Scientific Investigations Report 2006–5305
U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Scientific Investigations Report 2006–5305
Water Budgets and Potential Effects of Land- and Water-Use Changes for Carson
Valley, Douglas County, Nevada, and Alpine County, California
Prepared in cooperation with Douglas County, Nevada
By Douglas K. Maurer and David L. Berger
Table of Contents
Conversion Factors, Datums, and Abbreviations
and Acronyms
Abstract
Introduction
Geographic Setting
Geologic Setting
Hydrologic Setting
Previous Investigations
Water-Budget Components
Water Budgets
Potential Effects of Land- and Water-Use
Changes
Summary and Conclusions
Acknowledgments
References Cited
Figures
Figure 1. Location of the Carson River
Basin and the Carson Valley Hydrographic Area, Nevada and California.
Figure 2. Location of the Carson Valley
study area and depth to water, Nevada and California, June 2005.
Figure 3. Areas of the Carson Valley
Hydrographic Area not included in study area, and used to estimate water budgets
in previous investigations and Carson Valley study area.
Figure 4. Vegetation and land use on
the floor of Carson Valley, Nevada and California, 2005.
Figure 5. Geologic units and faults
in Carson Valley, drainage areas or location of perennial streams and springs,
and wells from which samples were analyzed for chloride content.
Figure 6. Annual precipitation at Minden,
Nevada, for period of record (1930–2005) and average annual precipitation (1971–2000),
and Palmer drought severity index (1930–2005) for western Nevada.
Figure 7. Locations of selected wells
where water levels have been measured, Nevada, 1981–2006.
Figure 8. Water-level fluctuations
in selected wells in Carson Valley, Nevada, 1981–2006.
Figure
9. Conceptual diagram of overall water-budget components for Carson Valley.
Figure 10. Conceptual diagram of ground-water
budget components for Carson Valley.
Figure 11. Mean daily surface-water
inflow to and outflow from Carson Valley, and difference between inflow and
outflow for water years 1990–2002.
Figure 12. Comparison of Monument
Creek and Mott Canyon Creek drainages to Jobs Canyon and Sierra Canyon Creek
drainages.
Figure 13. Examples of ephemeral stream
drainages with no active channels.
Figure 14. Areas of effluent application
and storage in Carson Valley, Nevada and California.
Figure 15. Annual ground-water pumping
in Carson Valley, Nevada and California, 1965–2005.
Figure 16. Color infrared aerial photography
from 1979 compared to imagery collected in 2004, Carson Valley, Nevada and California.
Figure 17. Changes in land use between
1979 and 2005, Carson Valley, Nevada and California.
Figure 18. Location of selected wells
where ground-water levels adjacent to stream channels and stream stage have
been collected, difference between ground-water altitude and altitude of stream
stage, and location of gaining and losing stream sites, Carson Valley, Nevada
and California.
Figure 19. Water-level fluctuations
in wells affected by changes in land and water use, Carson Valley, Nevada and
California, 1981–2006.
Tables
Table 1. Average annual flow of the
East and West Forks Carson River and the Carson River near Carson City for selected
water years, Nevada and California.
Table 2. Estimates of average annual
ground-water recharge and discharge based on best-fit steady-state simulation
for the basin-fill aquifer in Carson Valley, Nevada.
Table 3. Average annual flow of perennial
streams tributary to the floor of Carson Valley for water years 1990–2002, compared
with average annual flow for wet water years 1995–97, and dry water years 1990–92,
Nevada and California.
Table 4. Average annual surface-water
inflow to and outflow from Carson Valley, Nevada and California, water years
1941–70 and 1990–2005.
Table 5. Average annual precipitation
estimated using the linear relations and adjusted PRISM distributions for selected
areas of Carson Valley, Nevada and California.
Table 6. Estimates of annual ground-water
recharge from precipitation in areas of Quaternary gravel and eolian sand deposits,
Carson Valley, Nevada and California.
Table 7. Estimates of average annual
recharge from precipitation on western alluvial fans, compared to recharge from
precipitation on Quaternary gravel and eolian sand deposits, Carson Valley,
Nevada and California.
Table 8. Annual evapotranspiration rates
reported for selected types of xerophytic vegetation in various locations.
Table 9. Drainage area and average annual
flow of perennial streams, annual precipitation in drainages estimated from
linear relations and PRISM distributions, runoff as a percentage of precipitation,
and bedrock type and percentage of conifer cover for perennial stream drainages,
Carson Valley, Nevada and California.
Table 10. Drainage area and average
annual flow of perennial streams, annual precipitation estimated from linear
relations and adjusted PRISM distributions, and predicted annual flow and precipitation,
Carson Valley, Nevada and California.
Table 11. Drainage area and average
annual flow of perennial streams, estimated annual water yield and subsurface
flow, ET rates, and ET as a percentage of precipitation, Carson Valley, Nevada
and California.
Table 12. Estimated ground-water inflow
from the Carson Range and western alluvial fans using the chloride-balance method,
Carson Valley, Nevada and California.
Table 13. Estimated ground-water inflow
from the Pine Nut Mountains and eastern alluvial fans using the chloride-balance
method, Carson Valley, Nevada and California.
Table 14. Estimates of ephemeral streamflow
and high and low range estimates ±50 percent average, Carson Valley, Nevada
and California.
Table 15. Estimates of ground-water
inflow to Carson Valley, Nevada and California using the water-yield and chloride-balance
methods.
Table 16. Estimates of annual ground-water
inflow from the California portion of Carson Valley.
Table 17. Volumes of effluent imported
to Carson Valley, Nevada and California, 1968–2005.
Table 18. Annual ground-water pumping
for selected water-use categories and estimates of net ground-water pumping,
Carson Valley, Nevada and California.
Table 19. Evapotranspiration for selected
vegetation and land-use types, Carson Valley, Nevada and California, 2005 and
1979.
Table 20. Sources and estimated annual
volume of evapotranspiration from selected areas in Carson Valley, Nevada and
California, water years 1990–2005.
Table 21. Overall water budget, Carson
Valley, Nevada and California, water years 1941–70 and 1990–2005.
Table 22. Annual ground-water budget
for basin-fill aquifer, Carson Valley, Nevada and California, water years 1990–2005.
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Send questions or comments about this report to the author, Douglas
K. Maurer, (775) 887-7631.
For more information about USGS activities in Nevada, visit the USGS
Nevada Water Science Center home page.
U.S.
Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological
Survey
