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U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2012–1018

Prepared in cooperation with Coconino County, Arizona, and the U.S. Forest Service

Depth of Cinder Deposits and Water-Storage Capacity at Cinder Lake, Coconino County, Arizona

By Jamie P. Macy, Lee Amoroso, Jeff Kennedy, and Joel Unema

Thumbnail of and link to report PDF (8.3 MB)Abstract

The 2010 Schultz fire northeast of Flagstaff, Arizona, burned more than 15,000 acres on the east side of San Francisco Mountain from June 20 to July 3. As a result, several drainages in the burn area are now more susceptible to increased frequency and volume of runoff, and downstream areas are more susceptible to flooding. Resultant flooding in areas downgradient of the burn has resulted in extensive damage to private lands and residences, municipal water lines, and roads. Coconino County, which encompasses Flagstaff, has responded by deepening and expanding a system of roadside ditches to move flood water away from communities and into an area of open U.S. Forest Service lands, known as Cinder Lake, where rapid infiltration can occur. Water that has been recently channeled into the Cinder Lake area has infiltrated into the volcanic cinders and could eventually migrate to the deep regional groundwater-flow system that underlies the area. How much water can potentially be diverted into Cinder Lake is unknown, and Coconino County is interested in determining how much storage is available. The U.S. Geological Survey conducted geophysical surveys and drilled four boreholes to determine the depth of the cinder beds and their potential for water storage capacity. Results from the geophysical surveys and boreholes indicate that interbedded cinders and alluvial deposits are underlain by basalt at about 30 feet below land surface. An average total porosity for the upper 30 feet of deposits was calculated at 43 percent for an area of 300 acres surrounding the boreholes, which yields a total potential subsurface storage for Cinder Lake of about 4,000 acre-feet. Ongoing monitoring of storage change in the Cinder Lake area was initiated using a network of gravity stations.

Last modified March 8, 2012
First posted First posted February 21, 2012

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For additional information contact:
Office information, Arizona Water Science Center
U.S. Geological Survey
520 N. Park Avenue
Tucson, AZ 85719
http://az.water.usgs.gov/

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Suggested citation:

Macy, J.P., Amoroso, L., Kennedy, J., and Unema, J., 2012, Depth of cinder deposits and water-storage capacity at Cinder Lake, Coconino County, Arizona: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2012–1018, 20 p., available at http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2012/1018/.



Contents

Abstract

Introduction

Methods

Results

Conclusions

References Cited


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