Christina Stamos-Pfeiffer is a Supervisory Hydrologist with the California Water Science Center's Groundwater Availability and Use Assessments Program.
Christina completed her bachelor’s degree in Geology from the University of California, Berkeley in 1984. After graduating, she supported petroleum geologists at Standard Oil of Ohio and British Petroleum in San Francisco. While a graduate student at San Diego State University, she worked as a micropaleontologist, did consulting work for her professors, and in 1987 became a student hydrologic technician for the USGS in the San Diego Projects Office. She completed her master’s degree in geology with an emphasis in groundwater hydrology in 1989 and started her decades-long career as a hydrologist for the USGS. During her USGS tenure, her studies and field work in California coastal and desert alluvial basins have entailed designing and installing multiple-well monitoring wells, interpreting water-level and water-quality data, investigating complex regional hydrogeologic systems, quantifying groundwater budgets, and simulating groundwater flow. As a supervisory hydrologist for the Groundwater Availability and Use Assessments Program, her primary duties include developing cooperative studies and reviewing technically complex interpretive reports. She mentors other hydrologists and physical scientists on innovative techniques to investigate and determine sources, age, and chemical character of groundwater. She is a member of the groundwater-specialist team for the California Water Science Center and has collaborated with hydrologists from USGS Water Science Centers across the nation, and the USGS Water Resources Mission Area.
Science and Products
Hydrogeology and simulation of groundwater flow in the Lucerne Valley groundwater basin, California
Hydrogeologic characterization of the Yucaipa groundwater subbasin
Hydrogeologic characterization of the San Antonio Creek Valley watershed, Santa Barbara County, California
Preliminary hydrogeologic assessment near the boundary of the Antelope Valley and El Mirage Valley groundwater basins, California
Regional water table (2014) in the Mojave River and Morongo Groundwater Basins, southwestern Mojave Desert, California
Hydrogeology, hydrologic effects of development, and simulation of groundwater flow in the Borrego Valley, San Diego County, California
The effects of artificial recharge on groundwater levels and water quality in the west hydrogeologic unit of the Warren subbasin, San Bernardino County, California
Regional Water Table (2010) in the Mojave River and Morongo Groundwater Basins, Southwestern Mojave Desert, California
Arsenic management through well modification and simulation
Geospatial Data Used in Water-Level and Land-Subsidence Studies in the Mojave River and Morongo Groundwater Basins for 2008
Source, Distribution, and Management of Arsenic in Water from Wells, Eastern San Joaquin Ground-Water Subbasin, California
Artificial recharge through a thick, heterogeneous unsaturated zone
Water-Level, Water-Quality and Land-Subsidence Studies in the Mojave River and Morongo Groundwater Basins
Determination of the geohydrologic characteristics of the boundary between the Mojave River and Antelope Valley groundwater basins, California
Central Valley Hydrologic Model version 2 (CVHM2): Observation Data (Groundwater Level, Streamflow, Subsidence) from 1916 to 2018
Regional Water Table (2014) in the Mojave River and Morongo Groundwater Basins, Southwestern Mojave Desert, California (ver. 1.2, September 2020)
Science and Products
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Hydrogeology and simulation of groundwater flow in the Lucerne Valley groundwater basin, California
The Lucerne Valley is in the southwestern part of the Mojave Desert and is about 75 miles northeast of Los Angeles, California. The Lucerne Valley groundwater basin encompasses about 230 square miles and is separated from the Upper Mojave Valley groundwater basin by splays of the Helendale Fault. Since its settlement, groundwater has been the primary source of water for agricultural, industrial, mHydrogeologic characterization of the Yucaipa groundwater subbasin
IntroductionWater management in the Santa Ana River watershed in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties in southern California (fig. A1) is complex with various water purveyors navigating geographic, geologic, hydrologic, and political challenges to provide a reliable water supply to stakeholders. As the population has increased throughout southern California, so has the demand for water. The YucaiHydrogeologic characterization of the San Antonio Creek Valley watershed, Santa Barbara County, California
The San Antonio Creek Valley watershed (SACVW) is located in western Santa Barbara County, about 15 miles south of Santa Maria and 55 miles north of Santa Barbara, California. The SACVW is about 135 square miles and encompasses the San Antonio Creek Valley groundwater basin; the SACVW is separated from adjacent groundwater basins by the Casmalia and Solomon Hills to the north, and the Purisima HilPreliminary hydrogeologic assessment near the boundary of the Antelope Valley and El Mirage Valley groundwater basins, California
The increasing demands on groundwater for water supply in desert areas in California and the western United States have resulted in the need to better understand groundwater sources, availability, and sustainability. This is true for a 650-square-mile area that encompasses the Antelope Valley, El Mirage Valley, and Upper Mojave River Valley groundwater basins, about 50 miles northeast of Los AngelRegional water table (2014) in the Mojave River and Morongo Groundwater Basins, southwestern Mojave Desert, California
Data for static water-levels measured in about 610 wells during March-April 2014 by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the Mojave Water Agency (MWA), and other local water districts were compiled to construct a regional water-table map. This map shows the elevation of the water table and general direction of groundwater movement in and around the Mojave River and Morongo groundwater basins. Water-Hydrogeology, hydrologic effects of development, and simulation of groundwater flow in the Borrego Valley, San Diego County, California
Executive Summary The Borrego Valley is a small valley (110 square miles) in the northeastern part of San Diego County, California. Although the valley is about 60 miles northeast of city of San Diego, it is separated from the Pacific Ocean coast by the mountains to the west and is mostly within the boundaries of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. From the time the basin was first settled, groundwateThe effects of artificial recharge on groundwater levels and water quality in the west hydrogeologic unit of the Warren subbasin, San Bernardino County, California
Between the late 1940s and 1994, groundwater levels in the Warren subbasin, California, declined by as much as 300 feet because pumping exceeded sparse natural recharge. In response, the local water district, Hi-Desert Water District, implemented an artificial-recharge program in early 1995 using imported water from the California State Water Project. Subsequently, the water table rose by as muchRegional Water Table (2010) in the Mojave River and Morongo Groundwater Basins, Southwestern Mojave Desert, California
Since 1992, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Mojave Water Agency (MWA), has constructed a series of regional water-table maps for intermittent years in a continuing effort to monitor groundwater conditions in the Mojave River and Morongo groundwater basins. The previously published data, which were used to construct these maps, can be accessed on the interactive map. TheArsenic management through well modification and simulation
Arsenic concentrations can be managed with a relatively simple strategy of grouting instead of completely destroying a selected interval of well. The strategy of selective grouting was investigated in Antelope Valley, California, where groundwater supplies most of the water demand. Naturally occurring arsenic typically exceeds concentrations of 10 (mu or u)g/L in the water produced from these longGeospatial Data Used in Water-Level and Land-Subsidence Studies in the Mojave River and Morongo Groundwater Basins for 2008
During 2008, the U.S. Geological Survey and other agencies made approximately 2,500 water-level measurements in the Mojave River and Morongo groundwater basins. These data document recent conditions and, when compared with previous data, changes in groundwater levels. A water-level contour map was drawn using data from about 700 wells, providing coverage for most of the basins. Twenty-four hydrogrSource, Distribution, and Management of Arsenic in Water from Wells, Eastern San Joaquin Ground-Water Subbasin, California
Between 1974 and 2001 water from as many as one-third of wells in the Eastern San Joaquin Ground Water Subbasin, about 80 miles east of San Francisco, had arsenic concentrations greater than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for arsenic of 10 micrograms per liter (ug/L). Water from some wells had arsenic concentrations greater than 60 ug/L. The sources of arsArtificial recharge through a thick, heterogeneous unsaturated zone
Thick, heterogeneous unsaturated zones away from large streams in desert areas have not previously been considered suitable for artificial recharge from ponds. To test the potential for recharge in these settings, 1.3 x 106 m3 of water was infiltrated through a 0.36-ha pond along Oro Grande Wash near Victorville, California, between October 2002 and January 2006. The pond overlies a regional pumpi - Science
Water-Level, Water-Quality and Land-Subsidence Studies in the Mojave River and Morongo Groundwater Basins
Groundwater has been the primary source of domestic, agricultural, and municipal water supplies in the southwestern Mojave Desert, California, since the early 1900s. The population of the Mojave River and Morongo groundwater basins has grown rapidly during the last several decades, increasing from an estimated population of almost 273,000 in 1990 (Mojave Water Agency, 2004) to more than 453,000 in...Determination of the geohydrologic characteristics of the boundary between the Mojave River and Antelope Valley groundwater basins, California
The Mojave Basin Area was adjudicated in 1993 and the Mojave Water Agency (MWA) was appointed as Watermaster to ensure that water rights are allocated according to the Court Judgment (Riverside County Superior Court, 1996). Established in 1960, the southwestern boundary of MWA’s management area is not a hydrologic boundary but instead coincides roughly with the boundary between San Bernardino and... - Data
Central Valley Hydrologic Model version 2 (CVHM2): Observation Data (Groundwater Level, Streamflow, Subsidence) from 1916 to 2018
This digital dataset includes three sets of observational data (groundwater level, streamflow, subsidence) used to calibrate the updated Central Valley Hydrologic Model (CVHM2)Regional Water Table (2014) in the Mojave River and Morongo Groundwater Basins, Southwestern Mojave Desert, California (ver. 1.2, September 2020)
During 2014, the U.S. Geological Survey and other agencies made approximately 2,500 water-level measurements in the Mojave River and Morongo groundwater basins. These data document recent conditions and, when compared with previous data, changes in groundwater levels. A water-level contour map was drawn using data from about 610 wells, providing coverage for most of the basins. Twenty-four hydrogr - News