Geology topics
Publications and source records attributed to A.W. Burns.
As the Nation's principal earth-science information agency, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is depended upon to collect data of the highest quality. This document provides the framework for collecting, analyzing and reporting ground-water data that are quality assured and quality controlled.
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Air Force, Holloman Air Force Base, studied the potential change in water levels that could occur as a result of increased groundwater withdrawals from the middle-Tertiary to Holocene age basin-fill and alluvial deposits in the vicinity of the Air Force base in Otero County, New Mexico. Water level changes of 25 ft to as much as 60 ft below their 1982 levels are projected in the well field areas by the year 2001, based on an increased groundwater withdrawal of 10%. The 400-sq-mi area of unconsolidated material is relatively flat except for the alluvial fans adjacent to the mountain front. Perennial streams are not present in the study area. The aquifer has a saturated thickness that ranges from 0 to 3 ft. Intermittent streamflow from the nearby mountains infiltrates the alluvial fans and recharges the aquifer system. Groundwater is discharged from the area by underflow, evapotranspiration, and pumpage withdrawals from wells. (USGS)
Hydrographs of annual precipitation from 30 stations, April 1 snowpack readings from 18 snow-survey courses, annual discharge from 46 streamflow gaging stations, and instantaneous water levels from 37 wells are presented to illustrate the temporal and spatial variability of the water resources of the Arkansas River basin in Colorado. Statistical analyses indicate no apparent time trends in annual precipitation or April 1 snowpack , but they do indicate declines in annual discharge for locations in the eastern part of the basin. A composite hydrograph indicates a negligible change in groundwater levels between 1930 and 1980 in the alluvial aquifer downstream from Pueblo. Generally poor correlation occurs between precipitation data and snowpack data (less than 0.40 for monthly data and less than 0.61 for annual data). In addition, precipitation data did not correlate very well with discharge (less than 0.57 for monthly data), leading to the conclusion that the typical streamflow conditions are affected little by direct precipitation. Main-stem discharge correlates quite well with snow-pack (as much as 0.85 for annual data), indicating its dependence on snowmelt runoff. (USGS)
An artificial-recharge experiment was conducted near Proctor, Colorado in which a computed 620 acre-feet were pumped from a well during a 4-month period. A computed 420 acre-feet were delivered at the potential reservoir site, and the remaining 200 acre-feet leaked from the pipeline. No pond was created due to the high rates of infiltration. Water levels in the nearest well (about 0.1 mile from the recharge site) rose almost 25 feet. Computer simulations indicate that this 4-month pumping-recharge experiment would cause stream depletions from the nearby South Platte River for the first 16 months, thereafter, stream accretions due to the recharge would exceed stream depletions due to pumpage. If the experiment was conducted annually, the simulations indicate that stream depletions would occur for 6 months of each year and stream acretions for the remaining 6 months once the system reached an equilibrium condition. To reach the cyclic equilibrium condition would take at least 7 years. (USGS)
Monthly streamflow records at a site are sometimes extended by exploiting interstation correlation of streamflow, often through simple linear regression with a base station having a long-term record. An approach is presented which selects a base station from among several in a region for filling in missing data. It differs from traditional approaches in that different stations can be selected as the base station to fill in different values. Application of the approach demonstrated large reductions in the streamflow prediction error for two sites in Colorado.-from ASCE Publications Information