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U.S. Department of Energy
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Water information bulletin No. 30: geothermal investigations in Idaho, Part 11

Conference ·
OSTI ID:7369423
This paper represents only part of one chapter of a detailed geological, hydrological, geochemical and geophysical investigation of thermal water occurrence, in and adjacent to the Nampa-Caldwell area of southwestern Snake River Plain, Idaho. Geochemical studies using stable isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen show that thermal water in the Nampa-Caldwell area is depleted by 20 o/oo in deltaD and by about 2.3 o/oo in delta/sup 18/0 relative to cold water and indicates the water may be rain or snow water that fell more than 11,000 years ago. The isotope data may show the effects of considerable mixing of a thermal parent water with an isotopic composition of deltaD-150 o/oo and a delta/sup 18/0 = -18 o/oo with colder waters from Lake Lowell and canal systems, Snake River water, Reynolds Creek basin or similar elevations, perhaps the Boise and Payette rivers and applied irrigation water. The geothermal parent water in the Nampa-Caldwell area appears, from isotope data, to be identical to parent geothermal waters in the Bruneau-Grand View and Boise areas of the western Snake River Plain, or to have a similar source(s) and/or age.
Research Organization:
Idaho Dept. of Water Resources, Boise
OSTI ID:
7369423
Report Number(s):
DOE/ID/12079-39; ESL-59; CONF-8105132-11; ON: DE82003944
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English