Availability of Ground

Water at the Border Stations

at Laurier and Ferry, Washington

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

CIRCULAR 42 2
Availability of Ground Water at the

Border Stations at Laurier

and Ferry, Washington

By K. L. Walters

Prepared in cooperation with the General Services Administration

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CIRCULAR 422

Washington, D. C. 

1960
United States Department of the Interior

FRED A. SEATON, SECRETARY

Geological Survey

THOMAS B. NOLAN, DIRECTOR

Fr*« on application to ffw U.S. G«ofogka/ Survey, Washington 25, 0. C.
CONTENTS

Page Page

Abstract___________________________ 1 Ground-water conditions at

Introduction____________________..____ 1 Laurier___________________________ 3

Well -numbering system ______________ 1 Geologic setting at Ferry _____________ 6

Geologic setting at Laurier__________ 3 Ground-water conditions at Ferry _____ 6

ILLUSTRATIONS

Page 

Figure 1. Map of the State of Washington showing area covered by this investigation_______ 2

2. Sketch showing well -numbering system _________________________________ _____ 3

3. Geological features and location of selected wells in the Kettle River

valley at Laurier, Wash ________________________________________________ 4

4. Geological features and location of selected wells in the Kettle River

valley at Ferry, Wash __________________________________________________ 7

III
Availability of Ground Water at the Border Stations at 

Laurier and Ferry, Washington

By K. L. Walters

ABSTRACT

In the Laurier area, Washington, the Kettle River has cut 

into crystalline rocks in the deepest part of the valley. Sand 

and gravel fill were deposited in the valley during Pleistocene time by melt water from glaciers, and subsequent 

erosion and alluviation formed three terrace levels. The 

highest level, on which Laurier Border Station is situated 

is about 200 feet above present river level. The intermediate 

terrace is 150 to 180 feet above river level. Wells on the 

intermediate terrace yield about 4 gpm (gallons per minute) 

per foot of drawdown. Larger yields probably could be obtained from wells on the lowest terrace (flood plain).

In the Ferry area the valley fill of the Kettle River valley 

is as much as 150 feet thick and contains boulders that ate 

as much as 18 inches in diameter. Small to moderate quantities of water probably would be available from wells on 

the high-terrace level. Large quantities of water are obtained 

from irrigation wells on the low terrace.

The bedrock at both sites is relatively impermeable and 

probably would yield very meager supplies of water.

INTRODUCTION

This report outlines the general groundwater conditions in the valley of the Kettle 

River near the international boundary in 

Ferry County, Wash., an area in which little 

is known regarding the occurrence and availability of ground water. The field work upon 

which this report is based was done in April 

1959 at the request of the General Services 

Administration to determine the availability 

of ground-water supplies for the Customs and 

Immigration Stations at Laurier and at Ferry, 

Wash. Although only a brief reconnaissance 

of the area was made, this report has been 

prepared to make available the results of 

this study.

Many interesting geologic and hydrologic 

aspects of the area were observed, but a detailed study of them was beyond the scope of 

this investigation. A detailed investigation of 

a much larger segment of the Kettle River 

valley would materially increase the knowledge of the geology and occurrence of ground 

water in the area.

The Kettle River occupies a broad glaciated 

valley which enters the United States from 

Canada at Ferry, re-enters Canada at Danville, and, just north of the international 

boundary, flows east for about 12 miles until 

it enters the United States again at Laurier. 

From Laurier the valley trends slightly east 

of south for about 25miles, where it joinsthe 

valley of the Columbia River near Marcus, 

Wash. The Kettle River valley is incised into 

a complex system of igneous and metamorphic rocks and has a well-developed system 

of alluvial terraces.

Mining and lumbering are the principal 

industries of the upland areas bordering the 

Kettle River valley; diversified farming is 

practiced in suitable parts of the valley itself. In Canada, several irrigation wells have 

been drilled in the Kettle River valley, near 

Grand Forks, about 9 miles northwest of 

Laurier; and near Midway, which is about half 

a mile north of the international boundary at 

Ferry. The average annual precipitation at 

Laurier is about 18.5 inches. August is generally the driest month, and December the 

wettest. Temperatures range from 110° to. 

-30°F. The location of the area is shown on 

figure 1.

WELL-NUMBERING SYSTEM

Well numbers used by the Geological Survey in the State of Washington are based on 

and show the location of wells according to 

the rectangular system for subdivision of 

public land, indicating township, range, section, and 40-acre tract within the section. 

For example, in the well number 40/36-3B2, 

the part preceding the hyphen indicates successively the township and range (T. 40 N., 

R. 36 E.) north and east of the Willamette 

base line and meridian. (Because all townships in Washington are north of the Willamette base line the letter "N," indicating north,
GROUND WATER AT THE BORDER STATIONS AT LAURIER AND FERRY.
GROUND-WATER CONDITIONS AT IAURIER

is omitted; and because most of the State is 

east of the Willamette meridian the letter "E " 

is omitted for those ranges east of the Willamette meridian, but "W" is included for 

those ranges west of the Willamette meridian.) The first number after the hyphen indicates the section (sec. 3), and the letter (B) 

gives the 40-acre subdivision of the section 

as shown in the diagram (fig. 2). The last

Bo

D C T"1 

M

N

F

L

P

4 

B

b

G

K

Q

A

H

J

R

Sec. 3

Figure 2. Sketch showing well-numbering system.

number (2) is the serial number of the well 

in that particular 40-acre tract. Thus, the 

first well recorded in the NW?NE£ sec. 3, 

T. 40 N., R. 36 E., would have the number 

40/36-3B1, and the second well would have 

the number 40/36-3B2.

GEOLOGIC SETTING AT LAURIER

At Laurier, the deepest part of the valley 

of the Kettle River has cut into crystalline 

rocks having the appearance of gneissic 

diorite. The bedrock exposed in the higher 

hills bordering the valley was not examined 

and the nature of these rocks was not determined. The valley of the Kettle River, and 

also the valley occupied by Christina Lake, 

about 3 miles north, in Canada, were glacially 

formed or, at least, were modified by glaciers to approximately their present form. 

The valleys subsequently were filled to a 

depth of about 200 feet above present river 

level with sand, gravel, and cobbles, as much 

as 6 inches in diameter, deposited in part by 

melt water of the receding glaciers. In the 

Laurier area, beds of very fine sand and 

varved clays, suggest lake-bed deposition.

These beds were observed about 30 to 50 feet 

above the river level.

The original partial filling of the valley 

was followed by alternate downcutting andalluviation, resulting in a complex system of 

terrace levels. In all, three separate terraces were observed; these are designated 

the high, intermediate, and low (flood-plain) 

terraces in figure 1. The terrace on which 

the Laurier Border Station is situated is the 

highest terrace that was observed in the area. 

It exists only as relatively small remnants, 

except where it is protected from erosion by 

ridges or fingers of bedrock extending from 

the valley wall.

On the west side of the Kettle River, a flat 

surface extends from the international bound - 

ary southward for nearly 2 miles. This surface, representing the intermediate terrace, 

is 20 to 50 feet lower than that on which the 

border station is located. Because the material underlying this surface appears to be 

identical to the material underlying the border station, at least where exposed in several places along the river bluff, the lower 

surface probably represents a terrace cut 

into the sediments forming the upper terrace. 

The lower surface is present also on the east 

side of Kettle River. The easterly extent of 

this terrace is not shown in figure 3.

A band of flood-plain and low-terrace deposits ranging in width from about 800 feet 

to more than half a mile borders the channel 

of the Kettle River. The thickness of these 

deposits was not determined, but locally as 

much as 20 feet of sand, gravel, and wellrounded boulders are exposed. No differentiation is made in figure 3 between flood - 

plain and low-terrace deposits.

GROUND-WATER CONDITIONS AT LAURIER

Data were obtained for five wells situated 

on the high terrace, on which the Laurier 

Border Station stands. Complete information 

was available, however, only for well 40/36- 

3B2, which supplies water for the United 

States Border Station. This well was drilled 

in 1939 to a reported depth of 203feet, and is 

equipped with an 8-inch steel casing. The 

yield of the well is about 15gpm,a rate adequate for domestic use and some sprinkling 

of lawns. The 3-horsepower jet pump with 

which the well is equipped does not, however, 

supply enough water for fire protection and
GROUND WATER AT THE BORDER STATIONS AT LAURIER AND FERRY

*/i iKiiTrrr\»«

Stevens County

EXPLANATION

Flood-plain and low-terrace 

deposits, undiff efentiated

oo intermediate- terrace deposits

High-terroce deposits

R. 36

Base from USGS map 

of Kettle River, Washington, 

sheet 1,1952,scale l'-24,000

1/4

jGneissic diorite ? 

Well

3/4 I mile

Figure 3. Geological features and location of selected wells in the Kettle River valley at Laurier, Wash.
GROUND-WATER CONDITIONS AT LAURIER

for sprinkling of additional lawn areas. The 

driller's log of the well is shown in the 

following table:

United States Border Station, Laurier, Wash. About 22 feet 

west of Customs Office

40/36-3B2

[Altitude, 1,647 feet. Drilled, 1939, by A. M. 

Edwards, Lexington, Oreg.]

Materials

Not reported______-_--_ _ --

SanH flnH o"pavf»1

Not reported- _ --_ _ -------

Gravel, coarse, loose -----

Gravel, coarse, packed - --

Sand, fine .- __ _ _ _ _ _ 

Sand, fine, silty; some brown 

and yellow clay and 

shale<?) _____ ___ __ -

Shale(?) .. ____ 

Clay, blue - -

frfSVpl

Clay, yellow- - 

"Quicksand" (water rose in 

well 15 ft) __ .... __ 

Shale(?) ____ .- _ ___ .-.

Sand, coarse, and water_____

Shale(?) and yellow clay «_-_ 

Not reported _ - _ ----.._-___

Sand ----- _ ___----__--_ -

Rock(?) ------- 

Clay, blue ------- -------

Thickness 

(feet)

6

14

4

16

6

41

49

2

18

6

2

12

2

10

2

4

5

1

3

Depth 

(feet)

6

20

24

40

46

87

136

138

156

162

164

176

178

188

190 

194

199

200

203

Casing: 8-inch, set to bottom, screened 194 

199 ft.

On April 21, 1959, measurements of water 

level were made on well 40/36-3B2 during 

both pumping and nonpumping conditions to 

determine the yield characteristics, as shown 

in the following table:

The water-level measurement of 126.20 

feet,taken 1:30 p.m. on April 21,probably is 

representative of static or near-static conditions. The drawdown at 4:15 p.m., after 2 

hours 41 minutes of pumping, was, therefore, 

3.70 feet, giving a specific capacity of about 

4 gpm per foot of drawdown. These data indicated that the yield of this well could be increased several fold without excessive drawdown. Although the driller's log does not 

show the presence of fine sand opposite the 

screened portion of the casing, some sand 

might be pumped during redevelopment if 

the pumping rate of the well were increased 

materially.

Well 40/36-3B1 is about 42 feet east of 

40/36-3B2 (fig. 3), and is in the basement of 

the U.S. Customs Office. This well has been 

unused since completion of well 3B2 in 1939. 

It was reported that the well was abandoned 

because of sand entering. The present depth 

is 188.7 feet below the land surface; the 

original depth is not known. No information 

on the construction of this well is available 

except that it has an 8-inch steel casing. 

Measurements of the water level in well 

40/36-3B1 that were made on April 21, 1959, 

are shown in the table on the following page.

The foregoing data show that during the 

pumping period of well 3B2, from 9:00 a.m. 

to 10:34 a.m. on April 21, the level in well 

3B1 declined at least 0.12 foot. Within about 

2| hours after 3B2 was shut off, the level in 

3B1 recovered 0.08 foot. Obviously,pumping 

the one well affects the water level in the 

other. The effect is slight, however. If it 

were known definitely how closely well 3B1 

is hydraulically connected with the pumped 

well, it could be assumed that any new well 

could be located equally close, about 42 feet, 

to the pumped well without undue mutual interference. However, if well 3B1 is partially, or nearly completely, sealed off from the

Date

Apr. 20, 1959 ___ _______

Apr. 21, 1959 __ .. __ 

Do ___ _ ___ __ __ _

Do _____ .. __ _______

Do __ _----_ __ ___--__ _ 

Do _________ . _______

Time

5:00 p.m __ 

9:00 a.m __ 

10:34 a.m __

1:30 p.m __ 

1:34? p.m..

1:41 p.m___ 

2:34 p.m __

4:10 p.m...

Depth to 

water (feet 

below land 

surface)

.- . ..

126.20

129.40 

129.93

129.90

Remarks

Pump stopped. 

Pump started; estimated rate, 15 gpm. 

Pump stopped.

Pump started; estimated rate, 15 gpm.
GROUND WATER AT THE BORDER STATIONS AT IAURIER AND FERRY

Time

9:45 a.m__

10:00 a.m.. 

10:18 a.m-. 

10:34 a.m..

10:36| a.m.

10:47 a.m..

11:50 a.m..

1:00 p.m..

Depth to 

water (feet 

below land

surface)

124.36

124.47

124.49

124.48

124.48

124.48

124.41

124.40

Remarks

Well 40/36-3B2 

had been pumping since 9:00 

a.m., April 21, 

1959.

Pumping of well 

40/36-3B2 

stopped.

water-yielding materials tapped by the 

pumped well, the pumping effect on other 

wells at a distance of 42 feet may be much 

greater than observed. For this reason, any 

new drilling site should be located not closer 

than about 100 feet from well 3B2, particularly inasmuch as both wells may be pumped 

simultaneously for extended periods of time. 

A privately owned, drilled well (40/36-3B3), 

about 450 feet south of 40/36-3B1, supplies 

adequate domestic water for one house, a 

small store, and a house trailer. This well 

was reported to be about 145 feet deep. The 

Canadian Border Station, just north of the 

international boundary, has two drilled wells, 

the combined yield of which is reported to be 

adequate for domestic use and for lawn 

sprinkling. The location of the Canadian 

Border Station wells is not shown on figure 3.

There are no known wells on the intermediate terrace, which is traversed by U. S. 

Highway 395 for about 2 miles south of the 

international boundary. However, it would 

appear the yields from wells drilled in this 

area would be about the same as that of 

40/36-3B2. Comparatively large yields with 

relatively small drawdown could be expected 

from properly constructed wells drilled on 

the flood plain and low terrace along the 

Kettle River. No wells are known to tap the 

bedrock of the area, and it is unlikely that 

bedrock wells in this area would yield appreciable quantities of water.

GEOLOGIC SETTING AT FERRY

At Ferry the upland areas bordering the 

Kettle River valley are composed of intrusive 

igneous rocks. Here, as at Laurier, the valley was formed at least in part by glaciation 

and subsequently was filled to a depth of 

more than 150 feet with coarse sand, gravel, 

and well-rounded boulders as much as 18 

inches in diameter, transported in part by 

melt waters of the receding glaciers. These 

deposits are preserved in a narrow band 

resting on the sides of the bedrock hills on 

both sides of the Kettle River almost continuously from the international boundary to 

more than a mile south. An unusually good 

exposure of these deposits is near the N? 

corner of sec. 10, T. 40 N., R. 32 E., where 

about 120 feet of sand and gravel is exposed 

above river level.

The United States Border Station at Ferry 

is situated on a terrace about 100 feet lower 

than the outwash terrace described above. 

Good exposures of the intermediate-terrace 

deposits were not seen, but a well drilled at 

the Canadian Border Station is reported to 

have penetrated sand and gravel to the total 

depth of 104 feet. The terrace upon which 

the border station is situated is deeply incised by Boundary Creek, east of the Kettle 

River near the international boundary. However, west of the Kettle River it is not so 

deeply incised. The city of Midway, British 

Columbia (not shown in fig. 3), is on a welldefined low terrace about 20 feet above river 

level. No exposures of the low-terrace deposits in this area were observed. However, 

logs of wells in Midway typically report 20 

to 30 feet of medium to coarse gravel underlain by a bed of light-colored clay averaging 

about 20 feet in thickness. This clay bed is 

unde rlain by an unknown thickne s s of medium - 

sized gravel.

The channel of the Kettle River is in floodplain deposits of Recent age. The upper few 

feet of these deposits consists of very coarse 

gravel and well-rounded cobbles. The width 

of the flood-plain deposits ranges from about 

? to more than i mile.

GROUND-WATER CONDITIONS AT FERRY

No wells are known to exist on the high 

outwash terrace, and nothing is known of the
GROUND-WATER CONDITIONS AT FERRY

JCANACfli £iti§h. Columbia 

UNITED STATES Washington

Base from USGS mop

of Kettle River, Washington,

sheet 3,1952, scale I- 24,000

EXPLANATION

ffijvj Flood-plain deposits 

:;'; ': | Low-terrace deposits 

Xv'/l Intermediate - terrace deposits 

>*'; ! High- terrace deposits 

***] Intrusive igneous rocks 

Ori Well

Imile

Figure 4. Geological features and location of selected wells in the Kettle River valley at Ferry, Wash.
8 GROUND WATER AT THE BORDER STATIONS AT IAURIER AND FERRY

water-bearing characteristics of these deposits; however, it is probable that small 

yields could be developed from wells, except 

locally where bedrock lies above the water 

table beneath the terrace.

The United States Border Station at Ferry 

obtains its water supply from well40/32,-3Cl 

(fig. 4), a 6-inch drilled well reported to be 

about 97 feet deep. The static water level is 

reported to be 77 to 82 feet below the land 

surface. After the well is pumped at the rate 

of about 10 gpm for 1 to 1^ hours the water 

level is lowered to the bottom of the pump 

suction pipe, which is reported to be near 

the bottom of the well. The casing of this 

well reportedly has no perforations or 

screen, and all the water enters the well 

through the open bottom of the casing. A 

well in which only the lower end of the casing 

is open to water-yielding materials is inefficient. This type of construction may be the 

cause of the inadequate yield of the well.

For maximum yield, wells constructed on 

the border-station terrace should penetrate 

and be perforated opposite the entire thickness of sand and gravel, except for a section 

of blank casing extending far enough below 

the surface to prevent pollution. When the 

well or wells are pumped, it is likely that a 

hydraulic gradient from Boundary Creek or 

Kettle River toward the well would be estab - 

lished and ground-water recharge to the 

aquifer thus would be induced.

On the low terrace and the flood plain, 

small to moderate yields are obtained from 

shallow driven or dug wells tapping sand and 

gravel. Well 40/32-3C2 (fig. 4), an unused 

dug well 8.5 feet deep, has a static water level 

4.10 feet below land surf ace. The yield of this 

well is not known. On the low terrace large 

yields are obtained by extending« wells 

through the light-colored clay bed into the 

underlying gravel. There are several irrigation wells on the low terrace in the Midway 

area. No information was obtained on the 

water-yielding character of the bedrock in 

the Ferry area, but it appears to be relatively 

impermeable and probably only very meager 

quantities of water could be obtained from 

wells that might be drilled into it.

INT. WP,.B.C.60- 71231