Rates of Evapotranspiration, Recharge from Precipitation Beneath Selected Areas of Native Vegetation, and Streamflow Gain and Loss in Carson Valley, Douglas County, Nevada, and Alpine County, California

Scientific Investigations Report 2005–5288

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Scientific Investigations Report 2005–5288

Table 5. Uncertainty in estimates of recharge rates at three test holes, Carson Valley, Nevada and California.

[Test hole locations are shown in figure 2. Average annual precipitation: Estimated using equation developed by Maurer and Halford (2004, p. 29); average annual precipitation, in inches, equals altitude of test hole multiplied by 0.0027 minus 5.3646. Potential range in annual precipitation: From Maurer and Halford (2004, p. 37). Potential range in chloride concentration of precipitation: Chloride concentration of precipitation: value of 0.6 mg/L from eight bulk-precipitation sites in Nevada (Dettinger, 1989, p. 62), value of 0.4 mg/L from 24 samples from five sites near Reno, Nevada (Berger and others, 1997, p. 46). Estimated annual recharge rate from precipitation: From table 4, calculated from equation 2 in text; recharge is equal to annual precipitation multiplied by chloride concentration of precipitation, divided by average chloride concentration of pore water below root zone, divided by 12 to obtain annual recharge in feet. Values used from column 2 and 0.5 mg/L for chloride concentration of precipitation. Minimum annual recharge rate: Calculated from equation 2 in text, using minimum annual precipitation and chloride concentration and dividing by 12 to obtain minimum annual recharge in feet. Maximum annual recharge rate: Calculated from equation 2 in text, using maximum annual precipitation and chloride concentration and dividing by 12 to obtain maximum annual recharge in feet. Abbreviations: in., inch; mg/L, milligram per liter; ft, foot]

Test hole No.	Average annual precipitation (in.)	Potential range in annual precipitation, ±15 percent (in.)	Potential range in chloride concentration of precipitation (mg/L)	Estimated annual recharge rate from precipitation (ft)	Annual recharge rate (ft)
Test hole No.	Average annual precipitation (in.)	Potential range in annual precipitation, ±15 percent (in.)		Estimated annual recharge rate from precipitation (ft)	Minimum	Maximum
CL-1	7.95	6.75–9.14	0.4–0.6	0.04	¹0.03	¹0.05
CL-2	8.46	7.19–9.73	.4–.6	.03	².02	².04
CL-7	8.70	7.40–10.01	.4–.6	.02	³.01	³.03

¹Calculated using average chloride concentration of pore water from 14 to 22 feet of 7.8 mg/L.

²Calculated using average chloride concentration of pore water from 17 to 30 feet of 11.6 mg/L.

³Calculated using average chloride concentration of pore water from 19 to 20 feet of 22.2 mg/L.

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