Recharge to the Eagle Valley ground-water basin by streamflow in Vicee Canyon, west-central Nevada

Recharge to groundwater could be increased by adding imported water to natural surface water flow in Vicee Canyon, in Eagle Valley, Nevada, where municipal pumping has caused as much as 50 ft of water level decline since 1972. Measurements of infiltration rates, percolation rates, and hydraulic conductivity indicate that the area could be conducive to artificial recharge from infiltration of augmented streamflow. Runoff creates natural infiltration beds on the floor of Vicee Canyon, but baseflow causes channelization and armoring of the stream channel, reducing infiltration rates from about 4 inches to 1 inch/hour. A water balance of the streamflow in Vicee Canyon indicates that 60 to 70% becomes recharge, and the remainder is lost to evaporation from a nearby gravel pit and evapotranspiration on the canyon floor. Estimates of recharge from measurements in the unsaturated and saturated zones account for about 45% of the total streamflow. Application of a groundwater flow model indicates that at present pumping rates, water levels below Vicee Canyon and at a nearby municipal well may rise about 15-30 ft after 5 years as a result of about 1 cu ft/sec of augmented streamflow infiltration. (USGS)