Geology topics
Publications and source records attributed to P. B. Daddow.
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The potential for developing water supplies from the alluvium along the Powder River between Sussex, Wyoming, and Moorehead, Montana, is very limited. The areal extent and saturated thickness of the alluvium are not large. Water in the alluvium primarily is derived from seepage from the river, which goes dry periodically. Low flow is sustained by groundwater discharge or irrigation return flow near Sussex, but not near Arvada, Wyoming , or Moorhead. The alluvium and the river have good hydraulic connection, but evidently are isolated from the bedrock. Pumpage from wells completed in the alluvium is highly dependent on water supplied directly from the river. The quality of water in the alluvium also limits use of the water. Although the quality improves downstream, it is unacceptable for drinking water and possibly for irrigation and some industrial uses, but is acceptable for most livestock watering. (USGS)
Groundwater resources in the Hanna and Carbon Basins of Wyoming were assessed in a study from 1974 through 1980 because of the development of coal mining in the area. Data collected from 105 wells during that study, including well-completion records, lithologic logs, and water levels, are presented. The data are from stock wells, coal-test holes completed as observation wells by the U.S. Geological Survey. The data are mostly from mined coal-bearing formations: the Tertiary Hanna Formation and the Tertiary and Cretaceous Ferris Formation. Well-completion data and lithologic logs were collected on-site during drilling of the wells or from U.S. Geological Survey files, company records, Wyoming State Engineer well-permit files, and published reports. (USGS)
The effects of surface coal mining on the surface- and groundwater systems in a 5,400 sq mi area in the Powder River Basin, Wyoming, that includes 20 major coal mines were evaluated using three approaches: A surface water model, a landscape-stability analysis, and a groundwater model. A surface water model was developed for the Belle Fourche River basin. The Hydrological Simulation Program-Fortran model was used to simulate changes in streamflow and changes in dissolved-solids and sulfate concentrations. Simulated streamflows resulting from less than average rainfall were small, changes in flow from premining to during-mining and postmining conditions were less than 2.5%, and changes in mean dissolved-solids and sulfate concentrations ranged from 1 to 7%. A landscape-stability analysis resulted in regression relations to aid in the reconstruction of reclaimed drainage networks. Hypsometric analyses indicate the larger basins are relatively stable, and statistical data from these basins may be used to design the placement of material within a mined basin to approximate natural, stable landscapes in the area. The attempt to define and simulate the groundwater system in the area using a groundwater-flow model was unsuccessful. The steady-state groundwater-flow model could not be calibrated. The modeling effort failed principally because of insufficient quantity and quality of data to define the spatial distribution of aquifer properties; the hydraulic-head distribution within and between aquifers; and the rates of groundwater recharge and discharge, especially for steady-state conditions. (USGS)
The U.S. Geological Survey and the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality are involved in a cooperative effort to assess the probable cumulative impacts of coal mining on the hydrology of a part of the Powder River Structural Basin in Wyoming. It was assumed that the principal impacts on the ground-water system due to mining will occur in the relatively shallow aquifers which can be grouped into three homogeneous aquifers, namely, the Wyodak coal, the overburden, and the under burden. Emphasis of this report is on the results of analysis of surface-water resources in the Caballo Creek drainage. A surface-water model of the Caballo Creek drainage was developed using the Hydrological Simulation Program-Fortran model to help assess the impacts of mining activities on streamflow. The Caballo Creek drainage was divided into 10 land segments and 6 stream reaches in the modeling process. Three simulation runs show little, if any, change in streamflow between pre- and post-mining conditions and very little change between pre-mining and during-mining conditions. The principal reason for the absence of change is the high infiltration rate used in the model for all three conditions.