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U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Scientific Investigations Report 2008–5169

Laboratory-Measured and Property-Transfer Modeled Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity of Snake River Plain Aquifer Sediments at the Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho

Prepared in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy
DOE/ID-22207

By Kim S. Perkins

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Figures

Figure 1. Location of the boundary for the subregional scale ground-water flow model, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho.

Figure 2. Locations of boreholes from which core samples were collected for this study, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho.

Figure 3. Experimental setup for falling-head, saturated hydraulic conductivity measurements in the laboratory.

Figure 4. Ranges in saturated hydraulic conductivity measured in this study, used in the development of the Winfield (2005) property-transfer model, measured by Pudney (1994), determined based on contaminant movement for units 1–3 (Ackerman and others, 2006), and determined based on aquifer tests for units 1–3 (Ackerman and others, 2006), Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho.

Figure 5. Particle-size distributions for 9 of the 10 core samples, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho.

Figure 6. Bulk density values for samples from greater than 200 meters depth and less than 60 meters depth, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho.

Figure 7. Trends between saturated hydraulic conductivity and (A) bulk density and (B) median particle diameter for the data from this study and Pudney (1994), Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho.

Figure 8. Relation between predicted and observed saturated hydraulic conductivity for the Winfield model, the Pudney model, a linear model fit to the data from this study (linear fit 1), and a linear model fit to the data from this study and the deep samples from Pudney (1994) (linear fit 2), Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho

Tables

Table 1. Samples used for measuring saturated hydraulic conductivity, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho.

Table 2. Saturated hydraulic conductivity, bulk density, and particle size statistics for aquifer core samples, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho.

Table 3. U.S. Department of Agriculture textural size classes for 67 bulk aquifer samples, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho.

Table 4. Root-mean-square errors and average errors for the Winfield model, the Pudney model, a linear fit to the core-sample data from this study, and a linear fit to the combined data from this study and the deep core samples from Pudney, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho.

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Send questions or comments about this report to the author, K.S. Perkins, (650) 329-4551.

For more information about USGS activities in Idaho, visit the USGS Idaho Water Science Center home page.