Interbasin flow in the Great Basin with special reference to the southern Funeral Mountains and the source of Furnace Creek springs, Death Valley, California, U.S.

Journal of Hydrology (Elsevier) | May 5th, 2009

Interbasin flow in the Great Basin has been established by scientific studies during the past century. While not occurring uniformly between all basins, its occurrence is

Interbasin flow in the Great Basin has been established by scientific studies during the past century. While not occurring uniformly between all basins, its occurrence is common and is a function of the hydraulic gradient between basins and hydraulic conductivity of the intervening rocks. The Furnace Creek springs in Death Valley, California are an example of large volume springs that are widely accepted as being the discharge points of regional interbasin flow. The flow path has been interpreted historically to be through consolidated Paleozoic carbonate rocks in the southern Funeral Mountains. This work reviews the preponderance of evidence supporting the concept of interbasin flow in the Death Valley region and the Great Basin and addresses the conceptual model of pluvial and recent recharge [Nelson, S.T., Anderson, K., Mayo, A.L., 2004. Testing the interbasin flow hypothesis at Death Valley, California. EOS 85, 349; Anderson, K., Nelson, S., Mayo, A., Tingey, D., 2006. Interbasin flow revisited: the contribution of local recharge to high-discharge springs, Death Valley, California. Journal of Hydrology 323, 276–302] as the source of the Furnace Creek springs. We find that there is insufficient modern recharge and insufficient storage potential and permeability within the basin-fill units in the Furnace Creek basin for these to serve as a local aquifer. Further, the lack of high sulfate content in the spring waters argues against significant flow through basin-fill sediments and instead suggests flow through underlying consolidated carbonate rocks. The maximum temperature of the spring discharge appears to require deep circulation through consolidated rocks; the Tertiary basin fill is of insufficient thickness to generate such temperatures as a result of local fluid circulation. Finally, the stable isotope data and chemical mass balance modeling actually support the interbasin flow conceptual model rather than the alternative presented in Nelson et al. [Nelson, S.T., Anderson, K., Mayo, A.L., 2004. Testing the interbasin flow hypothesis at Death Valley, California. EOS 85, 349] and Anderson et al. [Anderson, K., Nelson, S., Mayo, A., Tingey, D., 2006. Interbasin flow revisited: the contribution of local recharge to high-discharge springs, Death Valley, California. Journal of Hydrology 323, 276– 302]. In light of these inconsistencies, interbasin flow is the only readily apparent explanation for the large spring discharges at Furnace Creek and, in our view, is the likely explanation for most large volume, low elevation springs in the Great Basin. An understanding of hydrogeologic processes that control the rate and direction of ground-water flow in eastern and central Nevada is necessary component of regional water-resource planning and management of alluvial and bedrock aquifers.

Interpretation of Hydrostratigraphy and Water Quality from AEM Data Collected in the Northern Salinas Valley, CA

Marina Coast Water District | March 15th, 2018

Groundwater management, in the Monterey area of California, requires an accurate understanding of the hydrostratigraphy of the coastal aquifer system, as well as an unde

Groundwater management, in the Monterey area of California, requires an accurate understanding of the hydrostratigraphy of the coastal aquifer system, as well as an understanding of the groundwater quality variability within that system. The hydraulic properties of, and connectivity between, the individual units in the aquifer system determine potential routes for the movement of groundwater within and between aquifers. An understanding of the distribution of water quality within the aquifer system and an understanding of the hydrostratigraphy of the system are needed to evaluate the current state of groundwater resources, and to assess the potential impact of any proposed activity on the groundwater resources in the area. The focus of this study is the Northern Salinas Valley. Figure 1 shows the specific region of interest outlined in pink. The orange contour shows the extent of saltwater intrusion into the uppermost aquifers in this area, as determined from well data by the Monterey County Water Resources Agency as the regions where groundwater contains concentrations of chloride greater than 500 mg/L. But there is some question as to whether this contour accurately captures the extent of saltwater intrusion into these aquifers. The detection of water with anomalously low concentrations of total dissolved solids in five newly constructed monitoring well clusters suggests the presence of isolated lenses of fresher groundwater in the Dune Sand Aquifer and Perched Dune Sand Aquifer (outlined in light blue) and in the 180-Foot Aquifer (outlined in dark blue) (Hopkins Groundwater Consultants, 2016). The locations of seven wells from the Monterey Peninsula Water Supply Project (MPWSP) are also shown in Figure 1 as red diamonds, and wells owned by the Marina Coast Water District (MCWD) are shown as green circles. The two groundwater subbasins in the region of interest—the Monterey Subbasin and the 180/400 Aquifer Subbasin—are outlined in purple and blue, respectively. The objective of this study was to use the geophysical method, airborne electromagnetics (AEM), to evaluate the current understanding of the hydrostratigraphy in this area and to interpret the distribution of groundwater quality indicated by available well data. To evaluate the understanding of the hydrostratigraphy, a hydrostratigraphic model of the region of interest was first built using existing data, and was then updated with the information supplied by the AEM data. This approach was followed for two separate initial models. The first initial model was based on the North Marina Groundwater Model (NMGWM), developed by Geoscience Support Services as part of the MPWSP. The second initial model was built in-house using lithology data and hydrostratigraphic interpretations from a variety of previously published reports. Our interpretation of the distribution of groundwater quality in the region is based on statistical relationships built between water quality samples and borehole geophysical data collected in the wells shown in Figure 1.

Investigating the Link Between Surface Water and Groundwater in the Tule Lake Subbasin, Oregon and California

Portland State University | August 13th, 2014

Water allocation in the upper Klamath Basin of Oregon and California has been challenging. Irrigators have increasingly turned to groundwater to make up for surf

Water allocation in the upper Klamath Basin of Oregon and California has been challenging. Irrigators have increasingly turned to groundwater to make up for surface water shortages because of shifts in allocation toward in-stream flows for Endangered Species Act-listed fishes. The largest increase in groundwater pumping has been in and around the Bureau of Reclamation’s Klamath Irrigation Project, which includes the Tule Lake subbasin in the southern part of the upper Klamath Basin. Previous groundwater flow model simulations indicate that water level declines from pumping may result in decreased flow to agricultural drains in the Tule Lake subbasin. Agricultural drains on the Klamath Project are an important source of water for downstream irrigators and for the Tule Lake and Lower Klamath Lake National Wildlife Refuges. To better assess the impact of increased pumping on drain flow and on the water balance of the groundwater system, flow data from agricultural drains were evaluated to investigate the changes that have taken place in groundwater discharge to drains since pumping volumes increased. Additionally, a fine-grid groundwater model of the Tule Lake subbasin was developed based on the existing regional flow model. The fine-grid model has sufficient vertical and horizontal resolution to simulate vertical head gradients, takes advantage of time-series data from 38 observation wells for model calibration, and allows agricultural drains to be more explicitly represented. Results of the drain flow analysis show that the groundwater discharge to agricultural drains has decreased by approximately 4000 hectare-meters from the 1997-2000 average discharge. Most of this decrease takes place in the northern and southeastern portions of the subbasin.  Results of the groundwater model show that the initial source of water to wells is groundwater storage. By 2006, approximately 56% of the water from wells is sourced from agricultural drains.

Inyo County: Monitoring Groundwater Dependent Vegetation to Inform Groundwater Management

Nature Conservancy | August 1st, 1989

Inyo County and the City of Los Angeles have shown innovative and progressive leadership in the protection of groundwater dependent ecosystems in Owens Valley,

Inyo County and the City of Los Angeles have shown innovative and progressive leadership in the protection of groundwater dependent ecosystems in Owens Valley, and thanks to a landmark agreement between Inyo County and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), the outlook for groundwater dependent ecosystems (GDEs) in this area is promising. In 1991, the Inyo/Los Angeles Long-Term Water Agreement (Agreement) established an elaborate system to manage groundwater pumping by LADWP to avoid substantial declines in groundwater dependent vegetation in the Owens Valley. Implemented to settle the County’s 1971 CEQA challenge of LADWP’s proposed method to fill its second aqueduct, the Agreement resolved years of litigation between the County and LADWP.

Irrigation in the Earth system

Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature) | June 20th, 2023

Isolating the Poroelastic Response of the Groundwater System in InSAR Data From the Central Valley of California

American Geophysical Union (AGU) | April 28th, 2023

It is the Discharge

National Groundwater Association (NGWA) | September 1st, 2007

We all know the mantra Keep It Simple—the principle KISS. I have been thinking of another mantra for ground water—It Is the Discharge. Let me explain: In a re

We all know the mantra Keep It Simple—the principle KISS. I have been thinking of another mantra for ground water—It Is the Discharge. Let me explain: In a recent conversation with one of my distinguished colleagues, he bemoaned our lack of understanding of ground water recharge. I keep thinking about that conversation. In a broad sense as hydrogeologists, we are hoping to understand how aquifer systems function, more particularly how much water is flowing through a particular system—the focus on recharge is simply one facet of the larger task. In studying the system, there are at least three aspects that we can focus on—(1) the recharge; (2) the aquifer itself as a transmission mechanism; and (3) the discharge from the aquifer.

James Groundwater Sustainability Agency Groundwater Sustainability Plan

James Groundwater Sustainability Agency (JGSA) | December 12th, 2019

James Groundwater Sustainability Agency Groundwater Sustainability Plan (Revised)

James Groundwater Sustainability Agency (JGSA) | July 22nd, 2022

*Submitted to the Department of Water Resources on July 22, 2022. No date or signature accompany the seal from the preparer at Provost and Pritchard.

*Submitted to the Department of Water Resources on July 22, 2022. No date or signature accompany the seal from the preparer at Provost and Pritchard.

Kaweah Subbasin Probationary Hearing Draft Staff Report

California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) | May 2nd, 2024

The State Water Board recognizes that local public agencies in the Kaweah Subbasin have made significant efforts since the passage of SGMA to form three groundwater susta

The State Water Board recognizes that local public agencies in the Kaweah Subbasin have made significant efforts since the passage of SGMA to form three groundwater sustainability agencies (GSAs) and then develop detailed technical and other information supporting the adoption and implementation of three groundwater sustainability plans (GSPs) for the subbasin. Despite those efforts, in January of 2020, DWR reviewed the three GSPs to determine if the GSPs met SGMA’s requirements and found the GSPs to be incomplete. Following revisions made by the GSAs in the subbasin, DWR reevaluated the GSPs in March of 2023, determined the GSPs to be inadequate, and referred the subbasin to the State Water Board, as required by SGMA. Consistent with SGMA, the State Water Board may now consider whether to designate the Kaweah Subbasin as a “probationary basin,” a term that is used in SGMA to describe a basin in the first stage of state intervention.  Click here for Water Board updates on hearings. A January 5, 2025 has been cancelled to allow more time to review updated groundwater sustainability plans.