WRIR 00-4014
Quality Assurance and Analysis of Water Levels in Wells on Pahute Mesa and Vicinity, Nevada Test Site

CONTENTS AND CONVERSION FACTORS   

Abstract
Introduction 

Purpose and Scope
Hydrogeology
Acknowledgments 

Water-Level Measurements

Quality-Assurance Flags 
Temperature Effects 

Sources of Water-Level Fluctuations 

Precipitation
Barometric Pressure and Earth Tides
Seismic Events and Underground Nuclear Tests
Pumpage

Analysis of Water Levels
Summary
References Cited
Appendix 1. Hydrographs of water-level measurements for selected wells on Pahute Mesa and vicinity, Nevada Test Site
Appendix 2. Table of water-level measurements for selected wells on Pahute Mesa and vicinity, Nevada Test Site, 1963-98 

FIGURES

1-2.

 Maps showing:
1. Regional features near Pahute Mesa and the Nevada Test Site, southern Nevada
2. Selected wells and precipitation stations and regional ground-water levels on Pahute Mesa and vicinity,
Nevada Test Site

3-10. 

 Graphs showing:
3. Annual precipitation and cumulative departure from normal precipitation on Rainier and Pahute Mesas,
Nevada Test Site, 1964-98 
4. Response of water level to barometric pressure and Earth tides in well PM-2, March 1- April 30, 1997,
Pahute Mesa, Nevada Test Site
5. Potential effect on the water level in well UE-20f from the Benham nuclear test, Pahute Mesa,
Nevada Test Site
6. Annual and monthly ground-water withdrawals on Pahute Mesa and vicinity, Nevada Test Site, 1983-98
7. Annual ground-water withdrawals from water-supply wells U-20 WW, UE-19c WW, and WW-8
on Pahute Mesa and vicinity, Nevada Test Site, 1963-98
8. Hydrologically significant trends in water levels from selected wells on Pahute Mesa and vicinity,
Nevada Test Site
9. Selected wells on Pahute Mesa with water-level trends and their relation to pumping in well U-20 WW
10. Relation of periodic water-level measurements in well PM-2 to corrected and uncorrected monthly
mean water levels in well PM-2, 1996-98

 TABLES

1. Characteristics of selected wells on Pahute Mesa and vicinity, Nevada Test Site 
2. Principal stratigraphic units and lithologies in open intervals of wells on Pahute Mesa and vicinity, Nevada Test Site
3. Quality-assurance flags used to qualify water levels in wells on Pahute Mesa and vicinity, Nevada Test Site
4. Characteristics of nuclear tests on Pahute Mesa, Nevada Test Site, 1965-92
5. Analysis of water-level trends, using the Kendall-Theil robust line method, in selected wells on Pahute Mesa and vicinity, Nevada Test Site

CONVERSION FACTORS AND VERTICAL DATUM

 

Multiply

By

 To Obtain

Length
foot (ft)  0.3048 meter
inch (in.) 25.4 millimeter
mile (mi) 1.609  kilometer

Volume
acre-foot (acre-ft) 1,233  cubic meter
million gallons (Mgal)  3,785  cubic meter
billion gallons (Bgal)  3,785,000 cubic meter

Hydraulic gradient

foot per mile (ft/mi)

0.1894

 meter per kilometer

Flow Rate

 inch per year (in/yr)

2.54

 centimeter per year

Volumetric Flow Rate

acre-foot per year (acre-ft/yr)

1,233 

 cubic meter per year

Density

gram per cubic centimeter (gm/cc) 

62.43

 pound per cubic foot

Pressure

pound per square inch (lb/in2)

6.895

 kilopascal

 Sea level: In this report, "sea level" refers to the National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD of 1929, formerly called "Sea-Level Datum of 1929"), which is derived from a general adjustment of the first-order leveling networks of the United States and Canada.

Temperature: Degrees Fahrenheit (oF) can be converted to degrees Celsius (oC) by using the formula oC = 0.556(oF-32).

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Last modified: Tuesday, May 23, 2000