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Scientific Investigations Report 2007–5179

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Scientific Investigations Report 2007–5179

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Table 4. Median values for selected well, aquifer, and land-use characteristics for regional National Water-Quality Assessment Program study units in the arid to semiarid Western United States, 1993–2004.

[Number in parentheses indicates number of wells sampled. Abbreviations: CAZB, Central Arizona Basins; GRSL, Great Salt Lake Basins; NVBR, Nevada Basin and Range; RIOG, Rio Grande Valley; SACR, Sacramento River Basin; SANJ, San Joaquin-Tulare Basins; SOCA, Southern California Basins; All, agricultural and urban land uses; Ag, agricultural land use; Urb, urban land use; ft, foot; kg, kilogram; people/km2, people per square kilometer; kg/km2, kilogram per square kilometer; m, meter; nd, not determined]

Well, aquifer, or
land-use characteristic
CAZB   GRSL   NVBR   RIOG   SACR   SANJ   SOCA
Ag
(9)
Urb
(30)
All
(142)
Ag
(61)
Urb
(81)
All
(89)
Ag
(65)
Urb
(24)
All
(47)
Ag
(28)
Urb
(19)
Ag
(110)
Urb
(26)
Well depth (ft) 43 69 30 27 32 20 20 27 38 35 63 129 24
Deep, coarse-grained soils with high infiltration rates1 (percent) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 15 15 10 0.0 0.0 0.0 29 7.0
Moderately deep, moderately fine to moderately coarse soils, with moderate infiltration rates1 (percent) 100 24 10 6.0 28 60 60 74 9.4 9.2 9.4 71 75
Soils with layers impeding downward movement of water or moderately fine to fine soils, with slow infiltration rates1 (percent) 0.0 76 55 71.5 18 4.0 14 4.0 4.1 16 15 6.0 0.0
Clay soils, with high water table or shallow impervious layer, with very slow infiltration rates1 (percent) 0.0 0.0 21 17.3 30 12 24 12 76 50 23 0.0 18
1990 Population density (people/km2) 18.5 1,810 88.1 11.0 1,230 4.5 2.6 679 12.0 4.8 1,860 33.2 2,940
2000 Population density (people/km2) 24.5 1,990 223 12.7 1,360 4.6 2.8 719 11.4 4.7 2,650 30.0 2,880
Households on public sewers (percent) 29.4 99.4 90.6 3.0 96.1 2.4 1.6 72.2 61.7 5.4 99.3 5.4 99.8
Households on septic systems (percent) 70.6 0.6 8.7 93.3 3.7 89.8 94.6 27.5 38.3 94.4 0.5 92.0 0.0
1992 Nitrogen fertilizer application on farm land (kg/km2) 9,896 156 nd 229 0.0 nd 8,117 0.0 nd 7,117 14 8,470 91
2000 Nitrogen fertilizer application on farm land (kg/km2) 10,217 146 nd 1,369 0.0 nd 10,811 0.0 nd 10,036 18 11,020 86
1992 Nitrogen fertilizer application on non-farm land (kg/km2) 0.0 1,469 nd 0.0 374 nd 0.0 855 nd 0.0 1,647 0.0 1,697
2000 Nitrogen fertilizer application on non-farm land (kg/km2) 0.0 1,990 nd 0.0 831 nd 0.0 889 nd 0.0 2,916 0.0 2,793
Small-grain crops1 (percent) 27.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 87.0 99.7 0.0 0.2 0.0
Row crops1 (percent) 56.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 32.4 38.8 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 3.2 0.0
Pasture/hay crops1 (percent) 0.8 2.7 4.3 60.3 0.0 10.0 17.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 5.9 0.1
Orchard/vineyard/other crops1 (percent) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 78.4 0.0
Irrigated land1 (percent) 70.8 1.4 4.4 59.4 0.0 59.9 71.5 0.0 79.5 81.2 0.0 84.0 0.0

1Percentage of land area in designated class within 500-m buffer around the well.

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