Geology topics
K.M. Waddell
Publications and source records attributed to K.M. Waddell.
Hydrologic reconnaissance of the Wasatch Plateau-Book Cliffs coal-fields area, Utah
Data obtained during a hydrologic reconnaissance in 1975-77 in the Wasatch Plateau-Book Cliffs coal area of Utah were correlated with existing long-term data. Maps were prepared showing average precipitation, average streamflow, stream temperature, ground- and surface-water quality, sediment yield, and geology. Recommendations were made for additional study and suggested approaches for continued monitoring in the coal areas. During the 1931-75 water years, the minimum discharges for the five major streams that head in the area ranged from about 12,000 to 26,000 acre-feet per year, and the maximum discharges ranged from about 59,000 to 315,000 acre-feet per year. Correlations indicate that 3 years of low-flow records at stream sites in the Wasatch Plateau would allow the development of relationships with long-term sites that can be used to estimate future low-flow records within a standard error of about 20 percent. Most water-quality degradation in streams occurs along the flanks of the Wasatch Plateau and Book Cliffs. In the uplands, dissolved-solids concentrations generally ranged from less than 100 to about 250 milligrams per liter, and in the lowlands the concentrations ranged from about 250 to more than 6,000 milligrams per liter. In the lowland areas, the Ferron Sandstone Member of the Mancos Shale appears to have the most potential for subsurface development of water of suitable chemical quality for human consumption. Three wells in the Ferron yielded water with dissolved-solids concentrations ranging from about 650 to 1,230 milligrams per liter.
Selected hydrologic data, 1931-77, Wasatch Plateau-Book Cliffs coal-fields area, Utah
The Wasatch Plateau-Book Cliffs coal-fields area in east-central Utah includes a significant part of the State's coal resources and is currently (1977) the most active coal-mining area in the State. This report presents data gathered by the U.S. Geological Survey as part of a hydrologic reconnaissance carried out during the period July 1975-September 1977 in cooperation with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, as well as selected information for water-years 1931-75. The data were obtained in the field or from private, State, and other Federal agencies. The purpose of this report is to make the data available to those engaged in coal mining, to those assessing water resources that may possibly be affected by coal mining, and to supplement an interpretive report that will be published at a later date.
Estimated inflow and evaporation for Great Salt Lake, Utah, 1931-76, with revised model for evaluating the effects of dikes on the water and salt balance of the lake
A water budget for Great Salt Lake, Utah, was computed with 1-month intervals for the 46-year period of 1931-76. This budget updates previous computations for 1931-73, The updating was made on the basis of additional data collected during 1974-76. The storage change ( Δ S) during each month was computed from a budget of surface inflow (Is), ground-water inflow (Ig), precipitation on the lake surface (Ip), a calibration parameter (Ium) representing the net deficit between the estimated net inflows and the observed net inflows as computed from the observed altitude hydrograph, and outflow from evaporation (Oe), where Δ S= Is + Ig + Ip+ Ium - Oe. Based on additional pan-evaporation data collected at six sites around the perimeter of the lake, estimates of evaporation rates were reduced about 8 percent. The annual evaporation ranged from about 2.1 to 3.9 million acre-feet (2,600 to 4,800 cubic hectometers) and averaged 2.9 million acre-feet (3,576 cubic hectometers). Based on addie6nal surface-inflow data collected during 1974-76, the annual surface inflow to the lake for 1931-76 ranged from 705,200 (1934) to 3,767,000 (1971) acre-feet (870 to 4,645 cubic hectometers) and averaged 1,926,000 acre-feet (2,375 cubic hectometers). No changes were made to the 1931-73 estimates of precipitation (Ip) on the lake surface or to the estimate of ground-water inflow (Ig). These averaged 870,000 and 75,000 acre-feet (1,072 and 92.5 cubic hectometers) per year, respectively. The total annual inflow to Great Salt Lake during 1931-76 (Is + Ig + Ip+ Ium) ranged from about 1.3 (1961) to 5.0 (1971 and 1975) million acre-feet (1,603 to 6,165 cubic hectometers) and averaged 2.9 million acre-feet (3,575 cubic hectometers). Some minor revisions were made to the digital-computer model used to compute the water and salt balance for the Great Salt Lake. Most revisions involved adaption to the longer base period of 1931-76 and revision of the water budget as a result of changes in estimates of evaporation and surface inflow.
Model for evaluating the effects of dikes on the water and salt balance of Great Salt Lake, Utah
A model was developed for predicting the water and salt budget for various diking options in Great Salt Lake.
Model for evaluating the effects of dikes on the water and salt balance of Great Salt Lake, Utah
A model was developed for predicting the water and salt budget for various diking options in Great Salt Lake. The water budget was computed for 1-month intervals during a base period of 1931-73. The storage change (AS) during each month of the base period was computed from a budget of surface inflow (Is), groundwater inflow (Ig), precipitation on the lake surface (Ip), and outflow from evaporation (Oe), where AS = Is + Ig +Ip - Oe. The total annual inflow to Great Salt Lake ranged from about 1.5 to 5 million acre-feet (1,849.5 to 6,165.0 cubic hectometres). The Bear River contributes the largest percentage of the measured surface inflow. The total annual outflow from the lake (evaporation) ranged from about 2.2 to 4.0 million acre-feet (2,712.6 to 4,932.0 cubic hectometres) during 1931-73. The average annual evaporation was 2.98 million acrefeet (3,674.3 cubic hectometres) or 45 inches (1,143 millimetres) per year. The model provides for nine diking options. These include combinations of eight areas east of a line joining Antelope Island, Fremont Island, and the Promontory Mountains. Another option includes the part of Great Salt Lake that lies north of the Southern Pacific Transportation Co. causeway, which divides the main body of the lake into north and south parts. The model treats the salt balance of the diked areas from the standpoint of an inflow-outflow balance with complete mixing, and no allowances are made for any stratification or chemical changes due to interaction with the sediments or solution of entrapped brines or residual salts. Because the degree of inaccuracy created by these assumptions is not known, the concentrations predicted by the model should be regarded not as absolute but as relative indexes by which to compare various diking alternatives.
Computer program to simulate the salt balance between the north and south parts of Great Salt Lake, Utah
This report presents a computer simulation program that was used by Waddell and Bolke (1973) to predict the salt balance between the north and south parts of Great Salt Lake, Utah, for either existing or modified culvert openings (fig. 1). The development of the program, its accuracy and limitations, are described in the above report, which was prepared as part of a study conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Utah Geological and Mineral Survey. Users of this program should consider it an addendum to the report by Waddell and Bolke (1973). Although this program has been tested by its contributor, no warranty, expressed or implied, is made by the contributor or the Government, as to the functioning of the program and related program material, nor shall the fact of distribution constitute any such warranty, and no responsibility is assumed by the contributor or the Government, in connection therewith. The FORTRAN IV program listing (table 1) defines the constants and variables necessary for understanding the mechanics and the output from the program.
Selected hydrologic data in the upper Colorado River basin
Most of the information in this atlas pertains to the ground-water resources of the basin. The surface-water resources, climate, and geohydrologic framework have been described in considerable detail by Iorns and others (1964, 1965). The maps in this atlas are highly generalized, and are intended to provide the reader with only a general understanding of the geology, ground-water conditions, and chemical quality of the water in the basin as a whole. In most instances, the availability, depth to, and chemical quality of ground water at a given well site can be determined only by special investigations. Only previously collected data were used to compile the maps in this atlas. More detailed information for specific parts of the basin can be found in the reports and maps in the list of references.
The effects of restricted circulation on the salt balance of Great Salt Lake, Utah
During the 1970-1972 water years a net load of dissolved solids of 0.26 billion tons moved from the south to north part of Great Salt Lake, Utah, through the causeway of the Southern Pacific Transportation Co. The load loss from the south part during the 1972 water year was only 0.01 billion tons, thus indicating that the salt balance between the two parts of the lake was near equilibrium for inflow conditions such as those of 1972.
Quality of surface water in the Bear River basin, Utah, Wyoming, and Idaho
The United States Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Utah Department of Natural Resources, Division of Water Rights, began a reconnaissance in 1967 to obtain essential water-quality information for the Bear River basin. The reconnaissance was directed toward defining the chemical quality of the basin’s surface waters, including suitability for specific uses, geology, and general basin hydrology. Emphasis was given to those areas where water-development projects are proposed or being considered.
Ground-water conditions in the east shore area, Box Elder, Davis, and Weber Counties, Utah 1960-69
This report is one of a series that is prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Utah Department of Natural Resources, Division of Water Rights, which describes water resources in selected areas in Utah. The period of study on which this report was based was from July 1968 to March 1970, but the period of record covered by the report is from 1960 to 1969. The purposes of this study were to determine changes in ground-water development in the East Shore area and to determine the effects of those changes on the ground-water system since the area was last studied (Smith and Gates, 1963). The study was also made to obtain additional information to guide further development of ground water in the area, in order to meet growing needs for municipal, industrial, and agriculture water supplies.
Water-quality data for the Flaming Gorge Reservoir area, Utah and Wyoming, 1969-72
This report presents the basic data that were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey during a study of the chemical quality of water in Flaming Gorge Reservoir. An interpretive report will follow. The basic data were collected from the reservoir during six sampling runs between October 1970 and September 1972. The reservoir was sampled for chemical analyses at 17 sites. Chemical and physical data were measured in situ at 34 sites. The sites are shown in figure 1 and the data are listed in tables 1 and 3-6.
Quality of surface water in the Bear River basin, Utah, Wyoming and Idaho
Water-quality data have been collected intermittently at several sites in the Bear River basin since 1947. Because the Bear River flows through three States - Utah, Wyoming, and Idaho - water-quality programs have been confined for the most part within State boundaries. In 1967, the U.S. Geological Survey, as a part of its cooperative program with the Utah Department of Natural Resources, Division of Water Rights, designed a reconnaissance to obtain needed water-quality information for the entire basin. This report presents the results of the data-collection phase of the reconnaissance. Also included in this report are data collected intermittently or periodically prior to the reconnaissance by the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, and the Federal Water Pollution Control Administration. An interpretive report is being prepared and will be published by the U.S. Geological Survey as a Hydrologic Atlas.
Hydrologic reconnaissance of Rush Valley, Tooele County, Utah
This report is the third in a series by the U. S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Utah Department of Natural Resources, Division of Water Rights, which describes the water resources of the western basins of Utah. Its purpose is to present available hydrologic data for Rush Valley, to provide an evaluation of the potential water-resources development of the valley, and to identify needed studies that would help provide an understanding of the valley's water supply.
Hydrologic reconnaissance of Deep Creek valley, Tooele and Juab Counties, Utah and Elko and White Pine Counties, Nevada
This report, the fourth in a series by the U. S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Utah Department of Natural Resources, Division of Water Rights, describes water resources of the western basins of Utah. Its purpose is to present available hydrologic data on Deep Creek valley, to provide an evaluation of the potential water-resource development of the valley, and to identify needed studies that would help provide an understanding of the valley's water supply.
Hydrologic reconnaissance of Skull Valley, Tooele County, Utah
This report is the second in a series by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Utah Department of Natural Resources, Division of Water Rights, which describes the water resources of the western basins of Utah. Its purpose is to present available hydrologic data on Skull Valley, to provide an evaluation of the potential water-resource development of the valley, and to identify needed studies that would help provide an understanding of the valley's water supply.
Reconnaissance of the chemical quality of water in western Utah, Part I: Sink Valley area, drainage basins of Skull, Rush, and Government Creek Valleys, and the Dugway Valley-Old River Bed area
This report presents data collected during the first part of an investigation that was started in 1963 by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Utah Geological and Mineralogical Survey. The investigation has the purpose of providing information about the chemical quality of water in western Utah that will help interested parties to evaluate the suitability of the water for various uses in a broad area of Utah where little information of this type previously has been available. The area studied includes the Sink Valley area, the drainage basins of Skull, Rush, and Government Creek Valleys, and the Dugway Valley-Old River Bed area (fig. 1). Osamu Hattori and G. L. Hewitt started the investigation, and the author completed it and prepared the report.
Fluvial sediment and chemical quality of water in the Little Blue River basin, Nebraska and Kansas
The Little Blue River drains about 3,37)0 square miles in south-central Nebraska and north-central Kansas. The uppermost bedrock in the basin is limestone and shale of Permian age and sandstone, shale, and limestone of Cretaceous age. Bedrock is exposed in many places in the lower one-third of the basin but elsewhere is buried beneath a thin to thick mantle of younger sediments, mostly of Quaternary age. These younger sediments are largely fluvial and eolian deposits but also include some glacial till. Consisting in large part of sand and gravel, the fluvial deposits are an important source of ground-water supplies throughout much of the upper two-thirds of the basin. Loess, an eolian deposit of clayey silt, is by far the most widespread surficial deposit. The climate is continental. Temperatures ranging from -38 ? F to 118 ? F have been recorded in the basin. Average annual precipitation as low as 10.31 and as high as 49.32 inches has been recorded. During most years in the period 1956-62, when nearly all the water-quality data were obtained, annual precipitation and annual runoff were greater than normal. Flow-duration data indicate, however, that the flow distribution for the period was near normal. The Little Blue River has the same suspended-sediment characteristics as nearly all unregulated streams in the Great Plains--a wide range in concentrations, low concentrations during low-flow periods, and high concentrations during almost all periods of significant overland runoff. The maximum instantaneous concentration normally occurs many hours before maximum water discharge during any given rise in stage; the maximum daily mean concentration during any given year normally occurs at a moderate stream stage, not during a major flood. Suspended-sediment data for Little Blue River near Deweese, Nebr., which receives drainage from the upstream third of the basin, approximately, show that during the 1!}57-61 water years concentrations of 100 ppm (parts per million) or less prevailed about 42 percent of the time and concentrations of 1,000 ppm or less prevailed about 85 percent of the time. Observed concentrations ranged from 2 to 21,000 ppm: daily mean concentrations ranged from 2 to 13,800 ppm. The discharge-weighted suspended-sediment concentration was computed as about 2,800 ppm at Little Blue River near Deweese, about 3,300 ppm near Fairbury (Endicott), and about 3,000 ppm at Waterville. These stations receive drainage from about one-third, two-thirds, and nearly all the basin, respectively. Water-utilization problems resulting from high concentrations are not significant in the basin ; use of water from the Little Blue River is quantitatively negligible. Concentrations and, consequently, discharges of sediment are greater at a given water discharge on a rising stage than at the same discharge on the falling stage of the same runoff event. Also, a wide range in sediment discharge occurs at similar water discharges during different runoff events. Daily sediment discharges at Little Blue River near Deweese ranged from about 1,400 to 16,000 tons at daily mean water discharges of about 500 cfs (cubic feet per second) and from almost 7,500 to 28,000 tons at water discharges of about 1,000 cfs. The estimated long-term sediment discharge at Little Blue River near Deweese is about 400,000 tons per year: near Fairbury, about 1,200,000 tons per year: and at Waterville, about 1.900,000 tons per year. The high sediment discharge from the downstream part of the basin is due to greater precipitation and runoff--not to higher concentrations of suspended sediment--in the downstream parts of the basin. Nearly all the suspended sediment is silt and clay. The streambed material is mainly medium sand to gravel. The median particle size of bed material observed was about 0.73 mm near Deweese and about 0.77 mm near Fairbury. A few computations of total sediment discharge of Little Blue River near Deweese indicate that suspended-sedim