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C Aquifer Monitoring Program, Little Colorado River Basin, Arizona

Project Number: 9671C1D
Project Chief: Don Bills
Cooperating Agencies:Bureau of Indian Affairs
Period of Project: 2005–current

Chevelon Creek near Winslow, AZ, 09398000

Clear Creek near Winslow, AZ, 0939000

Clear Creek below McHood Lake near Winslow, 09399100

BACKGROUND

The Bureau of Indian Affairs Navajo Region (Navajo-BIA) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) established a cooperative monitoring program for ground water in the C aquifer areas up gradient and down gradient from Leupp, Arizona in 2005. The goal of this program is to determine baseline ground-water conditions in the C aquifer and other water-bearing zones before significant development in this area occurs and to begin monitoring long-term changes in ground-water levels, water use and water chemistry. Ground-water resources of the C aquifer in the Little Colorado River Basin are already being affected by ground-water withdrawals for municipal, agriculture, and industrial water uses throughout the upper and middle parts of the basin (Hart and others, 2002; Bills and others, in press). Proposed ground-water development from the C aquifer in the Leupp area include: 1) an alternate means of supplying water for the Peaboby Western Coal Company mining operation on Black Mesa, 2) future supply for the City of Flagstaff, 3) future supply for new subdivisions east of Flagstaff, and 4) to support continuing development along the Little Colorado River valley up gradient from Leupp. The demand for ground-water resources in this area has the potential to compound the effects of ground-water withdrawals in the basin. Additional development of ground-water resources in this area could also occur to improve water supplies for communities in the western part of the Navajo Indian Reservation (Leupp, Dilkon, Red Lake, Sebi Delka, etc.).

Progress through July 2006

1. Established quarterly monitoring of water levels at 24 wells and flow at 4 springs up gradient and down gradient of the Leupp area.
2. Installation of 5 continuous monitoring wells with satellite telemetry and 2 continuous monitoring springs with satellite telemetry completed.
3. Installation of 3 streamflow-gaging stations with satellite telemetry completed.
4. Completed base flow evaluations of Clear Creek and Chevelon Creek, June/July 2005; Clear Creek, Chevelon Creek, and the Little Colorado River, June 2006.

Planned Activities, FY2007

1. Continue the quarterly monitoring of water levels at 24 observation wells and flow at 4 springs.
2. Continue operation of the continuous monitoring wells and springs.
3. Continue operation of 3 streamflow-gaging stations.
4. Conduct a fall/winter base flow evaluation of Clear Creek, Chevelon Creek, and the Little Colorado River reach between Chevelon and Clear Creeks for comparison to the summer 2005 and 2006 studies.
5. Collect water samples from 4 well sites and 3 spring sites to continue to characterize and document changes in ground-water chemistry.
6. Compile ground-water withdrawal data from new supply wells and combine with information from surrounding municipal, agricultural, and domestic water withdrawal data for the 2006 calendar year.

References

Bills, D.J., Flynn, M.E., and Monroe, S.A., 2007, Hydrogeology of the Coconino Plateau and adjacent areas, Coconino and Yavapai Counties, Arizona: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2005-5222, 101 p., 4 plates

Hart, R.J., Ward, J.J., Bills, D.J., and Flynn, M.E., 2002, Generalized Hydrogeology and Ground-Water Budget for the C Aquifer, Little Colorado River Basin and Parts of the Verde and Salt River Basins, Arizona and New Mexico: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 02-4026, 54 p.