Open-File Report 00-479
Selected Ground-Water Data for Yucca Mountain Region, Southern Nevada and Eastern
California, Through December 1999
ABSTRACT
The U.S. Geological Survey, in support of the U.S. Department of Energy, Yucca Mountain Site Characterization
Project, collects, compiles, and summarizes hydrologic data in the Yucca Mountain region. The data are collected to
allow assessments of ground-water resources during studies to determine the potential suitability of Yucca Mountain for
storing high-level nuclear waste.
Data on ground-water levels at 34 wells and a fissure (Devils Hole), ground-water discharge at 5 springs and a
flowing well, and total reported ground-water withdrawals within Crater Flat, Jackass Flats, Mercury Valley, and the
Amargosa Desert are presented for calendar year 1999. Data collected prior to 1999 are graphically presented and data
collected by other agencies (or as part of other Geological Survey programs) are included to further indicate variations
of ground-water levels, discharges, and withdrawals through time.
A statistical summary of ground-water levels at seven wells in Jackass Flats is presented to indicate potential
effects of ground-water withdrawals associated with U.S. Department of Energy activities near Yucca Mountain. The
statistical summary includes the number of measurements, the maximum, minimum, and median water-level altitudes, and the
average deviation of measured water-level altitudes for selected baseline periods and for calendar years 1992-99. At
two water-supply wells median water levels for calendar year 1999 were unchanged from their respective baseline periods.
At a nearby observation well, the 1999 median water level was slightly lower (0.1 foot) than its baseline period. At the
remaining four wells in Jackass Flats, median water levels for 1999 were slightly higher (0.2 foot to 1.6 feet) than for
their respective baseline periods.
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