RSS 1.0Hydrology and Water Resources in Arizona and the Southwest, Volume 03 (1973)
ABOUT THE COLLECTION
Proceedings of the Hydrology section of the Annual Meeting of the Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science. Full text manuscripts of work presented. Research related to water resources, water management, and hydrologic studies primarily focused regionally on southwestern US.
Volume 3. Proceedings of the 1973 Meetings of the Arizona Section - American Water Resources Association and the Hydrology Section - Arizona Academy of Science.
May 4-5, 1973, Tucson, Arizona
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Recent Submissions
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Hydrology and Water Resources in Arizona and the Southwest, Volume 3 (1973)Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science, 1973-05-05
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Salinity Problems of the Safford Valley: An Interdisciplinary AnalysisA change in groundwater quality, averaging approximately +0.13 millimhos electrical conductivity and +35 ppm chloride per year, has been documented between 1940 and 1972 with data from ten long -term sample wells. The decrement in the water quality of the surficial aquifer seems to be attributable to four major mechanisms. An increase in salinity may be expected from leakage of saline water from the artesian aquifer. Such leakage would be stimulated by pumping- caused reduction of confining pressure, and by the puncture of the cap beds by deep wells. Water reaching the aquifer from natural recharge may contribute salts to the system. Such recharging water, if passed through soluble beds, could contribute to the salt. Lateral movement of water through similar deposits may be a contribution, and the concentration and infiltration of agricultural water could also add to aquifer salinity. The economic analysis of the Safford Valley, based on the modeling of a "Representative Farm" analog, indicates that cotton will remain economical to produce on the basis of the projected salinity trends, for a significant time beyond limits of prediction. The analysis indicates that the optimum salt-resistant crops for the area are being cultivated, and, of these, alfalfa will cease to be productive in large areas of the valley by 1990. The entire valley will not produce alfalfa for profit by 2040. The methodologies shown in the paper indicate how pumping influences salinity change and outline salinity control recommendations for the area.
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Competitive Groundwater Usage from the Navajo SandstoneGroundwater modeling is used to theoretically relate mining pumpage of the Navajo Sandstone to declines in the potentiometric surface at Navajo and Hopi Indian community, domestic, and stock usage locations. The shallow wells on top of Black Mesa are shown to be part of a perched water table condition which is dependent upon the hydraulic conductivity of an aquatard known as the Mancos Shale. The isolation of the aquatard allows the shallow wells to be treated as a problem separate from that of the artesian and recharge areas. Computer modeling of the groundwater system is concerned only with those Indian wells which directly tap the Navajo Sandstone in either artesian or free water table areas. The computer simulation developed is a modified version of the basic artesian aquifer routine used by the Illinois State Water Survey. Computer results correspond with the low percentage of storage withdrawal calculated for the artesian area under Black Mesa.
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Lake Powell Research Project: Hydrologic ResearchThe Lake Powell Research Project is investigating the effects of man's activities on the Southeastern Utah-Northeastern Arizona region. A major portion of this project is devoted to the hydrology of Lake Powell, the largest recent modification in the region. This hydrologic research is separated into the following subprojects and administrative institutions: Subprojects: Streamflow Trends, Evaporation, Bank Storage / Institution: University of California at Los Angeles. Subprojects: Sedimentation, Physical Limnology, Lake Geochemistry / Institution: Dartmouth College. The project is now concluding its first year of full-scale research effort. The UCLA subprojects are aimed at developing an overall water budget for the lake, both on an annual and long -term basis. The Streamflow_trends study indicates that the Upper Colorado River Basin (UCRB) has shifted from a few extraordinarily wet decades in the early 1900's to several relatively dry decades up to the present. Evaporation efforts so far are toward installing a data collection system capable of furnishing data for mass-transfer and energy-budget calculations. The bank-storage study indicates that bank storage constitutes a large fraction of the impounded waters. Secondary as well as primary permeability may be of major importance in bank storage. The Evaporation and Bank Storage subprojects are working in close coordination with the Bureau of Reclamation. The Sedimentation subproject has shown that the rate may be in general agreement with earlier estimates from river flow and suspended sediment data. However, the distribution is affected by sediment dams formed by slumping of canyon wall material. Physical limnology studies indicate the presence of stratifications resulting from thermal and turbidity layers causing complex movements within the lake waters. Field and laboratory efforts in lake geochemical analyses indicate that the precipitation of calcium carbonate may be the most important chemical process in changing the water quality of the lake.
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A Jeep-Mounted Rainfall Simulating InfiltrometerAn infiltrometer was designed to more closely simulate natural storm characteristics and still maintain sufficient portability to be used in various test sites in the field. In addition to portability, a relatively large test plot can be used over a relatively long duration. The instrument is designed to produce rainfall intensities of 2 to 6 inches per hour which are comparable to natural storm intensities found in northern Arizona. Capillary tubes produce water drops of equivalent kinetic energy at impact to natural raindrops. Errors due to lateral flow are minimized through peripheral wetting. Mounting the infiltrometer on a four-wheel drive vehicle allows nearly the portability of a hand carried unit with a greater water carrying capacity and allows the equipment to be large enough to test a representative plot.
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Effect of Urbanization on Runoff from Small WatershedsHydrologic data collected from three small urban watersheds and one rural watershed were analyzed for the purpose of investigating the effect of urbanization on runoff. A procedure developed by the Soil Conservation Service was used to explain the relationship between the amount of rainfall and runoff. It was noted that the runoff curve number, a parameter of the method, increased as the percentage of impervious area increased. Also, there was evidence that a linear relationship existed between the runoff volume and its corresponding peak rate.
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Chemical and Biological Problems in the Grand CanyonA survey of chemical and bacteriological water quality in the Grand Canyon was undertaken to assess possible health hazards to river travelers. The water quality of the main Colorado River channel is relatively stable with only slight increases in ionic concentration and bacteriological load with respect to distance from Lee Ferry and time over the summer season. The tributary streams show extreme temporal variability in chemical water quality and bacteriological contamination as a result of the summer rain and flood patterns in the tributary canyons. These side streams pose a definite health hazard to unwary river travelers. More extensive sampling is called for to determine the sources of this contamination and to protect the quality of the Grand Canyon experience.
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Penetrability and Hydraulic Conductivity of Dilute Sulfuric Acid Solutions in Selected Arizona SoilsMeasurements of penetrability and hydraulic conductivity in calcareous soils treated with a dilute sulfuric acid solution showed a severe decrease in conductivity with increasing concentrations over 1000 ppm. A slight decrease in penetrability was observed. Carbon dioxide evolution appeared to be responsible for flow reduction and temporary cessation at 10,000 ppm and 20,000 ppm. In sodic soils penetrability and conductivity increased markedly with sulfuric acid concentrations between 1,000 and 10,000 ppm. For a neutral soil, penetrability decreased with increasing sulfuric acid concentrations, and the stable conductivity for 500 to 5,000 ppm was higher than for water alone. The findings suggest that disposal of sulfuric acid concentrations greater than 1,000 ppm will result in plugging by carbon dioxide. In sodic soils the possibility exists of using sulfuric acid solutions for reclaiming salt and sodium-affected soils.
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Invited Topical Speaker: John D. Hem, Water-Quality Studies Today and TomorrowDevelopment of better instruments for analysis and automation have greatly increased the available information on quality of water during the past decade. There remains a need for further research on relationships between dissolved material and the solids in contact with water in order to cope with existing or potential problems in water quality such as the extent to which lead from automobile exhausts may contaminate water supplies, or the safety of disposal of toxic wastes into deep saline aquifers.
