Preliminary hydrogeologic assessment near the boundary of the Antelope Valley and El Mirage Valley groundwater basins, California

Abstract

For more information on the USGS-the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment-visit https://www.usgs.gov or call 1-888-ASK-USGS.For an overview of USGS information products, including maps, imagery, and publications, visit https://www.usgs.gov/pubprod/.Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.Although this information product, for the most part, is in the public domain, it also may contain copyrighted materials as noted in the text. Permission to reproduce copyrighted items must be secured from the copyright owner.Suggested citation: Stamos, C.L., Christensen, A.H., and Langenheim, V.E., 2017, Preliminary hydrogeologic assessment near the boundary of the Antelope Valley and El Mirage Valley groundwater basins, California: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5065, 44 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20175065. ISSN 2328-0328 (online) iii AcknowledgmentsThis study was completed in cooperation with the Mojave Water Agency. Their support and provision of resources were invaluable for the completion of the study. Appreciation is also extended to the staff of the Phelan-Piñon Hills Community Services District for access to their data and assistance in the field.Further appreciation is extended to our U.S. Geological Survey colleagues Joseph M. Nawikas and David B. Dillon for their efforts in collecting the groundwater-level data from the field, to Andrew Y. Morita for collecting the gravity data, and to Sally F. House and Donald J. Martin for creating the visualizations used in this report. A, 1980-2015, and B, 1950-2015 and 1915-2015 DatumVertical coordinate information is referenced to the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88).Horizontal coordinate information is referenced to the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD 83).Altitude, as used in this report, refers to distance above the vertical datum. Well-Numbering SystemWells are identified and numbered according to their location in the rectangular system for the subdivision of public lands. Identification consists of the township number, north or south; the range number, east or west; and the section number. Each section is divided into 16 40-acre tracts lettered consecutively (except "I" and "O"), beginning with "A" in the northeast corner of the section and progressing in a sinusoidal manner to "R" in the southeast corner. Within the 40-acre tract, wells are sequentially numbered in the order they are inventoried. The final letter refers to the base line and meridian. In California, there are three base lines and meridians: Humboldt (H), Mount Diablo (M), and San Bernardino (S). All wells in the study area are referenced to the San Bernardino base line and meridian (S). Well numbers consist of 15 characters and follow the format 005N008W13R001S. In this report, well numbers are abbreviated and written 5N/8W-13R1. Wells in the same township and range are referred to only...