Philip Gardner
Philip Gardner is a Hydrologist and the Groundwater Specialist for the Nevada Water Science Center.
Phil has worked as a hydrologist with the US Geological Survey since 2001 and is currently the Groundwater Specialist at the Nevada Water Science Center in Carson City, NV. Much of his work has focused on the development of conceptual and numerical models of hydrologic systems and groundwater-surface water interaction throughout the eastern Great Basin and Colorado Plateau.
Professional Experience
2001 - Present: Hydrologist, Groundwater Specialist, U.S. Geological Survey
Science and Products
Quantifying stream-loss recovery in a spring using dual-tracer injections in the Snake Creek drainage, Great Basin National Park, Nevada, USA
Hydraulic characterization of carbonate-rock and basin-fill aquifers near Long Canyon, Goshute Valley, northeastern Nevada
Rethinking a groundwater flow system using a multiple-tracer geochemical approach: A case study in Moab-Spanish Valley, Utah
Hydrogeologic and geochemical characterization of groundwater resources in Pine and Wah Wah Valleys, Iron, Beaver, and Millard Counties, Utah
Evaluation of groundwater resources in the Spanish Valley Watershed, Grand and San Juan Counties, Utah
Wetland-scale mapping of preferential fresh groundwater discharge to the Colorado River
Effects of groundwater withdrawals from the Hurricane Fault zone on discharge of saline water from Pah Tempe Springs, Washington County, Utah
Evaluating micrometeorological estimates of groundwater discharge from Great Basin desert playas
Hydrogeologic and geochemical characterization of groundwater resources in Deep Creek Valley and adjacent areas, Juab and Tooele Counties, Utah, and Elko and White Pine Counties, Nevada
A multiple-tracer approach to understanding regional groundwaterflow in the Snake Valley area of the eastern Great Basin, USA
Potential effects of existing and proposed groundwater withdrawals on water levels and natural groundwater discharge in Snake Valley, Juab and Millard Counties, Utah, White Pine County, Nevada, and surrounding areas in Utah and Nevada
Hydrology and numerical simulation of groundwater movement and heat transport in Snake Valley and surrounding areas, Juab, Miller, and Beaver Counties, Utah, and White Pine and Lincoln Counties, Nevada
Non-USGS Publications**
Research Institute, Reno, Nevada.
**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.
Aquifer Tests in Nevada
Evaluation of Streamflow Depletion Related to Groundwater Withdrawal, Humboldt River Basin
Evapotranspiration Studies in Nevada
Science in the Humboldt River Basin
Spring Valley-Snake Valley Aquifers
Recharge temperatures and groundwater-age models for the Paradox Valley alluvial aquifer, 2011, Colorado
Data from two tracer investigations in the Snake Creek drainage, Great Basin National Park, White Pine County, Nevada
Appendixes and Supplemental Data: Hydraulic Characterization of Carbonate-Rock and Basin-Fill Aquifers near Long Canyon, Goshute Valley, Northeastern Nevada, 2011-2016
Evapotranspiration Units, Groundwater Discharge Area, and 2007-2008 Summer Mean Vegetation Index for Tule Valley and part of Sevier Valley, Utah
Geospatial Data to Support Estimates of Annual Groundwater Discharge by Evapotranspiration from Areas of Spring-Fed Riparian Vegetation, Stump Spring and Hiko Springs, Clark County, Nevada
Electrical Geophysical Data Collected in the Scott M. Matheson Wetlands Preserve Near Moab, Utah
Regional potentiometric-surface map of the Great Basin carbonate and alluvial aquifer system in Snake Valley and surrounding areas, Juab, Millard, and Beaver Counties, Utah, and White Pine and Lincoln Counties, Nevada
Science and Products
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 19
Quantifying stream-loss recovery in a spring using dual-tracer injections in the Snake Creek drainage, Great Basin National Park, Nevada, USA
Simultaneous short-pulse injections of two tracers (sodium bromide [Br–] and fluorescein dye) were made in a losing reach of Snake Creek in Great Basin National Park, Nevada, USA, to evaluate the quantity of stream loss through permeable carbonates that resurfaces at a spring approximately 10 km down drainage. A revised hydrogeologic cross section for a possible flow path of the infiltrated SnakeAuthorsC. Eric Humphrey, Philip M. Gardner, Lawrence E. Spangler, Nora C. Nelson, Laura Toran, D. Kip SolomonHydraulic 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 rocksAuthorsC. Amanda Garcia, Keith J. Halford, Philip M. Gardner, David W. SmithRethinking a groundwater flow system using a multiple-tracer geochemical approach: A case study in Moab-Spanish Valley, Utah
The Glen Canyon Group Aquifer (GCGA) is the sole source of public water supply for the city of Moab, Utah, a domestic and international tourist destination. Population and tourism growth are likely to target the GCGA for future water resources, but our analysis indicates that additional withdrawals would likely be sourced from groundwater storage and not be sustained by recharge. A quantitative esAuthorsPhilip M. Gardner, Nora C. Nelson, Victor M. Heilweil, John E. Solder, Douglas K. SolomonHydrogeologic and geochemical characterization of groundwater resources in Pine and Wah Wah Valleys, Iron, Beaver, and Millard Counties, Utah
Pine and Wah Wah Valleys are neighboring structural basins that encompass about 1,330 square miles in Beaver, Iron, and Millard Counties in Utah, approximately 50 miles northwest of Cedar City, Utah, and 50 miles southeast of Baker, Nevada. Perennial streamflow is limited and only exists in higher-altitude reaches of small mountain streams in both basins. Groundwater is in unconsolidated basin-filAuthorsPhilip M. Gardner, Thomas M. Marston, Susan G. Buto, Lynette E. BrooksEvaluation of groundwater resources in the Spanish Valley Watershed, Grand and San Juan Counties, Utah
Groundwater resources in the Spanish Valley watershed in southern Utah were quantified for the first time since the early 1970s. The primary objectives of this study were (1) to better understand sources of recharge to, groundwater flow directions within, and discharge points for both the valley-fill and Glen Canyon Group aquifers (VFA and GCGA), and (2) to quantify groundwater budget components oAuthorsMelissa D. Masbruch, Philip M. Gardner, Nora C. Nelson, Victor M. Heilweil, John E. Solder, Michael D. Hess, Tim S. McKinney, Martin A. Briggs, D. Kip SolomonWetland-scale mapping of preferential fresh groundwater discharge to the Colorado River
Quantitative evaluation of groundwater/surface water exchange dynamics is universally challenging in large river systems, because existing methodology often does not yield spatially‐distributed data and is difficult to apply in deeper water. Here we apply a combined near‐surface geophysical and direct groundwater chemical toolkit to refine fresh groundwater discharge estimates to the Colorado RiveAuthorsMartin A. Briggs, Nora C. Nelson, Philip M. Gardner, D. Kip Solomon, Neil Terry, John W. LaneEffects of groundwater withdrawals from the Hurricane Fault zone on discharge of saline water from Pah Tempe Springs, Washington County, Utah
Pah Tempe Springs, located in Washington County, Utah, contribute about 95,000 tons of dissolved solids annually along a 1,500-foot gaining reach of the Virgin River. The river gains more than 10 cubic feet per second along the reach as thermal, saline springwater discharges from dozens of orifices located along the riverbed and above the river on both banks. The spring complex discharges from fraAuthorsPhilip M. GardnerEvaluating 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 attemptsAuthorsTracie Jackson, Keith J. Halford, Philip M. Gardner, Amanda GarciaHydrogeologic and geochemical characterization of groundwater resources in Deep Creek Valley and adjacent areas, Juab and Tooele Counties, Utah, and Elko and White Pine Counties, Nevada
The water resources of Deep Creek Valley were assessed during 2012–13 with an emphasis on better understanding the groundwater flow system and groundwater budget. Surface-water resources are limited in Deep Creek Valley and are generally used for agriculture. Groundwater is the predominant water source for most other uses and to supplement irrigation. Most groundwater withdrawal in Deep Creek VallAuthorsPhilip M. Gardner, Melissa D. MasbruchA multiple-tracer approach to understanding regional groundwaterflow in the Snake Valley area of the eastern Great Basin, USA
Groundwater in Snake Valley and surrounding basins in the eastern Great Basin province of the western United States is being targeted for large-scale groundwater extraction and export. Concern about declining groundwater levels and spring flows in western Utah as a result of the proposed groundwater withdrawals has led to efforts that have improved the understanding of this regional groundwater flAuthorsPhilip M. GardnerPotential effects of existing and proposed groundwater withdrawals on water levels and natural groundwater discharge in Snake Valley, Juab and Millard Counties, Utah, White Pine County, Nevada, and surrounding areas in Utah and Nevada
Applications have been filed for several water-right changes and new water rights, with total withdrawals of about 1,800 acre-feet per year, in Snake Valley near Eskdale and Partoun, Utah. The Bureau of Land Management has identified 11 sites where the Bureau of Land Management holds water rights and 7 other springs of interest that could be affected by these proposed groundwater withdrawals. ThisAuthorsMelissa D. Masbruch, Philip M. GardnerHydrology and numerical simulation of groundwater movement and heat transport in Snake Valley and surrounding areas, Juab, Miller, and Beaver Counties, Utah, and White Pine and Lincoln Counties, Nevada
Snake Valley and surrounding areas, along the Utah-Nevada state border, are part of the Great Basin carbonate and alluvial aquifer system. The groundwater system in the study area consists of water in unconsolidated deposits in basins and water in consolidated rock underlying the basins and in the adjacent mountain blocks. Most recharge occurs from precipitation on the mountain blocks and most disAuthorsMelissa D. Masbruch, Philip M. Gardner, Lynette E. BrooksNon-USGS Publications**
Gardner, P.M., and Heilweil, V.M., 2014, A multiple tracer approach to understanding regional groundwater flow in the Snake Valley area of the eastern Great Basin, USA: Applied Geochemistry, v. 45.Heilweil, V.M., Stolp, B.J., Kimball, B.A., Susong, D.D., Marston, T.M., and Gardner, P.M., 2013, A Stream Based Methane Monitoring Approach for Evaluating Groundwater Impacts Associated with Unconventional Gas Development: Groundwater, 51(4):51124Hershey, R.L., Heilweil, V.M., Gardner, P.M., Lyles, B.F., Earman, S., Thomas, J.M., Lundmark, K.W., 2007, Groundwater Chemistry Interpretations Supporting the Basin and Range Regional Carbonate Rock Aquifer System (BARCAS) Study, Eastern Nevada and Western Utah: DHS Publication No. 41230. Desert
Research Institute, Reno, Nevada.D. E. Pataki, S. E. Bush, P. Gardner, D. K. Solomon, and J. R. Ehleringer 2005, Ecohydrology in a Colorado River Riparian Forest--Implications for the Decline of Populus Fremontii: Ecological Applications 15:1009–1018.**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
Aquifer Tests in Nevada
Many aquifer tests have been conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey to estimate hydraulic properties of aquifers in Nevada and adjacent states. Transmissivity is the principal hydraulic property that has been estimated from the aquifer tests in Nevada because these values directly affect estimates of ground-water flow.Evaluation of Streamflow Depletion Related to Groundwater Withdrawal, Humboldt River Basin
The Humboldt River Basin (HRB) is the only major river basin that is entirely within the State of Nevada. Precipitation supplies all the water that enters the basin; consequently, the variability in climate has significant impacts on the hydrology of the area.Evapotranspiration Studies in Nevada
Evapotranspiration (ET) is the process that transfers water from land surface to the atmosphere as evaporation (or sublimation when below freezing) from open water, soil, and plant canopies and as transpiration by plants. ET is measured by scientists for many different reasons. Hydrologists from the Nevada Water Scientist Center (NVWSC) typically measure ET to help quantify water budgets...Science in the Humboldt River Basin
The Humboldt River is in north-central Nevada. The river is about 330 miles long and provides water for mostly agricultural purposes. One of the largest industries in Nevada is gold mining and the majority of those mines are in the Humboldt River Basin on the Carlin Trend. Gold mines in Nevada produce close to 80 percent of all the gold in the U.S. and are the 4th largest in the world. In 2010...Spring Valley-Snake Valley Aquifers
Supplementary water supplies are needed for a rapidly growing population in southern Nevada. Ground-water resources from basin-fill and consolidated rock aquifers in southern Spring and Snake valleys in eastern Nevada have been identified as a potential water-supply source. These aquifers provide water to springs, streams, wetlands, limestone caves, and other biologically sensitive areas on... - Data
Recharge temperatures and groundwater-age models for the Paradox Valley alluvial aquifer, 2011, Colorado
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation, began hydrogeologic investigations in 2009 in the Paradox Valley in Colorado. In June 2011, nine groundwater samples were collected from selected wells and springs in the study area. The samples were analyzed for a suite of environmental tracers and dissolved gases that were used to model recharge temperatures and grData from two tracer investigations in the Snake Creek drainage, Great Basin National Park, White Pine County, Nevada
This U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) data release consists of data from two tracer investigations in the Snake Creek drainage of Great Basin National Park, White Pine County, Nevada. The first investigation, occurring from April to September 2019, involved injecting a fluorescein dye tracer below a diversion point in Snake Creek and monitoring 13 sites in the Snake Creek and neighboring Big Wash draAppendixes 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 iEvapotranspiration Units, Groundwater Discharge Area, and 2007-2008 Summer Mean Vegetation Index for Tule Valley and part of Sevier Valley, Utah
This USGS data release consists of three data sets used as the basis for estimates of groundwater discharge from evapotranspiration in Tule Valley and part of Sevier Valley, UT. The data sets are a mapped groundwater discharge area (GDA), a mean modified soil adjusted vegetation index (MSAVI), and evapotranspiration (ET) units derived from the MSAVI within the GDA. The GDA represents the area withGeospatial Data to Support Estimates of Annual Groundwater Discharge by Evapotranspiration from Areas of Spring-Fed Riparian Vegetation, Stump Spring and Hiko Springs, Clark County, Nevada
This USGS data release, supporting USGS Scientific Investigations Report 2020-5075, Estimates of Groundwater Discharge by Evapotranspiration, Stump Spring and Hiko Springs, Clark County, Southern Nevada, 2016-18, consists of five datasets - Normalized Difference Vegetation Indexes (NDVI) and a mapped groundwater discharge areas (GDA) for two spring areas, and a two-class land cover classificationElectrical Geophysical Data Collected in the Scott M. Matheson Wetlands Preserve Near Moab, Utah
Quantitative evaluation of groundwater/surface water exchange dynamics is universally challenging in large river systems, because existing physical methodology often does not yield spatially-distributed data and is difficult to utilize in deeper water. Here we apply combined frequency domain electromagnetic induction (EMI) and direct contact vertical electrical sounding (VES) measurements to ident - Maps
Regional potentiometric-surface map of the Great Basin carbonate and alluvial aquifer system in Snake Valley and surrounding areas, Juab, Millard, and Beaver Counties, Utah, and White Pine and Lincoln Counties, Nevada
Water-level measurements from 190 wells were used to develop a potentiometric-surface map of the east-central portion of the regional Great Basin carbonate and alluvial aquifer system in and around Snake Valley, eastern Nevada and western Utah. The map area covers approximately 9,000 square miles in Juab, Millard, and Beaver Counties, Utah, and White Pine and Lincoln Counties, Nevada. Recent (2007