Link to USGS home page.
Scientific Investigations Report 2006-5186

Hydrology and Water Quality in the Green River and Surrounding Agricultural Areas near Green River in
Emery and Grand Counties, Utah, 2004-05

By S.J. Gerner, L.E. Spangler, B.A. Kimball, D.E. Wilberg, and D.L. Naftz

ONLINE ONLY

ABSTRACT

Water from the Colorado River and its tributaries is used for municipal and industrial purposes by about 27 million people and irrigates nearly 4 million acres of land in the Western United States. Water users in the Upper Colorado River Basin consume water from the Colorado River and its tributaries, reducing the amount of water in the river. In addition, application of water to agricultural land within the basin in excess of crop needs can increase the transport of dissolved solids to the river. As a result, dissolved-solids concentrations in the Colorado River have increased, affecting downstream water users. During 2004-05, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, investigated the occurrence and distribution of dissolved solids in water from the agricultural areas near Green River, Utah, and in the adjacent reach of the Green River, a principle tributary of the Colorado River.

The flow-weighted concentration of dissolved solids diverted from the Green River for irrigation during 2004 and 2005 was 357 milligrams per liter and the mean concentration of water collected from seeps and drains where water was returning to the river during low-flow conditions was 4,170 milligrams per liter. The dissolved-solids concentration in water from the shallow part of the ground-water system ranged from 687 to 55,900 milligrams per liter.

Measurable amounts of dissolved solids discharging to the Green River are present almost exclusively along the river banks or near the mouths of dry washes that bisect the agricultural areas. The median dissolved-solids load in discharge from the 17 drains and seeps visited during the study was 0.35 ton per day. Seasonal estimates of the dissolved-solids load discharging from the study area ranged from 2,800 tons in the winter to 6,400 tons in the spring. The estimate of dissolved solids discharging from the study area annually is 15,700 tons.

Water samples collected from selected sites within the Green River agricultural areas were analyzed for naturally occurring isotopes of strontium and boron, which can be useful for differentiating dissolved-solids sources. Substantial variations in the delta strontium-87 and delta boron-11 values among the sites were measured. Canal and river samples had relatively low concentrations of strontium and the most positive (heavier) isotopic ratios, while drains and seeps had a wide range of strontium concentrations and isotopic ratios that generally were less positive (lighter). Further study of the variation in strontium and boron concentrations and isotope ratios may provide a means to distinguish end members and discern processes affecting dissolved solids within the Green River study area; however, the results from isotope data collected during this study are inconclusive.

Flow and seepage losses were estimated for the three main canals in the study area for May 2 to October 4 in any given year. This period coincides with the frost-free period in the Green River area. Estimated diversion from the Green River into the Thayn, East Side, and Green River Canals is 6,600, 6,070, and 19,900 acre-feet, respectively. The estimated seepage loss to ground water from the Thayn, East Side, and Green River Canals during the same period is 1,550, 1,460, and 4,710 acre-feet, respectively.

This report is contained in the following file:

Text

SIR2006_5186.pdf (2 mb)

The PDF file is readable with Adobe Acrobat Reader. The reader is available for free download from Adobe Systems Incorporated.

CONTENTS

Abstract

Introduction

Purpose and Scope

Environmental Setting

Climate

Land Cover/Use

Geology and Soils

Hydrology and Agricultural Water Development

Acknowledgments

Methods of Investigation

Sample Collection and Analysis

Dissolved-Solids Concentration and Load Estimates

Estimating Dissolved-Solids Concentration from Specific-Conductance Measurements

Estimating Dissolved-Solids Loads

Discharge Measurements

Ground-Water Levels in Shallow Monitoring Wells

Chemical Quality of Water

Major-Ion Composition of Water

Dissolved Solids in Surface Water

Dissolved Solids in Ground Water

Salt-Loading Factor

Dissolved-Solids Load Discharged to the Green River

Differentiation of Dissolved-Solids Sources

Hydrology of Canals

Flow

Seepage

Summary

References Cited


Send questions or comments about this report to the author, Steven Gerner, at sjgerner@usgs.gov, 801-908-5031.

For more information about USGS activities in Utah, visit the USGS Utah District home page.

Maintainer: GS-W-UT_Web_Requests@usgs.gov


FirstGov button  Take Pride in America button