t:. u 

HEI I= f',\0 • , • ), • I · ~-. l.7 Jfal 

00 

I. ~ I I 

It y~ no( J..te61 this publication after it ha• served your purpooe, plcue return it to the .. . ev • 1 ,Geological Survey, using the official mailing label at the end 

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Ill 

UNDERGROUND LEAKAGE 

FROM ARTESIAN WELLS IN THE 

LAS VEGAS AREA, NEVADA 

Prepared in cooperation with the 

STATE ENGINEER OF NEVADA, CLARK COUNTY 

AND THE CITY OF LAS VEGAS 

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WA'l'ER-SUPPLY PAPER 849-D 

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Harold L. Ickes, Secretary 

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

W. C. Mendenhall, Director 

Water-Supply Paper 849-D 

UNDERGROUND LEAKAGE 

FROM ARTESIAN WELLS IN THE 

LAS VEGAS AREA, NEVADA 

BY 

PENN LIVINGSTON 

Prepared in cooperation with the 

STATE ENGINEER OF NEVADA, CLARK COUNTY 

AND THE CITY OF LAS VEGAS 

Contributions to the hydrology of the United States, 1940 

(Pages 147-173) 

UNITED STATES 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 

WASHINGTON: 1941 

}'or aale by the Superintendent of Documents. \Vashington. D. C. - - · - - • • Price IO eenls 

CONT NTS 

Abstract _____________________________ _ 

Introduction ________________________ _ 

Purpose of investigation ___________ ------ ___________________ ---

Previous investigations____________ _ _____________________ ------

Acknowledgments ________________ ----------------------------

General geologic and hydrolbgic features f the artesian basin __________ -

Methods of well construction in relation t underground leakage ________ _ 

Methods of testing wells for underground leakage ________________ ------

Results of tests for underground leakage_ ----------------------------

Summary of leakage tests and suggestion for repairing leaky wells __ ----

Waste of artesian water _________________ -------------------------- Conclusions _________________________ _ 

Well records ________________________ _ 

Index _______________________________ _ 

ILLUSTRATIONS 

PLATE 12. A, Deep-well meter and accessories used for exploring artesian 

wells at Las Vegas, Nev.; B, Removing fittings from well25 

(Sund well) in preparation for test; C, Well 25, under conPage 

147 

147 

147 

148 

148 

148 

151 

154 

155 

166 

167 

168 

170 

173 

Page 

trol and test in progress------------------------------- 158 

13. A, Well 2, owned by L. C. Egglington; B', Well 3, known as 

Syndicate No. 2; C, Well 4, known as Syndicate No. L__ 158 

14. A, Well5, known as Syndicate No.5; B, Well6, owned by R. J. 

Lewis; C, Well 7, owned by H. Oppdyke_______________ 158 

15. A, Well21, owned by J. H. Umbaugh; B, Well24, owned by the 

Lindsay estate; C, Well 33, owned by L. H. Rockwell____ 158 

16. A, Well34, owned by E. M. Cornish; B, Welll35, owned by F. E. 

Armstrong; C, Well 36, owned by F. K Armstrong______ 166 

17. A, Upper lake at the United States fish habchery made by impounding water from flowing artesian wells; B, Lower lake 

at the United States fish hatchery made by impounding 

overflow from the upper lake___________________________ 166 

FIGURE 5. Map of a part of the Las Vegas area showing location of wells 

examined--------------------------------------------- 156 

III 

UNDERGROUND LEAKAGE FROM ARTESIAN WELLS 

IN THE LAS VEGAS AREA, NEVADA 

Br PENN LIVINGSTON 

ABSTRACT 

During the study of artesi1 wells in the Las Vegas area, Nev., 42 wells were 

explored with a current meteT designed for measuring the flow at various points 

in deep wells. Although thl' number is only a small percentage of the total 

number of wells in the basin, t is believed that the conditions found in them are 

representative of conditions i wells throughout the basin. 

Of the 42 wells, 8 could ot be explored to a satisfactory depth, 19 were 

apparently not leaking, and t e remaining wells were leaking, in the aggregate, 

about 375 gallons a minute. f' About 315 gallons of this water escaped from 3 

wells. In 4 wells the leakage as found to be 8 to 15 gallons a minute, and in the 

remaining 7 wells the leakage as very slight. 

From these observations it i concluded that the aggregate leakage from wells is 

not great enough to be responstble for more than a small part of the serious decline 

in water levels and artesian p essure in the basin. However, great quantities of 

water are allowed to flow fro the wells without being used beneficially or economically. It is believed tha~ if the draft on the artesian basin were reduced and 

strict measures of conserv~tion were applied, the pressure would increase 

noticeably, especially in the slallower sands. . 

~NTRODUCTION 

Purpose of the investigai'ion.-In response to a request from. Alfre·d· 

Merritt Smith, State en ineer of Nevada, to the Director of the 

Geological Survey, Unite States Department of the Interior, the 

writer was assigned to m1ke a brief investigation of the underground 

leakage from artesian wel~s in the vicinity of Las Vegas, Nev. The 

project was financed in palrt by contributions from Clark County and 

the city of Las Vegas. It was thought by some people in Las Vegas 

that the underground leak~ge from artesian wells is very large and that 

the decrease in the artesi n pressure that has been taking place from 

year to year is due largel to this underground leakage. One of the 

first steps in a conservatiot program, therefore, was a survey to deter· 

mine the magnitude of t e underground leakage. The field work, 

which was carried on from August 11 to September 13, 1938, consisted 

mainly of exploring wells with the deep-we! current meter, but it 

included also measuring the discharge from owing wells and deter· 

mining their artesian pressures and making easurements of depths 

to water levels in wells that do not overflow. 

I 

147 
148 UNDERGROUND LEAKAGE, LAS VEGAS AREA, NEVADA 

Previous investigations.-The artesian water basin in the vicinity of 

Las Vegas has been the subject of several reports in recent years. In 

1912, a study of the ground water in southeastern Nevada, including 

the Las Vegas basin, was made by Everett Carpenter, 1 and additional 

observations on wells in the basin were made in 1913 by 0. E. Meinzer. 2 

A report 3 by the United States Department of Agriculture on the 

character of the soil in the Las Vegas area contains a paragraph contributed by Hardman pertaining to the artesian basin. Hardman 

and others have been carrying on investigations in the Las Vegas 

area since about 1921 and have written several reports. 4 Reference 

to the Las Vegas artesian basin is made also in a report for the Bureau 

of Reclamation by Kerr.5 

Acknowledgments.-Alfred Merritt Smith, State engineer, and his 

assistant, Hugh Shamberger, spent several days with the writer at 

Las Vegas in connection with the investigation. Valuable assistance 

was given by Walter Bracken, of the Las Vegas Land and Water 

Company; C. F. De Armond, of the Colorado River Commission of 

Nevada; C. D. Baker, city engineer; and the Las Vegas Chamber of 

Commerce. Harry Jameson assisted the writer in the field with the 

well explorations and other work. The local well owners cooperated 

in every way and gave access to their wells and permission to make 

the well explorations. Floyd Francis, James Filbey, Joe Evans, and 

John Frewalt, local well drillers, gave information concerning wells 

and furnished some equipment for making the well tests. 

GENERAL GEOLOGIC AND HYDROLOGIC FEATURES OF 

THE ARTESIAN BASIN 

As far as is known at the present time the artesian water that is 

found in the Las Vegas area probably falls as rain or snow on the 

Spring Mountain Range and moves into the alluvial deposits along 

the foot of the mountains. Some of the formations in the mountains 

consist largely of limestone containing cracks and crevices, and some 

of the precipitation on them may penetrate the rocks to considerable 

depth before the water moves laterally toward the valley; some of the 

precipitation runs on the surface for a short distance from where it 

falls before it sinks into loose material of the stream beds at places 

t Carpenter, Everett, Ground water in southeastern Nevada: U. S. Geol. Survey Water-Supply Paper 

365, 86 pp., 1915. 

'Idem, pp. 42, 43. 

'Carpenter, E. J., and Youngs, F. 0., Soil survey of Las Vegas area, Nev.: U. S. Dept. Agr., Bur. Soils, 

Field Operations, 1923, pp. 243-244, 1926. 

• Bixby, F. L., and Hardman, George, The development of water supplies for irrigation in Nevada by 

pumping from underground sources: Nevada Univ., Agr. Exper. Sta., Bull. 112, 1928. Hardman, George, 

and Miller, M. R., The quality of the waters of southeastern Nevada, drainage basins and water resources: 

• 

Nevada Univ., Agr. Exper. Sta., Bull. 136, 1934. Hardman, George, memorandum on the artesian water ~ 

supply of the Las Vegas vaJley and the proposed supplemental supply from the Colorado River: Resettlement Administration, Land Utilization Div., unpublished report, 1936. 

I Kerr, J. N., Report on Las Vegas pumping projects, Nevada: U.S. Dept. Interior, Bur. Reclamation, 

mimeographed report, 1936. 
UNDERGROUND LEAKAGE, LAS VEGAS AREA, NEVADA 149 

where they cross the coarse outwash from the mountains. Beds of 

clay separating beds of sand and gravel serve to confine the water to 

these permeable beds, and owing to their inclined position they give 

rise to artesian conditions. According to Carpenter,6 the deposits 

range from coarse material close to the mountains to sands and finer 

material farther away and finally to clay and fine sediments near the 

center of the valley. In general, wells drilled in the finer sediments 

in the lower part of the valley yield less water than wells farther up 

the slope to the west, where the deposits are coarser. 

The following logs show the kind of material penetrated by the drill. 

Lime (first water at 28 {eet). Lime and clay ______________ Hard cemented lime ________ Lime and clay mixed _______ Hard cemented lime ________ Clay mixed with lime ______ Very hard materiaL _______ Clay and lime mixed _______ Lime rock __________________ 

Clay and soft lime (water at 174 feet, flowed)._------

Log of well4, Syndicate No. 1 

[Reprinted from Water-Supply Paper 365, p. 34] 

Thickness Depth (feet) (feet) 

28 28 Hard streak ________________ 

12 40 Lime and clay ______________ 

10 50 Hard rock __________________ 

20 70 Clay and lime rock _________ 

~ 85 Hard lime rock, porous _____ 

105 Clay with rock __ _. __________ 

110 Hard streak ________________ 

130 Rock _______________________ 

145 Sand and pebbles._--------

34 179 

Bottom of 12-inch casing at 194 feet; bottom of 10-inch casing at 214 feet. 

Driller's log of well 13 

Thickness Depth (feet) . (feet) 

6 185 

4 189 

10 199 4 203 

8 211 

2 213 

12 225 

5 230 

6 236 

[Owned by Pat Cline. Drilled by James Fllbey in August 1938] 

Sandy loam __ -------------- Lime rock ____________ ------ Blue clay __________________ _ 

Lime rock ____ -------------- Blue clay __________________ _ 

White clay----------------- Red clay __ ----------------- Pink clay._----------------

Clay __ -_------------------- Lime rock _________________ _ 

Clay (small !low of water) __ Lime rock ____ ------ _______ _ 

Red clay_------------------ Lime rock _______ , _________ _ 

Thickness Depth (feet) (feet) 

6 

22 

17 

7 

28 

35 

12 

32 

61 

1 

32 

4 

30 

5 

6 Red clay __________________ _ 28 Limerock _________________ _ 

45 Clay.--------------------·- 52 Sandstone _________________ _ 

80 Clay----------------------- 115 Sandstone (small !low at 420 

127 feet) ________________ ------ 159 Red clay __________________ _ 220 Sandstone _________________ _ 

221 Red clay------------------- 253 Sand and clay _____________ _ 257 Sand ______________________ _ 287 Sand and graveL __________ _ 292 Sand and graveL __________ _ 

Well has 90 feet or 8-inch casing and 595 feet of 6-inch casing. 

Thickness Depth 

(feet) (feet) 

43 335 

7 342 

28 370 

10 380 

31 411 

9 420 5 425 

12 437 

51 488 

14 502 

48 550 

40 590 

10 600 

e Carpenter, Everett, Ground water in southeltern Nevada; U.s. Geol. Survey Water-Supply Paper 

365, p. 40, 1915. 1 

i 

I 
150 CONTRIBUTIONS TO HYDROLOGY OF UNITED STATES, 1940 

Driller's log of well 18 

[Owned by M.D. Kidder. Drilled by Floyd Francis in 1925] 

Thickness Depth Thickness Depth (feet) (feet) (feet) (feet) 

Gypsum and lime conglom· Loose graveL. ______________ 2 222 

erate •.• _ ----------------- 2 2 Cement graveL. __ --------- 54 276 White marL _______________ 13 15 Loose graveL _______________ 4 280 Lime .. ------- ______________ 4 19 Cemented graveL __________ 27 307 Loosb lime and clay ________ 5 24 Loosely cemented graveL ..• 63 370 Yellow sandy clay __________ 86 110 Lime rock; bad to wash into Red sand ___________________ 8 118 well. ____ ----------------- 1 371 

Sandy clay----------------- 30 148 Loose graveL .•...••• : ...... 14 385 

Cement graveL ••••.••••.• _ 72 220 

Water throughout cemented formation. Wen has 262 feet of 8-inch casing; 132 feet of 6-inch casing from 

213 to 345 feet; and 87 feet of 4-inch casing from 294 to 381 feet. 

Driller's log of well 25 (Sund well) 

[Owned by the Lindsay estate. Drilled by Floyd Francis in May 1914] 

Thickness Depth Thickness Depth (feet) (feet) (feet) (feet) 

Surface rock, clay, and talc. 130 130 Sand .• ___ ------ ____________ 6 420 

Rock ... ______ . ___ ---------- 5 135 Clay_"_. _________________ ._ 4 424 

Sandy clay and talc ••..•... 52 187 Cement sand.-------------- 2 426 Lime rock __________________ 3 190 Clay _______________________ 4 430 

Clay and lime rock _________ 10 200 Cement sand.-------------- 2 432 Lime rock.c. _______________ 3 203 Sand, water .. -------------- 17 449 

Sandy clay and talc. _______ 65 268 Cement sand _______________ 3 452 

Conglomerate .••• __________ 59 327 Clay ______________________ . 28 480 Red sand. __________________ 8 335 Sand, sand rock, and clay Sand and graveL ___________ 61 396. (flow at 546 feet) __________ 66 546 Sand rock __________________ 2 398 Cement sand _______________ 39 585 

Sandy clay----------------- 16 414 

Wen has 136 feet of 8-inch casing and 341 feet of 6-inch casing from 61 to 402 feet. 

Driller's log of well 32 

[Owned by State Highway Department. Drilled by Joe Evans in 1935] 

Thickness Depth Thickness Depth 

(feet) (feet) (feet) (feet) 

GraveL __ ---------- ________ 6 6 Gravel (total flow, 22 gal- Hard gyp __________________ 2 8 Ions a minute) ___________ 3 54 

Layers of rock and clay------ 416 424 Red sandy clay _____________ 217 764 

Blue clay. ____________ .. ____ 36 460 Cement gravel (total flow, 

Quicksand (flow, 11 gallons 33 ganons a minute) _______ 106 870 

a minute) __ -------------- 10 470 Red clay _______ -------- __ •. 30 900 

Red sandy clay _____________ 74 544 

7 

~Wen has 150 feet of 10-lnch casing; 200 feet of 8;inch casing; and 200 feet of 6-inch casing. Bottom of casing at 550 feet. . 

Wells that penetrate these beds of sand and gravel overflow when 

the altitude of the land is less than the height to which the artesian 

water will rise. In places where the land surface is above the level to 

which the artesian water will rise the wells do not flow. The first are 

called flowing artesian wells and the second, nonflowing artesian wells. 

The loss of pressure is most noticeable in wells along the western 

edge of the area of artesian flow, where the original pressure brought 

the water only a few feet above the ground. An example is well 2, 

owned by L. C. Egglington. According to a picture of this well taken 
UNDERGROUND LEAKAGE, LAS VEGAS AREA, NEVADA 151 

about 1912 7 the water at that time rose several feet above the ground 

and the flow amounted to 615 gallons a minute. Another picture of 

this well, shown in plate 13, A, was taken September 2, 1938, at which 

time the water level stood 3.3 feet below the surface. 

In some localities there are apparently great differences in the artesian water pressure in the different water horizons. For instance, in 

well17, owned by James Filbey, which was drilled to a depth of about 

625 feet, the water will rise about 90 feet above the land surface; 

whereas in wells 14 and 15, with their present depths of 393 and 425 

feet, respectively, the water will rise only about 9 feet above the land 

surface, even though the surface is lower than at well 17. Wells 33 

and 34 are about a mile apart and at approximately the same altitude, 

but their depths are 386 and 690 feet, respectively. The water will 

rise about 47 feet higher in well34 than in well33. In well12, owned 

by T. J. Thebo, the artesian water from the sands below a depth of 

530 feet will rise 26 feet higher than the water from the sands between 

depths of 120 and 530 feet. 

The overlying, confining beds of clay that hold the water in the . 

lower sands may reach a higher altitude along the foot of the mountains than the confining beds of the higher sands, and thus, by maintaining a higher water level at the intake, they may have caused 

somewhat greater original pressure in the lower sands in localities 

down the dip. It seems likely, however, that the artesian water 

pressures in the sands at different depths did not originally differ 

nearly as much as they do at present and that the differences observed 

in 1938 are due largely to unequal drafts upon the water sands. Some 

of the wells in the Las Vegas area penetrate only the upper sands of 

the artesian system. Because of the lower cost of production from 

the upper sands, they have been drawn upon more heavily and for a 

longer time than the deeper sands, and consequently, the artesian 

pressure has decreased more in the upper sands than it has in the 

lower sands. 

:j.\{ETHODS OF WELL CONSTRUCTION IN RELATION 

TO UNDERGROUND LEAKAGE 

Most wells in the Las Vegas area have been drilled with cable tools. 

It has been the usual practice to drill until the well begins to cave 

and then to install casing of the largest size that can be used. After. 

the hole is cased, drilling is continued with a bit small enough to pass 

through the casing. The smaller hole is carried down until more 

trouble is experienced with ca:ving, and then another string of casing 

is placed. Sometimes the well is drilled to considerable depth by 

allowing the casing to foUow the bit as the hole is deepened. In 

7 Carpenter, Everett, Ground water in southeastern Nevada: U. S. Geol. Survey Water-Supply Paper 

365, pl. 3, A, 1915. 

254412-41-2 
152 CONTRIBUTIONS TO HYDROLOGY OF UNITED STATES, 1940 

other wells casings of successively smaller sizes are used.· As a result 

most of the wells in this area have several sizes of casings that overlap. 

In some wells the casing of smaller size is cut off near the bottom of 

that of the next larger size, and in other wells the smaller casings are 

brought all the way to the surface. As a rule lead seals or packers 

have not been used to make tight connections between casings of 

different sizes. When the first wells were drilled in the area they 

were provided with the minimum length of casing, and some of them 

have as little as 40 to 60 feet. 

In recent years it has been the general practice to "cement" on the 

outside of the largest casing. This is done by pouring a mixture of 

sand and cement down the annular opening outside of the casing, 

clearing the way to some extent by probing with a long stick or rod. 

In nearly all wells the annular space on the outside of the casing was 

full of water when the well was cemented, and sometimes water was 

even flowing out at the surface. It should be pointed out that this is 

an unsatisfactory method of cementing a well. In the first place, the 

concrete does not get down to the lower end of the casing, where it 

belongs, and, in the second place, the sand and cement separate as 

they fall through the water. The sand drops down a short distance 

and bridges in the hole, while the cement floats for a time and then is 

either washed out by the flowing water or becomes waterlogged and 

does not set when it finally comes to rest. 

It is good insurance against leakage to fill the annular space on the 

outside of the casing with cement or clay, but probably a better 

cementing could be accomplished by drilling the well down about 200 

feet with a bit large enough to accommodate a l-inch pipe on the 

outside of the casing, through which neat cement could be introduced 

in a continuous stream to the bottom of the casing. The l-inch pipe 

should be withdrawn as necessary, care being taken that the lower end 

is always below the top of the cement in the hole. If there is an 

overlying water-bearing bed containing corrosive water it is desirable 

that the well be cemented the full length of the casing exposed to 

corrosion, in order to protect the casing and to give support to it if 

parts of it should be eaten away. If there is no corrosive water 

present to atta'Ck the casing it is satisfactory to fill the space with a good 

clay mud introduced through a pipe to the bottom of the casing in the 

same manner as when wells are cemented. 

· The life of a well depends to a very large extent upon the casing 

and upon sound and watertight connections. Accordingly only 

casing of the best grade should be used. Wells that are open to several 

of the artesian water-bearing sands allow water from the deeper sands, 

which are under higher pressure, to flow up through the well and out 

into sands in which the artesian pressure is lower. Other wells that 

are open to unsaturated sands allow artesian water to flow upward in 
UNDERGROUND LEAKAGE, LAS VEGAS AREA, NEVADA - 153 

the well and out into shallow beds of sand and gravel. In wells of the 

first kind there is not strictly a waste of artesian water, because the 

water so lost recharges other artesian sands and probably may be 

recovered by wells yielding from those sands, but this exchange of 

water results in a loss of artesian pressure from the lower sand. 

An example of such exchange of water between sands was found 

in well12, drilled during August and September 1938 for Mr. Thebo. 

This well was cased to a depth of 120 feet with 8-inch casing and was 

drilled deeper with a bit of smaller size. A 6-inch casing, extending 

from the surface to a depth of 530 feet, was set inside the 8-inch casing. 

On September 9, 1938, the water inside the 6-inch casing rose 26.7 

feet above the surface, and the water between the 6-inch and 8-inch 

casings rose only 0. 7 foot above the surface. I£ separate casings to 

these two water-bearing horizons had not been set there would be a 

substantial movement of water from the lower sand into the upper, 

and the water level indicated at the surface would be somewhere 

between 26.7 and 0.7 feet, the exact level depending upon the permeability of the two horizons. 

The volume of artesian water wasted below the surface on account 

of the lack of casing or of poor well construction depends largely 

upon the permeability of the material that overlies the artesian water 

sands. The material in the valley, being outwash from the surrounding mountains, varies greatly in fineness from place to place and 

probably is finest toward the center of the valley. Wells near the 

center of the valley, therefore, should waste less water, other conditions being equal, than those near the mountain. The driller should 

be able, while he is drilling, to determine the permeability of the 

material from the surface down to the artesian horizon. I£ the material below the water table and above the artesian horizon is so 

dense that water has to be added in order to drill, little water will be 

wasted below the water table. If, on the other hand, the well passes 

through coarse sand and gravel, and if bailing seems to have little 

effect upon the water level, the well can be expected to leak considerably unless it is properly cased. In the Roswell artesian basin, New 

Mexico,8 part of the overlying formations consists of permeable 

material, into which large quantities of artesian water can escape 

from the wells. In the Honolulu artesian basin part of the overlying 

formation consists of porous coral, into which artesian water easily 

escaped after holes in the casing had been formed by corrosion.9 In 

the Las Vegas basin, in contrast, especially in its lower part, the overlying formation consists largely of fine material and the shallow 

sands probably are not continuous, being very irregular and lenticular, 

a Fiedler, A. G., !llld Nye, S. 8., Geology and ground-water resources of the Roswell artesian basin, N. 

Mex.: U. 8. Geol. Survey Water-Supply Papar 639, pp. 231-236, 1933. 

o McCombs, John, Methods of exploring !llld repairing feaky artesian wells on the island of Oahu, Hawaii: 

U.S. Geol. Survey Water-Supply Paper 596-A, pp. 4-24, 1927. 
154 CONTRIBUTIONS TO HYDROLOGY OF UNITED STATES, 1940 

and do not provide outlets for underground leakage in large quantities 

from the artesian wells. 

METHODS OF TESTING WELLS FOR UNDERGROUND 

LEAKAGE 

For a number of years the Geological Survey has made investigations 

of wells where faulty construction has suggested that water from the 

artesian basin may be escaping through wells into higher formations 

and in this way may be wasted. For determining leakage in artesian 

wells a special current meter was designed about 1925.10 This meter 

is placed in the well and lowered to the bottom by means of a conductor cable. If the water in the well is flowing it impinges upon the 

vanes of a rotor and turns it with a velocity that is proportional to 

the velocity of the water in the well. In the contact chamber at the 

upper end of the meter shaft an electrical circuit is completed and 

broken at each revolution of the rotor, and this is heard by means of 

earphones worn by the observer. The observer notes the frequency 

of the revolutions and thus determines the velocity at the point where 

the meter is held during the observation. The velocity of the water 

corresponding to different rates of rotation of the meter vanes has 

been determined by calibration tests made at the United States 

Bureau of Standards. The volume of the leakage is computed from 

the velocity of the water and the cross-sectional area of the pipe 

or hole. 

Plate 12 shows the equipment used in the Las Vegas investigation. 

Plate 12, A, shows the meter case, which is 3 inches in inside diameter 

and 36 inches long, and beside it the meter, which is 3 inches in 

outside diameter and about 6 inches long, and the winch with about 

1,000 feet of 0.09-inch steel cable resting upon the box into which it 

folds for moving. On the end of the cable is hanging an assembly 

consisting of bushings ranging in size from 4 inches down to the }k-inch 

packing gland. Plate 12, B, shows the Sund well on the Lindsay 

estate while the pipe fittings were being removed. Plate 12, 0, 

shows the same well under control and the test in progress. 

In order to test the flowing wells that are under high pressure it 

was, of course, desrrable to stop all flow from them at the surface. 

As some of the old fittings on the wells had not been disturbed for 

many years, considerable trouble was experienced in removing them 

so that the proper connections could be made. For the test on the 

Sund well the elbow was unscrewed and replaced by an 8-inch collar. 

Above the collar, in order, were the following fittings: 6-inch 0. D. 

to 4-inch I. D. bushings, a short 4-inch nipple, a 4-inch tee, a 4-foot 

length of standard 4-inch pipe, a 4-inch collar, several bushings 

IO Fiedler, A. G., The Au deep-well current mQter and its uses in the Roswell artesian basin, N. Mex.: 

U. S. Geol. Survey Water-Supply Paper 596, pp. 24-32, 1928. 
UNDERGROUND LEAKAGE, LAS VEGAS AREA, NEVADA 155 

ranging in size from 4 inches to % inch, an }~-inch packing gland, and 

a 4-inch guide pulley. The main valve on the well was first closed 

and the meter placed inside the 4-inch pipe, after which the bushings 

at the top of the pipe were screwed in. After all connections were 

tight and the meter had been tested, the valve was opened and the 

meter was lowered into the well. In this manner it was possible to 

test wells under high pressure without the trouble of raising the casing 

as high above the surface as the artesian water would flow. 

The rotor in the meter turns as the meter is lowered into the well, 

and by carefully observing the velocity of the rotor in relation to the 

rate at which the meter is lowered, any increase in the velocity of the 

water can easily be noted. As an additional check, the meter was 

held steady for observations of velocity at several points in the well. 

In all the tests, the meter was lowered into the well as far as it would go. 

RESULTS OF TESTS FOR UNDERGROUND LEAKAGE 

The results of the tests made in 1938 with the deep-well meter in 

wells in the vicinity of Las Vegas, are as follows: The locations of 

the wells are shown in figure 5, and the well records are given in the 

table on page 170-172. 

WELL 1 

Well 1, owned by H. Taylor, is on ground that is higher than the 

level to which the artesian water will rise; hence the well does not 

flow. On August 15, when the well was inspected, the casing was 

obstructed with rocks about 10 feet below the land surface, so that 

the deep-well meter would not pass that depth. 

WELL 2 

Well 2 is owned by L. C. Egglington. The water level in the well 

is about 3 feet below the land surface. A view of this well taken about 

1912 appears in a previous report.U It was reported to have had a 

flow of about 615 gallons a minute at that time. Plate 13, A, shows a 

view taken September 2, 1938. In an effort to keep the well flowing 

as long as possible, holes have been punched in the casing near ground 

level, and a trench has been dug from the well through the earthen 

embankment that used to form the tank. This well furnishes a good 

example of what will happen to other wells as the artesian pressure 

declines. The meter was lowered into this well on August 26 to a 

depth of 273 feet below the top of the casing, which is 2.5 feet above 

the ground, and no underground leakage was found. The reason 

that this well does not flow, therefore, is because the artesian pressure 

in the water-bearing formation has decreased and not because the 

well is defective. 

11 Carpenter, Everett, Ground water in southeastern Nevada: U. S. Geol. Survey Water-Supply Papell' 

365, pl. 3, A, 1915. 
156 CONTRIBUTIONS TO HYDROLOGY OF UNITED STATES, 1940 

R 60 E R 61 E 

18 )) 33 

0 

30 _1 14 13 '• " 

T ~~ T 21~------+-------4-~~~-#-------4~----~~------t-----~21 

13 • 15 

s " ,, ,!11" " ~:, " " s 

T 

22-

5 

25 

36 

6 5 

• 1 Flowing artesian wel l 

0 5 Nonflowing artesian well 

N,umber corresponds with 

number in well table 

Base com pried ~CD. Baker, 

Las Vegas, Nevada I 

0 h 4 1 

::;~ 4 

R. 61 E. 0 

26 25 

35 36 

2 Miles 

Ji'JGonE 5.-Map of a part of tbe Las Vegas area showing location of wells examined. 
UNDERGROUND LEAKAGE, LAS VEGAS AREA, NEVADA 157 

WELL 3 

Well 3 is known as Syndicate well No. 2. (See pl. 13, B.) It is 

provided with a valve to control the flow. The artesian pressure at 

this location is barely great enough to force the water above ground. 

The meter was lowered into the well August 26 to a depth of 236 

feet below the top of the tee, which is about 2 feet above ground, .and 

no underground leakage was found. 

WELL 4 

Well 4 is known a~ Syndicate well N0. 1. (See pl. 13, 0.) It is 

provided with a valve to control the flow. The artesian pressure at 

this location is also barely great enough to force the water above 

ground. The meter was lowered into this well on August 27 to a depth 

of 247 feet below the top of the tee, which is 2.7 feet above ground, 

and no underground leakage was found. 

WELL 5 

Well 5 is known as S;yndicate well No. 5. (See pl. 14, A.) It is 

provided with a valve to control the flow. It is just east of the highway leading to Tonopah, and the waste of water frt>m it has been discussed by riiany people who pass it. The meter was lowered into this 

weJl on August 27 to a depth of 264 feet below the top of the plug, 

which is 4.5 feet above ground, and no underground leak~_ge was 

found. 

WELL 6 

Well 6 is owned by R. J. Lewis. (See pl. 14, B.) The well is provided With a valve to control -the flow. There is a continuous flow 

from a spring beside it estimated at about 15 gallons a minute when 

the valve is closed but a little less when th~ well is allowed to flow 

freely. The meter was lowered into this well on August 29 to a depth 

of 270 feet below the top of the tee, which is a_bout 2 feet .S:bove 

ground. When the valve was closed there was a flow of water in this 

well amounting to about 13 gallons a minute. The water came from 

a depth of 220 to 270 feet and flowed up the well through the 6-inch 

casing to within about 6 feet of the surface of the ground, at which 

level it flowed over the top of the 6-inch casing. Thence it flowed 

down between the 6-inch and 8-inch casings and passed through or 

under the 8-inch casing, probably coming to the surface on the outside, as shown hy the spring. 

WELL 7 

Well 7 is owned by H. Oppdyke. (Seep. 14, 0.) It flows without 

control. The meter was lowered into this well on August 23 to a; 

depth of 101 feet below the ground. When the well was closed at 
158 CONTRffiUTIONS TO HYDROLOGY OF UNITED. STATES, 1940 

the top there was a flow of about 35 gallons a minute. The water 

came from the bottom of the well, passed upward, and escaped at a 

level of 41 to 43 feet below the surface. 

WELL 8 

Well 8 is owned by John Frewalt, well driller. It has not been 

completed and probably will be drilled deeper. It was tested to determine possible leakage through the casing. The meter was lowered 

into this well on August 27 to a depth of 302 feet below the top of 

the casing, which is about 2 feet above ground, and no leakage was 

found. 

WELL 9 

Well9 is owned by the Las Vegas Building & Land Co. It does not 

overflow. When inspected om. August 29 it was obstructed with rocks 

at ground level, and therefore the meter could not be used. 

WELL 10 

Well10 belongs to the town of North Las Vegas and is used for a 

public water supply. It is on the southwest side of the water tank 

and overflows into the tank. -The meter was lowered into the well on 

September 10 to a depth of 524 feet below the top of the tee, which is 

about 2 feet above grou,nd. A slight movement of wq,ter seemed to 

occur from a depth of more than 250 feet to a depth of less than 50 

feet below the surface. 

WELL 11 

The town of North Las Vegas also owns well 11, which is on the east 

side of the water tank. The meter was lowered into this well on 

September 10 to a depth of 146 feet below the top of the tee, which 

is about a foot above ground. Down to this depth, below wh~ch the 

meter could not be lowered, no underground leakage was found. It is 

believed that the casing had been perforated at about 146 feet and 

that the meter was prevented from going farther down by pieces of 

metal left projecting into the well by the perforator. 

WELL 12 

Well 12 is owned by T. J. Thebo, and drilling had just been completed when the well was inspected. The meter was lowered on 

September 9 to a depth of 639 feet below the top of the 8-inch collar, 

which is 1. 7 feet above ground. There was a flow in this well of about 

5 gallons a minute. The water came from the bottom of the well, 

moved upward, and escaped into another sand before it reached the 

bottom of the 6-inch casing at a depth of 530 feet below the surface. 

This movement was probably due to a slightly lower artesian pressure . 

in the upper sand. There was no indication of any leakage around 

the bottom of the 6-inch casing. 
CEOLOG l CA L SURY}JY WA'l'ER- SUPPLY PAPER 849 P L ATE 12 

A. DEEP-WELl, METE R AND ACCESSORIES USED FOR EXPLOHING ARTESIAN WELLS 

AT LAS VEGAS, NEV. 

B. REMOVING FITTINGS FHOM WET..L 25 (SUND WELL) TN PRE PAUATION FOU TEST 

C. WELL 25, UNDER CONTROL AND TEST l N J'ROG RESS. 
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 1849 PLATE 13 

B. WELL 3, K NOWN AS SYNDICATE NO. 2. 

A. WELL 2, OWNED BY L. C. EGGLINGTON. 

C. WELL 4, K NOWN AS SYNDICATE NO. l. 
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY W ATER-SUPPLY PAPER 849 PLATE 14 

A. WELL 5, KNOWN AS SYNDICATE NO. 5. 

B. WELL 6, OWNED BY R . .T . LEWIS. C. WELL 7, OWNED UY H. OPPDYKE. 

Note artesian s pr ing around \H' II casi ng. 
GEO LOGI CAL SURVE Y WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 849 PLATE !.') 

A. WELL 21, OWNED BY J. H . UMBAUGH. 

C. WELL 33, OWNED BY L. H. ROCKWELL. 
UNDERGROUND LEAKAGE, LAS VEGAS AREA, NEVADA 159 

WELL 13 

Well13 is owned by Pat Cline and is in the rear of the bottling works. 

The flow is under control. The well was drilled during August 1938 

and is reported to have 595 feet of 6-inch casing. The meter was 

lowered on August 23 to a depth of 600 feet, and a flow of about 15 

gallons a minute was found escaping around the lower end of the casing. 

WELL 14 

Well14 is owned by A. W. Blackman. The flow is under control. 

The meter was l()wered into the well on August 25 to a depth of 395 

feet below the top of the tee, which is about 2.4 feet above ground, 

and no underground leakage was found. 

WELL 15 

Well15 is owned by Mrs. Myrtle Tate. The flow can be controlled. 

The meter was lowered on August 24 to a depth of 425 feet below the 

surface, and no underground leakage was found. The test showed that 

a small flow of water that was escaping through fittings at the surface 

during the test came from a depth of 370 to 390 feet. There seems to 

be a reduction in the size of the casing from 8-inch to 6-inch about H) 

feet below the surface. 

WELL 16 

Well 16 is owned by Helen Nagel. It is on ground that is higher 

than the level to which the water will rise by artesian pressure. There 

are indications, however, that the well has flowed in recent years. It 

was explored with the meter on August 26 to a depth of 368 feet below 

the top of the casing, which is 5 feet above ground. A very slight 

movement seemed to take place between depths of 150 and 200 feet. 

WELL 17 

Well17 is owned by James Filbey, well driller, who intends to make 

repairs as soon as possible. The flow from the well is under control 

with the exception of a flow of about 30 gallons a minute that issues 

between the 6-inch and 8-inch casings. The meter was lowered on 

August 24 to a depth of 618 feet below the top of the valve, which is 

about 2 feet above ground. 

Record of velocity in well 17 

Depth (feet) 

7------------ 15 __________ _ 

30----------- /i() __________ _ 

70----------- 100 _________ _ 125 _________ _ 130 _________ _ 

Velocity 

(teet per second) Depth (feet) 

0. 04 132.5.------- .04 135 _________ _ . 04 140 _________ _ . 04 1/i() _________ _ . 04 170 _________ _ 

. 04 200 _________ _ . 04 250 _________ _ • 07 300 _________ _ 

254412-41-3 

Velocity 

(feet per second) Depth (feet) 

o. 21 350 _________ _ • 33 400 _________ _ . 35 450 _________ _ .35 460 _________ _ • 35 462 _________ _ . 34 464 _________ _ • 34 465 _________ _ 

• 33 466 _________ _ 

Velocity 

(feet per 

second) 

Velocity Depth (feet) (feet per second) 

0. 33 470 _________ _ • 34 490 _________ _ 

. 33 500 _________ _ . 34 550 _________ _ 

• 34 600---------- .34 615 _________ _ 

. 42 617 ---·------ • 46 618 _________ _ 

0.49 

.48 

.liO 

.liO 

.48 

.47 

• 42' 

• 26-
160 CONTRIBUTIONS TO HYDROLOGY OF UNITED STATES, 1940 

The owner reports that the well has 120 feet of 8-inch casing, 450 

feet of 6-inch casing, and 620 feet of 4-inch casing. On the basis of a 

4-inch casing extending to the bottom of the well the flow from depths 

of 125 feet to 7 feet amounts to a little over a gallon a minute, which 

about equttls the amount of leakage in the p-ipe fittings above the surface dv.ring the test. ~ The flow from 615- to 466 feet amounted to 

about 15 gallons a minute, and the flow from 464 to 135 feet amounted 

to about 11 gallons a minute. Evidently the water flowing in the 

well during the test came from the bottom of the well. The leakage 

was of necessity measured inside the 4-inch casing and, of co11rse, does 

not indicate the possible leakage under or through the 8-inch casing or 

the leakage from lower sands into upper sands having lower artesia_n 

pressure. The static artesian water pressure, amounting to about 90 

feet with reference to the surface, is the highest pressure measured during the investigation. The volume of water flowing up between the 

6-inch and 8-inch casings seems to be increasing, and it probably 

represents an excess from the lower sands that is not being taken in by 

the upper sands. As the pressure builds up in the upper sands less 

water is taken in and more water comes to the surface. 

WELL 18 

Well 18, owned by M.D. Kidder, is on ground above the level to 

which the artesian water will rise. The meter was lowered on August 

18 to a depth of 210 feet below the top of the casing, which is about a 

foot above ground, and no underground leakage was found. According 

to the driller's log the well has 262 feet of 8-inch casing; 132 feet of 

6-inch casing, from 213 to 345 feet; and 86 feet of 4-inch casing, from 

295 to 381 feet. The meter doubtless struck the top of the 6-inch 

casing at a depth of 210 feet. As water would be most likely to come 

up· through the 6-inch casing, because of greater pressure in the 

deeper sands, special care was taken to determine any movement at 

the top of that casing, but none was found. 

WELL 19 

Well 19 is owned by W. N. Hinson. The flow is under control. 

The meter was lowered on September 7 to a depth of 276 feet below 

the top of the 8-inch collar, which is 0.5 foot above ground. When 

the valve was closed there was a flow in this well amounting to about 

8 gallons a minute. The water came up from a depth of about 275 

feet, passed over the top of the 6-inch casing at a depth of 10 to 15 

feet, and thence probably escaped through or under the 8-inch casing. 

WELL 20 

Well20 is owned by I. M. Pinjuv. The flow is under control. The 

meter was lowered on August 18 to a depth of 270 feet below the 
UNDERGROUND LEAKAGE, LAS VEGAS AREA, NEVADA 161 

ground and no velocity was recorded. This well was reported to be 

cased with 292 feet of 6-inch standard pipe, and therefore the meter 

was in the cased portion of the hole during the test. The meter did not 

reach the bottom of the casing, where any leakage would be likely to 

occur. The casing was perforated after it had been placed in the 

well, and it is believed that the meter was caught on projecting pieces 

of metal left by the perforator. 

WELL 21· 

Well 21 is owned by J. H. Umbaugh. It is provided with a valve 

to control the flow. A view of this well is shown in plate 15, A. 

After removing the 10-inch tee 1111d valve, it was discovered that the 

8-inch casing inside the 11-inch casing projects above the 10-inch 

collar. Pipe fittings were not available to bring the well under control 

for testing. 

WELL 22 

Well 22 also is owned by J. H. Umbaugh. The flow can be controlled. The well was explored with the meter on September 7 to a 

depth of 224 feet below the top of the 6-inch casing, which is 1. 7 feet 

above ground, and no underground leakage was found. There was 

evidence of a reduction from 6-inch to 4-inch casing at a depth of 

167 feet. 

WELL 28 

Well 23 is owned by Fred Gobeli. It is not provided with a control 

valve. The meter was lowered on September 8 to a depth of 229 feet 

below the top of the 6-inch casing, which is about 3 feet above ground, 

and no underground leakage was found. 

WELL 24 

Well 24 is owned by the Lindsay estate. It is provided with a valve 

to control the flow. A view of it is shown in plate 15, B. The meter 

was lowered on September 6 to a depth of 555 feet below the top of 

the 8-inch valve, which is about 2 feet above ground. As soon as 

the control valve was closed, a spring with a flow estimated at 30 

gallons a minute appeared near the well. On the basis of an 8-inch 

well casing, about 50 gallons a minute entered the well while it was 

shut in and moved upward. About 10 gallons a minute was lost 

from the well at a depth of 470 to 495 feet, about 11 gallons a minute 

was lost at a depth of 402 feet, and the remaining flow of 26 to 28 

gallons a minute continued upward and left the well at a depth of 

64 feet. It is believed that about all the water escaping from the well 

comes to the surface through the spring beside the well. 
162 CONTRIBUTIONS TO HYDROLOGY OF UNI1'ED STATES, 1940 

Depth (feet) Velocity 

(fePt per second) 

Record of velocity in well 24 

Velocity Depth (feet) (feet per 

second) 

Velocity Depth (feet) (feet I!lll' secona) Velocity Depth (feet) (feet per second) 

--------11-----l----11-----l----11----1----

20 _________ _ 

4lj _________ _ 

60 .. --------- 62 _________ _ 

63---------- 64 _________ _ 65 _________ _ 70 _________ _ 75 _________ _ 85 _________ _ 

0 95 _________ _ 

0 120 .. -------- 0 145 ________ _ .04 170 ________ _ 

.11 195 .. -------- .14 220 ________ _ . 23 245 ________ _ .18 270 ________ _ 

.18 295 .. -------- .18 3!15 .. --------

• Obstruction at 555.5 feet. 

0.18 395 .. -------- .18 400 .. -------- .18 402 ________ _ .20 403 ________ _ .19 405 ________ _ 

• 19 410 .. -------- .19 420 ________ _ .19 445 ________ _ .20 470 ________ _ 

.20 

WELL 25 

0. 21 495 .. ------'- .20 498 ______ , __ 

. 20 500 .. -------- .27 505 ________ _ . 27 515 ________ _ 

. 27 525 ................ .. . 27 535 ________ _ . 27 545 ________ _ • 28 5551 _______ _ 

0.37 

.33 

.34 

.34 

.36 

.37 

.37 

.37 

.35 

Well 25 is owned by the Lindsay estate and is known as the Sund 

well. It is provided with a valve to control the flow, but when the 

valve is closed a large number of small springs appear near the well. 

Views of this well are shown in plate 12, B, 0. On September 7 the 

valve was closed and the flow from the springs as measured was 230 

gallons a minute. On the following day, after the well had been 

flowing with the valve open for about 24 hours, the total flow from 

the springs and the well amounted to 360 gallons a minute. The meter was lowered on September 7 to a depth of 230 feet below the valve, 

which is about at ground level. According to the driller's log, the 

well has 136 feet of 8-inch casing and 341 feet of 6-inch casing (from 

62 to 402 feet). On the basis of a 6-inch casing, there was a flow of 

about 15 gall_ons a minute. The water moved up inside the 6-inch 

casing from a depth of about 230 feet and gradually left the well between depths of 194 and 94 feet below the surface. The meter would 

not go below a depth of 230 feet, but the comparatively high velocity 

recorded at 230 feet, together witp. the obstruction, indicate that there 

may be a large leakage at that depth. 

Record of velocity in well 25 

Velocity Depth (feet) (feet per 

second) 

Velocity Depth (feet) (feet per 

second) 

Velocity Depth (feet) (feet per second) 

Velocity Depth (feet) (feet per 

second) 

19 _________ _ o. 01 169 ________ _ 

44 .. --------- .00 172 ________ _ 69 _________ _ .01 177 ________ _ 

94 .. --------- .02 179 ________ _ 119 ________ _ .04 164 ________ _ 144 ________ _ .07 186 ________ _ 152 ________ _ .07 187 ________ _ 

167--------- .07 188 ________ _ 

0. 07 189 ________ _ .07 194 ________ _ 

• 08 199 .. -------- .11 209 .. -------- .13 214 ________ _ 

.14 217---------

.15 219 .. -------- .18 

WELL 26 

0.18 22Q ________ _ 

.19 222 ________ _ .19 224 ________ _ 

.19 227---------

.19 228 .. -------- .19 229 ________ _ .19 230 ________ _ 

0.19 

.19 

.19 

.19 

,19 

.19 

.35 

Well 26 is known as Syndicate well No. 6. It is provided with a 

valve to control the flow. The top of the valve is about at the h~ight 

to which the artesian water will rise, and, as the pressure varies from 
UNDERGROUND LEAKAGE, LAS VEGAS AREA, NEVADA 163 

day to day, the flow is intermittent. The meter would not pass an 

obstruction about 4 feet below the surface. 

WELL 27 

Well27 is owned by J. 0. BleVins. The flow is under control. The 

meter was lowered into this well on August 25 to a depth of 345 feet 

below the top of the valve, which is about 4 feet above ground, and 

no underground leakage was found. 

WELL 28 

Well 28 is owned by W. M. Sweet. It is provided with 'a valve 

to control the flow. The meter was lowered on September 1 to a 

depth of 363 feet below the top of the valve, which is about 2.5 feet 

above ground. When the valve was closed there was a small flow 

in the well of about 2 gallons a minute. The water came up from a 

depth between 345 and 363 feet, flowed over the top of the 6-inch 

casing at a depth of 9 feet, and thence went down between the 6-inch 

and 8-inch casings. It probably esca,Ped from the well by passing 

through or under the 8-inch casing. 

WELL 29 

Well 29 is owned by Henry Deadrich. It is on ground above the 

level to which the artesian water will rise. The meter was lowered 

on August 31 to a depth of 222 feet below the top of the casing, which 

is about a foot above ground, and no underground leakage was found. 

WELL 30 

Well 30 is close to the house of C. A. Bryant, and the land surface at the well site is above the level to which artesian water will 

rise. The well was explored on September 1 to a depth of 226 feet 

below the top of the casing, which is about a foot above ground. 

There was a very small flow in this well. The water came up pa~t . 

a depth of 226 feet and escaped from the well at a depth of about 

148 feet. 

WELL 31 

Well31, owned by the city of Las Vegas, is known as the Woodard 

well. The flow is under control. The meter was lowered on August 

31 to a depth of 294 feet below the top of the tee, which is about 2 

feet above ground, and no underground leakage was found. 

WELL 32 

Well 32 is owned by the Nevada State Highway Department. 

The flow is under control. The meter was lowered-on September 8 

to a depth of 647 feet below the top of the 10-inch casing, which is 

about 1.7 feet above ground, and no underground leakage was found. 
164 CONTRIBUTIONS TO HYDROLOGY OF UNITED STATES, 1940 

WELL 33 

Well 33 is owned by L. H. Rockwell. No provision has been made 

to control the flow. A view of the well is shown on plate 15, 0. The 

meter was lowered into the well on September 6 to a depth of 387 

feet below the top of the casing, which is 1.3 feet above ground. 

There was a small flow of about 2 gallons a mfuute. The water entered 

the well between depths of 327 and 34 7 feet, moved upward, and 

escaped between depths of 317 and 299 feet. A few very small 

springs appear around. the well when it is shut in. 

Record of velocity in well 33 

Velocity Depth {feet) {feet per second) Depth {feet) 

G-297 ______ _ 0 303 ________ _ 297 ________ _ 0 304 ________ _ 

299_- ------- .01 305 ________ _ 301 ________ _ .01 306 ________ _ 302 ________ _ .01 307 ________ _ 

Velocity 

{feet per second) 

I Velocity Depth {feet) (feet per second) 

Velocity Depth {feet) {feet per second) 

0.02 308 ________ _ .02 317 ________ _ . 02 327 ________ _ 

.02 337 ________ _ .02 847 ________ _ 

WELL 34 

0.02 357 ________ _ .03 367 ________ _ 

.03 387 ________ _ .02 385 ________ _ 

.01 

0.01 

0 

0 

0 

Well 34 is owned by E. M. Cornish. A valve is provided to control 

the flow at the surface. A view is shown on plate 16, A. Explorations 

were made with the meter on September 6 to a depth of 691 feet below 

the top of the casing·, which is about 2 feet above ground. The pipe 

fittings at the surface were leaking about 2 gallons a minute during the 

test, which accounts for all movement recorded down to a depth of 377 

feet. In the absence of the casing record it is impossible to determine 

accurately what is taking place below that depth. If the well is 

cased with 6-inch casing, as seen at the surface, down to 380 feet, and 

if there is no casing below that depth, there may be a leak around the 

end of the casing amounting to about 5 gallons a minute. In any 

event the leakage is small and need not be considered serious. 

Record of velocity in well 34-

Depth {feet) Velocity {feet per second) Depth {feet) Velocity 

(feet per second) 

Velocity Depth {feet) {feet per eecond) Depth {feet) Velocity 

{feet per second) 

15 ___________ 0.02 245 __________ 0.02 380 _________ 0.09 520 _________ 0.04 45 __________ .02 270 _________ .02 381_ ________ .12 545 _________ .04 70 ___________ .02 320 _________ .02 382c ________ .06 570 _________ .04 95 __________ .02 345 _________ .02 385 _________ .07 595 _________ 120 _________ .Oi 

.02 370 _________ .02 395 _________ .04 620 _________ 145 _________ .M 

.01 375 _________ .01 420 _________ .M MIL ________ .M 170 _________ .02 377 _________ .02 4i5 _________ .03 670 _________ .02 195 _________ .02 378 _________ .05 470 _________ .M 689 _________ 220 _________ 0 

.02 379 _________ .09 495 _________ .03 691_ ________ 0 
UNDERGROUND LEAKAGE, LAS VEGAS AREA, NEVADA 165 

WELL 35 

Well35, owned by F. E . .Armstrong, is near the ranch house. No 

provision has been made to control the flow. A view of the well taken 

September 2, 1938, is shown in plate 16, B, and a view taken more than 

20 years ago, when it was known as "Barnsley's flowing well," appears 

in a previous report.12 The meter was lowered on September 1 to a 

depth of 110 feet below the top of the casing, which is about a.foot 

above ground, and no underground leakage was found. This test was 

not satisfactory, because the meter probably did not reach the bottom 

of the casing. The well was partly obstructed at a depth of 37 feet 

and totally obstructed at 110 feet. 

WELL 36 

Well36 is also owned by F. E. Armstrong. It is in the southwest 

corner of the property. No provision has been made to control the 

flow. Explorations were made with the meter on September 1 to a 

depth of 346 feet below the top of the 8-inch collar, at ground level, 

and no underground leakage was found. A view of this well is shown 

in plate 16, 0. 

WELL 37 

Well37 is owned by G. T. Tallackson. The flow is under control. 

The meter was lowered into the well on August 30 to a depth of 24 7 

feet below the top of the 4-inch tee, 1.5 feet above ground, and no 

underground leakage was found. 

WELL 38 

Information as to the ownership of well 38 was not obtained. 

The well is not provided with a control valve. The meter was 

lowered on August 30 to a depth of 265 feet below the top of the 

6-inch collar, which is about 1.5 feet above ground, and no underground leakage was found. The pipe fittings leaked about 2 gallons 

a minute during the test, and this leakage was found to be coming 

from a depth of 236 to 241 feet. 

WELL 39 

Well 39 is owned by F. R. Mildren. It is provided with a valve 

to control the flow. The meter was lowered oil August 30 to a 

depth of 222 feet below the top of the tee, which is at ground level, 

and no underground leakage was found. 

WELL 40 

Well 40, owned by W. E. Ferron, is situated on ground above the 

level to which the artesian water will rise. The meter was lowered 

11 Carpenter, Everett, Ground water in southeastern Nevada: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Supply 

Paper 365, pl. 3, B, 1915. 
166 CONTRIBUTIONS TO HYDROLOGY OF UNITED STATES, 1940 

on August 31 to a depth of 103 feet below the top of the casing, 

0.5 foot above ground, and no underground leakage was found. 

WELL 41 

Well41, owned by Maude Fitzpatrick, is situated on ground above 

the level to which the artesian water will rise. The meter was 

lowered on August 31 to a depth of 359 feet below the top of the 

casing, which is 4 feet above ground, and no underground leakage 

was found. 

WELL 42 

W ell42, owned by Daisy Bell, is on ground above the level to which 

the artesian water will rise. The meter was lowered on August 31 

to a depth of 128 feet below the top of the casing, which is about a 

foot above ground, and no underground leakage was found. 

SUMMARY OF LEAKAGE TESTS AND SUGGESTIONS 

FOR REPAIRING LEAKY WELLS 

Of the 42 wells listed in this report 34 were tested to a satisfactory 

depth. The 8 wells not tested were caved or obstructed or for some 

other reason could not be tested to a depth at which leakage might 

be expected. The estimated total amount of underground leakage 

in the 34 wells tested was about 375 gallons a minute, of which about 

300 gallons a minute came to the surface as springs in the vicinity 

of the wells. Most of the flow of 375 gallons a minute was lost 

from wells 7, 24, and 25. The leaks from the other wells tested are 

small and need not be considered further. 

Well 7 leaks about 35 gallons a minute at a depth of about 41 to 

43 feet, and the water thus lost evidently does not come to the surface near the well. The leak could be repaired by first pumping the 

well hole full of .clay through a small pipe extending to the bottom, 

then removing the casing and setting a new string of casing to a 

much greater depth, and finally cementing on the outside of the 

casing by pumping cement through a small pipe extending to the 

bottom of the casing. 

Well 24 leaks about 10 gallons a minute at a depth of 470 to 495 

feet, 11 gallons a minute at 402 feet, and 26 to 28 gallons a minute 

at 64 feet. The movement below 400 feet is probably that of water 

flowing into upper sands that are under lower artesian pressure. In 

view of the fact that about 30 gallons a minute comes to the surface 

in the form of a spring close to the well, it appears probable that 

most of the underground leakage goes to supply this spring. It 

seems inadvisable to attempt to repair this well until a rigid conservation program covering the whole artesian basin is in force. 

The springs surrounding well 25 flow about 230 gallons a minute. 

As this represents a large percentage of the total flow from the well, 
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY W ATER-SUPPLY PAPER 849 PLATE 16 

A. WELL 34, OWNED BY E. M. COHNl SI:l. 

ll. WELL 35, OWNED BY F. E . AHMSTHONG. 
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WA'l'ER- SUPPLY PAPE R 849 PLATE 17 

A. UPPER LAKE AT THE UNITED STATES FISH HATCHERY, MADE BY IMPOUNDING 

WATER FHOM FLOWING ARTESIAN WELLS. 

B. LOWER LAKE AT THE UNITED STATES FISH HATCHERY, MADE BY IMPOUNDING 

OVERFLOW FROM THE UPPER LAKE. 
... 

UNDERGROUND LEAKAGE, LAS VEGAS AREA, NEVADA 167 

it shows either that the passageway on the outside of the casing is 

open and offers little friction to the movement of water or that the 

casing is obstructed and offers a nearly equal amount of friction. 

It is unfortunate that the well is so obstructed at 230 feet that the 

meter could not be lowered below that depth. It is believed, however, 

that most of the underground leakage comes to the surface and that 

there is no necessity for repairing this well until a serious effort is 

made to reduce the waste due to flowing wells from the whole artesian 

basin. When it becomes necessary to repair this well it could be 

brought under control by pumping it full of clay through a pipe, 

1~ or 2 inches in diameter, leading to the bottom of the well. It might 

then be possible to pull out all the casing, ream the hole larger to a 

depth of about 200 feet, set a new casing, and cement on the outside 

of it. If difficulty were experienced in getting a tight seal at the 

bottom of the casing for cementing, the mud from the bottom of the 

well up to a depth of about 200 feet could 'be replaced with sand 

through a pipe leading to the bottom. · Later the mud or sand could 

be removed from the well by circulating water in it or by means of an • 

air-lift pump. Probably it would ·be cheaper, however, to seal this 

well with clay and a cement plug and to drill a new well than to 

attempt repairs. 

It is believed that the waterlogging of the ground east of the group 

of wells comprising Nos. 19 to 23 is caused by irrigation from these 

wells and is not due to underground leakage from them. The surface 

flow from this group amounts to at least 450 gallons a minute continuously. · 

Only a small percentage of the total number of artesian wells in 

the valley were tested with the current meter. It is believed, however, that the underground leakage from wells is very small, except 

from a few that are poorly constructed or improperly cased. 

WASTE OF ARTESIAN WATER 

It has been reported by Floyd Francis, well driller, that the first 

·flowing artesian well in the Las Vegas basin was drilled in the 

NWXNEX sec. 21, T. 20 S., R. 61 E., in the year 1907. Since then 

wells have been drilled from time to time until in 1938 there were probably between 200 and 300 artesian wells in the basin. For the most 

part, if water from a well has not caused any local inconvenience the 

well has been allowed to flow in full force year after year. Many 

wells have flowed unchecked ever since the day they were drilled. 

As the artesian pressure has been lowered, the flow from some 

wells has decreased considerably and other wells have ceased to flow. 

As the pressure in the upper artesian sands has declined, new wells 

have been drilled to the deeper sands, and these, too, are allowed to 

flow uncontrolled. The flow from some of the wells irrigates only a 
168 CONTRIBUTIONS TO HYDROLOGY OF UNITED STATES, 1940 

few cottonwood trees surrounding abandoned homes. The flow from 

wells 24 and 25, amounting to a measured total of over 1,100 gallons 

a minute during September 1938, waters a few head of stock, and the 

surplus goes to form a wild..:duck pond. Plate 17, A and B, shows 

.views of two fish ponds belonging to the United States fish hatchery 

that are supplied from flowing artesian wells. The seepage from these 

earth-banked ponds has spread out down the slope and can be seen 

nearly as far as the Las Vegas-Tonopah highway, a mile away. 

Attempts are being made in some localities to combine the flow of 

water from several wells and to carry it in open earthen ditches for 

several miles to places where it is used for irrigation. The soil absorbs 

water readily and only a small part of the flow at the wells reaches 

the land to be irrigated. In these localities the water from the 

artesian wells is generally allowed to flow in the ditches all winter in 

order that the soil along the ditches will be wet when spring comes. 

It is believed that if this soil were allowed to dry out during the winter 

the water from the wells would probably not reach the fields during 

the summer. There are no water metel1'l in the waterworks that 

supply the city of Las Vegas. The Las Vegas Land and Water Co., 

which owns and operates the waterworks, reports that with the advent 

of air-conditioning, water consumption has increased, until in 1938 

the city; with a population of about 8,000, is consuming about 

5,000,000 gallons a day. This water is obtained by the company 

from the original spring and from two flowing wells that discharge 

into the main reservoir. The wells are allowed to flow without 

control, and any excess water that the city does not use overflows 

into the creek and so reaches a ranch northeast of the city. 

CONCLUSIONS 

The results of the tests with the deep-well current meter in 34 

artesian wells in the Las Vegas area show that the underground 

leakage from these wells is small. A few wells that are poorly constructed or improperly cased leak an appreciable amount of water, but 

the aggregate leakage is small. 

It is believed that the wells tested are fairly representative of the 

wells in the area and that the loss of artesian water by underground 

leakage is not great. The material of the valley fill varies widely 

from place to place, but it is generally coarser near the mountains and 

finer toward the valley, and therefore wells are less likely to leak 

through the fine overlying material in the valley than through the 

coarser material toward the mountains. The material varies so 

widely from place to place that it is only by knowing the permeability 

of the overlying material at each well that it is possible to judge the 

amount of water that may waste from the well below the ground and 

the'care that is necessary in placing and cementing the casing. New 

.. 
UNDERGROUND LEAKAGE, LAS VEGAS AREA, NEVADA 169 

wells should be tightly cased and the casing cemented to a depth of at 

least 200 feet. 

Much artesian water that is discharged by wells is wasted or put to 

low use. The area a short distance east of wells 19 to 23 is probably 

waterlogged by artesian water used in surface irrigation rather than 

by underground leakage from the artesian wells. The ground near 

the United States fish hatchery is being waterlogged chiefly by seepage 

from the lakes that are maintained by the flow from artesian wells 

and not from underground leakage. The people in the Las Vegas 

area should understand that the artesian water supply is not unlimited 

and that conservation of the supply is necessary. It is believed that 

if the draft upon the artesian basin were reduced and strict measures 

of conservation applied, the pressure, in the shallower sands, especially, 

would increase noticeably. 

The water that flows from the wells is clear and does not carry much 

sediment, and therefore there is little danger of affecting the potential 

capacity of the wells by closing the valves when the water is not 

needed. However, the flowing wells should be opened or closed 

slowly in order to avoid shock from water hammer that may dislodge 

any loose material from the walls of the hole. 
WELL RECORDS 

Records of wells in the Las Vegas area, Nev., inspected during August and September 1938 

Location Flow at surface Water level 

Depth 

below 

surface Size Ap· Tern- Point Above 

Well to which or Owner meter of cas- parent pera- of dis· 

No. below Remsrks 

T. R. could ing use of tnre Gallons Miner's charge Measuring (-) Section (inches) water! (oF,) per inches, above Date point above Date (S.) (E.) be minute Nevada sur- surface (feet) meas- lowered face uring (feet) (feet) ~oint feet) 

- ------------------- L.~. H. Taylor _______ SW~SE~ sec. 2L .• 20 60 --------- 8 N ------ None None ------- Aug. 15 Top of casing, -14.7 Aug. 15 0 bstructed 10 feet 

0.6. below surfaceDepth to water 10.5 feet in 1936. 2 ____ L. c. Eggling- SW~SE~ sec. 24 ___ 20 60 270 8 N ------ None None ------- Aug. 15 Top of casing, -5.80 Aug. 15 Water level at sur- ton. 2.5. face in 1936. See 

also W. s. P. 365, 

Syndicate No. 2_ SW~NW~ sec. 19 __ Sept. 12 p. 30, well1. a ____ 20 61 234 8 N 72 27 3.0 1 Top of tee, 2.0, 0.93 Aug. 26 4 ____ 

5 ____ SyndicateNo.L _ NWJ4SWJ4 sec. 19 __ 20 61 244 12 N 72 20 2.2 2 Sept. 12 Top of tee, 2. 7 _ 0.84 Aug. 27 

Syndicate No.5_ NW~NE~sec.l9 __ 20 61 260 12 N 72 67 7.5 4 Sept. 12 Topofplug,4.5_ 18.5 Aug. 15 6 ____ R. J. Lewis _____ NW~SW~ sec. 20 __ 20 61 268 8 D,S, 72 67 7.5 3 Sept. 12 Top of tee, 2.0_ 10.4 Aug. 29 

6 Irr 7__ __ H. Oppdyke ____ NW~SW~ sec. 20 __ 20 61 101 6 Irr 72 245 27.3 2.5 Sept. 12 Top of casing at bottom of 

31.2 Aug. 23 

8 •••. John Frewalt ___ NE~SW~ sec. 20 ___ Irr tee, 2.0. 

20 61 300 10 72 9 1.0 1 Aug.27 -'fiiii iii e&iiiiig.~- ------- 9 ____ Las Vegas Build- NW~SE~ sec. 2L. 20 61 -.Alli~-29- --------- 10 N ------ None None ------- Aug. 29 -3.58 Obstructed at ing & Land 1.2. ground level. 

Co. 10 ___ Town of North SW~SE~sec. 22 ___ 20 61 524 8 p ------ 100 11.1 2 Sept. 10 Top of 4-inch 13.6 Sept. 10 Las Vegas __ 6 tee, 2.0. ll ___ Town of North SW~SE~ sec. 22 ___ 20 61 146 4 p ------ 120 13.4 2 Sept. 10 Top of 4-inch 17.3 Sept. 10 Las Vegas. tee, at ground. 

12 ___ T. J. Thebo _____ sw~ sec. 28 ________ 20 61 637 8 D 76 75 8.4 6 Sept. 9 Top of 8-inch 28.4 Sept. 9 Pressures taken in· 

6 10 1.1 1.7 collar, 1.7. 2.4 side and outside 

Pat Cline _______ NE~SE~sec. 33 ___ Ind 

of 6-inch casing. 13 ___ 20 61 600 8 ------ -------- -------- ------- ---------- Top of 8-inch 41.4 Aug. 23 Drilled In 1938. 

6 casing, 1.0. 14 ___ A. W. Blackman NW~SW~ sec. 33. _ 20 61 393 6 N ---··-- -------- -------- ------- ---------- Top of 6-lnch 11.5 Aug. 25 Flow 226 gallons tee, 2.4; per minute in 

1936. 
15_ _ _ Mrs. Myrtle NW~SW~ sec. 33_ 20 61 Tate. 16 ___ HelenNageL __ SW~NE~sec.32 __ 20 61 

17 ___ .Tames Filbey ____ NW~SE~ sec. 32 __ 20 61 

18 ___ M.D. Kidder ___ NW~SE~ sec. 36 __ 20 60 

19 ___ W. N. Hinson __ SW~NEU sec. 6 ___ 21 61 

20 ___ I. M. Pinjuv ____ SW~NE~ sec. 6 ____ 21 61 

2L __ J. H. Umbaugh_ SW~NEU sec. 6 .. __ 21 61 

22 ___ J. H. Umbaugh_ SW~NE~ sec. 6 ____ 21 61 

23 ___ Fred GobeiL ___ SEMNEU sec. 6 ____ 21 61 

24 ___ Lindsay estate __ SW~NW~ sec. 5 __ 21 61 

25 ___ Lindsay estate __ SW~ sec. 5 _________ 21 61 

26 ___ Syndicate No.6_ SW~NW~ sec. 4 __ 21 61 

27 ___ J. 0. Blevins ____ SW~NE~ sec. 4 ____ 21 61 

28 ___ W. M. Sweet ___ SE~SE~ sec. 7 _____ 21 61 

29 ___ HenryDeadrich SW~NW~sec.18 __ 21 61 

30 ___ C. A. Bryant ___ NW~SE~ sec. 18 __ 21 61 

3L __ City of Las Ve- NW~SE~ sec.17 ___ 21 61 gas. 32_ _ _ State Highway SW~NW~ sec. 16_ _ 21 61 

Department. 33 ___ L. H. RockwelL SE~NW~sec.15 ___ 21 61 

~4--- E.M.Cornish __ SE~NWUsec.22 ___ 21 61 

425 

363 

616 

209 

275 

270 

222 

226 

553 

230 

8 

341 

360 

221 

225 

292 

646 

386 

690 

8,6 D,S,Irr _____ _ 

8,6 N 

8,6,4 N 79 { 

8,6,4 N 

8,6 D,S,Irr 74 

6 D,S,Irr 74 

11,8 S, Irr 75 

6 S, Irr 74 

8 

6 

8 

D, S,Irr ------

N 77 

D,S 

N 

63 

None 

265 

30 

' 

7. 0 4 Sept. 12 'l'op of 4-inch 5.1 Aug. 24 valve, 4.0. None __________ do _____ Lower lip of -6.45 Sept. 12 

29.5 

3. 3 

elbow, 4.4-

2 } d {Top of 8-inch } o. 5 -- o_____ casing, o.o 89.8 Aug. 24 

None None Aug. 18 Top of casing, -29. 62 Aug. 15 

1.0. 

33 

120 

300 

100 

36 

760 

360 

2 

3. 7 

13.4 

33.4 

11.1 

4. 0 

84.6 

40.1 

.2 

2 Sept. 12 Top of 8-inch 

casing, 0.5. 

17.1 Sept. 7 

2 ___ do_____ Top of 4-inch 18.0 Aug. 16 

valve, 0.5. 

___ do _____ ---------------- ------- ----------

3 ___ do _____ Top of 6-inch 17.8 Sept. 7 

casing, 1. 7. 7 Sept. 8 Top of 6-inch 18. 5 Sept. 8 

2. 5 Sept. 12 

0 Sept. 8 

4 Aug. 25 

collar, 3.0. 

Top of valve, 

2.0-

Top of valve, at ground. 

73.7 Sept. 6 

35.8 Sept. 7 

8 D,S,Irr ------ -------- -------- ------- ---------- Top of valve, 

4.0. 6. 9 Aug. 25 

20.6 Sept. 1 

-28.15 Aug. 31 

8,6 D, S,Irr 74 

8 N 

6,4 N 

6 

35 3.9 

None None 

None None 

3 Sept. 12 

Aug. 31 

Sept. 1 

10,8,6 

6 

·N 

Irr. 

s 

N 

77 -------- -------- ------- ----------

75 120 13.4 3 Sept. 12 

8,6 

Top of 4-inch 

valve, 2.5. 

Top of 8-inch 

collar, 1.0. 

Top of casing, 

1.0-

Top of 6-inch 

tee, 2.0. 

Top of 10-inch cap, 1,7. 

Top of casing, 

1.3. 

Top of 8-inch 

casing, 2.0-

-6. 16 Sept. 1 

12.2 Aug. 31 

35.3 Sept. 8 

7.6 Sept. 6 

54.8 Sept. 6 

{

Flow between ; and 8-inch cas- ings and from 6- inch casing. 4 feet to water in 

1925; 24 feet to water in 1936. 

56 feet of 8-inch cas- ing; 270 feet of 6- inch casing. 

292 feet of 6-inch 

pipe. 

32 feet of 11-inch 

casing; 362 feet of 

8-inch casing. 

Flow 13.5 inches in 

1935. 

Reported to have 

130 feet of 6-inch 

casing. 

Drilled in 1914. 

Reported to have 

135 feet of 8-inch 

casing to depth of 

373 feet. 

80 feet of 6-inch cas- ing; 275 feet of 4- inch casing. Known as the 

Woodard well. 
Records of wells in the Las Vegas area, Nev., inspected during August and September 1938-Continued · 

Well 

No. 

5 ___ 

3 

3 

6 ___ 

L. 

8 ___ 

9 ___ 3 

40 

4 

42 

---

L .. 

---

Owner 

F. E. Armstrong 

F. E. Armstrong 

G. T. Tallack- son. Unknown _______ 

F. R. Mildren ___ 

W. E. Ferron ____ 

Maude Fitzpatrick. Daisy Bell. _____ 

Location 

T. R. 

(S.) (E). 

Section 

- NWUSWU sec. 27. _ 21 61 

NWUSWU sec. 27 __ 21 61 

NWUNEU sec. 34. _ 21 61 

NWUNWU sec. 34. 21 61 

NEUNWU sec. 33. _ 21 61 

SWUSWU sec. 28 ... 21 61 

SWUNWUsec.4 ___ 22 61 

NWUSWUsec.9 ___ 22 61 

Depth 

below 

surface Size Ap- Tern- to which 

meter of cas- parent pera- ing use of ture could (inches) water (OF.) be 

lowered 

(feet) 

----------- 109 8 N 78 

346 8 N 78 

246 4 D,S,Irr ------

263 6 N 77 

222 6 N 83 

103 8 N ------

355 8 N -----,-

127 12 N ------

t D, Domestic; Ind, industrial; Irr, irrigation; N, not used; P, public supply; S, stock. 

Flow at surface Water level 

Point Above 

or of dis- below Gallons Miner's charge Measuring 

per inches, above Date point above (-) 

meas- Date 

minute Nevada sur- surface (feet) uring face 

(feet) point 

(feet) 

-------- ----

11 1.2 2 Sept. 12 ---------------- ------- ----------

16 1.8 0 Sept. 12 ---------------- ------- ---------- -------- -------- ------- ---------- Top of 4-inch 6.9 Aug. 30 

tee, 1.5. 

19 2.1 2 Sept. 12 To~ of 6-inch 24.3 Aug. 30 co ar,1.5. 

100 11.1 0 Sept. 12 Top of 6-inch 0.60 Aug. 30 

tee, at ground. None None ------- Aug. 14 Top of 8-inch -20.03 Aug. 14 

casing, 0.5. 

None None ------- Aug. 14 Bullet hole in -78.79 Aug. 14 

casing, 3.0. 

None None ------- Aug. 31 Top of casing, -90.8 Aug. 31 

1.0. 

Remarks 

See also W. S. P. 

365, p. 30, well 6. 
INDEX 

Page Page 

Abstract_____________________________________ 147 Lewis, R. J., welloL _________________ 157, pl.14, B 

Acknowledgments for aid_____________________ 148 Lindsay estate, wells oL ______ 150,161-162, pl. 15, B 

Armstrong, F. E., wells of_ ________ 165, pl. 16, B, C 

Artesian basin, geologic and hydrologic features Mildren, F. R., well oL ---------------------- 165 

0 r_ _____________________________ 148-151 I HI 

At · diff . 151 Nage, e en, well oL________________________ 159 r esmn pressure, erences m______________ Nevada State Highway Department, welloL 150, Hi3 

loss of_ _________________________________ 15o-151 North Las Vegas, town of, wells of___________ 158 

Artesian water, waste of_ _______________ 167-168, 169 

Barnsley's flowing well ______________________ _ 165 Oppdyke, H., well of_ ____________ 157-158, pl. 14, C 

Bell, Daisy, well oL _________________________ _ 166 Pinjuv, I. M., well oL _____________________ 16Q-161 

Blackman, A. W., well oL __________________ _ 

Blevins, J. 0., well of_ ______________________ _ 159 Purpose of the investigation__________________ 147 

163 

Bryant, C. A., well oL ______________________ _ 163 Rockwell, L. H., well of_ _____________ 164, pl. 15, C 

Cline, Pat, well of_ _________________________ 149,159 Snnd well____________________________________ 162 

Cornish, E. M., well of_ ______________ 164, pl. 16, A Sweet, W. M., well of________________________ 163 

Syndicate well No. L ____________ 149, 157, pl. 13, C 

Deadrich, Henry, well of_____________________ 163 Syndicate well No.2 __________________ 157, pl. 13, B 

Egglington, L. c., well oL ___________ 155, pl. 13, A Syndicate well No.5 _________________ 157, pl. 14, A 

Syndicate well No.6----------------'------ 162-163 

Ferron, W. E., well of ______________________ 165-166 

Field work _______ -----------_________________ 147 

Filbey, James, well of. _____________________ 159-160 

Fitzpatrick, Maude, well oL_________________ 166 

Frewalt, John, well oL_______________________ 158 

Tallackson, G. T., well of_ __________________ _ 

Tate, Mrs. Myrtle, well oL _________________ _ 

Taylor, H., well of_ _________________________ _ 

Thebo, T. J., well oL ________________________ _ 

165 

159 

151> 

158 

Gobeli, Fred, well oL _______________________ _ 161 Umbaugh, J. H., wells of_ ____________ 161, pl. 15, A 

United States fish hatchery, lakes at _____ 168, pl. 17 

Hinson, W. N., well oL______________________ 160 

Kidder, M.D., well oL ____________________ 150,160 

Las Vegas, city of, well of____________________ 163 

Las Vegas Building & Land Co., well of______ 158 

Leakage, relation of well construction to ____ 151-154 tests for __________________________ 154-167, pl. 12 

Wells, construction oL --------------------- 151-lM 

leakage from, tests for ____________ 154-167, pl. 12 

location oL_______________________________ 15& 

logs oL ________________________________ 149-150 

records oL _____________________________ 17G-172 

repairing oL--------------------------- 1(;f;-167 

Woodward well_----------------------------- 163 

173 

0 

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Harold L. lcke~. Secretary 

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

W. C. Mendenhall, Director 

Water-Supply Paper 849 

CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE HYDROLOGY 

OF THE UNITED STATES 

1940 

PAPERS BY 

W. N. WHITE, R. C. CADY, PENN LIVINGSTON 

AND OTHERS 

UNITED STATES 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 

WASHINGTON: 1941 

CONTENTS 

[The letters in psrentheses preceding the titles are those used to designate the papers for sepsrate publication] 

(A)~ Geology and ground-water resources of the Lufkin area, Texas, by W. 

- N. White, A. N. Sayre, and J. F. Heuser (published in April1941) __ 

(B)· Effect upon ground-water levels of proposed surface-water storage in 

Flathead Lake, Montana, by R. C. Cady (published in April1941) 

(C) Geology and ground-water resources of the Balmorhea area, western 

Texas, by W. N. White, H. S. Gale, and S. S. Nye (published in 

1941) ____ - --------------------------------------·--- ---------

(D) Underground leakage from artesian wells in the ·Las Vegas area, 

Nevada, by Penn Livingston (published in 1941)-----------------

ILLUSTRATIONS 

PLATE 1. Geologic map of Angelina and Nacogdoches Counties and adjaPage 

1 

59 

83 

147 

Page 

cent areas, Texas_______________________________________ 8 

2. Map of Angelina and Nacogdoches Counties, showing location 

ofwells______________________________________________ 12 

3. Map showing contours of the water table based on measurements of water level in wells on February 20, 1933_________ 80 

4. Map showing contours of the water table based on measurements of water level in wells on June 11, 1933_____________ 80 

5. Map showing contours of the water table based on measurements of water level in wells on August 7, 1933___________ 80 

6. Map showing contours of the water table based on measurements of water level in wells on October 15, 1933__________ 80 

7. Hydrographs of wells 19, 23, and 36 for the period 1928-37___ 80 

il. A, Lag of water level in selected wells after beginning of river 

floods in 1931, 1932, and 1933; B, Magnitude and duration of 

rise of water level in selected wells in response to river floods 

in 1931, 1932, and 1933, and after the river and lake levels 

have been regulated as postulated; C, Observed composite 

rate of recession of river levels and water levels in selected 

wells before and after postulated regulation of river and lake 

levels________________________________________________ 80 

9. Hypothetical rise of the water levels in wells 200 feet, 800 feet, 

1,500 feet, and 2,500 feet from the river, in response to the 

postulated regulation of river and lake levels______________ 80 

10. Map of Flathead Lake project showing areas in which the 

ground-water levels, according to the computations based on 

the postulated regulation of lake and river levels, will be 

less than 2 feet below the land surface during parts of each 

year, and the area in which they will be less than 4 feet but 

more than 2 feet below the land surface ____________ -- __ -- 80 

rn 
IV ILLUSTRATIONS 

Page 

PLATE 11. Geologic map and section of Balmorhea area, Tex., showing 

the relations between the large springs and the geologic 

strUcture--------------------------------------------- 94 

12. A, Deep-well meter and a(lC~f!SOries used for exploring artesian 

wells at Las Vegas, Nev.; B, Removing fittings from well 25 

(Sund well) in preparation for test; 0, We1125, under control 

and test in progress----------------------~------------- 158 

13. A, Well 2, owned by L. C. Egglington; B, Well 3, known as 

Syndicate No.2; 0, Well4, known as Syndicate No. L____ 158 

14. A, Well5, known as Syndicate No.5; B, Wel16, owned by R. J. 

Lewis; 0, Well7, owned by H. Oppdyke_________________ 158 

15. A, Well21, owned by J. H. Umbaugh; B, Wel124, owned by the 

Lindsay estate; 0, Well33, owned by L. H. Rockwell______ 158 

16. A, Well34, owned by E. M. Cornish; B, Well35, owned by F. E. 

Armstrong; 0, Well36, owned by F. E. Armstrong________ 166 

17. A, Upper lake at the United States fish hatchery made by impounding water from flowing artesian wells; B, Lower lake at 

the United States fish hatchery made by impounding over- flow from the upper lake_______________________________ 166 

FIGURE 1. Generalized geologic section along line A-A', plate L _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 15 

2. Sketch map showing location of wells of Southland Paper Mills, 

Inc__________________________________________________ 65 

3. Map of the vicinity of Balmorhea, Tex., showing wells and 

springs and approximate shape a,nd slope of water table____ 105 

4. Map of part of Toyah Basin,· Tex., showing the springs and 

areas of ground-water intake near Balmorhea______________ 113 

5. Map of a part of the Las Vegas area showing location of wells 

examined_____________________________________________ 156 
The use of the subjoined mailing label to return 

this report will be official business, and no 

postage stamps will be required 

UNITED STATES 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

OFFICIAL BUSINESS 

This label can be used only_for returning official publications. The address must not be changed. 

PENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE T~ AVOID 

PAYMENT OF POSTAGE, $300 

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, 

WASHINGTON, D. C.