Seventeen hydrographic areas in southern Nevada were assessed for the ground-water development potential of the underlying carbonate-rock aquifers on the basis of geologic and hydrologic information developed as part of the Nevada Carbonate Aquifers Study and information compiled from previous investigations. All selected areas lie within a miogeoclinal belt where thick accumulations of carbonate rock followed by major episodes of compression and extension have greatly modified the region. Most of the selected hydrographic areas lie within the less extended terranes; however, several areas, or parts of areas, lie within severely extended terranes where carbonate rocks have been greatly thinned, or where deformed blocks of carbonate rock are discontinuous and isolated from surrounding carbonate rock aquifers. Three principal criteria were used to assess the development potential of each selected hydrographic area. These quantitative criteria are: (1) depth to water, (2) depth to and thickness of carbonate rocks, and (3) water quality. Other site-specific factors, such as accessibility and potential effects of ground-water development, are also discussed. Results suggest that sites with high potential for development may be scarce in southern Nevada. Many areas described as favorable on the basis of the three quantitative criteria were deemed unfavorable on the basis of possible short- and long-term effects associated with development and on the amount of available data used to make the assessment. The most favorable sites may be in more severely extended terranes, where development of isolated blocks (of carbonate-rock aquifer material) would be less likely to affect neighboring areas.
