U.S. Geological Survey ground-water studies in Washington
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H. E. Pearson
Publications and source records attributed to H. E. Pearson.
Water resources of the Nisqually Lake area, Pierce County, Washington
This report presents data assembled during a July 1975 to August 1977 study of the water resources of an area within, and adjacent to, a part of the Fort Lewis Military Reservation that prior to 1917 was included in the Nisqually Indian Reservation. Because the area is within or near the artillery ranges of the U.S. Army, the existing water resources of the study area are almost undeveloped. The only surface-water bodies of significance in the study area are Muck Creek, Nisqually Lake, and springs. The flow of Muck Creek as measured at a gaging station at Roy, east of the study area, ranged from no flow to a maximum discharge of 692 cubic feet per second during the period 1956-77. No flow occurred there about 9 percent of the time during the period 19.56-71. A large spring discharged from 0.12 to 4.56 cubic feet per second during the study period. Development or diversion of Muck Creek near its mouth would provide sufficient water for a small- to medium-sized fish-rearing facility. The highest water temperature recorded at this site during the study was 14.0°C, in August 1977, with a stream discharge of 7.12 cubic feet per second. Nisqually Lake, with a surface area of about 89 acres, is shallow with a flat bottom. The existing lake water is relatively high with dissolved solids, organic nitrogen and phosphorus, and biologically productive. Species of warm-water fish are probably best suited for the lake. Ground water beneath the study area occurs in unconsolidated glacial drift or outwash of gravel, sand, silt, and clay. One of the permeable rock units is the Steilacoom Gravel of Pleistocene age. Yields to wells from this material in a nearby area are from 100 to 250 gallons per minute. Drilling of test wells in the study area would provide more reliable data on ground water.
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Test-well drilling in the upper Satus Creek basin, Yakima Indian Reservation, Washington
Two test wells were drilled in the upper Satus Creek basin of the Yakima Indian Reservation, Washington, using the air-rotary method. At site 1 the well penetrated a young basalt and 175 feet of the Yakima Basalt, and at site 2 the well penetrated the young basalt. The well at site 1 was drilled to a depth of 350 feet. Tests for drawdown and yield indicated a specific capacity of about 11 gallons per minute per foot of drawdown. The potential yield of this well may be about 1,000 gallons per minute. The well at site 2 was drilled to a depth of 500 feet. Only a small quantity of water was encountered and no test for yield was made. Data from these wells, including chemical analysis of the water from the well at site 1, will provide information useful in the development and management of the ground-water resources in this part of the Yakima Indian Reservation. (Woodard-USGS)
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Water resources of the Chehalis Indian Reservation, Washington
Ground water beneath the 6.6-square-mile Chehalis Indian Reservation, Wash., most of which lies on a flood plain, occurs in the alluvial and terrace sand and gravel deposits. Supplies available within the depth zone of water-level fluctuations are estimated to be between 20 and 60 times that being pumped at the time of the 1975 study. Seasonal water-level changes in wells obtained during the study ranged between about 3 and 10 feet and averaged 7 feet, and the average fluctuation of water levels in three oxbow lakes was about 6 feet. Chemical analysis of ground water shows it is suitable for most uses and that to date there are no serious problems of ground-water pollution. Surface-water quality also is considered generally good. Flooding of reservation land by the Chehalis and Black Rivers occurs annually, generally during periods of heavy rainfall in winter. The largest known flood of the Chehalis River, recorded on January 22, 1972, had an estimated discharge of 53,000 cubic feet per second. Flood-frequency analysis indicates that about 70 percent of the reservation would be flooded during a 50-year flood. Low flows generally occur in August and September. The lowest flow of Willamette Creek (the only stream entirely on the reservation) during 1975 was about 0.45 cubic foot per second, recorded in August. (Woodard-USGS).
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