Open-File Report 2005-1286

Selected Ground-Water Data for Yucca Mountain Region, Southern Nevada and Eastern California, January-December 2003

By Richard J. La Camera, Glenn L. Locke, and Aron M. Habte

Report availability: Portable Document Format (PDF).

Abstract

The U.S. Geological Survey, in support of the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Repository Development, collects, compiles, and summarizes hydrologic data in the Yucca Mountain region. These data are collected to allow assessments of ground-water resources during activities to determine the potential suitability or development of Yucca Mountain for storing high-level nuclear waste.

Data on ground-water levels at 35 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 tabulated from January through December 2003. Historical data that were revised from those published in previous reports on selected ground-water data for the Yucca Mountain region also are tabulated. Historical data on water levels, discharges, and withdrawals are presented graphically to indicate variations through time.

A statistical summary of ground-water levels at seven wells in Jackass Flats is presented for the period 1992-2003 to indicate potential effects of ground-water withdrawals associated with U.S. Department of Energy activities near Yucca Mountain. The statistical summary includes the annual number of measurements, maximum, minimum, and median water-level altitudes, and average deviation of measured water-level altitudes compared to the 1992-93 baseline period. At seven wells in Jackass Flats, median water levels for 2003 were slightly higher (0.4-2.8 feet) than their median water levels for 1992-93.

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