Preliminary hydrologic budget studies, Indian Creek watershed and vicinity, Western Paradox Basin, Utah

Technical Report · Thu May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1986

OSTI ID:5616514

Thackston, J W; Mangarella, P A; Preslo, L M

Preliminary quantitative estimates of ground-water discharge into the Colorado River System in the western Paradox Basin were prepared on the basis of existing climatological and streamflow records. Ground-water outflow to the river was deduced as a residual from hydrologic budget equations for two different study areas: (1) the region between gaging stations at Cisco, Green River, and Hite, Utah; and (2) the Indian Creek watershed. An empirical correlation between recharge rates and precipitation amounts derived for several basins in eastern Nevada was applied to estimate recharge amounts for the Indian Creek watershed. A simple Darcian flow model was then used to approximate the ground-water flux outward from the watershed for comparison. Salinity measurements in the Colorado River were also used to approximate ground-water outflow to a river reach in Cataract Canyon in order to provide another comparison with the hydrologic budget results. Although these estimates should be considered only gross approximations, all approaches used provide values of ground-water outflow that are much less than estimates of similar parameters provided by the US Geological Survey in recent hydrologic reconnaissance reports. Estimates contained herein will be refined in future numerical modeling and data collection studies.

• Research Organization: Woodward-Clyde Consultants, San Francisco, CA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-83CH10140
• OSTI ID: 5616514
• Report Number(s): BMI/ONWI-593; ON: DE86012762
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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