Hydrologic reconnaissance of the Fish Springs Flat area, Tooele, Juab and Millard counties, Utah

E.L. Bolke; C. T. Sumsion

doi:10.3133/ofr78312

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Hydrologic reconnaissance of the Fish Springs Flat area, Tooele, Juab and Millard counties, Utah

E.L. Bolke·C. T. Sumsion

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Abstract

The Fish Springs Flat area includes about 590 square miles (1,530 square kilometers) in western Utah. Total annual precipitation on the area averages about 7 inches (180 millimeters) and totals about 232,000 acre-feet (286 cubic hectometers). Fish Springs Wash is the major drainage in the area; and, along with numerous smaller washes, it flows only in direct response to precipitation. Runoff from the area is estimated to be about 2,000 acre-feet (2.5 cubic hectometers) per year. The estimated amount of water recoverable from storage in the upper 100 feet (30 meters) of saturated valley fill is about 550,000 acre-feet (680 cubic hectometers), and most of this water is slightly to moderately saline. The water in the Fish Springs Flat area ranges from slightly saline to briny, and the predominant ions in the water are sodium and chloride. The water that underlies the mudflats in the northwest part of the area is briny. Water that issues from Fish Springs is slightly saline. The water in the Fish Springs Flat area is not suitable for drinking. The water that issues from Fish Springs is used for wildlife management, which includes ponding and irrigation of vegetation (chiefly saltgrass) in the Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge. The water from the wells in the area is used for livestock and mining operations. Ground-water recharge from precipitation is about 4,000 acre-feet (5 cubic hectometers) annually. Ground-water discharge is chiefly by springs and evapotranspiration. The largest springs in the Fish Springs group discharge about 26,000 acre-feet (32 cubic hectometers) annually. All other springs discharge about 600 acre-feet (0.74 cubic hectometer) per year, or only about 2 percent of the total spring discharge. Discharge by evapotranspiration is about 8,000 acre-feet (10 cubic hectometers) per year. Discharge by wells and by subsurface outflow is negligible. The difference between discharge and local recharge--approximately 31,000 acre-feet (38 cubic hectometers)--is assumed to enter the Fish Springs Flat area by interbasin flow.

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Source-reported bounding extent: 39.65539876418111° to 40.03918079694873° latitude; -113.653564453125° to -113.26492309570312° longitude. This indicates report coverage, not an exact sampling location. View area on OpenStreetMap.

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E.L. Bolke, C. T. Sumsion. 1978. Hydrologic reconnaissance of the Fish Springs Flat area, Tooele, Juab and Millard counties, Utah. https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr78312

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