Water resources data, Arizona water year 1989

The N aquifer is the major source of water in the 5,400-square-mile area of Black Mesa in northeastern Arizona. Availability of water is an important issue in this area because of continued industrial and municipal use, a growing population, and a precipitation of only about 6 to 12 inches per year. The monitoring program in Black Mesa has been operating since 1971 and is designed to determine the long-term effects of groundwater withdrawals from the N aquifer for industrial and municipal uses. The monitoring program includes measurements of (1) groundwater pumping, (2) groundwater levels, (3) spring discharge, (4) surface-water discharge, and (5) groundwater chemistry. In 1999, total groundwater withdrawals were 7,110 acre-feet, industrial use was 4,210 acre-feet, and municipal use was 2,900 acre-feet. From 1998 to 1999, total withdrawals increased by 0.7 percent, industrial use increased by 4 percent, and municipal use decreased by 4 percent. From 1998 to 1999, water levels declined in 11 of 15 wells in the unconfined part of the aquifer, and the median decline was 0.7 foot. Water levels declined in 14 of 16 wells in the confined part of the aquifer, and the median decline was 1.2 feet. From the prestress period (prior to 1965) to 1999, the median water-level decline in 31 wells was 10.6 feet. Median water-level changes were 0.0 foot for 15 wells in the unconfined part of the aquifer and-45.5 feet in 16 wells in the confined part.

Ground-water, surface-water, and water-chemistry data, Black Mesa area, northeastern Arizona—1999

Thomas¹,

Truini²

2000

Ground-water, surface-water, and water-chemistry data, Black Mesa area, northeastern Arizona: 1998

Truini¹,

Baum²,

Littin³

et al. 2000

Multiply By To obtain foot (ft) 0.3048 meter square mile (mi 2) 2.590 square kilometer acre-foot (acre-ft) 0.001233 cubic hectometer cubic foot per second (ft 3 /s) 0.02832 cubic meter per second gallon per minute (gal/min) 0.06308 liter per second gallon per day (gal/day) 0.003785 cubic meter per day Contents v ABBREVIATED WATER-QUALITY UNITS Chemical concentration and water temperature are given only in metric units. Chemical concentration in water is given in milligrams per liter (mg/L) or micrograms per liter (µg/L). Milligrams per liter is a unit expressing the solute mass (milligrams) per unit of volume (liter) of water. One thousand micrograms per liter is equivalent to 1 milligram per liter. For concentrations less than 7,000 milligrams per liter, the numerical value is about the same as for concentrations in parts per million. Specific conductance is given in microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius (µS/cm at 25°C). Chemical concentrations in streambed sediment are given in micrograms per gram (µg/g) or micrograms per kilogram (µg/kg). Micrograms per gram is equal to parts per million (ppm). Micrograms per kilograms is equal to parts per billion (ppb). VERTICAL DATUM Sea level: In this report, "sea level" refers to the National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD of 1929)-a geodetic datum derived from a general adjustment of the first-order level nets of the United States and Canada, formerly called "Sea Level Datum of 1929".

Activities of the Water Resources Division in Arizona, 1986-91

Spicer¹,

Vanter²

1993

A century of activity and publication of more than 860 water-resources related reports for the State of Arizona demonstrate an historical role for the U.S. Geological Survey in the hydrologic community. These reports continue to serve as the foundation of hydrologic knowledge for the State. Additionally, hydrologic historians will note (1) the evolution and sophistication of the investigative and interpretive tools used to collect and transfer hydrologic data knowledge to the water-user community and (2) a strong and steadfast nonregulatory stance in the midst of highly controversial and political issues. The justification for this stance is simple the need has existed and will continue to exist for an unbiased entity such as the U.S. Geological Survey to produce credible scientific information. Major national water issues for the Water Resources Division during fiscal years 1986-91 correspond well to water issues in the State of Arizona. These issues are (1) water availability and competition for this water, (2) quality of water, and (3) management of water and land resources. Studies being conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey and described in this publication are, for the most part, in support of providing data and interpretation to address these issues. As an agency, we are aware of and dedicated to the premise that credible data are obtained only when subjected to consistent, discipline-related, quality-assurance programs. Throughout the Water Resources Division, continuous quality-assurance programs are conducted for all the activities that influence and ensure the quality of our products and services. Relevant and complex studies conducted by the Arizona District include radionuclide contamination in the Puerco River basin and migration of acid mine drainage in the Final Creek basin in central Arizona. In the lower Colorado River basin, a new method of estimating and distributing consumptive uses of Colorado River water for each user has been developed and work is underway to refine and improve the new method. Looking to the future, the Arizona District is seeking opportunities to develop a means of quickly and economically tracking changes in the quantities of ground water in storage. The use of sensitive gravity meters has shown great promise and when developed could greatly reduce the cost and time of using water-level measurements in individual wells. In a situation where "safe yield" is a management objective, this new method could be a valuable tool. With regard to groundwater contamination, we are seeking opportunities to evaluate the effectiveness of developing technologies in bio-remediation. The present use of "pump and treat" is proving extraordinarily expensive and of limited effectiveness. Another topic of interest is in monitoring and simulation modeling of land subsidence resulting from groundwater withdrawals. In areas where subsidence has been significant, the effects on the operation and integrity of water distribution and drainage systems have been substantial and expensive. Predictive...