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Amanda Garcia

Amanda (she/her) is a Hydrologist and Groundwater Section Supervisor at the Oregon Water Science Center in Portland, Oregon. She has been with the USGS since 2000 investigating water flow, water availability, contaminant transport, and water sourcing across the groundwater-to-atmosphere continuum.

Education and Certifications

  • B.S. in Geosystems Engineering and Hydrogeology at the University of Texas at Austin

  • M.S. in Hydrogeology at the University of Nevada, Reno

Science and Products

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Mill Creek at Five Mile Drive

Walla Walla River Basin groundwater-flow system, Oregon-Washington

The Issue: Decades of declining groundwater levels in the Walla Walla River Basin (WWRB), which spans Oregon and Washington, are affecting instream flows for threatened and culturally important fish populations and water availability for competing interests across state lines. The public and state resource management agencies have begun implementing efforts to stabilize groundwater levels and...
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Oregon Water Science Center, Washington Water Science Center
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Walla Walla River Basin groundwater-flow system, Oregon-Washington

The Issue: Decades of declining groundwater levels in the Walla Walla River Basin (WWRB), which spans Oregon and Washington, are affecting instream flows for threatened and culturally important fish populations and water availability for competing interests across state lines. The public and state resource management agencies have begun implementing efforts to stabilize groundwater levels and...
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Harney Basin, Oregon

Harney Basin Groundwater Study

This study will characterize and quantify the groundwater system in the Harney Basin to address gaps in our present understanding.
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Oregon Water Science Center
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Harney Basin Groundwater Study

This study will characterize and quantify the groundwater system in the Harney Basin to address gaps in our present understanding.
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Model framework for the Long Canyon study, Nevada

Hydraulic Characterization of Aquifers near Long Canyon, Nevada

USGS scientists are characterizing hydraulic connectivity and bulk hydraulic properties of carbonate-rock and basin-fill aquifers in the vicinity of and downgradient from the Long Canyon Mine Project area in Goshute Valley, Nev., to better understand groundwater-flow paths and evaluate pumping effects on the hydrologic system. The Long Canyon Mine Project requires groundwater pumping from the...
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Nevada Water Science Center
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Hydraulic Characterization of Aquifers near Long Canyon, Nevada

USGS scientists are characterizing hydraulic connectivity and bulk hydraulic properties of carbonate-rock and basin-fill aquifers in the vicinity of and downgradient from the Long Canyon Mine Project area in Goshute Valley, Nev., to better understand groundwater-flow paths and evaluate pumping effects on the hydrologic system. The Long Canyon Mine Project requires groundwater pumping from the...
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Supplemental Data: Hydrologic Budget of the Harney Basin Groundwater System, Southeastern Oregon, 1982-2016

This USGS data release presents data used to estimate and summarize hydrologic budget components of the Harney Basin groundwater system, Southeastern Oregon, 1982-2016. The supplemental data consist of five child items. The child items are: (1) Harney Basin Boundaries: Hydrographic Area, Groundwater Evapotranspiration Area, Regions, Lowlands, Uplands, and Selected Watersheds in Harney Basin, Sout
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Oregon Water Science Center

Location Information, Discharge, and Water-Quality Data for Selected Wells, Springs, and Streams in the Harney Basin, Oregon

This data release contains five comma separated value (csv) files that describe the location and water-quality data for wells, springs, and streams compiled for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD) investigation of the groundwater resources of the Harney Basin, Oregon. The data included are site IDs, various site location information, well-construction det
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Oregon Water Science Center

Soil-Water-Balance (SWB) model archive used to simulate mean annual upland recharge from infiltration of precipitation and snowmelt in Harney Basin, Oregon, 1982-2016

This model archive makes available the calibrated Soil-Water-Balance (SWB) model used to simulate upland recharge from infiltration of precipitation and snowmelt in the Harney Basin, Oregon, 1982-2016. The model was calibrated using annual values of runoff, evapotranspiration, and baseflow for eight watersheds in the basin. The Harney Basin SWB model was used to create output at the scale of 1-kil
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Oregon Water Science Center

Appendixes and Supplemental Data: Hydraulic Characterization of Carbonate-Rock and Basin-Fill Aquifers near Long Canyon, Goshute Valley, Northeastern Nevada, 2011-2016

This USGS data release presents data used to interpret aquifer tests and ultimately characterize the hydraulic properties of carbonate-rock and basin-fill aquifers near Long Canyon, Goshute Valley, northeastern Nevada. The supplemental data consist of 2 child items and 3 attached appendix datasets. The child items are: (1) 2011?2016 Single Well Aquifer Tests: Pumping Schedules, Water-Level Data i
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Nevada Water Science Center

Phreatophytic Shrublands and Grasslands, Historical (1990-2019) Trends in Groundwater Levels, Precipitation, and Air Temperature, Historical (1955-2016) Trends in Snow-Water Equivalent, and Projected Future (2040-99) Climate and Hydrology Anomalies across

This data release presents baseline datasets of phreatophytic groundwater-dependent ecosystem (GDE) locations in Oregon and trends in physical and environmental factors potentially influencing proximal groundwater supplies. The data release consists of three child items. The child items are: (1) Select Phreatophytic Shrub and Grass Species of Oregon, the Estimated Distribution of Phreatophytic
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Oregon Water Science Center

MODFLOW-2005 and PEST models used to simulate the 2016 carbonate-rock aquifer test and characterize hydraulic properties of carbonate-rock and basin-fill aquifers near Long Canyon, Goshute Valley, northeastern Nevada

A three-dimension groundwater-flow model (MODFLOW-2005) was developed to improve understanding of groundwater flow and pumping effects near the Long Canyon Mine in Goshute Valley, northeastern Nevada. Bulk hydraulic properties of carbonate rocks and basin-fill aquifers were characterized by simultaneously interpreting steady-state flow during predevelopment conditions and changes in groundwater le
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Nevada Water Science Center

Contour Dataset of the Potentiometric Surfaces of Shallow and Deep Groundwater-Level Altitudes in Harney Basin, Oregon, February-March 2018

This dataset contains manually developed 5-, 10-, and 500-ft contours for the Harney Basin, Oregon aquifer system shallow and deep potentiometric-surface maps. The potentiometric-surfaces show altitude at the water-table surface (shallow) and at which the water level would have risen in tightly-cased wells deeper than 100 ft (deep) and generally represents synoptic conditions during February-March
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Oregon Water Science Center

Assessing the impact of irrigation curtailment using Landsat satellite data: A case study in the Upper Klamath Lake basin

The associated geotiff rasters represents the total actual evapotranspiration (ETa) from June through September for the years 2004, 2006, 2008-2010, and 2013-2016 for the entire Klamath Basin in southern Oregon. The ETa was created using Landsat imagery and the Operational Simplified Surface Energy Balance (SSEBop) model to estimate actual ET and the Python scripts to complete that process is also
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Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center

Supplemental data from: A Process to Estimate Net Infiltration using a Site-Scale Water-Budget Approach, Rainier Mesa, Nevada National Security Site, 2002-05

This USGS data release represents tabular data for a process to estimate net infiltration using a site-scale water-budget approach, Rainier Mesa, Nevada National Security Site, 2002-05. This dataset consists of the following: (1) Measured and corrected precipitation data from A12 weather station, Rainier Mesa, Nevada National Security Site, July 1, 2002 to June 30, 2005. (2) Inventory of net radia
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Nevada Water Science Center

MODFLOW model used to simulate multiple-well aquifer tests and characterize hydraulic properties of volcanic rocks in Pahute Mesa

An improved understanding of groundwater flow and radionuclide migration downgradient from underground nuclear-testing areas at Pahute Mesa, Nevada National Security Site, requires accurate subsurface hydraulic characterization. To improve conceptual models of flow and transport in the complex hydrogeologic system beneath Pahute Mesa, the U.S. Geological Survey characterized bulk hydraulic propert
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Water Resources Mission Area, Oregon Water Science Center
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Groundwater resources of the Harney Basin, southeastern Oregon

In response to increasing groundwater demand and declining groundwater levels in the Harney Basin of southeastern Oregon, the U.S. Geological Survey and the Oregon Water Resources Department conducted a cooperative groundwater-availability study during 2016–22. This Fact Sheet summarizes the results of this study. Full details of the study are provided in Gingerich and others (2022a, 2022b), Garci
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Stephen B. Gingerich, C. Amanda Garcia, Henry M. Johnson
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Water Resources Mission Area, Oregon Water Science Center

Groundwater resources of the Harney Basin, southeastern Oregon

Groundwater development has increased substantially in southeastern Oregon’s Harney Basin since 2010, mainly for the purpose of large-scale irrigation. Concurrently, some areas of the basin experienced groundwater-level declines of more than 100 feet, and some shallow wells have gone dry. The Oregon Water Resources Department has limited new groundwater development in the basin until an improved u

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Stephen B. Gingerich, Henry M. Johnson, Darrick E. Boschmann, Gerald H. Grondin, C. Amanda Garcia
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Water Resources Mission Area, Oregon Water Science Center

Hydrologic budget of the Harney Basin groundwater system, southeastern Oregon

Groundwater-level declines and limited quantitative knowledge of the groundwater-flow system in the Harney Basin prompted a cooperative study between the U.S. Geological Survey and the Oregon Water Resources Department to evaluate the groundwater-flow system and budget. This report provides a hydrologic budget of the Harney Basin groundwater system that includes separate groundwater budgets for up

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C. Amanda Garcia, Nicholas T. Corson-Dosch, Jordan P. Beamer, Stephen B. Gingerich, Gerald H. Grondin, Brandon T. Overstreet, Jonathan V. Haynes, Mellony D. Hoskinson
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Water Resources Mission Area, Oregon Water Science Center

Hydraulic characterization of carbonate-rock and basin-fill aquifers near Long Canyon, Goshute Valley, northeastern Nevada

Understanding groundwater flow and pumping effects near pending mining operations requires accurate subsurface hydraulic characterization. To improve conceptual models of groundwater flow and development in the complex hydrogeologic system near Long Canyon Mine, in northwestern Goshute Valley, northeastern Nevada, the U.S. Geological Survey characterized the hydraulic properties of carbonate rocks
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C. Amanda Garcia, Keith J. Halford, Philip M. Gardner, David W. Smith
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Water Resources Mission Area, Nevada Water Science Center

Evaluation of hydrologic impact of an irrigation curtailment program in the Upper Klamath Lake Basin using Landsat satellite data

Upper Klamath Lake (UKL) is the source of the Klamath river that flows through southern Oregon and northern California. The UKL basin is home to two endangered species and provides water for 81,000+ ha (200,000+ acres) of irrigation on the United States Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) Klamath Project located downstream of the UKL basin. Irrigated agriculture also occurs along the tributaries to UKL.
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Naga Manohar Velpuri, Gabriel Senay, Matthew Schauer, C. Amanda Garcia, Ramesh Singh, MacKenzie Friedrichs, Stefanie Bohms, Jonathan V. Haynes, Terrence D. Conlon
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Water Resources Mission Area, Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center , Oregon Water Science Center

Evaluating micrometeorological estimates of groundwater discharge from Great Basin desert playas

Groundwater availability studies in the arid southwestern United States traditionally have assumed that groundwater discharge by evapotranspiration (ETg) from desert playas is a significant component of the groundwater budget. However, desert playa ETg rates are poorly constrained by Bowen Ratio energy budget (BREB) and eddy-covariance (EC) micrometeorological measurement approaches. Best attempts
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Tracie Jackson, Keith J. Halford, Philip M. Gardner, Amanda Garcia
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Water Resources Mission Area, Nevada Water Science Center

Groundwater discharge by evapotranspiration, flow of water in unsaturated soil, and stable isotope water sourcing in areas of sparse vegetation, Amargosa Desert, Nye County, Nevada

This report documents methodology and results of a study to evaluate groundwater discharge by evapotranspiration (GWET) in sparsely vegetated areas of Amargosa Desert and improve understanding of hydrologic-continuum processes controlling groundwater discharge. Evapotranspiration and GWET rates were computed and characterized at three sites over 2 years using a combination of micrometeorological,
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Michael T. Moreo, Brian J. Andraski, C. Amanda Garcia
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Water Resources Mission Area, Nevada Water Science Center

A process to estimate net infiltration using a site-scale water-budget approach, Rainier Mesa, Nevada National Security Site, Nevada, 2002–05

This report documents a process used to estimate net infiltration from precipitation, evapotranspiration (ET), and soil data acquired at two sites on Rainier Mesa. Rainier Mesa is a groundwater recharge area within the Nevada National Security Site where recharged water flows through bedrock fractures to a deep (450 meters) water table. The U.S. Geological Survey operated two ET stations on Rainie
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David W. Smith, Michael T. Moreo, C. Amanda Garcia, Keith J. Halford, Joseph M. Fenelon
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Water Resources Mission Area, Nevada Water Science Center

Hydraulic characterization of volcanic rocks in Pahute Mesa using an integrated analysis of 16 multiple-well aquifer tests, Nevada National Security Site, 2009–14

An improved understanding of groundwater flow and radionuclide migration downgradient from underground nuclear-testing areas at Pahute Mesa, Nevada National Security Site, requires accurate subsurface hydraulic characterization. To improve conceptual models of flow and transport in the complex hydrogeologic system beneath Pahute Mesa, the U.S. Geological Survey characterized bulk hydraulic propert
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C. Amanda Garcia, Tracie R. Jackson, Keith J. Halford, Donald S. Sweetkind, Nancy A. Damar, Joseph M. Fenelon, Steven R. Reiner
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Water Resources Mission Area, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, Nevada Water Science Center

Budgets and chemical characterization of groundwater for the Diamond Valley flow system, central Nevada, 2011–12

The Diamond Valley flow system consists of six hydraulically connected hydrographic areas in central Nevada. The general down-gradient order of the areas are southern and northern Monitor Valleys, Antelope Valley, Kobeh Valley, Stevens Basin, and Diamond Valley. Groundwater flow in the Diamond Valley flow system terminates at a large playa in the northern part of Diamond Valley. Concerns relating
Authors
David L. Berger, C. Justin Mayers, C. Amanda Garcia, Susan G. Buto, Jena M. Huntington
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Water Resources Mission Area, Nevada Water Science Center

Groundwater discharge by evapotranspiration, Dixie Valley, west-central Nevada, March 2009-September 2011

With increasing population growth and land-use change, urban communities in the desert Southwest are progressively looking toward remote basins to supplement existing water supplies. Pending applications by Churchill County for groundwater appropriations from Dixie Valley, Nevada, a primarily undeveloped basin east of the Carson Desert, have prompted a reevaluation of the quantity of naturally dis
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C. Amanda Garcia, Jena M Huntington, Susan G. Buto, Michael T. Moreo, J. LaRue Smith, Brian J. Andraski
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Water Resources Mission Area, Nevada Water Science Center

Hydrogeologic framework and occurrence, movement, and chemical characterization of groundwater in Dixie Valley, west-central Nevada

Dixie Valley, a primarily undeveloped basin in west-central Nevada, is being considered for groundwater exportation. Proposed pumping would occur from the basin-fill aquifer. In response to proposed exportation, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation and Churchill County, conducted a study to improve the understanding of groundwater resources in Dixie Valley. The
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Jena M. Huntington, C. Amanda Garcia, Michael R. Rosen
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Water Resources Mission Area, Nevada Water Science Center

Non-USGS Publications**

Fang, X., Cleveland, T.G., Garcia, C.A., Thompson, D.B., Malla, R., 2005. Literature Review on Timing Parameters for Hydrographs, prepared for Texas Department of Transportation: Lamar University Research Report 0–4696–1, 72p. http://library.ctr.utexas.edu/digitized/texasarchive/phase2/4696-1-lamar.pdf
Roussel, M.C., Thompson, D.B., Fang, X., Cleveland, T.G., Garcia, C.A., 2005. Time-parameter estimation for applicable Texas watersheds, prepared for Texas Department of Transportation: Lamar University Research Report 0–4694–2, 30p. http://library.ctr.utexas.edu/digitized/texasarchive/phase2/4696-2-lamar.pdf

**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.

Science and Products