Publications

This publication is the fifth in a continuing series of reports presenting water use data for Utah. The data are collected by the State of Utah, Division of Water Rights, for the National Water Use Information Program. This is a cooperative effort with the U.S. Geological Survey. Most states contribute information in some form to the program.

Ground water is one of Utah’s most extensive and valuable natural resources. Because of its widespread occurrence in both wet and dry areas, ground water has been, and is a major factor affecting economic growth and development of the State. In some areas, ground water is used to supplement streamflow for irrigation, public supply, and other uses. In other areas, it is the only water...

This report summarizes the progress of water-resources studies in Utah by the U.S. Geological Survey from July 1, 1984, to June 30, 1985. Much of the work was done in cooperation with the State of Utah and local agencies. Additional supporting funds were transferred from other Federal agencies or appropriated directly to the Geological Survey.

Evaluations based on the nutrient content of the inflow, outflow, water in storage, and the dissolved-oxygen depletion during the summer indicate that the trophic state of Scofield Reservoir is borderline between mesotrophic and eutrophic and may become highly eutrophic unless corrective measures are taken to limit nutrient inflow. Sediment deposition in Scofield Reservoir during 1943-79...

The ground-water system was studied in the Trail Mountain area in order to provide hydrologic information needed to assess the hydrologic effects of underground coal mining. Well testing and spring data indicate that water occurs in several aquifers. The coal-bearing Blackhawk-Star Point aquifer is regional in nature and is the source of most water in underground mines in the region. One...

This report contains well data collected from 1979 to 1983 in a part of the Great Basin in western Utah (fig. 1). The area is characterized by a series of generally north-trending mountain ranges separated by alluviumfilled basins that are partially filled with sedimentary deposits eroded from the adjacent mountains and lacustrine sediments deposited by Lake Bonneville. Most of the...

The study area in south-central Utah (fig. 1) is noted for its large coal reserves in the Alton, Kolob, and Kaiparowits Plateau coal fields. The area also is noted for its scenic beauty and general scarcity of water. Although there has been very little development of the coal resources through 1983, there is a potential for large-scale development with both surface- and underground...

This report on the quality of surface water in the Virgin River basin from the headwaters near Navajo Lake, Utah, to Littlefield, Ariz., was prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Division of Water Rights, Utah Department of Natural Resources. The objectives of the study leading to the report were to obtain information on general chemical characteristics of...

The Great Salt Lake rose 5.0 feet from September 25,1983, to July 1, 1984, the second largest seasonal rise on record since 1847. The maximum seasonal rise was observed the previous year when the lake rose 5.1 feet from September 18,1982, to June 30,1983. The lake declined only 0.5 foot during summer 1983; thus, the net rise from September 18,1982, to July 1,1984, was 9.6 feet. By...

This is the twenty-second in a series of annual reports that describe ground-water conditions in Utah. Reports in this series, published cooperatively by the U.S. Geological Survey and the Utah Division of Water Resources, provide data to enable interested parties to keep abreast of changing ground-water conditions. This report, like the others in the series, contains information on well

A study of selected reaches of the Utah and Salt Lake, Utah Lake Distributing, Provo Reservoir, Draper Irrigation, East Jordan, and Jordan and Salt Lake City Canals in Salt Lake County, Utah, was made to determine gains or losses of flow in those reaches. Three to five sets of seepage measurements were made on each canal during 1982 or 1983. Adjustments for fluctuations in flow were made...

An evaluation was made of the ground-water resources of northern Utah Valley, Utah, to describe the ground-water system and to document changes in ground-water conditions since 1963. The principal ground-water reservoir is in basin-fill deposits. It consists of three major confined aquifers and an unconfined aquifer in pre-Lake Bonneville deposits along the mountains that adjoin the...