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Scientific Investigations Report 2012–5002


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Prepared in cooperation with the Wasco County Soil and Water Conservation District


Evaluation of Long-Term Water-Level Declines in Basalt Aquifers near Mosier, Oregon


By Erick R. Burns, David S. Morgan, Karl K. Lee, Jonathan V. Haynes, and Terrence D. Conlon


Figures

Figure 1. Extent of the drainage area covered by the rainfall-runoff simulation model, and extent of the geologic and groundwater-flow simulation models for the Mosier, Oregon, study area.

Figure 2. Geology, structural features, and locations of wells used to construct the three-dimensional hydrogeologic framework model of the aquifer system underlying the Mosier, Oregon, study area.

Figure 3. Relation of geologic units to hydrogeologic units and groundwater-flow model units in the Mosier, Oregon, study area.

Figure 4. Surficial expression of geologic model units as represented in the 500-foot flow model grid for the Mosier, Oregon, study area.

Figure 5. Cross sections through the geologic model for the Mosier, Oregon, study area.

Figure 6. Geologic features that control flow and storage in Columbia River Basalts (from Reidel and others, 2002).

Figure 7. The conceptual model of groundwater flow in the Mosier, Oregon, study area.

Figure 8. Location of wells where groundwater levels were measured in the Mosier, Oregon, study area, 2005–07.

Figure 9. Water levels in selected wells in the Mosier, Oregon, study area, 1944–2008.

Figure 10. Locations of wells exhibiting persistent water-level declines and selected monitoring wells in groups 1 and 2, Mosier, Oregon, study area.

Figure 11. Streamflow and specific conductance measurements during low flow in 1962, 1986, 2005, and 2006, in the Mosier, Oregon, study area.

Figure 12. Number of wells and proportion of water-use type in the Mosier, Oregon, study area, 1966–2006.

Figure 13. Estimated pumpage and proportion of water pumped for each water-use type in the Mosier, Oregon, study area, 1966–2006.

Figure 14. Pumpage estimates by water-use type in the Mosier, Oregon, study area for 2006.

Figure 15. Hypothetical aquifer conditions along a north-south cross-section south of the Rocky Prairie thrust fault in the Mosier, Oregon, study area before development and after installation of a commingling well.

Figure 16. Cumulative number of wells and estimated number of commingling wells drilled in the Mosier, Oregon, study area, 1964–2007.

Figure 17. Selected hydrographs for wells in the Mosier, Oregon, study area. 


Figure 18. Available data (1977–2007) for well upgradient of the Oregon Water Resources Department groundwater administrative area.

Figure 19. Decadal response of water levels in Mosier, Oregon, study area wells to precipitation‑driven recharge (precipitation measured at nearby Hood River, Oregon).

Figure 20. The hypothetical water-level response in a single well to groundwater development in the Mosier Creek, Oregon, study area, 1940–2010.

Figure 21. The hypothetical water-level response in a single well to groundwater development in the Mosier, Oregon, study area, followed by the cessation of pumping in 2010.

Figure 22. A composite of boundary conditions from all model layers, the model extent, and modeled surficial geology for the groundwater-flow model of the Mosier, Oregon, study area.

Figure 23. Calibration results for the modified transient analysis groundwater-simulation model, Mosier, Oregon.

Figure 24. Values of adjustable parameters and composite sensitivities as computed by PEST (Doherty, 2005).

Figure 25. Composite sensitivities for the stream and drain conductance multipliers as computed by PEST (Doherty, 2005).

Figure 26. Cumulative distribution of simulated recovery that would result from stopping all pumping in the Mosier, Oregon, study area.

Figure 27. Measured and simulated water levels in wells and base flow for the management scenario groundwater simulation model, Mosier, Oregon.

Figure 28. Relative vulnerability of the groundwater system to commingling wells in the Mosier, Oregon, study area.

Figure 29. Locations of wells currently simulated as commingled relative to ranked vulnerability zones in the Mosier, Oregon, study area.

Figure 30. Percentage of increase in aquifer-system storage resulting from Artificial Recharge/Aquifer Storage and Recovery into the Frenchman Springs aquifer at each location for repair scenarios no repairs and all commingling wells in zones 1, 2, and 3 repaired.

Figure 31. A conceptual model of repairs to a single confining unit in the Mosier, Oregon, study area.

Figure 32. Conceptual model of zonal repair of commingling wells in the Mosier, Oregon, study area.

Figure 33. Conceptual model of how more complicated combinations of commingling wells and zonal repairs may explain the single confining-unit repair simulation results for the Mosier, Oregon, study area.

First posted March 1, 2012

For additional information contact:
Director, Oregon Water Science Center
U.S. Geological Survey
2130 SW 5th Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97201
http://or.water.usgs.gov

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