Upper Colorado River Basin aquifer system Completed
The Colorado River Basin (UCRB) drains parts of Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, California, and Mexico, and is divided into upper and lower basins at the compact point of Lee Ferry, Arizona. Aquifers in the UCRB are composed of permeable, moderately to well-consolidated sedimentary rocks ranging in age from Permian to Tertiary.
At least three groups of regional, productive water-yielding geologic units have been identified in the Colorado River Basin (UCRB) including Tertiary aquifers of limited extent in the northern and southeastern parts of the basin, Mesozoic aquifers throughout most of the study area, and deeper Paleozoic aquifers also throughout much of the study area. The Chinle-Moenkopi confining unit limits communication of water between Mesozoic and Paleozoic aquifers throughout much of the UCRB.
A regional Soil-Water-Balance model (USGS Techniques and Methods 6-A31) was constructed to estimate the water budget for UCRB groundwater system. As part of this effort, data were compiled for land use, soil hydrologic properties (available water content and hydrologic soil group) and overland flow direction at two resolutions (coarse and fine).
The data files listed below are supplemental to Documentation of input datasets for the soil-water-balance groundwater recharge model of the Upper Colorado River Basin (USGS Open-File Report 2015-1160). The report includes a description of methods used to derive the data.
Click on the links below to download files for this aquifer. For information about the available file types, see Aquifer data: Explanation of spatial data formats.
Soil-Water-Balance model inputs: Metadata
Non-spatial information: Text Files
- Soil-Water-Balance model control file (coarse resolution)
- Soil-Water-Balance model control file (fine resolution)
- Soil-Water-Balance model land use lookup table
Soil available water content:
- Coarse resolution Metadata ASCII grid
- Fine resolution Metadata ASCII grid
Hydrologic soil group:
- Coarse resolution Metadata ASCII grid
- Fine resolution Metadata ASCII grid
Land use:
- Coarse resolution Metadata ASCII grid
- Fine resolution Metadata ASCII grid
Overland flow direction:
- Coarse resolution Metadata ASCII grid
- Fine resolution Metadata ASCII grid
Below are other webpages associated with this aquifer.
Principal Aquifers of the United States
Regional Groundwater Availability Studies
Below are publications associated with this aquifer.
Documentation of input datasets for the soil-water balance groundwater recharge model of the Upper Colorado River Basin
SWB: A modified Thornthwaite-Mather Soil-Water-Balance code for estimating groundwater recharge
Ground Water Atlas of the United States
- Overview
The Colorado River Basin (UCRB) drains parts of Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, California, and Mexico, and is divided into upper and lower basins at the compact point of Lee Ferry, Arizona. Aquifers in the UCRB are composed of permeable, moderately to well-consolidated sedimentary rocks ranging in age from Permian to Tertiary.
At least three groups of regional, productive water-yielding geologic units have been identified in the Colorado River Basin (UCRB) including Tertiary aquifers of limited extent in the northern and southeastern parts of the basin, Mesozoic aquifers throughout most of the study area, and deeper Paleozoic aquifers also throughout much of the study area. The Chinle-Moenkopi confining unit limits communication of water between Mesozoic and Paleozoic aquifers throughout much of the UCRB.
A regional Soil-Water-Balance model (USGS Techniques and Methods 6-A31) was constructed to estimate the water budget for UCRB groundwater system. As part of this effort, data were compiled for land use, soil hydrologic properties (available water content and hydrologic soil group) and overland flow direction at two resolutions (coarse and fine).
The data files listed below are supplemental to Documentation of input datasets for the soil-water-balance groundwater recharge model of the Upper Colorado River Basin (USGS Open-File Report 2015-1160). The report includes a description of methods used to derive the data.
Click on the links below to download files for this aquifer. For information about the available file types, see Aquifer data: Explanation of spatial data formats.
Soil-Water-Balance model inputs: Metadata
Non-spatial information: Text Files
- Soil-Water-Balance model control file (coarse resolution)
- Soil-Water-Balance model control file (fine resolution)
- Soil-Water-Balance model land use lookup table
Soil available water content:
- Coarse resolution Metadata ASCII grid
- Fine resolution Metadata ASCII grid
Hydrologic soil group:
- Coarse resolution Metadata ASCII grid
- Fine resolution Metadata ASCII grid
Land use:
- Coarse resolution Metadata ASCII grid
- Fine resolution Metadata ASCII grid
Overland flow direction:
- Coarse resolution Metadata ASCII grid
- Fine resolution Metadata ASCII grid
- Science
Below are other webpages associated with this aquifer.
Principal Aquifers of the United States
This website compiles USGS resources and data related to principal aquifers including Aquifer Basics, principal aquifers maps and GIS data, and the National Aquifer Code Reference List.Regional Groundwater Availability Studies
Regional groundwater availability studies enable information about groundwater to be integrated and consistent, so that this resource can be analyzed and understood on an aquifer–wide scale. These studies provide decision–makers with a better understanding of the status and trends in the Nation's groundwater availability. - Publications
Below are publications associated with this aquifer.
Documentation of input datasets for the soil-water balance groundwater recharge model of the Upper Colorado River Basin
The Colorado River and its tributaries supply water to more than 35 million people in the United States and 3 million people in Mexico, irrigating more than 4.5 million acres of farmland, and generating about 12 billion kilowatt hours of hydroelectric power annually. The Upper Colorado River Basin, encompassing more than 110,000 square miles (mi2), contains the headwaters of the Colorado River (alAuthorsFred D. TillmanSWB: A modified Thornthwaite-Mather Soil-Water-Balance code for estimating groundwater recharge
A Soil-Water-Balance (SWB) computer code has been developed to calculate spatial and temporal variations in groundwater recharge. The SWB model calculates recharge by use of commonly available geographic information system (GIS) data layers in combination with tabular climatological data. The code is based on a modified Thornthwaite-Mather soil-water-balance approach, with components of the soil-wAuthorsS. M. Westenbroek, V. A. Kelson, W. R. Dripps, R. J. Hunt, K. R. BradburyGround Water Atlas of the United States
PrefaceThe Ground Water Atlas of the United States presents a comprehensive summary of the Nation's ground-water resources and is a basic reference for the location, geography, geology, and hydrologic characteristics of the major aquifers in the Nation. The information was collected by the U.S. Geological Survey and other agencies during the course of many years of study. Results of the Regional AAuthors