 20 Rein. ------------ 10 12 20 1,195 631 .485 

21 Hill _______ -------- 4 12 20 1,170 225 --~807' 22 Longevin No.2~-- 8 12 20 1,080 S.'ltl 

23 Peck ______________ 6 12 20 1,105 818 b 1.10 24 Wilson------· ____ 29 113 18 1,165 1 1,267 d .75 

--~-

a Well closed April, 1901. 

bApproximate measurement wi'th current meter. 

Depth to principal flows. 

Feet. Feet. Feet. Feet. 

700 (?) (?) (?) 

800 (?) ( ?) 1.000 

"""637" ·------ ------- ------- ------- -----·- .............. 702 760 790 00'~ 

386 .............. 623 ------- 515 ................... 85i" .. ............ 649 

832 ~--(?)"" 

835 ------ 588 688 

~I 640 

508 

424 504 

475 575 

520 620 

660 770 

{ 615 ---·--- cto 

718 

390 ............. +630 ------- 206 --(?)"- 530 

620 (?) 

800 1,000 

( ?) "i,"020" 

-·-736- .............. 

·------ 686 ---600- 550 

657 .............. 

636 ................. 686 ............. - 820 -------

} 752 .............. 

625 ------- .............. ................ 

"""820' ............... 

............... 818 .............. 1,050 .................. 

cSix flows. 

d Estimated. 

49 

Temperature 

of water. 

--

Deg.F. 

73.2 

76.2 

75.6 

72.2 

72.2 

73.2 

70.7 

76.0 

75.2 

73.2 

76.0 

73.2 

67.2 ................ 

69.2 

74.7 

73.2 

72.2 

73.2 

66.3 

----72~7 

----80~0 

Most of these wells deserve further description, and for this purpose they have been grouped according to loc .. Jity, and will be discussed in the order of the section in which they are situated, 

beginning with sec. 4, T. 12 N., R. 20 E. 

WELLS IN SEC. 4, T. 12, R. ~-

The Deeringhoff well, No. 19 of list, is the more important well in 

this section. It was completed in ~pril, 1900. At that time the water 

rose 36 feet in an open pipe, and the flow reported was 56 cubic inches, 

but it is thought to have since diminished somewhat. The well is 

cased from 200 feet below the surface to 535 feet, thus cutting off the 

first flow. The casing ranges from 5§- inches to 3 inches. 

The other well in this section is No. 21, the Hill well. This well was 

drilled by Mr. Stone, the former owner of the land, but was not completed, owing to the loss of the drill. At 206 feet a "small flow was 

tapped, which is used. 

WELLS IN SEC. 5, T. 12, R. 20. 

This section contains four of the more important wells of the valley. 

Well No.12 is on the ranch of F. Regimbal, being located near the 

northeast corner of the southwest quarter of the southeast quarter. 

It was put down by Messrs. Buwalda and Haines, in 1898, and taps 

three flows. There is a casing through 260 feet of sand, but t~is is 

IRR 55-01-· -4 
50 GEOI,OGY AND WATER RESOURCES, YAKIMA CO., WASH. [No.55. 

above the first flow, so that none of the flows which are in sand and 

sandstone are cased. 

Well No. 11 is in the northwest corner of the same 40-acre lot, and 

was drilled the same year by Bnwalda and Haines. This well is cased 

for 344 feet in its upper portion, but in the summer of 1900 there was 

considerable leakage around the casing, a trouble that it will be difficult to remedy. The three flows are not cased. The well belongs to 

the Holland Company. 

Well No. 1G is near the northeast corner of the northwest quarter of 

the southwest quarter of the section. This well was completed in 

1899. Shale in the upper portion of the welt caved, so that 4-!-inch 

casing was put. down as far as 490 feet. The three flows are not 

cased. 

Well No. 15 is on the fractional nortitwest 40 acres of this· section. 

It was completed in J nne, 1899, by Buwalda and Haines, and is owned 

by a company. The stock is divided into 6 shares, each share supposed to represent water for 20 acres. The three flows are tapped by 

this well and are not cased. 

A new well, indicated by the cross on the map, is being drilled east 

of the Regimbal well. In March, 1901, it was reported to be down 

347 feet. WELLS IN SIW. 6, '1'. 12, H. 20. 

The two wells "in this section are very important, one being almost 

the oldest well in the district, and the other being the last one completed. 

The Clark well No. 1, as it is termed, is not far from the northeast 

corner of the section. Pl. VI shows the appearance of this well when 

completed, in 1893, as photographed byE. E. James, of North Yakima. 

Unfortunately, exact measurements of the flow and pressure at the 

time of its completion are lacking. In 1897 Mr. Clark reported its 

discharge to be 120 miners' inches. The testi~ony of those who haYe 

known the well for several years is to the effect that there has been 

considerable decrease in pressure and flow. In April, 189£l, Mr. Sidney Arnold found the discharge to be 1.435 second-feet. This well 

taps the three principal flows, and is 6 inches in diameter at the 

mouth. The smallest casing is 4t inches. The well cost $2,000. 

The Peck well, No. 23, is about 200 yards west of Clark well No. 1, 

in the next quarter. This was not completed at the time of the field 

work; but Mr. Haines, who drilled it, reported it finished early in the 

present year (1901). It taps the same flows as the Clark well, but at 

slightly greater depths. This shows the western dip of the water 

horizons, and accords with the basin structure shown in the other 

sections. WELL IN SEC. 7, T. 12, H. 20. 

Well No. 10, the only well in this section, is close to the east line 

of the section. It was put down in 1899, by Mr. Ellens, the former 
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPED NO. 55 PL. VI 

C LARK WELL NO. 1, MOXEE VALLEY 
SMITH.) ARTESIAN WELLS OJ!~ ATANUM·MOXEE BASIN. 51 

superintendent of the Holland Company. It.is cased, but has only a 

small flow. The pressure is sufficient to raise the water in a 2-inch 

pipe high enough to carry it into the house on the Holland ranch. 

WELJ,S IN SEC. 8, T. 12, R. 20. 

This is the section with the greatest number of wells, having seven 

already down and one being drilled in February, 1901. 

"\\r ell No. 4, on :Mr. I.Jongevin's ranch, is the oldest well in the section. · It was drilled- in 1893, and is comparatively shallow, tapping 

the first flow only. It is a small well, being only 3 inches in diameter. 

Well No. 22, farther east on the same ranch, is deeper and penetrates to the third flow. This well is cased down to a depth of 730. 

feet, the first and second flows being shut off. It was drilled in 1900 

by Mr. C. H. Haines. 

Well No. 5 is near the east line of the section, on the ranch of Mr. 

Haines. It was completed to a depth of 702 feet in 1896, but was 

deepened later, and now taps four flows. It is cased, with casing 

from G to 4 inches in diameter, as far as 890 feet. The casing is split 

at the first, second, and third flows, all of which are in the 4-inch 

casing. 

Well No. 9 is in the southeast quarter of the southeast quarter, on 

the ranch of J. Sauve. It was driven to a depth of 835 feet in 1897, 

by Mr. H. J. Spratt., but was deepened in 1899 and 1900, by JUr. Haines, 

to 1,020 feet, with the effect of approximately doubling the flow. The 

casing at the bottom is only 2 inches in diameter. 

Ellens well No. 2, No. 14 of the list, is in the southeast quarter of 

_the northeast quarter of this section. It taps three small flows, and 

is not cased below 225 feet. 

The N. J. Dickson well, ·No. 7, is in the northeast quarter of the 

northeast quarter, and was put down in 1897. It is the shallowest 

well of the district, and taps the first flow only, but it has a good 

volume, which is said by the owner to have increased since the other 

wells in the vicinity have been deepened to tap the lower flows. This 

well cost about $500. 

Well No. 8 is nearly a half mile west of the Dickson well, on the ranch 

of James W. Gano. It was drilled in 1897 to a depth of 649 feet, 

where it tapped the first flow. The pressure was sufficient to raise the 

water 30 feet in an open pipe. Pl. VII is from a photograph of the well 

taken at that time. In 1900 this well was deepened to 851 f~et, so 

that now it is supplied with water from both of the principal flows. 

The new well in this section is in the northwest quarter of the southwest quarter. In March, 1901, it was reported to be down 640 feet. 

WELLS IN SEC. 9, T. 12, R. 20. 

The Bradford well, No. 6, is close to the north line of the section 

and only a few yards distant from well No. 1~, in section 4. It was 
52 GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES, YAKIMA CO., WASH. [No.55. 

drilled in 1897 to a depth of 386 feet, and in 1900 was deepened to 623 

feet. The casing is 6, 4-h and 3-! inches in diameter. This is one of 

the few wells in the district provided with a valve by which the water 

can be shut off when not needed for irrigation. 

Well No. 18 is on the Allwardt ranch, in the southwest quarter of 

the section. This well was drilled by Mr. Deeringhoff in 1899. Casing from 6§- to 4 inches in diameter extends to a depth of 730 feet, 

shutting off six small upper flows. The well appears to be in good 

condition. The flow is st.rong, and the well is so situated as to enable 

the water to be used to advantage. 

WELLS IN SEC. 10, T. 12, R. 20. 

Well No. 20 is near the southwest corner of this section. It was 

drilled by Mr. R. Rein, but is ·incomplete, although it has a small flow. 

The water from this well is the coolest artesian water in Moxee Valley, having a temperature of 66.3° F. 

The three Steinway wells are in the southeastern part of this section. 'l..,hey were drilled in 1894 and 1895, but now are practically dry. 

One, however, flows a little. One of these wells was cased clown to 

within 30 feet of the third flow. 

WELLS IN SEC. 31, T. 13, R. 20. 

The three wells in this section are t.he property of Mr. W. T. Clark. 

Nos. 2 and 3 were put down in 1892 and No. 17 was drilled in 1899. 

No. 2 is the smaller of the two wells near Mr. Clark's house, being 

4-3-! inches in diameter, with a discharge probably less than half that 

of No. 3, which is 5 inches in diameter at the top. Wells Nos. 2 and 

3 have practically the same elevation and are so close together as to 

have the same log. Mr. Clark reported the pressure from them in 

1897, as determined by a gage test, to be 50 pounds. The cost of these 

two wells was more than $2,500. They are the oldest wells that are 

flowing to-day. Well No. 17 is a short distance to the northeaHt of 

t.he other wells, near the center of the section. It is not so deep, and 

its water is 3 degre~s cooler. These three wells are only partially 

cased, which is believed to account for a decrease in discharge since 

they were put down. 

WELLS IN SEC. 32, T. 13, R. 20. 

Well No. 13 js in the northwest quarter of the southeast quarter, 

on the ranch owne~ by I. Def.lmarais. It was drilled by Mr. Buwalda, 

being ·completed in March, 1899, when the discharge measured 0.8 

second-foot. It is cased to a depth of 428 feet, cutting off the first 

:How. The pressure at this well was low from the time of its completion, and in June, 1900, it ceased to overflow. The water stands 6 

feet below the surface, and is conducted above ground by a short 

trench. A pump is used a portion of the time to irrigate higher parts 

of the ranch. 

A well was drilled in this section, by Mr. W. T. Meigs, to a depth of 
U , S. GEOLOG ICAL S URVEY WATER -SUPPLY PAPEH NO. 55 PL. VII 

GANO WELL, MOXEE VALLEY. 
SMITH.J .ARTESIAN WELLS OF AT.ANUM·MOXEE BASIN. 53 

623 feet, and a small flow of water was found, but the well is now 

dry. MISCELLANEOUS WELLS. 

The Yakima Land Company were the pioneers in putting down 

wells in Moxee Valley, well No. 1, section 3, being drilled in 1891. 

Three other wells were drilled by this eompany, in sections 3, 4, and 

14, but not one of them is flowing at the present time. 

In section 12, of the next township west, a well was drilled to a 

depth of 707 feet, and when the work was abandoned water stood at 

70 feet from the surface. 

Well No. 24 is near the southwest corner of the southeast quarter 

of sec. 29, T. 13, R. 18, 

on the ranch of George 

Wilson. It was completed in August, 1899, 

and cost $2,500. The 

expense of this pioneer 

well in Wide Hollow 

was met by a small 

company of ranch owners, the agreement be~ng 

that in the event of the 

well proving successful 

all of the shares should 

be bought by Mr. Wilson. Thus the owner of 

the well was not obliged 

to assume the ent,ire expense of what might have 

been a fruitless prospeet 

forartesianwater, while, 

on the other hand, the 

property owners, who 

FIG. 8.-Wilson well, Wide Hollow. 

shared the risk, now possess, at no expense to themselves, the important information of the presence of artesian water. The well is very 

successful, is of fairly good size, and is well cased, the diameter of the 

casing being from 5-l inches to 3f inches. When completed it had a 

pressure sufficient to force a strong stream through the drill rods to 

a height of 42 feet above the surface, equivalent to 1,207 feet above 

sea level. The drilling was extended until basalt was struck, about 

200 feet below the lowest flow and about 100 feet below sea level. The 

well has shown no variation in volume. 

AREA WATERED. 

In the season of 1897 well No. 1 furnished water for the irrigation 

of 250 acres, and in 1900 it supplied eight small ranches with water, 
54 GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES, YAKIMA 00., WASH. [No.55. 

the total area irrigated being 297 acres. This is plainly more than 

can satisfactorily be watered by this well, and the completion of well 

No. 23 will render unnecessary the use of water from the Clark well 

to serve the Peck ranch. 

Wells Nos. 2 and 3 are reported to have irrigated 120 acres in 1897. 

In the summer of 1900 the flow from No.2 was used on a market garden of 20 acres, while Nos. 3 and 17 were used to irrigate 90 acre.s of 

orchard, alfalfa, and other crops. Ninety acres of winter wheat were 

also irrigated on this ranch. 

Wells Nos. 4 and 22, on :Mr. Longevin's ranch, water 80 acres. 

Well No. 5 is used for the irrigation of 85 acres on the ranch of Mr. 

C. H. Haines. 

Well No. 6 supplies water for 40 acres, which is also t.he amount 

irrigated by well No. 7, but it is probable that in the future more land 

will be watered by the latter well. 

The Gano well, No. 8, waters about 60 acres. 

On the Sauve ranch 35 acres are watered by well No. fl, and it is the 

intention to increase this to 40 acres. 

Well No. 10 is used simply to supply the Holland ranch with water 

for domestic purposes. The other wells belonging to this company 

(Nos. 11 and 16) furnish water for 115 acres of alfalfa on the same 

ranch, and after the soil is once thoroughly wet the supply probably 

will be sufficient for 200 acres. 

Well No. 12 waters 120 acres on Mr. Regimbal's raneh. 

The Buwalda well (No. 13) can supply water for 50 acres if a pump 

is used, and with the natural flow through the trench 25 acres can be 

reached on the Desmarais ranch. 

In 1900 water from well No. 15 was used to irrigate 100 acres, which 

was considered by some of the shareholders to be too great an acreage 

for the well. IJater, when less new land is under irrigation, the supply may be found sufficient for 100 acres, if not more. 

Well No. 18 is believed by Mr. Allwardt to have a discharge sufficient for the irrigation of 100 acres. 

The Deeringhoff well (No. 19) watered 42 acres the first year, and 

is expected to supply 60 acres later. '.rhe other well on the same 

section (No. 21) has only a small flow, which is used on about 3 acres. 

Well No. 23, just completed, is reported to have a flow equal to 

that of No. 1, and it will therefore be an important addition. In 1900 

Mr. Peck had 114 acres under irrigation from well No. 1, which will 

probably now be supplied from his own well. The shade trees planted 

on this ranch, as well as a proposed pond near the house, promise to 

make the place very attractive. Where attention has been given to 

the use of artesian water around the residences as well as in the fields 

and orchards, the returns have been very gratifying, and the contrast 

between such ranches and the surrounding sage brush areas is great. 

It is estimated that the score or more of wells now flowing in Moxee 
SMITH.) ARTESIAN WELLS 0~, ATANUM·MOXEE BASIN. 55 

Valley have an aggregate discharge sufficient to irrigate about 1,600 

acres. Doubtless less wasteful methods of irrigation would enable a 

still greater acreage to be cultivated iJ?- this arid valley without any 

increase in the flow of the wells. 

Well No. 24, on the Wilson ranch, in Wide Hollow, has a discharge 

sufficient for the irrigation of 50 acres. The water is used, with that 

from a ditch, to irrigate 80 am·es, but the well is reported to have done 

most of the work after July 1, the flow in the ditch being very small. 

SOURCE OF THE ARTESIAN WATER, 

The discussion of the source of the artesian water becomes of interest, since it may throw light upon the permanence of the supply. 

The underground waters of an arid region, like the surface waters, 

are not indigenous, but come from a distance. Commonly their source 

is found along the edges of the artesian basin, which may be hundreds 

of miles distant. There, the outcrop of the water-carrying beds forms 

a catchment area where the surface waters enter the underground 

circulation. ,PRECIPITATION. 

Since the Atanum-1\'Ioxee Basin is comparatively limited in extent, 

it follows that it must in great part fall within the region characterized by an arid climate. Especially is this true of the eastern part of 

the basin, where the lower beds of the Ellensburg formation outcrop 

along the ridges which border Moxee Valley. There the rainfall is 

very scanty, the annual precipitation being even less than that given 

on page 13. Much of the rain comes in the_ form of heavy showers or 

cloud-bursts, which find the baked soil wholly unfitted to receive the 

moisture, so that the proportion of run-off is at its maximum. The 

contribution to the artesian basin in this portion of the catchment 

area, therefore, is small, and were it the only supply the artesian wells 

of Moxee Valley could not be expected to maint.ain their flow for any 

length of time. 

At the western end of the basin the conditions are somewhat more 

promising. The Ellensburg sandstones extend up on the flanks of the 

higher ridges, which are favored with greater precipitation, as is 

shown by the groves of large pine trees which cover them. There 

the snowfall is much heavier, and as the winter's accumulation melts 

the conditions are much more favorable for the reception of the water 

by the soil. Exact figures can not be obtained upon which to base 

even an approximate estimate of the water delivered in this way to 

the artesian basin. The occurrence of surface springs along th~se 

ridges shows that even the supply of ground water is sufficient to persist through the summer. It is probable that the immediate loss by 

run-off is not excessive in this part of the catchment area, so that the 

contribution to the underground supply is an important one. 
56 GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES, YAKIMA CO., WASH. [No.55. 

STREA:t\>1 CONTRIBUTION. 

Another source for the underground waters may be found in the 

leakage from streams crossing the outcrop of the water-carrying beds. 

Several seasonal streams flow down the sides of the western part of 

the Atanum-Moxee Valley, but these are small, and their contribution 

may well be included under that mentioned in the preceding paragraph. Atanum Creek, however, drains a large area to the west, and 

in the early part of the year it is an important stream. It enters the 

synclinal basin at a point where the strata have gentle dips and where 

the sandstone at the base of the Ellensburg is open and porous. At 

the points where the stream crosses these upturned beds the water 

might seep downward into the artesian basin. Similar seepage is 

shown where ditches have been dug in both the surficial alluvium and 

in the Ellensburg sandstone. The green vegetation along the lower 

sides of such ditches testifies to the presence of water which has 

escaped through the soil and. the sandstone. The fact of the seepage 

from Atanum Creek, however, is conclusively proved by other evidence. The stream measurements made by Mr. Babb, and quote<} on 

page 33 of this report, have an important bearing on this question 

when studied in connection with the geologic relations along Atanum 

Creek. As will be seen by reference to the geologic map, Pl. II, the 

two forks of Atanum Creek enter the sandstone area above Tampico, 

but the stream again encounters the basalt below that place. The 

first measurement of the north fork of the creek was made above the 

point where the stream crosses the base of the sandstone, and this 

volume is seen to exceed, by 10 second-feet, the total volume of both 

forks measured below their junction and within the sandstone area. 

The loss by seepage is partly returned when the stream again flows 

upon the basalt basement, as is shown by measurement No. 9 of the 

table on page 33. This gain doubtless represents the return of a part 

of the underflow of the stream to the surface. Additional measurements farther down show a loss of 3. 8 second-feet after the sandstone 

again becomes the floor of the valley. Further loss is shown by 

measurements made along the lower course of the creek, butthose 

mentioned are of importance as showing seepage into the sandstone. 

This contribution of several second-feet of water is an important 

one, and since these measurements were made late in July they represent a minimum of flow and probably also of seepage. At time of 

flood the amount flowing into the artesian basin from this source would 

be even greater. ~raking into account the aggregate discharge of the 

wells of the basin, which is about 12 second-feet, the part played by 

seepage can at once be seen. 

LEAKAGE ]j'ROM A LOWER BASIN. 

In his reconnaissance of this area Professor Russell noted the scanty 

rainfall and concluded that the annual precipitation on the outcrops 
SMITH.l ARTESIAN WELLS OF ATANUM-MOXEE BASIN. 57 

of the water-bearing beds on the ridges adjacent to Moxee Valley was 

wholly inadequate to supply the wells. 1 The extension of the Ellensburg formation westward as far as shown on the map, Pl. II, was not 

then known, and this addition to the catchment area was therefore 

not taken into account. This supposed absence of any adequate surface supply and the high temperature of the artesian water were cited 

in support of the hypothesis that the Moxee artesian basin.,, is supplied from below by water rising through fissures or from the leakage 

upward of a lower artesian basin." 2 Further support of this hypothesis was believed by Professor Russell to_ be found in a fault possibly 

extending across the Atannm-Moxee Valley from Selah Gap to. Union 

Gap. The evidence of fissure springs along a fault scarp in Selah 

Valley was also cited. 

In the consideration of this hypothesis it may be well to note that 

further study of this area fails to show any north-south fault across 

the basin. As previously stated, this region is one of regular folds, 

with no important faults. The springs in Selah Valley near the old 

-Ellensburg 1·oad may be termed fissure springs, but the cracks through 

which the water reaches the surface probably do not extend to any 

great depth, as the water is not warm, but is cold and very palatable. 

This is quite generally true of the water of springs along the lower 

slopes of the basalt ridges. The Clerf Spring, east of Ellensburg, 

described on page 45, is perhaps the most important fissure spring 

known in the Yakima Basin, and should be considered in this connection. Here is a large flow upward through fissures in the basalt, but 

the temperature of the water is considerably less than that of the artesian water in Moxee Valley. This spring proves the presence of water 

in the basalt at this point, and a similar source is possible for the artesian water of the Moxee wells. Evidence bearing upon this hypothesis must be indirect, however, since there are no traces of any fissures 

in the Moxee Basin extending upward from the basalt into the Ellensburg formation. Faulting of the nature to produce such fissures has 

not been detected in the basin. 

The possibility of a lower artesian basin deserves a word ~n connection with this discussion. The· Eocene sandstones which underlie 

the Yakima basalt farther west are of a nature to be good water carriers. They outcrop in elevated portions of the Cascade Range, where 

the annual precipitation is considerable, and may extend downward 

beneath the basalt of the North Yakima region. In that event they 

would contain large quantities of artesian water. The depth at which 

these sandstones are buried beneath the basalt, however, is such as 

utterly to preclude drilling wells to tap their supply of water. Furthermore, the folding to which these rocks were ·subjected before the 

basalt covered them makes the existence of a true artesian basin 

beneath the basalt quite problematical. rrhus it is again found impos1 Bull. U.S. Geol. Survey No. 108, p. 58. 2 Op. cit., p. 59. 
58 GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES, YAKIMA CO., WASH. [No.55. 

sible to test direct the hypothesis of leakage upward from a lower 

basin. The facts which would bear upon this are beyond the zone in 

which geologic observation is possible. 

TEMPERATURE DATA. 

The temperature of the artesian water varies considerably in the 

different'wells of the basin. As will be seen in the table on page 49, 

the range in temperatures is about 14 degrees. Doubtless there are 

several factors that enter into this variation. Among those which 

directly affect t,he temperature of the artesian water freely flowing 

from a well, the principal one is the depth of its source. rrhe excess 

of the water's temperature above ~he mean annual atmospheric temperature, which is approximately 50 degrees in Moxee Valley, is generally considered more or less directly proportionate to the depth of 

the wat,er horizon. Unfortunately, in the present case, the problem 

is not simple, since most of the wells are supplied with water from 

flows at several horizons. In such wells the discharge is mixed water 

from the several depths, and its temperature is consequently a resultant of the mixture. 

Three of t,he wells tap the upper flow only, and these furnish data 

from which the rate of increase in temperature can be calculated. In 

three other wells (19, 18, and 22 of the following table) the upper 

flows are cased off and the lowest flow only is used. The following 

table shows the gradient or rate of increase for these wells, expressed 

in feet for 1 degree: 

Table showing relation of ternperature to depth in wells in Atanurn-Moxee Basin. 

No. of well. Depthof Temper-! Gradifl.ow. ature. I ent. 

! 

-----------------;::;- De;:; I Feet. 

l~~~~::~:~::.·~=::~~~~~~:~~:;~ ~~· ~g:b ~J 10 •.....••....•........ ------ 635 73.2 36.0 

111. ........................... 625 73.2 26.9 

18 .......... ------- .. ----- --- 752 72.2 33.8 

22 .... ---------------- .... ---- 820 72.7 36.1 

-------------------'---

It is at once noticed that these wells have abnormally warm water, 

a fact which is brought out by the rates of increase or gradients 

shown in the ttljble. In other regions the usual rate of increase is 1 

degree in 50 feet, so that the normal temperature for water from a 

depth of 500 feet in a region where the mean annual temperature is 

50 degrees would be 60 degrees. It will be seen that all of the Moxee 

wells show a much higher rate of increase. For example: Well No.7 

has water about 10 degrees warmer than would be expected, considering the depth, which is only 515 feet. In the second place, it will 

be noted that the thermometric gradient is steeper in the shallow 

wells. 
SMITH.] ARTESIAN WELLS OF ATANUM·MOXEE BASIN. 59 

Before attempting to account for the abnormal temperature of the 

water, or to explain the rather exceptional variation in gradients, 

attention should be given to several factors which might be thought 

to influence the recorded temperatures. Observations of well temperatures are usually scattered over large areas, so that some differenc~s are to be expected, but in the present case the area in which 

these six wells are located is limited, being not more than lf miles in 

longest diameter. Neither is the difference in elevation great, being 

only about 120 feet, and if the position of the water horizons be expressed in elevations abov.e sea level the variat,ion in gradient is not 

materially affected. Again, while overflowing wells undoubtedly 

afford the best measure of underground temperatures, it may be 

thought that there is considerable loss of heat in the passage of the 

water to the surface, so that the deeper wells might show a lower 

thermometric gradient. The wells here considered were all flowing 

freely at the time of observation, with the exception of No. 10, which, 

however, shows a gradient slightly steeper than No. 22, which is not 

quite so deep. This factor of loss of heat in the passage of the water 

upward in th.e well tube can therefore apparently be disregarded. 

If it were at all important,, it would show underground water temperatures even more abnormal than is expressed in the foregoing table. 

Temperature data obtained in artesian wells may be assumed to 

indicate underground temperatures, and the records from wells in 

different countries have been used generally by geologists and physicists in determining the normal rate of increase of temperature as the 

earth's crust is penetrated. It does not seem plain, however, that the 

water temperatures given in the foregoing table necessarily represent 

the earth temperatures at the levels where the wells tap the waterbearing beds. The water from these wells possesses a relatively high 

temperature, which may be regarded as having its origin not in the 

immediate source but in the greater depth from which the water is 

derived. The high temperature, therefore, may be said not to be 

indigenous but transferred. This theory involves considerable movement of the underground water, in order that the progress upward 

may be rapid enough to prevent loss of heat to an extent sufficient to 

bring the temperature of the water down to the normal temperature 

for the depth at which the flow is encountered. This upward transfer 

of heated waters must of course cause a temperature change in the 

inclosing rock, except where this is impervious,"' and therefore possesses a relatively low degree of conductivity. 

This hypothesis not only accounts for the high temperature, but 

may a.lso serve to explain the variation in gradient. In their progress 

upward (a movement taking place for the most part along the beds, 

and thus involving a horizontal element much greater than the vertical) the waters lose a portion of their heat, as is shown by the fact 

that in most cases the deeper wells discharge the warmer water. 
60 GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOUROES, YAKIMA CO., WASH. [No.55. 

According to the foregoing table, this loss of heat varies from 1 degree 

in about 100 feet to only one-half degree in173 feet, and being entirely 

out of proportion with the usual rate of decrease in earth temperatures, it follows that the wells which tap the flow near the surface, and 

relatively higher, must show a steeper thermometric gradient than the 

deeper wells. 

Since the lateral element is so important in the underground movement of artesian water, attention must be given to the relative position of the wells, especially with regard to the form of the basin and 

its probable influence upon the waters moving within the beds of sandstone. Wells Nos. 18 and 19 furnish an exception to the statement 

that the deeper wells discharge the warmer water. In this case, well 

No. 18, although tapping the water horizon 127 feet deeper beneath 

the surface than' well No. 19, or about 100 feet lower referred to sea 

level, discharges water 1 degree colder than the latter well. An 

explanation of this may be found in the structure of the basin. As 

shown in fig. 7, page 48, the syncline is sharply compressed on the 

south side, and, as has already been stated, it is probable that the 

sandstones may have had their texture affected by this, compression, 

especially their porosity. Well No. 18 is near the south side of the 

basin, and thus possibly within the area affected. On this supposition 

there is a less free movement of the underground waters in their flow 

toward this part of the basin, and therefore they suffer a greater loss 

of original heat. This hypothesis is supported by the fact that wells 

Nos. 5 and 9, in this part of the area, while supplied by several flows, 

and therefore not available for direct comparison, show the lowest 

gradients of any wells in the district; that is to say, they discharge 

cooler waters compared with wells not so deep and situated a mile or 

more farther north in the same basin. The comparison of these wells, 

supplied with what may be termed mixed waters, is not tabulated, for 

the element of depth becomes too complicated, owing to the several 

flows contributing to the discharge. It may be stated, however, that 

here also the general rule is that the shallower the well the steeper 

the gradient or rate of increase of temperature. 

This discussion of the temperature data has its practical bearing on 

the subject of the direction of movement of the underground water 

and the origin of the supply. Regarding direction of flow, the evidence points to a movement along the trough of the syncline from the 

west, and since the dip or pitch of the fold is here to the west the 

movement is upward. ~rhe source of this water, then, is west of the 

well district in Moxee Valley. This accords with the statements made 

on page 13, regarding the great.er precipitat.ion in the western part of 

the region. Again, if the fissure hypothesis is assumed to be correct, the probable position of the fissures, as stated by Professor Russell, is in the vicinity of Yakima River, or west of these wells. 

The abnormally high temperature of the water i~ all of these wells, 

together with the Yariation in gradient, is therefore assumed to indi-
SMITH.] ARTESIAN WELLS OF AT ANUM· MOXEE BASIN. 61 

cate upward movement; and the question remains, What is the depth 

at which the original temperature is acquired? It is possible that the 

lowest point in the syncline is deep enough to give temperatures similar to those recorded, even with a more nearly normal gradient. This, 

however, would not allow for any loss of heat as the water moved 

upward along the bottom of the basin. Furthermore, the temperature 

of the water from the Wilson well, in the west,ern part of the basin, is 

80 degrees, which would indicate a gradient of 1 degree in 35 feet, 

provided the discharge was all from the lowest flow; but being from 

three flows, the true gradient is somewhat steeper. This well being 

west of the lowest part of the basin and nearer the surface intake previously suggested, its waters are not heated by having reached any 

lower depth, unless fissures supply the basin. The whole question 

thus resolves itself into an inquiry whether tqe excess of temperature 

is due to the artesian water having its origin in fissures extending 

down into the basalt basement, or to a general and regional high temperature for the whole floor of the basin. 

The thickness of the Yakima basalt under the Atanum-Moxee Basin 

is not less than 2,500 feet, and is probably much greater. So far as 

known, this formation includes no porous beds extensive enough to 

form a water horizon. Fissures extending through this mass of rock 

to any water-bearing beds beneath would be supplied with water of a 

much higher temperature than any found in these wells. Even with 

excessive loss of heat, the water from such a source would be hot 

rather than warm. The alternative hypothesis of a regional high temperat,ure appears more plausible. This great thickness of basalt which 

underlies the sandstone was poured forth in JVIiocene time, or comparatively late, as floods of molten rock. While in the millions of years 

since its eruption it doubtless has lost pr~wtically all of its original 

heat, yet it seems probable that the cooling of the earth's crust must 

have been retarded over the large areas covered by these great Miocene 

basalt flows, especially in view of later volcanic activity, as evidenced 

by the Pleistocene andesitic eruption. This would result in higher 

earth temperatures in this region, so that the normal gradients could 

not be expected. Thus, since the Wilson well discharges water from 

three flows, the lowest of which is at a depth of 1,050 feet, the true 

gradient must be steeper than 1 degree increase in 35 feet. 

In his study of the Dakota artesian basin, Mr. N. H. Darton 1 discovered rather exceptional thermal conditions for which no satisfactory explanation has been found. The occurrence of steep thermometric gradients over large areas may indicate here also a conservation 

of earth heat through the thick mantle of Mesozoic strata. Near 

Boise, Idaho, the conditions are more like those of the Yakima region. 

There the Payette sandstone is of the same age as the Ellensburg 

formation and, like it, contains the water-bearing beds. Hot springs 

issue from that sandstone, and wells sunk near the city found, at a 

I Eighteenth Ann. Rept. U.S. Geol. Survey, Pt. IV. 
62 GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES, YAKIMA CO., WASH. [No.55. 

depth of about 400 feet, a supply of artesian water which has a temperature of 170 degrees. As shown by Mr. Waldemar Lindgren, 1 this 

hot water is apparently derived from the vicinity of volcanic vents, 

where in Pliocene time basaltic lava broke through the Payette 

sandstone. PERMANENCE OF SUPPLY. 

The practical question which comes both to those who have wells 

and those who are considering the advisability of drilling for water 

relates to the permanence of the art.esian supply. The preceding section may have answered this question in part, but a few additional 

observations may pertinently be made. 

DECREASE 0~' PRESSURE. 

The perceptible decrease in the pressure of some of the older wells 

has been thought by some residents of the district to indicate an early 

failure of all of the wells. In most cases it will be noted that the 

wells first put down were located on higher ground than most of the 

wells at present flowing. In many of these early wells the original 

pressure was low, so that even a slight reduction changed them from 

flowing to nonflowing wells. 

Several features may be cited as contribut,ing to this decrease in 

pressure. When the first wells were put down the water in this basin 

undoubtedly was under considerable pressure, which would naturally 

be lessened as the stored supply of water was drawn upon. Few of 

the earlier wells were cased, and the possibility exists that caving and 

partial clogging of the wells have caused the lowering of the pressure. 

Lack of casing has also doubtless contributed to leakage at horizons 

where a difference· in pressures allowed the water to escape. With 

even the best well construction the decrease in pressure would continue until the total discharge of the wells of the area equaled the 

amount of water received by the basin. The indications, judging 

from the testimony of the well owners, are that this state of equilibrium has been reached. 

INCREASE IN NUMBER OF WELLS. 

Each year new wells are being drilled in Moxee Valley, and it is 

probable that the success of the Wilson well will cause other wells 

to be put down in Wide Hollow, where water is needed. In the Moxee 

area, it is doubtful whet.her, under present conditions, the increase of 

wells will resuJt in any increase in the tot,al discharge, if the supposition be correct that the discharge now equals the supply. New wells 

will mean, therefore, only a further division of the water supply. In 

certain eases this will be advantageous, if it enables the water for 

irrigation to be distributed more economically. But as further 

demands are made upon the underground supply of water, the time 

must come when it will be a survival of the fittest, since the lowest 

I Geologic Atlas U. S., folio 45, Boise, Idaho. 
SMITH.] ARTESIAN WELLS OF ATANUM·MOXEE BASIN. 63 

wells, especially those which are situated where the underground 

movement of water is least restricted, will continue to flow even after 

the pressure is lowered to a point where the higher wells can not be 

supplied. If the foregoing suppositions regarding the movement of 

the artesian water in this basin are correct, the wells that would cont.inue to flow would be those having the warmest water. 

The underground supply of water must not be considered unlimited, any more than the surface supply. The artesian basin should be 

regarded simply as a reservoir in which water is collected and stored, 

and not only should wasteful use of it be avoided, but the fact that 

it is stored should rather prompt economy in its use. In view of 

the possibility of exhausting the artesian resources of the district, more 

attention should be given to preventing waste of the water. 

PRECAUTIONS TO BE OBSERVED. 

Unfortunately, some wells are so constructed that the discharge can 

not be controlled, and waste must continue both at the surface and 

below; hence it is of prime importance that attention be given to correct construction of the wells. The following practical hints, quoted 

from a report of Prof. J. E. Todd, 1 will serve to call attention to geologic conditions which must be kept in mind if a well is to be a permanent success: 

(1) Since the pressure in the upper flows is less than in the lower by many 

pounds to the inch, it is very important that the communication between the lower 

flows and the higher should be entirely cut off, otherwise the full pressure from 

the lower stratum will not be observed at the mouth of the well, but will expend 

itself by leaking into the strata below the surface. The desire of the well digger 

to keep his pipe loose may tempt him to leave the bore too large-hence the danger we speak of. 

(2) It is very desirable that the larger pipe lining the bore be firmly fixed in the 

hard stratum above the water-bearing rock. This may be done in most localities, 

as a compact stone is found just above the porous sands which bring the water. 

Much depends upon this, for if a pipe be left loose and the opening in the rock ' 

left incompletely stopped water is likely to escape around the pipe, and if not 

checked may eventually destroy the well. 

(3) A well should be sunk as rapidly as consistent with good work, especially 

after water has been reached, otherwisethe great pressure of the water maycause 

it to erode an irregular opening and prevent the accomplishment of the two point~:~ 

already given. 

rrhe leakage from lower flows into upper porous beds apparently 

has taken place in Moxee Valley. A spring which within a few years 

has broken out near the center of sec. 9, T. 12, R. 20, very probably 

is supplied by leakage from some of the wells in sections 10 or 3 which 

have stopped flowing. This loss may be sufficient to make a well 

valueless, and it is an argument for properly casing a well, an additional expense at the time, but an outlay that will insure the whole 

investment. 

~lost important of all is the economical use. of water. In 1900 few 

1 Water·Supply and Irrigation Paper U. S. Geol. Survey No. 34, p. 30. 
64 GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES, YAKIMA CO., WASH. [No. 55. 

wells in the Moxee district were supplied with valves, and therefore 

the full discharge coU:tinues day and. night, summer and winter, 

regardless of whether or not the water is needed. This flow of the 

wells in the winter is a wholly unnecessary drain upon the underground supply, and is doubly to be deprecated since the presence of 

the water on the land during that season of the year must be injurious. 

Entirely shutting off the discharge might introduce the danger of clogging the wells with sand, but they could be fitted with valves so that 

most of the water could be shut off. In addition to shutting off the 

supply, the valve can, by partial closing, be used to increase the pressure and thus force water through a smaller pipe into the house. 

Closing the wells during the winter months, except for very small 

flows sufficient for ordinary use about the house and for the stock, 

would result in the accumulation of water, which would be available 

the following summer, when most needed, and the pressure for the 

whole basin would undoubtedly be increased, as shown by a fact cited 

by M·r. Frank Leverett. 1 Wells in the vicinity of the Chicago stock 

yards are reported to flow for·only a brief period each week, after the 

Sunday intermission from pumping. In that case a few hours' accumulation proves sufficient to raise the pressure, and it is plain that 

several months' accumulation would make considerable difference in 

the pressure in the Moxee wells. 

This matter of economy in the use of the artesian water should be 

taken up by those most interested. Legal enactment would not 

accomplish much more than a local agreement. The result desired is 

to insure a permanent supply of water for the irrigation of the valley, 

and every property owner in the district should be ready to subscribe 

to articles of agreement. This arrangement appears practicable, since 

those interested live within a radius of a few miles and constitute 

practically a single community. 2 

1 Seventeenth Ann. Rept. U.S. Geol. Survey, Pt. II, p. 787. 2 Since the completion of this manuscript it has been learned· that the conservation of the 

underground water supply of the Moxee Basin has been provided for by legislative enactment, 

and that the following bill is now on the statute books of the State of Washington. Such a law 

as this is unique in its form and application. It undoubtedly meets with the hearty approval 

of those most interested, and should be rigidly enforced. 

CHAPTER CXXI. 

(H. B. No.203.) 

RELATING TO ARTESIAN WELLS. 

AN ACT in relation to artesian wells and regulating the flow of water therefrom, and providing a penalty for the violation thereof. 

Be it enacted by the legislature of the State of Washington: 

SECTION 1. H shall be unlawful for any person, firm, corporation, or company having posses· 

sion or control of any artesian wells within the State, whether as contractor, owner, lessee, 

agent, or manager, to allow or permit water to flow or escape from such well between the first 

da-y: of October in any year and the first day of April next ensuing: Provided, That this act shall 

only apply to sections and communities wherein the use of water for the purpose of irrigation 

is unnecessary or customary, and providing further, that nothing herein contained shall prevent or prohibit the use of water from any such well between said first day of October and the 
imiTH.] ARTESIAN WELLS OF ATANUM-MOXEE BASIN. 65 

The future of Yakima County promises to be such that every foot 

of water available for irrigation can and will be utilized. A few 

hou~s' ride over any part of the county where new land is being put 

under cultivation is sufficient to convince one of the great agricultural 

possibilities of the region, but without proper conservation of the 

water resources these possibilities can not be made to contribute to its 

future wealth. 

first day of April next ensuing for household, stock, and domestic purposes only, water for said 

last-named purposes to be taken from such wells through a one-half inch stop and waste cock 

to be inserted in the piping of snch well for that purpose. 

SEc. 2. It shall be the duty of every person, firm, corporation, or company havin~ possession 

or control of any artesian well, as provided in section 1 of this act, to securely cap the same over 

on or before the first day of October in each and every year in such manner as to prevent the 

flow or escape of water therefrom, and to keep the same securely capped and prevent the flow 

or escape of water therefrom until the first day of April next ensuing: Provided, however, it 

shall and may be lawfnl for any such person, firm, corporation, or company to insert a one-half. 

inch stop and waste cock in the piping of such well, and to take and nse water therefrom 

through such stop and waste cock at any time for household, stock, or domestic purposes, bnt 

not otherwise. 

SEc. 3. Any person, whether a~ owner, lessee, agent, or manager, having possession or control 

of any such well, violating the provisions of this act shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, 

and upon conviction thereof shall be fined in any snm not exceeding two hundred dollars for 

each and every such offense, and the further sum of two hundred dollars for each ten days during which such violation shall continue. 

SEC. 4. Whenever any person, firm, corporation, or company in possession or control of an 

artesian well shall fail to comply with the provisions of this act, any person, firm, corporation, or cnmpany lawfully in the possession of land situate adjacent to or in the vicinity or 

neighborhood of such well and within five miles thereof may enter npon the land upon which 

such well is situate, and take possession of such well from which water is allowed to flow or 

escape in violation of the provisions of section 1 of this act, and cap such well and shut in and 

secure the flow or escape of water therefrom, and the necessary expenses incurred in so doing 

shall constitute a lien upon said well, and a sufficient quantity of land surrounding the same for 

the convenient use and operation thereof, which lien may be foreclosed in a civil action in any 

court of competent jurisdiction, and the court in any such case shall allow the plaintiff a reason 

able attorney's fee to be taxed as a part of tl;le cost. This shall be in addition to the penalty provided for in section 3 of this act. 

Passed the House March 7, 1901. 

Passed the Senate March 14, 1901. 

Approved by the Governor March 16,. 1901. 

IRR 55-01--5 

INDEX. 

Page. 

Agriculture, features of------------------ 14-15 

Alluvium, ()('Currence and characters of. 22-23 

Andesite, oocurrence and characters of.. 22 

Area of region .... ----------·-------.-----· 11 

Arnold,S.,elevation determined by----- 48 

streammeasurements by............. 48 

surveys by, results of ........•..... 28-29,34 

Artesian basin, diagrammatic section of. 38 

Artesian basins, occurrence and charac- ters of. ..... _______________ . ____ .... 40--46 

Artesian water, features of .... ·----- ____ 38-40 

permanence of supply of. ___ . __ ... ____ 62-65 

source of------------------------------- 55--62 

temperatures of ____ ------ .••• ------ 46,49, 58 

temperature and de:pth of, relation 

betwee:r;t------------------------ ---- 58-62 waste of, warnings against ________ 14,63--65 

Artesian wells, conservation of water of. 63--65 

legislation against waste of water of. 64--65 

looation and features of. _____ ------ 25,46--65 

location of, in Moxee Basin, plat showing--------------------------------- 48 

valves for, value of. ..... ------ ___ ----- 63--6! 

Atanum Creek, discharge measurements 

of .. -----.-----.----- •. -·------------ 83 

features of·---------------------------- 32 

Atanum-Moxee Basin, artesian wells in .. 46--65 

features of------ .. ____ ... ____ •.••.. __ .. 40-42 

precipitation in.-----.------ .•...• ·----- 55 

Atanum-Moxee Valley, features of.-----. 25 

view of.·-----------------------________ 11 

water supply of, failures to supplement ...... ------ _____ --·--- ·------- 34 

Babb,C.C., acknowledgments to--------- 12 

cited------·---------------------------- 56 

stream measurements by • .-........... 33 

surveys by, results of ...... ________ 28,29,33 

Boise, Idaho, artesian conditions near __ 61--62 

Building stone, occurrence of·----------- 42 

Calkins, F. C., geologic section measured 

by---------------------------------- 17-21 

Central Washington, artesian areas in, 

miscellaneous .... ____ .----- ________ 45--46 

Chicago stock yards, artesian wells near. 64 

Cleman,J.,cited ------------ _____ ---------- 43 

Clerf Spring, features of ------ ________ 45-46,57 

Climate, features of.-----------------·____ 13 

Country rock, character of--------------- 15 

Cowiche Creek, features of--------------- 31 

Cowiche reservoir, map of________________ 32 

Cowiche v~.lley,features of ___________ ---- 44--45 

Crops, character and extent of----------- 14 

Dam site, O'Neil reservoir, view of.______ 28 

Darton,N. H., cited .......... ---·---------- 61 

Page. 

Deformation, extent and character of __ . 23--25, 

41-43 

Discharge measurements .•...• ------ .... _ 29,33 

Dry farming, extent and success of •. ___ . 14:-15 

Elevations __ .......... ___ -----·---·-·_..... 25 

Ellens burg formation, depositiOn of .. _... 21-2'"Z 

geologic section through_ ....... _. _ _ _ _ 17-21 

occurrence and characters of. _____ 17,21-22 

Ellensburg sandstone, features of __ . ____ . 45 

Eocene sandstones, o<'currence and characters of. ... ~---.-----------_ ..... __ 57-58 

Ero!;lion,extentof ---------------·----·-· 17,23,42 

Faulting, absence of. .. ______ .... ---------- 24 

Forests, occurrence of ------------ ____ ____ 29 

Fruits, character of·----------·------..... 14 

Gaging stations, location and results of__ 34 

Geography, features of -----· ---·-- ------- 12-15 

Geologic formations, features of--------- 15-23 

Geologic map, North Yakima and vicinity 14 

Geologic structure, features of._._ . _. _ 15, 23--25 

relation between topography and .... 23,25 

Geology. features of.------. _________ ------ 15--25 

Glacial deposits, occurrence of . _ ... _. _ .... _. 26 

Glacial period, deposition during. ___ ... ___ 22 

Grazing,extent of.----- ____ --------------__ Y 

Ground water, features of---------------- 37--38 

Horizon tal well, occurrence of .. __ . _ _ _ _ _ _ 38 

Irrigated lands in Moxee Valley, view of. 28 

Irrigation, extent of .... _.-----._ .... 29-30,31--33 

need of..-----_-----. _________ .-----____ 65 

waste of water in, evils of------------ 14 

Irrigation canals, descriptions of._. ___ ... J0-31 

discharge measurements of---------- 33 

map showing location of ____ ------____ 30 

Irrigation from wells, extent of------ ____ 53-55 

Irrigation projects.------. ___ ------ ____ 26-29,31 

Kittitas Valley, features of ... ____________ 45--46 

irrigation in------------ ____ ••.••• ----- 26--27 

Leverett, F., cited . ------------------------ 64 

Lindgren, W., cited ..... _____ .-----. _____ .. 62 

Maps,c~ntral Washington---------------- 27 

Cowiche reservoir.----------------·--- 32 

geologic, North Yakima and vicinity. 14 

Moxee Basin, showing location of 

artesian wells .... ____ ------ ____ .... 48 

North Yakima and vicinity, showing 

irrigation canals. _____ -----________ 30 

O'Neil reservoir site ____ ------________ 28 

reservoir site on Sherman's ranch.... 27 

:Moxee Basin, artesian wells in, plat showing location of ... ____ ------________ 48 

form of, plat showing.·----.------____ 48 

Moxee Valley, irrigated lands in. view of. 28 

wells in, views of. ..... ---------------- 50,52 

67 
68 INDEX. 

Page. 

Naches River, discharge of (monthly), 

tables of. ..... ------ .. ____ ---------- 85 

discharge measurement of........ . . . . 29 

drainage area of.----·-- ____ ------______ 35 features of.. ___________________________ 29-31 

gaging stations on ___________ ---------- B4 

view of, near gaging station__________ 34 

Naches Valley, section of Ellens burg formation along north side of .... _ .. _ 17-21 

Newell, F. H., acknowledgmen-ts to....... 12 

letter of transmittal by .. _____ --------

North Yakima and vicinity, geologic 

map of. ... -------- ________ ------____ 14 

map of, showing irrigation canals.... 30 

O'Neil reservoir site, features of. __ .. ____ 28-29 

map of----------------------------·..... 28 

view of dam site of. ... ---------------- 28 

Pictured Rocks, view showing ... ___ ._.... 30 

Rainhll, amount and character of. ___ .. __ 13,55 

Russel~. l. C., cited------ ______ 12, 15,17,45,56,57 

Rye Grass Flat, features of. ________ ------ 43-44 

Sandstone, occurrence and chaPacter of . 42-43 

Sec.4, T.12, R.20, wells in------------------ 49 

Sec. 5, T.12, R. 20, wells in ____ . _____ -------- 49-50 

Sec. 6,'r.12, R.20, wells in ____ ------ ________ 4!1.50 

Sec. 7, T.l2, R. 20, wells in. ____ ------ ____ 49,50-51 

Sec.8, T.12, R. 20, wells in .... ______ ........ 49,51 

Sec. 9, T.12, R.20, wells in .... ----------_ 49,51-52 

Sec.lO, T.12, R.20, wells in _________________ 49,52 

Sec.29, T.13, R.18, wells in-------·----- ____ 49,53 

t5ec.31, T.13, R.20, wells in------------- ..... 49,52 

Sec. 32, T.12, R. 20, wells in_------ ______ . 49,52-53 

Sedimentary beds. See Ellensburg formation. 

Seepage, extent of. ______ ------------------ 56 

Sherman's ranch, reservoir site on, capacity of. _____ ..... _ .. ___ ...... ________ 28 

reservoir site on, map of._____________ 27 

Soil, features of. .......... ----------------- 13-14 

0 

Page. 

Springs, occurrence of------------ .... ____ 43,63 

Stream measurements ...... -------------- 29,33 

Surface springs, occurrence of ........... 41,55 

Surface waters, features of............... 26 

~Surface wells, features of.------ .... __ .... 38 

Temperature, artesian water, discussion 

of. .... ------ ______ .----- ...... _----- 58-62 

atmospberic,mean annuaL ........... 13,58 

Tieton River, features of ____ . ____ .... ____ 30-31 

Todd,J. E., quoted _________________ -------· · 6H 

Topography,features of--------------- 12,22,23 

relation between geologic structure 

and.------------------ ____ ---- ...... 23,25 

Trees, occurrence and varieties of . . . . . . . 13, 29 

Tuffs, occurrence and characters of ..... 16-17 

Underground waters,f~atures of ........ 37-65 

temperatures of.----~----- ...... ·----- 46,49 

See also Artesian water and Artesian 

wells. 

Vegetation, extent and character of.____ 13 

"\Vater resources, features of------ ........ 26-65 

Well casing, value of .... -----·------------ 46 

Wells, location and features of ... 43,44,45,46-65 

views of.-------·-·.----------- ...... 50,52,53 

Wenas Creek, features of------·-------··. 27-29 

Wenas-Selah Basin, features of. ... ------. 42 

Wide Hollow, Wilson well in, view of---- 53 

Yakima basalt, definition of-------------- 15 

depth of.·--------------------------- 16,40-41 · 

occurrence and characters of. .. 15--17,45,61 

outpouring of ----------.---- .... ------ 15-16 

Yakima River, discharge of (monthly), 

tables of--------------------------- 35,36 

drainage area of.______________________ 35 

features of. ____ ----------------------·· 26-27 

gaging station on______________________ 3! 

gaging station on, view of.------------ 34 

Yakima Valley canal, siphon of, view 

showing __________ .... ------·.------ 30