GROUNDWATER STUDY OF THE BIG CHINO VALLEY

TECHNICAL REPORT

SECTION III OF III

HYDROLOGY AND HY-DROGEOLOGY

Ground Water Section Resource Analys~ Branch Water Resources Secti()n Surface Water Branch

Earth Sciences Division Assistant Comm~ioner - Resources Management

Denver Office , Bureau of Reclamation

Denver, Colorado

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I I BIG CHINO GROUNDWATER STUDY

TECHNICAL REPORT

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SBCTION III OF III'j

HYDROLOGY AND HYDROGEOLOGY

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Darrell B. Ewing John C. Osterberg

I W. Robert Talbot

J Ground Water section - Resource Analysis Branch Water Resources Section - Surface Water Branch

Earth Sciences Division Assistant Commissioner - Resources Managementf

Denver Office Bureau of Reclamation

Denver, Colorado

February 1994

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PRELIKlNARY FINDINGS TECHNICAL REPORT - BIG CHINO INVESTIGATION

SECTION III: HYDROLOGY AND HYDROGEOLOGY

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 . SURFACE WATER HYDROLOGY 1 1.1 study Basin Characteristics ................ 1 1.2 water Use........................................ 4 1.3 Surface Water Rights Law........................ 5 1.4 Surface Water Supply Analysis .................... 6

1.4.1 Historic Streamflow Analysis 6 1.5 Surface Water Quality Analysis .................. 7 1.6 Summary and Conclusions - Surface Water......... 9

1.6.1 Supply 9 1.6.2 Quality 9

2. GROUNDWATER HyDROLOGy ................................ 10 2.1 Groundwater Supply.............................. 10 2.2 Groundwater Rights Law......................... 11 2 3 Seepage study 12 2.4 Groundwater Quality ...................... 13 2.5 Groundwater Modeling............................ 13 2.6 Summary and Conclusions - Groundwater 14

2 6. 1 Supply 14 2.6.2 Quality 14

APPENDICES: APPENDIX A: Surface Water Hydrology Analysis A-1 APPENDIX B: Water Quality Analysis of the Groundwater

in Big Chino Valley and Water in. the Verde River B-1

APPENDIX C: Groundwater Model Development C-1 APPENDIX D: Abbreviated Model Calibration Run

output 0-1 APPENDIX E: Interpretation of USGS Well Recordings

on Two Wells in the Big Chino Valley E-1 APPENDIX F: Analysis of the Aquifer Test in Big Chino

Valley F-l

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1. SURFACE WATER HYDROLOGY

1.1 Study Basin Characteristics

The Chino Valley, located in Yavapai and Coconino counties of Northwestern Arizona, encompasses a drainage area of approximately 2,150 square miles. This excludes the Aubrey Valley which is a closed basin and does not contribute surface water to the Verde River. The area is drained by the Verde River which originates at Sullivan Lake. Sullivan Lake is a manmade lake constructed in the 1930's to prevent head erosion on the Verde River. The majority of the volume behind the dam is filled with sediment leaving a shallow reservoir with a surface area of less than 5 acres. The uppermost streamgauge on the Verde River is located about 10 miles downstream from Sullivan Lake near PaUlden, Arizona and is operated by the united states Geological Survey (USGS) (see Figure 1).

The major tributaries of the Verde River above Sullivan Lake include Williamson Valley Wash, Big Chino Wash, Walnut Creek, Pine Creek, and Partridge Creek.. Williamson Valley Wash and Walnut Creek have perennial flow limited to their upper reaches. Pine Creek and partridge Creek are intermittent with major flow events occurring from large general storms in the winter months and occasional intense summer thunderstorms.

The climate of the Big Chino Valley study area is semi-arid. The temperatures are highly variable with summer temperatures reaching 104 degrees, and winter temperatures falling to minus 12 degrees. There are several weather stations in the surrounding area. Although none of these stations are located directly in the proposed study area they were assumed to be representative of the agricultural areas for consumptive use estimates. These stations include Ash Fork, Chino Valley, Prescott, Seligman, and Walnut Creek.

Precipitation throughout the Big Chino watershed is governed to a great extent by elevation and season. From November through March, storm systems originating in the Pacific Ocean cross the watershed. These winter storms, which account for approximately 41 percent of the annual precipitation, occur frequently in the higher mountains and sometimes bring heavy snows. The higher elevations of the Juniper and Santa Maria Mountains receive in excess of 25 inches of rainfall annually, while the driest area of the basin near Seligman receives only 10 inches.

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Summer rainfall begins early in July and usually extends to midSeptember. Moisture-bearing winds originating in the Gulf of Mexico sweep into the valley from the southeast. Summer rains occur in the form of thundershowers which are caused, to a great extent, by excessive heating of the ground and the lifting of moisture-laden air along the mountain ranges. July and August which are the peak months of the monsoon period are the wettest months of the year and account for approximately 35 percent of the total annual precipitation.

The length of the growing season is highly variable over the watershed. On the higher mountains of the Juniper and Santa Maria ranges average growing season is less that 100 days, while in the Big Chino Valley averages approximately 150 days. Listed in Table 1 below is selected information for the area weather stations.

Table 1: Local Climatoloqical station Statistics

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Ash Fork 59 5130 54.5 12.99 155

Chino Valley 45 4748 54.3 12.46 147

Prescott 115 5205 52.8 19.32 140

Seligman 66 5250 53.2 10.48 157

Walnut Creek 40 5090 52.1 16.19 119

Annual free-water surface evaporation for the Big Chino watershed ranges between 50 and 60 inches per year. Evaporation losses from small lakes such as Watson Lake and willow Creek Reservoir average 855 acre-feet per year (based on average water surface area) .

The majority of the land in the study area is under the ownership of the u.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. Large holdings, located primarily in the northern section of the watershed are also under state control. The primary land use on both the pUblic and private lands is for the grazing of livestock.

The Big Chino Valley is a grassland with chaparral and pinionjuniper located on the slopes of the mountains. At the top of the higher mountains are isolated stands of Ponderosa Pine that have been logged commercially over the years. The watershed is in poor condition from overgrazing and the resultant decrease in cover density and increase in soil compaction. This coupled with

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the lack of natural vegetation has contributed to high flood and erosion potential.

1.2 water Use

Water use for this study included all consumptive uses of water associated with man's activities. These uses are traditionally divided into irrigated agriculture, municipal and industrial, domestic, reservoir evaporation, and stockwater. In this study, the main area of concern was Big Chino Wash. The majority of water use in Big Chino Wash is associated with irrigated agriculture with other uses insignificant in comparison. Groundwater is the primary supply source in the valley with some surface water diversions on Walnut Creek and Williamson Valley Wash.

The Chino Valley was originally divided into six areas for determination of consumptive use. These areas included; Big Chino Wash, Walnut Creek, Granite Creek, Williamson Valley Wash, AUbrey Valley, and Little Chino Valley. Since the Little Chino Valley and a major portion of the Granite Creek subbasin were studied extensively under the Prescott AKA, no further investigation was required and state consumptive use estimates were used. The consumptive use estimates for these basins were then combined and additions made to include the area outside the AKA reporting area. Partridge Creek was dropped as a separate reporting area as the water use was determined to be insignificant. Exhibit 2, Appendix A shows the subbasin boundaries with the green indicating the irrigated lands identified in 1992 from infrared National High Altitude Photography (NHAP) photos and field verification.

since 1960 the water use patterns in Chino Valley have changed. Transition from agricultural to municipal uses have occurred in the Little Chino Valley as the Prescott area continues to grow. In the remainder of the Chino Valley, demands in several of the subbasins have remained relatively constant with the exception of Big Chino Wash experiencing a significant decline in irrigated agriculture. Table 2 provides a comparison of the 1960 to 1990 changes in subbasin water use.

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Table 2: Subbasin consumptive water Use (in acre-feet)

Aubrey Valley I 305 I 225

Big Chino Wash 5,208 1,942

Little Chino/Granite Cr 10,790 12,876

Walnut Creek 172 152

Williamson Valle