Groundwater in the Yellowstone Basin Aquifers, wells, and - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

▶
groundwater in the yellowstone basin
SMART_READER_LITE
LIVE PREVIEW

Groundwater in the Yellowstone Basin Aquifers, wells, and - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Apr 02, 2023 351 likes •686 views

Groundwater in the Yellowstone Basin Aquifers, wells, and groundwater use John I. LaFave Montana Groundwater Assessment Program Presented to: Yellowstone Basin Advisory Council Billings, Dec. 13, 2013 Montana Groundwater Assessment Program

slide-1
SLIDE 1

Groundwater in the Yellowstone Basin

Montana Groundwater Assessment Program

John I. LaFave

Montana Groundwater Assessment Program

Presented to: Yellowstone Basin Advisory Council Billings, Dec. 13, 2013

Aquifers, wells, and groundwater use

slide-2
SLIDE 2

Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology

a department of Montana Tech

  • Established in 1919 to provide reliable and

unbiased earth science information

  • Non regulatory, applied research

– Geologic Mapping – Earthquake Studies – Small Miners – Environmental Assessment – Ground Water

  • Web: http://www.mbmg.mtech.edu/

Montana Groundwater Assessment Program

slide-3
SLIDE 3
  • Ground-Water Characterization

– systematic data collection and interpretation.

  • Ground-Water Monitoring

– long term records of water levels and quality.

  • Ground-Water Information Center

– data dissemination.

Montana Ground-Water Assessment Program

“…systematically assess and monitor the state’s ground water and to disseminate the information…”

85-2-902(2) MCA

Montana Groundwater Assessment Program

slide-4
SLIDE 4

Ground-Water Characterization

28 Areas

Field work Complete Field work Complete Field work Complete Field work Complete Field work Complete Field work Complete Field work Complete Ongoing Field work Complete

Montana Groundwater Assessment Program

slide-5
SLIDE 5

Ground-Water Characterization

28 Areas

Montana Groundwater Assessment Program

in the Yellowstone Basin :

  • ~2,500 site visits
  • ~500 water quality samples
slide-6
SLIDE 6

Ground-Water Monitoring

992 wells in the State-Wide Network ~200 in the Yellowstone Basin

Montana Groundwater Assessment Program

slide-7
SLIDE 7

Ground-Water Information Center

Products:

Well Logs Water Quality Hydrographs Maps & Repts Project data

mbmggwic.mtech.edu

Mapper !

Montana Groundwater Assessment Program

slide-8
SLIDE 8

Groundwater Investigation Program

In 2009, the Montana State Legislature established GWIP within the MBMG to conduct detailed groundwater investigations in areas with of concern

Montana Groundwater Assessment Program

Clear Lake Buried Channels Sidney CBM Fox Hills monitoring

slide-9
SLIDE 9

Groundwater and Wells in the Yellowstone Basin

Fort Union Formation – eastern Montana

Montana Groundwater Assessment Program

Alluvial terrace– Red Lodge

slide-10
SLIDE 10

Yellowstone Basin: Geology

Montana Groundwater Assessment Program

Pryor uplift Beartooth uplift Crazy Mtns Porcupine Dome Powder River Basin Black Hills Williston Basin

slide-11
SLIDE 11

Yellowstone Basin: Aquifers

Montana Groundwater Assessment Program

Alluvium

  • Ft. Union

Hell Creek Fox Hills Pierre Judith River Clagget Eagle

Pryor uplift Beartooth uplift Crazy Mtns Porcupine Dome Powder River Basin Black Hills Williston Basin

slide-12
SLIDE 12

Alluvial aquifers

Montana Groundwater Assessment Program

Alluvium

  • Ft. Union

Hell Creek Fox Hills Pierre Judith River Clagget Eagle

  • Sand and gravel along

major valleys – high level benches.

  • Thickness: 50 to ~150 ft.
  • Yield: 1-50; Avg. 35 gpm.
  • TDS: 500 to ~5,000 mg/L
  • Stock, domestic and

some irrigation.

slide-13
SLIDE 13

Fort Union Formation

Montana Groundwater Assessment Program

Alluvium

  • Ft. Union

Hell Creek Fox Hills Pierre Judith River Clagget Eagle

  • Interbedded sandstone

and coal.

  • Thickness: 50 to ~1,400 ft.
  • Yield: Avg. 9-10 gpm.
  • TDS: 500 to ~5,000 mg/L
  • Stock and domestic.
  • CBM production in south.
slide-14
SLIDE 14

Fox Hills – Hell Creek

Montana Groundwater Assessment Program

Alluvium

  • Ft. Union

Hell Creek Fox Hills Pierre Judith River Clagget Eagle

  • Regionally consistent

permeable sandstone.

  • Thickness: 50 to ~450 ft.

Up to 2,000 ft below LS

  • Yield: 1 to 400; Avg. 12
  • gpm. Artesian
  • TDS: 600 to ~3,500 mg/L
  • Stock, domestic
slide-15
SLIDE 15

Judith River Formation

Montana Groundwater Assessment Program

Alluvium

  • Ft. Union

Hell Creek Fox Hills Pierre Judith River Clagget Eagle

  • Interbedded sandstone and

shale.

  • Thickness: 50 to ~350 ft.
  • Yield: 1 to 50; Avg. 5-6 gpm.
  • TDS: 1,500 to ~10,000 mg/L
  • Stock, domestic
slide-16
SLIDE 16

Eagle Sandstone

Montana Groundwater Assessment Program

Alluvium

  • Ft. Union

Hell Creek Fox Hills Pierre Judith River Clagget Eagle

  • Interbedded sandstone and

shale.

  • Highly used NC MT
  • Thickness: 50 to ~300 ft.
  • Yield: 1 to 150; Avg. 5-6 gpm.
  • TDS: 900 to ~10,000 mg/L
  • Stock, domestic
slide-17
SLIDE 17

Wells – Yellowstone Basin

~48,000

Montana Groundwater Assessment Program

  • ~ 90% of the wells for stock or domestic use
slide-18
SLIDE 18

Wells – Yellowstone Basin

~48,000

Total wells Wells per yr

Montana Groundwater Assessment Program

slide-19
SLIDE 19

Water Use – Yellowstone Basin

Groundwater

Montana Groundwater Assessment Program

(26,000 ac-ft/yr)

  • Total GW withdrawals ~ 45,000 ac-ft/yr
  • Stock and domestic wells account for 22%
slide-20
SLIDE 20

Water Use – Yellowstone Basin

Groundwater and Surface Water

Montana Groundwater Assessment Program

(3.4M ac-ft/yr)

  • Total SW withdrawals ~ 3.4M ac-ft/yr
  • Irrigation withdrawals account for 99%
slide-21
SLIDE 21

Yellowstone: Groundwater-Surface Water Incidental Recharge

  • Recharge that occurs related to human use
  • Unintended consequence of the use
  • Unmanaged
  • Prevalent in MT alluvial valleys

– Irrigated areas

  • Volumetrically Significant

– Measurable impacts

Irrigated lands ~525,000 acres

Montana Groundwater Assessment Program

slide-22
SLIDE 22

Yellowstone: Groundwater-Surface Water Incidental Recharge

Irrigated lands ~525,000 acres Irrigation canals ~2000 miles

  • Divert ~ 3.4 M acre-ft/yr

– 99% surface water

  • Through 2,000 miles of canals
  • To irrigate 525,000 acres

Almost 6.5 ft of water per acre

Montana Groundwater Assessment Program

slide-23
SLIDE 23

Yellowstone: Groundwater-Surface Water Incidental Recharge

Montana Groundwater Assessment Program

Yellowstone: Huntley Clarks Fork- Yellowstone Yellowstone: Sidney Rock Ck: Red Lodge Yellowstone: Paradise Val.

Sate-wide obs wells

slide-24
SLIDE 24

Yellowstone: Groundwater-Surface Water Incidental Recharge

Montana Groundwater Assessment Program

Clarks Fork- Yellowstone

Sate-wide obs wells

discharge (cfs) USGS 06208500 Clarks Fork Yellowstone River at Edgar MT

Oct

slide-25
SLIDE 25

Montana Groundwater Assessment Program

“The imperative need in groundwater development is to know what we are doing”

  • Significance of incidental recharge

– sustains aquifers, wetlands, riparian areas, alters flows

  • Factor into conceptual model GW/SW interaction

– Concern focused on pumping – Need to recognize land use controls recharge

  • Water policy, growth, land-use, climate changes

– Mitigate - Water transfers or water banking – Conversion of irrigated land – Snow to rain shift

  • Unintended consequences ?

Harold E. Thomas, 1951

slide-26
SLIDE 26

Fox Hills - Hell Creek Aquifer Study

  • 2011 – increased monitoring - GWIP.
  • 2012 a joint project INL – MBMG project
  • Data loggers in recharge and discharge areas
  • Assess long-term trends

Montana Groundwater Assessment Program

Producing Oil and Gas wells

slide-27
SLIDE 27

Fox Hills - Hell Creek Aquifer Study

  • Currently monitoring 40 wells in FHHC around

the state – 20 in Yellowstone Basin

Montana Groundwater Assessment Program

FHHC water wells FHHC obs wells

slide-28
SLIDE 28

Fox Hills - Hell Creek Aquifer Study

  • Some recovery… but
  • Most long-term observations show downward trend

Montana Groundwater Assessment Program

South Pine oil field Terry

slide-29
SLIDE 29

Fox Hills - Hell Creek Aquifer Study

  • In Sidney area rate of decline more than 2 ft /yr
  • More than 50 ft since 1990’s
  • Some more than 100 ft since 1970’s
  • Wells no longer flow

Montana Groundwater Assessment Program

slide-30
SLIDE 30

Montana Groundwater Assessment Program

Sidney Buried Channels

slide-31
SLIDE 31

Montana Groundwater Assessment Program

Sidney Buried Channels

slide-32
SLIDE 32

Ground-Water Information Center:

http://mbmggwic.mtech.edu/

Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology:

http://www.mbmg.mtech.edu/

Contact Information:

John LaFave 496-4306 jlafave@mtech.edu

Montana Groundwater Assessment Program