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    WATER INFORMATION BULLETIN No. 1

    SUMMARY OF GROUND-WATERCONDITIONS IN IDAHO, 1966

    byW. L. Burnham, and others

    United Stat es Geological Survey

    PREPARED BY THE UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEYIN COOPERATION WITH

    THE IDAHO DEPARTMENT OF RECLAMATION

    Published byIdaho Department of Reclamation

    R.Keith HigginsonState Recla~nationEngineer

    DECEMBER 1966

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    ERRATAa. Photograph No. 1 is of a well be ing dri lled d. Figure 29. The location of the well shouldfor Rex Ward instead of Rex Wood as indi- be 7S - 5 E - 18bcl instead of 7N - 5E -cated on page 2. 18bcl.b, Figure 10. The caption under the figure e. Figure 33. The interpretation of the loca-should identify the second well as being tion of the contours in T. 12 S., R. 23 E.located at 4N - 26E - 26cdl instead of 4N - and the east half of T. 12 S. , R. 22 E,25E - 26cdl . has been revised since the printing of theil lustrat~on.c. Figure 17 does not show the contour linesas described i n the caption as these bluelines were lost in the p rinting process.

    TER CONDITIONS IN IDAHO

    rmm~nBulirrln Ne. 7

    Th e Cover Photo :;1, Well being drilled for Rex Wood in Cassia Coun ty nearM al t a .7 Niagnra Springs nonr tho Snalrc River in Goudiny CuuilLy .Photo courtesy of U.S. Geological Survey.3 . Irrigation well owned by R. L. Craner in Cassia Coun ty .Pho to cour tesy of Ida ho Power Co .4. Discharge of a n l r r igation well owned by Raf t R iver Ca t t leCo . in the Raf t R iver Val ley being measured by H. 6 .H a i g h t of t h e Id ah o S ta t e D ep ar tm en t o f R ec l am at io n ,Photo courtesy of U.S. Geological Survey.5. Windmill on a well for stock water on a hill northwest ofAlbion.

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    CONTENTS

    Page. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .NTRODUCTION 8

    Well-Numbering System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8GROUND WATER IN IDAHOAREAS IN WHICH GROUND WATER IS BEING DEVELOPED. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .XTENSIVELY 9

    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .athdrurn Prairie 9Moscow Basin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12PayetteValley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Big h s t R iver Basin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16Little Lost River Basin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .oise Valley 20Big Wood River-Silver Creek Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Snake River Plain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Lower 'l'eton Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33Bruneau-Grand View Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .almon Falls Tra ct 37Rock C reek-Goose Creek Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .lbion Basin 43Raft River Valley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ichaud Flats 48Malad Valley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

    AREAS OF GROUND-WATER POTENTIAL THAT WAVE NOTBEEN DEVELOPED EXTENSIVELY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

    Kootenai River Valley. Priest River Valley. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .onners Ferry-Sandpoint-Hoodoo V alley Area 52

    Palouse River-Potlatch River Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

    Craigmont-Cottonwood Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53North Fork Pay ette River Valley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

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    CONTENTS (Continued)

    Page. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .eiser River Basin 53. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .arden Valley Area 53

    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .tanley Basin 53Challis-Round Valley Area . . 54

    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ahsimeroi River Valley 54T , emhi River Va.lley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54Birch Creek Basin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .omedale-Murphy Area 55Mountain Home Plateau . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .amar Prairie 55. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pper Teton Basin 55

    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .wyhee Uplands 55. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ailor Creek Area. 56

    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ooklandValley 56. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .rbon Valley 56

    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ortneuf River Valley 56. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .illow Creek Highlands 56

    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .em-Gentile Valleys 57. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .urlew-Pocatello Valleys 57

    CacheValley Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ear Lake Area 57

    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ELECTED REFERENCES 58

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    Figure Page1. Ma p showing areas of extensive and potentia l ground-water development. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72. Ma p showing location of observation wells. . . . . . . . 103. Map of t he Rathdrum Prairie showing contours onthe water table, changes in water level from 1950 to1966, and location of observation wells .. . . . . . . . . . 114. Hydrograph of we11 53N-4W-24bb1, KootenaiCounty,an d the cumulative doparture from ave rage precipi-tation at Coeur d'Alene Ranger Station.. . . . . . . . . 125. Ma p of the Moscow basin showing location of obser-vationwells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

    Hydrograph of well 39N-5W-7dd1, Latah County. . 14Map of th e Payette Valley showing location of ob-servation wells and depth to water, March 1966. . . 15Hydrug~ayhsu l walls 7N-2W-35abl, Gem Countyand 7N-2E-34ca1, Boise County.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16Ma p of the Big Lost River basin showing location ofobservation wells and depth to water.. . . . . . . . . . . 17Hydrographs of wells 5N-26E-23cdl and 4N-26E-26cd1, Butte County, and cumulative depar ture fromaverage streamflow of Big Lost River at HowellRanch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Map of the Litt le Lost River basin showing contourson th e water tab le, April 1966, and location of obser-vation wells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19Hydro ra hs of wells 6N-39E-33dcl and 5N-29E-23cdl, %u&e County.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Map of the Boise Valley showing contours on thewater table and location of observation wells. . . . . . 21Hydrographs of wells 4N-1W-35aal and 2N-1W-4dd1,Ada County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22Ma p of the Big Wood-Silver Creek area showingcontours on the water table and location of obser-vationwolle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Hydrographs of wells IN-l8 E-ldal , 1s-18E-14aa1,and IS-19E-22aa1, Blaine Cou nty. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24Map of the Snake River Pla in showing the flow pat-tern and contours on the water table, 1959.. . . . . . . 26Graph showing estimated spring flow from Milnerto King Hill. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27Graph s howing grou nd-wa tel purtlpagc: frurri &haMinidoka Project, North Side Pumping Division(U.S.B.R.),1949-65 28Map of th e northeastern part of the Snake RiverPlain ehouring oontour~ n tho watcr tablo, Spring1966, and boundaries of irrigated ar eas .. . . . . . . . . . . 28Ma p of the central part of the Snake River Plainshowing contours on the water table, Spring 1966,nnd hmtnrlaries of irrigated are as. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29Map of the southwestern pa rt of t he Snake RiverPlain showing contours on the water table, Spring1966, and boundaries of irrigated are as .. . . . . . . . . . . 30Hydrographs of wells YN-34E-l ladl, Clark County,7N-35E-20cb1, Jefferson County, and 7N-38E-23db1,Madison County 31Hydrographsof wells 5N-32E-36ad1, Jefferson County,2N-31E-35dcl and 5s-31E-27ab1, Bingham County 31

    Figure Page25. Hydrographs of wells 8s-14E-16bc1, Gooding Cou nty ,8s-23E-2ba1, Minidoka County, and 9s-20E-ldal,

    Jerome County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3226. Map of th e southwestern par t of th e Snake RiverPlain showing decline in water level, 1952 to 1966, 3327. Map of the Lower Teton area showing contours onthe water table an d location of observation wells. . . 3438. IIydrographsof wellJ7N-38E-28db1, MaJiaunCuu~iLy,7N-42E-8ca1, Fremont County, and 5N-40E-llbcl,Madisoncounty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3529. Hydrograph of well 7N-5E-lSbc1, Owyhee Co un ty .. 3630. Map of the Bruneau-Grand View area showing loca-tion of observation wells and decline in water levelsfrom1954to1966 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3731. Map of the Salmon Falls tract showing contours onthe water table and location of observation wells. . . 3832. Hydrograph of well 11s-17E-25dd2, Twin Falls

    County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3933 . Map of the Rock Creek-Goose Creak arad btluwi~igcontours on the water tab le and location of obser-vationwells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4034. Hydrographs of wells 11s-20E-32cc1, Twin FallsCounty, 11s-23E-34cdl and 13s-21E-18bb1, CassiaCounty ........................,,...,............ 4135. Ma p of the Rock Creek-Goose Greek area showingchanges in water level from April 1963 to April 1966,

    an d location of observation wells. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , . 4.236. Map of the Albion basin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4337 . Map of t he Raft River basin showing contours on thewater table, Spring 1966. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , . 4538. Graph showing ground-water pumpage and numberof irrigation wells in the Raf t River valley .. . . . . . . 4639. Hydrographs of wells 9s-26E-13cc1, 11s-27E-29aa1,1%-37E-3Obd1, an d 16S-37E-36bn1, Cassia County. . 4640. Map of th e Raft River basin showing decline in waterlevels and location of observation wells. . . . . . . . . . . 4741. Map of the Michaud Fla ts showing location of obser-vationwells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4842. Hydro raphs of wells 6s-32E-27adl and 7s-31E-22cb1, sow er Count y. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4943. Map ul Malad Valley showing 1ucaLiu11uf obssrvsr-tion wells.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5044. Graph showing annual precipitation and cumulativedeparture from average annual precipitation a tMalad (from U.S. Weather Bureau records) andhydrograph of well 15s-35E-ldal, Oneida County. . 51

    Table Pnga1. Areas in which ground water is being developed exten-sively . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72. Areas of ground-water potent ial th a t have no t beendeveloped extensively.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

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    TABLE 1Areas in which ground water is being developedextensive1y

    1 Rathdrurn Prairie2 Moscow Basin3 Payette Valley4 Big Lost River Basin5 Little Lost River Basin6 Boise Valley7 Big Wood-Silver Creek Area8 Snake River Plain9 Lower Teton Area10 Bruneau-Grand View Area11 Salmon Falls Tract12 Rock Creek-Goose Creek Area13 Albion Basin14 Raft River Valley15 Nlichaud Flats16 Malad Valley

    TABLE 2Areas of ground-water potential that have not beendeveloped extensively

    17 Kootenai River Valley, Priest River Val-ley, Bonners Ferry-Sandpoint-HoodooValley Area18 Benewah County19 Palouse River-Potlatch River Area20 Lewiston Area21 Craigmont-Cottonwood Area22 North Fork Payette River Valley23 Weiser River Basin24 Garden Valley Area25 Stanley Basin26 Challis-Round Valley Area27 Pahsirneroi River Valley28 Lemhi River Valley29 Birch Creek Basin30 IIomedale-Murphy Area31 Mountain Home Plateau32 Camas Prairie38 TTpp~rTeton Rasin34 Owyhee Uplands35 Sailor Creek Area36 Rockland Valley37 Arbon Valley38 Portneuf River Valley39 Willow Creek Highlands40 Gem-Gentile Valleys41 Curlew-Pocatello Valleys42 Cache Valley43 Bear Lake Area

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    E X P L A N A T I O N

    Areas in which ground water is beingdeveloped eutensively.Numbers refer to arear l isted in table I.

    A r e a s of ground- w a t e r potential thathave not been developed extensively.Numbers refer to areas listed in table 2.

    Figure I. Map showing areas o f ex tens ive and potentia l ground-water deve lopm ent .

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    INTRODUCTION

    This report begins a series of water information bulletins which will describe the many aspects of thewater resource in Idaho. This first volume of the series summarizes the occurrence of ground water within theprinciple geographical and geological subdivisions of the State, as-of the Spring of 1966, and discusses briefly,conditions related to development of this resource. It was prepared as a par t of the cooperative program of theWater Resources Division of the U. S. Geological Survey and the Idaho Department of Reclamation. The reportis designed to present current data and to summarize interpretive information from many published sourceswhich may be of interest to persons concerned with conservation and development of the ground-water resourceof the State. For detailed discussion of individual areas, the reader is referred to the list nf selected referenceslisted at the end of this volume and to the numerous published reports to be found in most principle libraries.

    The data used in preparation of this report were compiled from the files of the Geological Survey. Many ofthese data were collected as a part of the continuing program with the Idaho Department of Reclamation.Only selected data are included on the illustrations and in the discussions th at follow. The current observationwells are shnwn nn the maps, h ~ ~ the water-level eontours and change maps are based on large numbers ofother observation and measuring points, which are not shown.

    WELL-NUMBERING SYSTEM

    The well-numbering system used in Idaho by the Geological Survey indicates the location of wells withinthe official rectangular subdivisionsof the public lands, with reference to the Boise base line and rneridiau. Thef i s t two segments of the number designate the township and range; the third segment gives the section number.The section number's followed by two letters and a numeral which indicate the quarter section, the 40-acretract, and the serial number of the well within the tract. Quarter sections are lettered a, b, e, and d in counter-clockwise order, beginning with the northeast quarter of each section. Within the quarter sections, 40-acretracts are lettered in the same manner. Thus, well 8s-16E-12bcl near Jerome is in the SMIXNWX see. 12 ,T. 8 S., R. 16 E., and is the first well visited in that tract.

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    GROUND WATER IN IDAHOAbout 3 million acre-feet of wa ter is withdraw n from the ground-w ater reservoirs of Idah o each yea r toirrigate approximately 1million acres. In addition, nearly all municipal, industrial, domestic, and livestockwater requirements are met from the ground-water resource. The ground-water supply is continuously drawnupon by r ivers and streams, by n ative and cult ivated vegetation, by evaporation, an d b y th e man y dem ands ofman. I t is replenished by th e rain and melting snow within the drainage basins tr ib uta ry to a nd w ithin theState. Because the demands on the resource are nearly constant, and replenishment is seasonal and som ewhatcyclical, the availabil i ty of ground water tends to vary throughout the year an d from one year to another.Small quantities of ground water ca n be obtained from wells and springs throughou t m ost of th e Sta te in nearlyall years. Only in specific areas, however, can larg e quantitie s of w ater of su itable chem ical qua lity for gen eralirrigation, public supply, or industrial use be obtained within presently economical limits. These areas aremainly in the southern pa rt of th e Sta te and along the western boundary.Mo st areas of th e Sta te wherein large quan tities of ground water a re known t o occur a re being developedextensively by th e construction of num erous wells. These areas a re shown on figure 1 and are l isted in table 3 1 .Areas with pote ntial for developmen t of large supplies of ground w ater, bu t which hav e not been developedextensively, are also shown on figure 1 and are l isted in table 2. There are many other smaller areas whereindiv idua l wells or small num bers of w ells yield large quan tities of grou nd w ater fo r short periods or du ringcertain times of th e year. I t is not known whether these wells ta p extensive aquifers or isolated bodies of grou ndwntcr.Mo st ground-water development has been fo r irrigation an d the d istribution of wells in Id aho is related

    both to areas of availability of ground water a nd t o th e distribution of a reas suitab le for agriculture. Suita blylong growing season, large trac ts of a rable land, an d the need for ground wa ter to supp lem ent diversions fromstreamflow has caused t he majority of irrigation wells to be drilled in the southern and southwestern part ofthe St ate . W ater is obtained from both consolidated and unconsolidated rocks, and in a given area mo st wellsdraw from either one or the other. A few wells obtain w ater from both type s of rocks. Basalt a nd older silicicvolcanic rocks form the principal aquifers of th e consolidated rocks. Some water is obta ine d from older sedi-ments and from extensive deposits of a sh, tuff, and associated fine-textured sediments, bu t th e principal suppliesof ground water to be obtained from unconsolidated rocks occur in the geologically young alluvial fans andvalley-fill deposits, or along the major stream ehannels.Thc location and distribution of wclls in which thc Ccologicnl Survey malres pcriodie m e n~ ur em en t~fwater level to keep trac k of changes in the a mo unt of w ater stored in the ground is shown in figure 2.Throughout the Snake River Plain an d in many areas southeast , south, and southw est of th e Snake River,th e ma jority of wells obta in the ir principal sup ply of water from consolidated rocks-principally bas alt. W ellsin the Moscow, Lewiston, Palouse River-Potlatch River, and Craigmont-Cottonwood areas also obtain waterfrom basaltic lavas.In th e large intermontane valleys and basins, an d in the stream valleys of th e majo r drainages, mo st wellsdraw water from the coarser part s of th e unconsolidated alluvial materials t hat have been brought in ,fromadjacent m ountainou s areas. These deposits ar e mostly poorly sorted mixtures of grav el, sand, an d silt orclay; they are usually better sorted and m ost permeable in th e central part s of t he valleys.Sedimentary deposits interlayered with basaltic lava flows yield water to wells in some localities. Ingeneral, however, these deposits are fine textured and serve to restrict vertical water movement through thebasa lt. Such relationships are noted briefly in the following discussions of t he c ond itions of gro und -wa ter occur-rence in the areas of m ajor development in the S tate.

    AREAS IN WHICH GROUND WATER I S BElNGDEVELOPED EXTENSIVELYRATHDRUM PRAIRIE, by E. 6. rosthwaite

    Rath drum Prairie, a roughly triangular lowland, is in the northern par t of K ootenai C oun ty in northernIdaho. Th e prairie overlies a basin gouged ou t by glaciers an d the n p artly filled with coarse sediments depositedby large streams as th e glaciers receded. Around t he border of th e prairie a re depressions with n o surface outle t ,oceupied by lakes which drain by seepage to th e wa ter table. No s tream s flow across the pralrie, an d on ly th eSpoka ne River along th e extreme southern edge of t he prairie ean ma intain a perennial flow.Ground water occurs under water-table conditions in the sand and gravel deposits which underlie theprairie. These deposits are extremely permeable an d form one of the m ost copious water-bearing formations inIdaho. Rem nants of basalt and lake beds th at were no t scoured o ut by the glaciers m ay eontain very smallamou nts of water . Granitic and metamorphic rocks form the basement beneath the prair ie and are not regardedas important water-bearing fom ations .

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    EXPLANATION0Observation welle

    W e l l w i t h recording gage07Number by we1 l indicates

    total wells in a smalla r e a

    Figure 2. Map showing location of observation w ells.

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    Ground wate r is recharged by inf i ltration of rain and m elted snow on th e prairle , seepage from t he m a~.g~ n;i llakes and several small streams which drain onto the prair ie , and by percolation of irrigation water tii.ie~.terlf rom the Spokane River , H ayden Lak e , and Tw in Lakes . Depth to w ate r r anges f rom 125 feet at the Sl'ashirietonSta te line to 500 fee t near the nor thern edge of Kootena i C o~ in ty .Th e ground wa ter moves generally south westw ard throu gh th e pervious fill of alliivial anti glacial tiel)osits

    as shown by the water- level contour map (fig.3) and discharges to the Spokane Rix-er beyond t lie State l111ein Washington. An es t imated 500,000 acre -feet of ground w ate r or ig~n a t ing n Idaho i s d isch ar~ e t i nni la ll? t oth e Spokane River.G r ound w a te r 1s withdrawn for ir r igation, munic~pal,ndustrial, domestic , anti stock ure I t I \ estiniatet lth at g round water serves abou t half the po pulation. Several ir r igation wells are in i ise and yielt is ran ge iron?1,000 to 3,000 gallons per minute.

    Figure 3. J l a p of the l lathdr um Prairie show ing contours on the water table, change\ i n natcxrIt,%rl ro m 1950 to 1966, a n dlocation of ob. ier+ ation wells .

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    6ose f r o m ! d o n a i3ei;ar i .me~t of r i i g n w o y s C o u n t y mopFigure 5. Map of the Moscow basin showing location of observation wells.

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    In general, the water levels in both the a rt es ~a n nd water-table aquifers are highest in the spring, declineciiulnp the summer, and reach their low point in late fall. Ground-water withdrawals b y t he City and Universityha1 e altered this patte rn of fluctuation In the artesian aquifers in the v~cin ity f Moscow (fig. 6). When wellswere first drilled into tile artesian aquifers before 1900, the pressure was sufficient for wells to flow. As develop-ment continii~d :tr- t~s~ snreqsnrpe. ~ P C ~ P R S P ~nd th e water level now 1s ma ny feet below th e land surfacc.Figure 6 shows the water-level fluct~lationsn the upper artesian aquifer for the periods 1937-40 and 1950-66.Tlle reversal in the downward trend in 1960 and 1965-66 was caused by discontinuance of pumping from theupper artesian aquifer during those periods. The net decline from 1937 to 1966 has been about 22 feet.

    Not recorded

    F igu re 6. H y d r o g r a p h o f well 3'3N-5W-7dd1, Latah Coun ty .

    PAYETTE VALLEY, by R. F. NorvitchThe Paye tte ].alley, in Payette, Gem, and Boise Counties, extends along more than 40 river miles, west-ward and northwestward, from the Horseshoe Bend area to near Fruitland {fig.7). The main broad part of thealley, downstream from I3lack Canyon Dam, is of moderately low relief and is floored with a succession ofstream terraces rising steplike from the river floodplain and extending to the valley walls.The main source of water to the valley is runoff from precipitation in the surrounding mountains. Precipi-tation on the valley lowlands is small, ranglng annually from about 11 inches a t Payett e to 12.4 inches atEmmett. Morp than 100,000 acrpq ara irrigatad with w a t ~ r iv~rter l rom the r iver nor theas t of E mm ettGround water occurs in the surficial alluvial valley-fill deposits, in underlying unconsolidated sediments,and in older sedimentary and volcanic rocks. The unconsolidated sediments and the older rocks yield small tolarge amounts of artesian water to wells. Beds of sand and gravel between confining layers of silt and clay in

    L11e u~~cuiisulida~ededir~ieriLs re the best aquifers.Sand and gravel in the surficial valley fill are the chief sources of unconfined waterThe ground water moves from sources of recharge along the valley walls toward t he center of the valley,and then down gradient in the direction of stlearnflow. The altesiatl aquifwb a le ~ e c l ~ a ~ ~ e r ly p~e~ipilaliuilI ~the outcrop areas and by infiltration of stream-flow and irrigation water in the lowlands. The nonartesianayuifers are recharged directly by perco lat~ngmountain runoff, streamflow, and ir r~g ationwater. I t is doubtfulthat much recharge comes from direct precip~tat ion n the lowlands.Aquifers in some par ts of the valley are nearly full and water logging occurs. Large volumes of ground waterare discharged by evapotranspiration a t these places. Also, large volumes of ground water a re discharged fromthe valley as underflow into the Snake River valley. Volumes of water withdrawn through wells are small incomparison to th e natural discharge from the ground-water reservoir.

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    Wells in the valley are used for domestic, stock, municipal, industrial, and irrigation supplies. The amountof ground water used for irrigation is not known but it probably does not exceed several hundred acre-feetannually because of the large available source of surface water. The ground-water reservoir has not beendeveloped to it s full potential.The hydrographs of water-levels in 7 wells (fig 8) show water-level ehanges in the valley. Well 7N 2E34ca1, located near the edge of the upper part of the valley, shows little significant change during the period ofrecord. Seasonal changes in recharge and discharge are reflected and climatic cycles probably account for thelong-term trends.

    Well 7N-2W-3Sabl shows seasonal fluctuations of about 4 t o 11 feet, apparently governed by the applica-tion of surface water during the irrigation season. The long-term trend probably follows cl~mat lc ycles aswitnessed by the rise in water level in 1965, a year of unusually high runoff.

    f 26Z- 30 W e l l 7N-2E-34colW', 340

    38I-n

    42

    Figure 8. Hydrographs of wells 7N-2W-35ab1, Gem County, and 7N-2E-34ea1, Boise County.

    BIG LOST RIVER BASIN, by E. 6. rosthwaiteThe Big Lost River basin (fig.9) is an area of 1,500 square miles in Butte and Custer Counties on the north-west side of the Snake River Plain. Included in the basin are part s of the Lost River Range on the east side ofthe basin and parts of the Sawtooth and Pioneer Mountains on the west. The White Knob Mountains areentirely within the basin.The Big Lost River is the principal stream. I t discharges to the Snake River Plain where its flow is lostby seepage to the Snake Plain aquifer and by evaporation.The source of water for the lowland is: rtinnff of preripitatinn from the surrounding m o~ ~n ta in s.reeipi-tation on the valley floor averages from 8 to 10 inches and adds lit tle to t he surface or ground water supphes.Annual precipitation on the mountains, oecuring mostly as snow, exceeds 40 inches.Fluvioglacial, alluvial fan , and alluvial valley-fill deposits form the floor of t he lowland from Chilly toArcv. 13abaltic ldva f l o w s a1 Ltle mouth of the valley near Arco interflnger with the alluvial depos!ts. Groundwater occurs under water-table conditions in the alluvial deposits and in the basalt, but local sllt and claydeposits may cause weak artesian p r e s u r s in some plaees.The alluvial deposits contain and transmit large qtiantities of grn~~ndater The Rig Tost River i s a losingstream in the lowland upstream from Chilly and in the vicinity of Darlington, and all tributaries to the valleylose a large part of or all their flow before reaching th e main stem of the river. Percolation of water divertedfor irrigation also recharges the alluvial deposits. Depth to water ranges from less than 5 feet to as much as250 feet below land stlrfare The p n t ~ n r lwater moves down th e valley and discharges to the aquifer that under-lies the Snake River Plain. The discharge is estimated to be in excess of 300,000 acre-feet annually.Ground water from about 180 irrigation wells supplements the surface-water supply in normal and dryyears and provides a full supply for some lands. Most irrigation wells were drilled between 1959 and 1963 andyield from 300 to 3,000 gpm. Ground water is also used for most municipal, domestic, and stock supplies.

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    The water table fluctuates in response to irrigation and to recharge from Spring runoff. In most wells thewater level begins to rise in the Spring, reaches a peak in July or August, and declines the rest of the year asshown by t he hydrographs in figure 10. The hydrographs also show a water-level decline during t he d ry years of1959-61, a recovery during 1962-65, and then a downward trend caused by the very dry winter and spring of1966. Trends in precipitation as reflected hy ninoff a t t,he Howell Ra,nr.h surface-water gage correlate with thewater levels.

    z 'E 3 $$!yS z sq u a0. =W C I -0 U ) WW W u .2 -F ~ O5 2 %2.303 5

    -45 - - - Well 3N-Zbt-Z5cd l -

    J - -

    B q Lost River af Howel l Ranch near Chblly

    4 55 -Wm

    Figure 10. Hydrographs of wells 5N-26E-23cdl and 4N-25E-26cd1, Butte County, and cumulative departure from averagestreamflow of Bi g Lost River at Howell Ranch.

    LITTLE LOST RIVER BASIN, by H. A. Waite

    " 6 5 1952 I I I I I I I 1 1 1 I I IW 1955 1960 196632 I I I I I I I I I I I I I I -z -- 36 - --

    --= 44 - --z -Wa 48- W e l l 4 N - 2 6 E - 2 6 c d l -

    -

    The Little Lost River basin (fig. 11) is one in a series of southeastward-trending basins tr ibutary to theSnake River Plain along its northwestern flank. The basin, more than 50 miles long and about 20 miles wide,is flanked by the l a s t Kiver U n g e on the west and the Lemhi Kange on the east, both oi which receive moder-ately large amounts of rain and snow. Much of the runoff percolates into the permeable alluvium tha t under-lies the valley floor. Surface water and ground water are closely interrelated in the valley and constitute asingle resource.Little Lost River valley is apparently a down-faulted structural trough partly filled with alluvium fromthe flanking mountain ranges which are formed chiefly of limestone, quartzite, and shale. At some places,andesitic or silicic volcanic rocks constitute a major part of these mountains.Precipitation averages less than 10 inches annually a t Howe, the only station in the valley, but on some ofthe higher peaks i t probably exceeds 30 inches annually.The most important aquifer in the valley is alluvium containing sand, gravel, and boulders, possiblyoriginating in part ns glacial nutwash Except for a few wells near the mouth of the valley that nbtain waterfrom basalt, all wells derive water from the alluvium.Near the mouth of Little Lost River valley, in the vicinity of Howe, basalt flows are interbedded in thealluvium. Basalt is exposed a t the surface east and southeast of Howe as the valley merges with the SnakeRiver Plain.

    --Pumping

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    10.3Figure 11 . Map of the Little Lost Kiver basin sho win g contours on the water table, April 1966, and locatbn of observationwells.

    Ground water in the alluviuill is unconfined, tllat is, it is undei- waler--lal~le u~lcliliurls.The walel--lalrlecontours (fig. l l ) , show the domva lley gradient of the water table to be relatively uniform, averaging about43 feet per mile, north of a bedrock ridge that constricts the aquifer in secs. 21, 22, 23, and 24, T. 7N.,R. 28 E.The water t able declines steeply from this point, dropping about 200 feet in less tha n 2 miles.The aquifer widens downvalley from the bedrock barrier, and the water-table gradient in the vicinity ofHowe ranges generally from 15 to 20 fee t per mile. The water table in most of this area is about 40 to 100 feetbelow the surface. The water level in the basalt of the Snake River Plain, only a mile or so to the south, is nearly200 feet lower. The configuration of t he contours in the southern half of T. 6 N., R. 29 E., reflects the influenceof heavy pumping from wells for irrigation.

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    \\\ t i+ : ) LI S j x o l r 3 t i ! :iiary*) 5 0 3 Mtle3\ iii ' L ~ L I : ? ~ l i iOF bt t ""t - 1 A ---I - -L - -- -- J

    ii

    N Figure 13, Rlap of the Boise VaKey showing contours on the water table an d IocaCon of observatioi-"

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    Ground water occurs in the river gravel along the Boise River and under the river terraces, and in beds ofsand and gravel and lava flows in the thick lake and stream deposits tha t underlie the entire area. Water occursunconfined a t many places in the shallower aquifers and more or less confied in both the shallow and deeperones, at many places under sufficient pressure to flow a t the surface. Flows of artesian hot water have beend c l v ~ l n p~drom the deeper water-bearing zones close to and beneath the foothills.The water-bearing formations under the Boise Valley can yield sufficient water for irrigation in most places,and ground water has been developed in tract s of considerable size, especially to the south of the lands servedwith water from canals.The principal source of water is runoff in the Boise River, which drains about 2,600 square miles of moun-tainous country. Drainage from the hills and mountains immediately north of the Boise Valley adds a smallerbut still significant amount of water.Little 1echal ge origiilally uccui I erl U II Llre uplard plair~ outh of the river where precipitation averages onlyabout 10 inches a year, but now more than 300,000 acre-feet of recharge occurs yearly by drainage from ini -gation of the former sagebrush desert with surface water.The recharge from irrigated lands now determines the pattern of ground-water movement, a t least in theshallow water-bearing zones. Ground water moves generally westward except west of Kuna where a ground-water ridge occurs beneath the New York Canal and Lake Lowell. From this ridge water locally moves to thenorth and to the southwest.Most of the ground water moving beneath the Boise Valley is ultinlately discharged by seepage illlodrainage canals and the Boise River, and thence into the Snake River.In t he early 1950's it was estimated tha t about 150,000 acre-feet of ground water was being pumped in theBoise Valley for all pu oses, and that about 70,000 acre-feet of this was consumed by evaporation and tran-splratlon. Pumpage an?consumption have increased significantly since that time. Also, it is estimated tha tabout 160,000 acre-feet of ground water per year is be ~ngonsumed by such water-loving vegetation as willowsand cattails growing on about 40,000 acres where ground water is close to the surface or forms marshes andponds.Water levels rose noticeably in the Boise Valley after completion of the first large irrigation projects inthe early 1900's. The water level in well 2N-1W-4ddl (fig. 14), about 5 miles southwest of Nampa, shows thegeneral rise of about 70 feet that occurred here by the early 1950's, after which the water level more or lessotabiliacd. Water levels rose as much as 140 feet in some of the area aruund Lake Luwdl. Owitkg iu ihest: ~ises ,a great deal more water is in storage in the aquifers that in pre-irrigation days. The rise of water level hascaused water-logging and drainage problems in many low areas where extensive systems of drainage ditches anddrainage wells have only partially remedied t he problems.The hydrograph of well 4N-1W-35aal (fig. 14,), ocated about 3 miles northwest of Meridian, shows typicalannual fluctuations of water level beneath irrigated lands. Water levels begin t o rise abruptly a t t he end of April

    after the first applications of irrigation water, and crest lat e in August or early in September at the end of theirrigation season. Water levels then decline until next Spring. Water-level fluctuations heneath irrigated landsrange from about 3 to 10 feet.

    Figure 14. Hydrographs of wells 4N-1W-35aal and 2N-1W-4dd1, Ada County.

    1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 l 1 1 1 1 1 1

    bbtvt

    Z41

    5C 40-3It 60-W.

    Z 8 0f54

    100-2IL I Z 0g Ir 2 m 9 v i?3 0 n m 0) (DDz f? !z' !z' ? z $2 E 2 2 a,

    WmII t N - I W - J J e r t l --

    -C------ Wel l 2N - IW - 4dd l-

    /-+-- -

    -/--f

    /-c

    ~ " " l ' " ~ ' " " ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ " l I " ~ ' " ' I ~ ~ ~ ~ " ~ " l l l

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    BIG WOOD RIVER-SILVER CREEK AREA, by E. H. WalkerThe Big Wood River-Silver Creek area (fig. 15), located in the central part of Blaine County, is a wedge-shaped embayment in the mountains on the north side of t he Snake River Plain. The lowlands, covering about50,000 acres, broaden to the south where hills of bedrock separate them from the Snake River Plain. The BigWood River heads in the mountainous area t o the north were many peaks rise to altitudes of abuul 10,000feet, and flows southward through the valley and then westward through a gap in the southern hills.Water for the valley is wholly derived from precipitation, mainly the snow upon t he uplands and mountainsto th e east, north, and west. Only about 3 inches of precipitation occurs on the valley floor during the growingseason.

    Figure 15 . Map of the Big Wood-Si lver Creek area show ing contours on the water table and loeat ion of observat ion wells.23

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    Most of the ground water occurs in valley-filling deposits of sand and gravel th at range in thickness frommore than 300 feet to a feather edge a t the margins of t he valley. Basalt lavas form an excellent aquifer wherethey occur beneath the surface in the south-eastern part of the area near Picabo. Water occurs unconfined underwater-table conditions throughout the valley, and there is an extensive area of artesian confinement and flowingwells in the southern part of the valley where a s h ~ ~ tf gravel nccurq at depth below a wedge of silt and clayformed in a n old lake.The sand and gravel aquifer receives recharge mainly by infiltration from the Big Wood River and minorstreams during the Spring season of snowmelt and high runoff. Percolation from th e irrigated lands throughthe coarse-textured and permeable soils, also contributes much recharge to the ground-water bodies.The ground water moves generally southward (fig. 15) and then toward t he gaps in the southeast and south-west parts of the valley. It is discharged from the basin by natural vegetation and crops, by spring flow thatont tributes to outflowing streams, and by underfiow. Consumption of ground water hy native vegetatinn ha^been estimated a t about 50,000 acre-feet per year.Ground water withdrawal from wells in the area increased from about 2,500 acre-feet in 1946 to about8,000 acre-feet in 1954 when about 30 irrigation wells were in operation. More irrigation wells have been drilledsince that time and pumpage may exceed 10,000 acre-feet a year a t present. It is estimated that less than halfthe pumped water i s consumed by plants or evaporated; the remainder seeps back t o the ground water.Geologic conditions in the southern end of the lowlands cause much ground water to emerge a t the surfaceas springs and seeps, and to escape from the valley a s surface flow in the Birr Wood River and Silver Creek.Seepage to the Big Wood River from ground water has been estimated a t 100 cfs (cubic feet per second),

    or 72,000 acre-feet per year, or about 35 percent of the average flow of 203,000 acre-feet per year of t he BigWood River where it leaves the basin.The entire flow of Silver Creek out of the valley past Yicabo, averagng around 116,000 acre-feet a year,comes from ground water th at emerges a t the surface in the southeast par t of the valley. An additional 38,000acre-feet of water per year is estimated to move through permeable formations under thi s gap, giving a tota lground-water discharge th at may average about 155,000 acre-feet per year. The total outflow of ground waterfrom the area, as surface flow and as underflow, is therefore believed to tota l around 225,000 acre-feet per year.The hydrographs of 3 selected wells (fig. 16) show representative changes in water level in the Big Wood-Silver Creek basin. These show tha t water levels throughout the area begin to rise early in the Spring and cometo a peak in June or July, after which water levels decline through late Summer, Autumn, and Winter. unti l thenext Spnng when runoff from snowmelt and drainage from irrigated areas recharges ground water.

    w

    10 I I I I I I I I I I I1954 I1960 i1966Well I S -19E-22001

    3 0Wk ' w0 34 Well IN-I8E-Idolz 2- a5 " 386 93 aA 42

    ? %4 6

    k m50

    Figure 16. Hydrographs of wel ls IN-18E-ldal, 1s-18E-14aal and 1s-19E-22aa1, Blaine County.

    wi? 3"-"az 40-51y 30-S, 0-

    I I 1 I I I I I I I I I- -we11 I ~ - I U C - I . ~ O O I -- -

    -- --- --,

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    Water levels in all three wells show a similar long-term pattern from 1954, when records began. Waterlevels rose in th e la te 1950's, began t o decIine in 1959, reached Iows in 1960 and 1961, and then rose again inth e following year s. Pre sen t water levels, including tho se in tw o Aowing obsers7ation w ells in the southern par tof th e bas in , a re c lose to those in 1954, s h o ~ n gha t pumping has not caused any significant net deplet ion ordecline in artesiarl pressure d u ~lli: Ll~e el iud uf I ecord.SNAKE R lVER PLAIN, by R. F. Ncrviteh

    Th e Snake River Pla in extends eas tward and nor th eas tm rd roughly 200 miles from Bliss lo about St.Anthony (fig. 17). I t is a broad undulat ing surface of abo ut 8,500 square miles bounded on the no rth, ea st , andsouth by mountain ranges and b road, al luvial-fi lled interm ontane val leys; and on th e west by a broad, lava-capped pIa1t.a~ rea.The rocks underlymg the plain are a series of successive basaltic lava Aows which include interflow bedsof s edi me nta w materials. This series contains the Sn ake Plain aquifer, the most prolific water-bearing sequ enceof rocks in Idaho.Th e agricultural value of this otherwise seemingly barren land is due to a pere nnia l supply of water , bothfrom surface and ground-water sources. The rnajor streams in the areas are Henrys Fork, t ributary to theSnake River in the northeastern p art of th e plain, and th e Snake River which Aows along the approx imateeastern and southern borders of the plain.Th e Snake River both contributes water to and receives water from th e Sn ak e Plain aquifer. Ground-

    water springs discharge water to th e river in stretches from the m outh of the B lackfoot River to a sh ort distancebelow American Falls Reservoir; and from below Milner, through th e Hagerrnan V alley reach, to Bliss. Else-where, th e river channel is above the regional water tab le and river water recharges t h e ground-water reservoir,Th e major source of water to t he Plain is precipi tation on th e surrounding moun tains, especial ly t o th enorth a nd to th e east. Except for the Big Wood River drainage in the western pa rt of the Plain, all s t ream s tha tbead in th e northern m ountains and th at flow onto the Plain seep into the subsrirface a n d add wa t e r t o t h e aqui-fers that underl ie the Plain.Th e sources of recharge , in order of impo rtanc e, are: 1)percolation from irrigation , 2) seepage from stream sentering or crossing the Plain, 3) underflow from tributary basins, and 4) precipi tat ion on the Plain, Directprecipitation on the Plain probably accounts for less than 10 percent of the tota l recharge t u lhe aqui fe i .To tal recharge from the 4 sources mentioned a bove current ly am ounts to a bout 6.5 to 7million acre-feet an-nual ly.Grou nd wat,er occurs in sand and gravel alluvial deposits associated with the present-drainage systems,b ut th e overwhelmingly significant occurenee of grou nd water is in the porous basa lt a nd s edim entar y interb edswhich und erlie neal-ly the entire P lain.%later in the main aquifer occurs mostly under water tabie (uneonfinedj conditions. Some flowing wellsoccur locally In the Aberdeen-Springfield, the Market Lake, and the Mud Lake areas w l l e ~ e ocal artesianeond itions exist.Secondary water bodies (perched water tables) have formed a t places whe re beds of low perm eabilityunderlie areas of h eavy irrigation . Egin and Ruper t Benches and the X'Iud Lake area overl ie perched waterbodies.Regional ground-u~ atermovement is west- an d so uthwe stu~ard, rom si tes of recharge to si tes of discharge,as show n in figure 17.Natural discharge from the aquifer occurs almost wholly from springs along the Snake Kiver. In IY6ba bou t 4.7 million aere-feet issued from the springs below Milner, and probably about 2 million acre feet fromthe springs between American Falls and Blackfoot, Figure 18 shows th e estimated annu al mean Aow in thesprings hrlnw Milner. The growth of irrigation on the lain since the ea rls 1900's is clearly reflected jr, heseest imates. T he net discharge from im gation wells amo unts to only a small part of th e total annual d~ seh arg efrom th e aquifer. Gross pumpage is large, bu t much of the w ater applied for i rrigat ion retu rns to th e watertable through the permeable basal t. Figure 19 shows t he a nnua l a mount of m t e r pump e d on t he Nor t h S ide

    Pumping Division, Minidnka Prn j r r t n f t h e T!. S. Rr~ reau f R eclamation. P rivate development has occurredadjacent to this project , i rrigat ing about the same amount of l and and pumping a similar amo unt of water.Th e major areas of irrigation, bo th from groun d- and surface-water sources a r e shown in figures 20, 21,a nd 22.Th e total volume of water in storage in the Snake PIain aqu ifer is unknown, b ut 1s estimated t o a m o u n tt o a bou t 250million acre-feet. Wells for domestic and s tock use, plus wells for mu nicip al supplies, bare ly scr atchth e surface of the potent ial ground-water reserve. Development of the ground w ate r supply for i rrigat iop didno t really begin until after W orld TVar 11,and th e num ber of irrigation wells in use t oda y on t h e P l a i n 1s n o tknown. However, it is more tha n 1,200.

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    Figure 18. Graph showing e stimated spring Bow from Milner to K i n g Wi l l .

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    Number of r e i i o i nPumping Divis ion 1

    Figure 19. Graph showing ground-water pumpage from the Minidoka Project, North Side Pumping Division (U.S.B.R.),1949-65.

    Figure 20.

    E X P L A N A T I O N-- 800- -Water-table contour

    Contour interval 5 0 an d I00 feetDatum i s mean sea level

    Areo i r r i g a t e d w ~ t h round w o t e r

    A r e o i r r i g a t e d w i t h sur face water

    Map of the northeastern par t of the Sna ke River Plain showing contours on the water table, Spring 1966 andboundaries of irrigated areas.

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    Figure 21. Map of the central part of the Snake River Plain showing contours an th e water table, Spring 1966 andboundaries af irrigated areas.

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    -- 000--Woter-tobie contourConfour intervol 50 ond 100 feet

    Datum is mean sea levelm

    Area ~ r r ~ g a t e dt t h ground water

    Figure 22. Map of the southwestern part of the Snake River Plain showing contours on the water table, Spring 1966 a n dboundaries of irrigated areas.

    In most places irrigation wells yield a t leaat 1,000 gpln (gal lui~~er tllinute). Sullle wells in th e Mud Lakearea yield as much as 9,000 gpm.Th e increased use of ground water for irrigation has contributed to a long-term decrease in ground -waterstorage under some ar ts of th e Plain, reflected by a lowering of wate r levels in wells. Th e gre ates t decrease ha soccurred in the soutxwestern one-third of th e Plain, tha t pa rt shown in figure 22. In oth er par ts of th e Plain,little or no significant change h as occurred.Hydrographs of water levels in the northeastern part of the Plain (fig. 23) show a fluctuating long-termcondition, cithcr slightly riaing or falling, dcpcnding on local conditions. Well 7N-2SE-20cbl ahowa th c an nu alseasonal effects of heavy groun d-water pum ping, w hile well 7N-38E -23dbl shows the an nu al seasonal effects ofheav y surface-water irrigation.Wells 5N-32E-36adl and 2N-31E-35del (fig. 24 ) show water-level trends in th e central p ar t of t he Plain.Both wells show a general long-term decline until about Spring 1965, when an unusually high runoff causedwater levels to rise abruptly in the wells near th e m ountain fro nts.T he hydrograp h of well 5s-31E -27ab l (fig. 24) reflects water levels in th e A berdeen -Spring field a rea .Th is pa rt of the aquifer shows almost stab le long-term con ditions.

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    1 5 2 I I I I I I I 1 I I IW e ll 9 N - 3 4 E - l l o d l

    Figure 23. Hydrographs of well s 9N -34 E-l lad l, Clark County, 7N-35E-20cb1, Jefferson County, and 7N-38E- 23d bLMadison County.

    W e l l 5 N - 3 2 E - 3 6 a d l

    3 58 19 W e l l 2 N - 3 1 E - 3 5 d c Im 5 0 3WW" 58 55

    ~ n 75' 8 92 852 12

    16

    20

    2 4

    Pigure 26 . Wydrngraphq nf wrl ls 5N-32E:-36adl. Jefferson County. 2N-31E-3 5dcl and 5S-31F:-27abl, Bingham County.31

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    Hydrographs of wells 8S-23E-2bal and 9s-20F-ldai (fig. 25) show significant water-level declines beginningin about f 954 and eontinl~lng ntil about 1962 when near stable conditions were reached. It seems now (1966)that a near balance between recharge and discharge exists in this part of the aquifer.Figure 26 shows a generalized depieticn of the net change in water levels from Spring 1952 to Spring 1966in the southwestern pert of th e ccquifor. Th o arocz of greatoat decline, more than 10 feet , oecuro down-gradientfrom the areas of greates t ground-water withdrawal in Minidoka and Jerome Counties. Discharge from the

    easternmost springs, in the vicinity of Twin Falls, has also decreased in the area of greates t water-level declineadjacent to the river.The hydrograph of well 8%-14E-L6hcl fig. 25) shows less than a 1-foot drop since 1952. This well is locatednear the major spr~ng-discharge area of the aquifer. It shows that significant effects of pumping have notreached th e wes trnmo st springs; therefore, discharge from this part of the aquifer bas been little ehanged.

    W e l i BS-23E-2bol

    Figure 25. Hydrographs of wells 8S-14E-L6bel, Gooding County, 8S-23E-Zbal, Minidoka County , an d 99-20E-ldalJerome County.

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    EXPLANAT IONWoter-level dec l in e , in feet,from 1332 fo 1986

    0-5 e e t decline

    j5 - 10 feet decl ine

    Figure 26. Map of the southwestern part of the Snake River Plain showing decline in water level, 1952 to 1966.LOWER TETON AREA, by E. W.Walker

    The Lower Teton area includes the floodplains and benehlands southeas t of Henrys Fork from Ashton tothe Snake River, and an indefinite area of the Snake River Plain north of Henrys Fork (fig. 27).Ground water occurs in tho baealtic cznd silieic lavas beneath the Rezburg Bench and it s c n n t i n ~ ~ a t i n nothe northeast, in sheets of sand and gravel beneath the lowlands along Henrys Fork and the lower part oi theTeton River, and in the basalt lavas which underlie the Snake River Plain and extend southward under the

    lowland alluvial deposits.'I'he ground water in the older sillcic volcanics beneath the benchlands occurs under water-table eonditions.Ground water in the alluvial deposits of the bottomlands is perched over broad areas, owing to :he. heavyrecharge from streams and irngated areas and the presence of fine-grained sedimentary layers whleh Impededo mw ar d percolation. Water-table conditions prevail in the lavas of the Snake River Plain a t a distance of afew miles northwest of Henrys Fork.The aquifers beneath the Rexburg Bench and other higher lands receive recharge from precipitation andby infiltration from the channels of st reams that cross these benchlands. Fornat ions beneath lowlands arerecharged by infiltration from the main streams and by the drainage from irrigated areas.

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    The ground water in the older volcanic rocks moves generally northwestward, with much local variationcaused by the geological structures of these rocks. Perched water south of Henrys Fork moves toward thechannels of streams, and also percolates downward to the main water table. Recharge from irrigation forms amound of perched water under t he Egin Bench north of Henrys Fork, and the ground water moves both south-ward to H~ n r y s ork and northward and westward to descend to the main water table in the basalt lavas ofthe plain. Water a t and beneath the main water table moves westward, as shown by t he water-level contours(fig. 27), and eventually discharges t o the Snake River, partly through the seeps and springs on the nor th sideof the river between Blackfoot and the head of American Falls Reservoir, and part ly through the great springsat the western end of the aquifers in the canyon of the Snake River between Twin Falls and Bliss.

    A t present about 25,000 acre-feet of ground water is pumped, mainly from wells penetrating the oldervolcanic rocks beneath the Rexburg Bench.The water ,level in .well 7N:38E-23dbl {fig. 281, representative of the main water table in the basal t lavasof the Snake River Plain, has risen slowly in the last few years and is now about 1.5 feet higher than In 1959when measurements were first made. It should be noted that water levels in this sector of t he Snake RiverPlain are considerably higher, perhaps several tens of feet higher in places, than t hey were before the irrigationdevelopments of the early 1900's added large amounts of new recharge.Wells 7N-42E-8cal and 5N-40E-llbcl are on the benehlands southeast of Henrys Fork, and measurementsin them reflect water levels in the older volcanic rocks. The rise in water level in well 5K-40E-11bcl since late1964 may reflect slightly higher than average precipitation and recharge from leaky stream channels near thewell, artd shuws Lllat pumping in this part of the aquifer has not depleted storage. The causes for t h e dcelincin water level in well 7N-42E-8cal is uncertain; longer records may show that water levels in this well, which is

    remote from recharging streams, may not respond to minor changes in precipitation.37 I I I I I I I I

    Wel I 7 N - 3 8 E - 2 3 d b l 4

    W e l l 5 N - 4 0 E - I I b c l

    1966Figure 28. Hydrographs of wells 7N-38E-23dbl, Madison County, 7N-42E-8ea1, Fremont County, and 5N-40E-llbel ,Madison County.

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    BRUNEAU-GRAND VIEW AREA, by E. 6. CrosthwaiteThe Bruneau-Grand View area is a lowland in northeastern Owyhee County and is a part of the SnakeRiver Valley of southwestern Idaho. I t is bounded on the north by the Snake River and on the east, south, andsouthwest by an upland sometimes referred t o as the ""Ovvyhee Desert". The lowland is drained by the Bmneauand Snake Rivers, and Little Valley, Shoofly, and other small creeks.The main sources of water supply are the Bmneau and Snake Rivers and artesian ground water. Yearlyprecipitation is very low and litt le water, if any, is added to the ground-water supply from tha t souree.Ground water oecurs in alluvial deposits along the Snake and Bmneau Rivers and in the underlying sand,gravel, and basalt, in older basalt and in silicic volcanic rocks beneath the older basalt . Water in the alluvialdeposits is under water-table conditions, and t hat in the other rocks is under artesian conditions.Ground water in the alluvial deposits is strongly influenced by the &agesnf t h ~i v ~ r snd hy water divertedfor irrigation. At low river stages the alluvial deposits discharge water t o the river and a t high river stages thedeposits receive recharge. Percolation of water diverted for irrigation also recharges the alluvial deposits.The artesian aquifers are recharged by precipitation and stream losses on the outcrop area many milessouth of the Bruneau-Grand View area. Pressure gradients in the artesian aquifer are generally northward.Well heads below 2,700 feet in alti tude generally flow small to large quantities of warm to hot water from theartesian aquifers.Wplls in the all~ivial eposits generally yield small to moderate quantities of water, but because of thelimited thickness and small areal extent of t he deposits, only small amounts of water a re vvlthdrawn from them.Flowing artesian water was diseovered in the early 1920's and many wells were drilled, but interest sub-sided because th e yield of many wells diminished. Interest in irrigation wells was renewed in 1951 and th er ea rer~ow eve~allu~eriwells in use, Well rteplha range fr urn 500 to more than 2,000 feet. The largest reported yieldof a flowing wells is about 4,400 gpm.The hydrograph of well 7s-5E-18bcl (fig. 29) shows a nearly steady deeline in water level of about 12 feetfor the period of record. Changes in water level reflect changes in theamount of water in storage m some part ofth e aquifer (fig. 30).

    Figure 29. Hydrograph of well 7N-5E-18be1, Owyhee County.

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    Figure 30, Map of the Bruneau-Grand View area showing location of observation welss and decline in water levels from1954 to 1966.

    SALMON FALLS TRACT, by E. 6. rosihwaiteThe Salmon Falls trac t is in southern Twin Falls County south of Twin Falls. The tract is boanded on thenorth by the Twin Falls South Side Project, on the east arid s o u l i b y Ihe Suullii IIills and othel low nlour~taina,and on the west by the canyon of Salmon Falls Creek. The tra ct is drained by Salmon Falls Creek, a perennialstream; Deep Creek, an intermittent stream; and Desert Creek, an ephemeral stream. All three dischargenorthward to the Snake River.Ground water occurs under water-table conditions in basalt, lake deposits, and silicic volcanic roeks whichunderlie the t rac t. The basalt and silicie volcanic rocks yield small to moderately large quantities of water t oirrigation wells a t some places. The generally fine lake deposits do not yield water readily to wells. Alluvialdeposits along Deep Creek cnntain perch~d rnitnd water, as dnes the basalt west of Hollister. Southeast ofHollister, silicic volcanic roeks yield warm artesian water.Ground water is recharged by infiltration of water diverted from Salmon Falls Creek for irrigation ofseveral thousands acres in the tract, seepage losses from the canals and fields in the Twin Falls South SideProject immediately north of the Salmon Falls Lracl, arld i r~ f luw rvlri yrecipitatioll which percolates into therocks in the mountains. Depth to water ranges from above land surface a t a few flowing wells to as much a s700 feet beneath the surface in the northwest part of the tract .The ground water moves generally northwestward (fig. 31) beneath the Twin Falls South Side Projectand on t o th e Snake River. The amount of this underflow is estimated to be 100,000 acre-feet per year.

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    Ground water is used for irrigation, domestic, stock, and municipal supplies. Annual withdrawals are onthe order of 8,000 acre-feet.About 50 wells have been drilled for irrigation of which about 40 percent provide adequate supplies.Suecessful wells exist southwest of Rogerson, near Amsterdam 2nd H nll ist ~r, o i ~ t h e a ~ tnd northeast ofHollister, and in the northeast part of the tract just south of the Twin Falls South Side Project. Yields range

    from 300 to 2,500 gpm. Most farms have domestic and stock wells, and the Village of Hollister uses ground water.Rogerson obtains it s ground-water supply from a small spring.Water levels respond to snowmelt and irrigation diversions. Well 11s-17E-25dd2 shows that water levelsare lowest in the Spring, rise rapidly until late Summer, and then decline until the next Spring (fig. 32). Waterlevels in 1965 were the highest of record. Pumping for irrigation has had little effect on water levels exceptlocally. The greatest decline has been in the area of artesian pressures southeast of Hollister. Some formerlyflowing wells now have water levels several feet below land surface.

    Figure 32. Hydrograph of well 115-17E-25dd2, Twin Fllas County.

    ROCK CREEK-GOOSE CREEK AREA, by E.6. rasthwaiteThe Rock Creek-Goose Creek area is south of the Snake River in eastern Twin Falls and western CassiaCounties (fig. 33). In general, the land surface slopes northward toward the Snake River and the Snake RiverPlain. Some volcanic hills 300 to 350 leet high are in the north part of t he area. Rock Creek flows through theextreme western part and Goose Creek is in the eastern part . The Albion Range bounds the east side and theSouth Hills the southwest side.Silicic volcanic rocks, basalt, alluvium beneath the lowland area, and limestone a t the edge of the SouthHills yield small to large quantities of water to irrigation wells. North of Oakley and south of Murtaugh thealluvium contains water under water-table conditions. Water occurs also under water-table conditions in basaltwhich underlies the northern half of t he area. Silicic volcanic rocks underlie the alluvium and basalt and containwater under artesian conditions, but the pressures are not high enough to cause wells to flow. Ground water inthe limestone aquifer is under weak artesian pressure. Depth to water varies widely and ranges from about 50feet near Mu rtau gh to more tha n 500 feet on Burley Ru ttoGround water is recharged by infiltration of precipitation on the mountains and hills and by percolationof irrigation water diverted from the Snake River and from Goose Creek. A minor amount is derived fromseepage losses of a few small streams which discharge from the mountains.Ground water moves generally northward and northwestward toward t he Snake River and the Snake RlverPlain a t about right angles to the contours shown in figure 33. The contours represent the altitude of th e watertable, and generally do not show the altitude of pressure surfaces in the artesian aquifers except south of Mur-taugh Fm m Oakley nor thward for ~h ni r t m i l ~s h ~2tc.r levels in the artesian aauifer s are about 200 feetbelow those shown in figure 33. In the Burley Irrigation District, a perched water-table occurs 5 to 25 feetbelow the land surface, and about 200 feet above the main water table.Natural discharge of the water-table aquifers is to the aquifers beneath the Snake River Plain north ofSnake River except downslrearn Irurrl Mi111er Darrr w1 1 t . 1 ~ulrlt: wa t e i is discharged to the Snake River fromnumerous seeps.in the canyon walls. The artesian aquifers discharge some water by leakage upward into thewater-table aquifers but gradients indicate a general northward movement.Irrigation, public supply, industrial, domestic, and stock wells withdraw an estimated 200,000 acre-feetannually.

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    Ground water is used principally for irrigation and about 425 wells yield about 185,000 acre-feet annuallyfor that purpose. Al l municipal and industrial supplies, and nearly all domestic and stock supplies are fromwells. The yield of irrigation wells ranges from 200 to 3,000 gallons per minute. In general, basalt yields thelargest amount of water t o irrigation wells. The silicic volcanic rocks yield moderate amounts, alluvium yieldsth e least, although there a re many exceptions locally. Th e yield from the limestone is highly variable, dependingupon th e number and character of fractures or openings intercepted by the well bore.A few irrigation wells were drilled near the foot of t he mountains south of Murtaugh between the years1910 and 1915, but large ground-water development for irrigation did not begin until 1946. The rate of develop-ment has declined since 1962 when the issuing of well permits was discontinued.Before ground-water development, the water levels in the water-table aquifers were usually a t a low pointin the Spring, rose during the Summer to a peak in October, and then declined until the following Spring.Annua l fluctuatione, in th e arteoian squifcrc, were ~om ew ha t ifferent, bcing highest i n e arly Su mmer a nd lowestin late Winter. Ground-water pumping has modified the natural cycle of fluctuations so that the annual highin most aquifers occurs in the early Summer and the low in late Summer. Figure 34 shows hydrographs ofwells tha t t ap aquifers in the silicic volcanic rocks, basalt, and limestone. Well 11s-20E-32ccl is in the artesianrhyolite aquifer and shows a decline from 1954 to 1962. There has been little significant change since 1962.Well 11s-23E-34cd1, in a basalt water-table aquifer, shows little net decline but the magnitude of annualfluctuation has increased markedly. Well 13s-21E-18bbl in the limestone aquifer shows a steady net declineof 22 feet per year. The first irrigation wells drilled in 1910-15 flowed when drilled. A t those localities the waterlevel is now about 150 feet below land surface.The changes in water level for a three year period, April 1963 to April 1966, ar e shown in figure 35.

    Recharge from surface-water irrigation in the northern par t of the area is relatively large compared to with-drawals and relatively constant every year so that there has been no significant change in water levels in thatpart of the area for the period. Prior t o 1965, the water yield of Goose Creek, Rock Creek, Dry Creek, and othersmaller streams was below normal. The unusually wet year of 1965, and the smaller demand for irrigation waterduring that year, caused a dramatic rise in the water-table aquifers southwest of Murtaugh and north of Oakley.Heavy pmpi ng in the northern part of T. 12 S., R. 21 E., has caused as much as 15 feet of decline of the watertable during the 3-year period. Also, water levels in the artesian aquifers south of Murtaugh declined a similaramount. Sparse measurements indicate a significant decline also in the artesian aquifers just north of Oakley.

    125 Well l S- 20E- 32cc l

    135

    5 I452% 155a 165

    t 360W I I I I I I IWe l i 13s-2IE-1Bbbi

    400

    4 4 0

    48 0

    Figure 34. Hydrographs of wells llS-20E.32cc1, Tw i n Falls County, 21s-23E-34cdl an d 13S-21E-18bb1, Cassia County.

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    around Albion. North of Albion, ground water begins to be discharged through seeps to Howell Creek and toMarsh Creek, and Marsh Creek gains until it passes through the narrows. Probably a significant, thoughunknown, amount of water leaves the valley as underflow, because permeable gravels and semi-consolidatedsand underlie the northern narrows.At present there a re only a few irrigation wells in operation in the basin. The performance of these wells

    indicates th at the semi-consolidated sand that they tap yields considerable amounts of water for irrigation, asit does in the Raft River basin to the east.Total pumpage from wells of all types in the basin perhaps does not currently exceed 1,500 acre-feet a year.Although no water-level records exist, it is reasonable to presume that the small amount of pumpagehas not yet eaused significant depletion of the ground water, and that the ground-water reservoir is nearlyas full as it was under undistrubed natural conditions.

    RAFT RIVER VALLEY, by E. H. WalkerThe Raft River Valley (fig. 37) is located in Cassia County, and extends southward from the Snake Riverto the boundary with Utah. The valley is bounded on the east by the Sublett and Black Pine Ranges, on thesouth by the Idaho-Utah State line, and on the west by the Albion Range and th e Cotterell Range. The RaftRiver enters Idaho from its headwaters in Utah and flows northeastward and then northward to join theSnake River. Lowland areas of the Raft River basin in Idaho cover about 360 square miles.The main source of water for the valley is runoff due to precipitation, mainly snow, on the surroundinghighlands. Precipitation apparently averages less than 12 inches upon most of t he lowlands of the valley andeontributes li ttle to surface- or ground-water supplies.Ground water occurs in alluvial gravels beneath the bottornlands; in older beds of sand tha t underlie mostof the lowlands and some foothill areas; and, in the northern part of the valley, in basalt lavas and interbeddedsand and gravel.The ground water mostly occurs unconfined, under water-table conditions, but wells near the margins ofthe valley may encounter confined water th at flows a t the surface.The ground water moves from the sites of reeharge along the mountain frorils arid lhal~ 1ullliward asshown by the water-level contours in figure 37.A small amount of ground water is discharged through springs, but the flow of most springs sinks into theground within a short distance to become ground water again. Natural bottomland vegetation, a t present, con-sumes little ground water because the originally wet bottornlands were long ago developed agriculturally. Asmall amount of ground water seeps into the Raft River in the northern part of the valley within a few miles

    of the Snake River.A large amour11 of ground walel-, eslilrralad belww~ i 40,000 a d 00,000 aae-feet per year, leaves theRaft River valley as underflow. This underflow moves northward and northwestward beneath the lava plains a tthe north end of the valley and then under the Snake River, whieh there is perehed on sedimentary beds, tojoin the large body of ground water in the lavas beneath the desert north of the Snake River.An estimated 154,000 acre-feet of ground water was pumped in 1965, and more than half of this, perhaps75 percent, or 115,000 acre-feet, was consumed by evaporation and transpired by crops. The remainder returnedto the ground-water body.ALuuL 290 i ~ ~ i g a t i o nells were in operation in the Ra ft River Valley in 1965. A large numbcr of domcstioand stock wells exist but the total quantity of water pumped from them amounts to a very small fraction of tha tpumped for irrigation. As shown in figure 38, less than 30 irrigation wells existed in the valley in 1948, and thenumber of irrigation wells increased steadily until 1963 when drilling was restricted by order of the Idabo StateReclarrraLiuriEr~g i ~~wr .he slighl i~~ c~ ea aeir~ce 963~eflects~illing y thoae who still possessed permits.Water-level Auctuations and trends in the Raft River valley are shown by the hydrographs of four selectedwells (fig. 39). Water-leyel measurements beginning in 1957 in well 9s-26E-13ccl a t the northern end of the

    valley show a small decline of about 3 feet tha t mav be related to withdrawals from aquifers tha t underlie theSnake River Plain, rather than to conditions in the Raft River valley itself.The vvithdrawal of ground water has produced distinct declines of water level in and about the areas ofheavy pumping. The net decline since the first systematic measurements in 1952, (fig.40) in some places exceeds40 feet.Water-levelmeasurements in well 11s-27E-29aa1, in the area of heavimt pumping in the valley, show a petdeeline of more than 35 feet since the early 1950's. The continuing deeline there reflects the heavy.pumplngand the rather small amount of ground water that moves to this area from the dry ranges on the east side of thevalley.

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    Figure 57. Ma p of the Raft River basin showing contours on tho water table, Spring 1966.

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    Figure 38. Graph showing ground-water pumpage and number of irrigation wells in the Raft River valley.

    140-144-148-

    Figure 39. Hydrographs of wells 99-26E-13cc1, 11s-27E-29aa1, 139-27E-30bdl and 16s-27E-26ba1, Cassia County.

    1 3 6 - 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 I I I i I I- Well 9s-26E-13ccl--ai 2 3 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 r I 1 J - I - I I I 1 I I I I I 1 -

    Water level in well 13s-27E-30bdl in the lowlands south of Malta declined about 25 feet from the late1940's to 1963, as a r~siilt f p i~mpingAfter 1963, water levels recovered slightly owing o higher than averageprecipitation and runoff in the Raft River which loses water to the ground through this par t of the valley.Well 16s-27E-26bal is in the southern par t of the valley near the foot of the Ra ft River Range, an d showslong-term changes in water level in a part of the valley and aquifer that is distant from and unaffected bypumping.

    1 9 3 6 1 i I ' 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 i 1 ' 1 1 1 t 1 1 1 i-

    1945 1950 1955 1960 196620 40 -z2 50 -5 60 -9

    --- -Well l IS-27E- 29~01 -- --I --- --

    ~ 7 o - --193 9

    k1945 1950 1955 1960 1966

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    Figure 40-Map of the Raft River basin showing decline in water levels and location of observation wells .

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    Figure 43. Map of Malad Valley showing location of observation wel ls.

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    AREAS OF GROUND-WATER POTENTIAL THAT HAVE NOTBEEN DEVELOPED EXTENSIVELY

    Areas in which p a ~ ~ n dater ha s not been extensively Ffevelnp~d P ~ P S ~ R P ~ ~ Yemain imperfectlyknownDrillers' logs of wells provide most of the information on subsurface occurrences of consolidated and unconsoli-dated formations. T he position of the water table with respect to land surface is determined by measuringwater levels in wells. The potential yields of aquifers can be determined only after the y have been extensivelydeveloped by wells. The information presented in the section on areas not extensively developed is, therefore,ljased on scanty information. The summary provides a statement of what is known from surface features andfrom the records of t he little development th at has taken place. Interpretations of ground-water conditions arebased on those Items of information supported by analogy with comparable areas where more extensive develop-ment of t he ground-water resource has been made. The interpretations are tentat ive and subject to change whenmore information becomes available.

    KOOTENAI RIVER VALLEY, PRIEST RIVER VALLEY, BONNERS FERRY-SANDPOINT-HOOD00 VALLEY AREALarge volumes of ground water occur in lake beds, glacial till, outwash deposits, and alluvium th at underliethe lowlands within Boundary and Bonner Counties. In the Kootenai and Priest River valleys, and in theBonners Ferry-Sandpoint area fine-grained lake beds and glacial deposits yield water slowly in quantitiessuitable for domestic and stock use. Coarse stringers or isolated sand and gravel bodies within the glacialoutwash may yield larger quantities locally. In the Hoodoo Valley area, only that part south of Cocolalla Lakecontains deposits coarse enough to yield quantities suitable for irrigation. Abund ant recharge keeps the water-bearing deposits filled during most years so tha t some areas become water logged and require dra inage beforethe land can be put to productive use.

    BENEWAH COUNTYSituated almost entirely within the mountainous area of the state , Benewah County has a minimal potentialfor development of major ground-water supplies. Alluvium along the valleys of t he St. Joe and S t. MariesRivers yields domestic and small municipal supplies from shallow depth. Near the western boundary, volcanic

    rocks of the Columbia Plateau, and alluvial deposits in the valley of Hangman Creek may contain supplies ofgrvui~cfwale1 suikable fui nludebl il-1-igatiunJeveloplllent. Tliere ar e no data on which to base estimates of thispotential. Elsewhere in the county, ground water in sufficient quantities for domestic and stock use may bedeveloped from fractures and weathered zones in t he bedrock and from small alluv ial areas.

    PALOUSE RIVER-POTLATCH RIVER AREAWithin the drainage areas of the Palouse and Yotlatch K~v ers, round water may be developed in smallquantities from volcanic rocks, sedimentary rocks and alluvium of limited areal ex tent , and the weathered man-of the granitic bedrock. In general, only domestic supplies have been developed in these areas. Coarse gravels

    slung th e prin~iple treams may yield large quantities during some years, but t h e limited extent of thesedeposits cause uncertainties as to t he permanence of such supplies.

    LEVVESTON AREAThe area south of t he Clearwater River between the Snake River and Lapwai Creek contains volcanicrocks of the Columbia Plateau and alluvial deposits associated wlth the present dra inages. The alluvium alongthe main rivers provides yields of moderate size. Supplies adequate for most purposes other t han in-igaitoncan be developed from the volcanic rocks away from the rivers, but such supplies ar e normally available onlyfrom considerable depth below the plateau surface.

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    CRAIGMONT-COTTONWOOD AREAThis area encompasses the Camas Prairie part of the Clearwater Embayment of the Columbia Plateausoul11of llle Glea~water iver. Deep wells obtain municipal water aupplicc from the vo la ni o rooks or underlying

    and adjacent granitic bedrock, and possibly water for irrigation could also be developed. There are few datato indicate the availablility of shallow ground water for local domestic or stock use, but there are a few knowndeposits on the plateau that contain such supplies. Adequate domestic and municipal supplies may be obtainedfrom the narrow alluvial and river-channel deposits along the Clearwater River.

    NORTH FORK PAYETTE RIVER VALLEYFrom the Payette Lakes southward past Cascade to the southern end of Long and Round Valleys, extensive

    alluvium contains variable amounts of ground water. Basalt underlies parts of the lowlands, and will probablyyield sizeable amounts of ground water. Except for widely-sacttered domestic and stock use, very lit tle groundwater is developed. Small domestic or stock supplies can be developed from the weathered mantle on the graniticbedrock of surrounding hills in some localities. Larger supplies may be available from the valley-filling deposits,but this potential has not been adequately explored.

    WEISER RIVER BASINVolcanic rocks, probably associated with the basalt of the Columbia Plateau, and sedimentary deposits

    underlie most of the lowland areas of the Weiser River drainage. Locally, the volcanic rocks are known toyield as much as several hundred gallons per minute under artesian pressure. The sedimentary deposits aregenerally fine-grained, b u t yield supplies adequate for domestic an d stock rcquircments, Sand and gravelunits within the sedimentary deposits are known in some areas and, where saturated, yield moderate t o largesupplies.

    The basaltic rocks are the best aquifers of the area. Properly constructed wells will yield moderate to largequantities from these rocks with only a moderate lift in the larger valley areas such as near Midvale and Council.

    GARDEN VALLEY AREA

    This small valley along the Middle and South Forks of the Payette River contains an unknown thicknessof alluvial deposits within granitic- and metamorphic-rock boundaries. Marshy meadow areas near th e down-stream end of the valley indicate a high water table, and adequate supplies of ground water for domestic andstock use probably could be ubtairlad IIor11 welllfs.

    Thus far, water requirements of the valley have been met by diversion from the river or from small domesticwells. No large scale use of the ground water is known to have been attempted, and t he general geologic settingsuggests that large ground-water supplles probably are not present.

    STANLEY BASIN

    The valleys of Marsh Creek and the Salmon River north and south of Stanley contain alluvial an d glacialoutwash deposits of varying but unknown thickness underlain by glacial tell. l'hese deposits arefilled to over-flowing with ground water and where adequate thicknesses of coarse materials are encountered,will yieldmoderate to large quantities to wells, No development of ground water for other than minor domestie and stockuse is known in the basin. Natural outflow of ground water helps maintain the year-around flow of t he SalmonRiver near Stanley.

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    CHALLIS-ROUND VALLEY AREA

    The Round Valley area near Challis contains extensive alluvial-fan and apron deposits around t he valleymargins an d an ~lnknownh ic k n ~ s sf alluvial fill in thc central par t of th c vallcy. A bu nd an t recharge from th eSalmon River and large tributary creeks maintains the alluvium in a near-saturated condition. Domestic andsmall rural-use wells provide adequate water supplies from the ground-water reservoir, and a few wells yieldsufficient water for irrigation needs. Additional irrigation supplies to supplement surface diversions couldprobably be developed from the alluvial deposits. Small domestic supplies can be obtained in rriost localitiesfrom the volcanic complex tha t forms the boundaries of the valley area.

    PAHSlMEROl RIVER VALLEY

    This valley in east-central Idaho is filled to depths of several hundred feet wit h coarse alluvial gravelswhich contain very little fine-grained material. The surrounding bedrock mountains yield a large annual re-charge most of which drains through the coarse valley fill in a few months. Discharge is from the central lnw-land to the Pahsimeroi River and thence to the Salmon River.

    Large amounts of ground water are available in the valley fill during most yea rs , but litt le 1s developed foro t h ~ rh2n dnrn~st~cnd stnck LISP Much of the tributary surface flour 1s dirrerted for ~rr~gat~on,hich helpstiistribute the runoff and increase recharge of t he ground water. Because of the free recharge and dischargecapac~tyf t he valley fill, water levels fluctuate strongly each year and are especially susceptible to long periodsof drought. The water is of good to excellent chemical qual ity for all uses, and wel ls with large yields could bedeveloped in many part s of the valley.

    LEMHI RIVER VALLEY

    Alltlvial-fan and glacial-oi~twashdeposits overlie a great thickness of tuHaceous, fine-gra~netlolder sedi-mentary rocks within most of Lemhi Valley. These deposits rest on the virtually nonwater-bearing bedrockcomplex that forms the mountai~ls urrounding the valley. Although the older sedimentary deposits probablyhave a large storage capacity, their fine-grained texture would release the stored water onlv slowlv to a well.The alluvial-fan and glacial deposits contain much coarse material that yields water freely to properly construct-ed wells. Consequently, where these and younger deposits of significant thickness a r e saturated, la rge yields ofground water could be developed.

    Ground water is recharged freely from tributary streams on the upper slopes, moves toward the centralvalley area through the valley f i l l , and discharges in numerous springs along th e Le mh ~R~rer, rincipallynorthwest of Leadore. The chemical quality is generally good for irrigation, domestic, and stock uses.

    BIRCH CREEK BASIN

    The ground-water regimen of the valley of Birch Creek is divlded into two segments by a barrier of basalticand conglomeratic rock about midway nf t h ~-all~y l l ~ ~ r ~ ~ l r nn the upstream segment nf t h e \-alley containsa large supply of ground water which probably could be developed bv wells. Most of this ground water nowappears as streamflow in Birch Creek just upstream of the rock barrier.

    Imniediatcly duwi lbt~ tjai~~l t l~e i e ~ I U U I I ~ak r occurs in alluvium within about 30 feet of t he surface.Farther downstream, however, it may occur as much as 600 feet beneath the surface.

    Details of the character of the water-bearing alluvium are not sufficiently kn own to permit estimates ofyield from individual wells.

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    HOMEDALE-MURPHY AREAGround water occurs under artesian conditions in the valley of the Snake River from Murphy downstreamto the Oregon State Line. The water-bearing formations are sand, gravel, basalt, and tuff. These deposits

    yield small to moderate supplies to irrigation, public supply, domestic, and stock wells. The water is usuallywarm, has a high sodium content , and locally contains small quantities of natural gas. Alluvial deposits along theSnake River and some of the small tributary streams yield small to large supplies of water t o wells.

    MOUNTAIN HOME PLATEAU

    Locally, sand and gravel contain sufficient water a t shallow depth t o meet municipal, domestic, an d smallirrigation needs. Little is known about ground water elsewhere in the area.Silicic volcanic rocks are believed to underlie the area at depth, overlain by sedimentary strata that maycontain some aquifer material. Basaltic lavas cover about half of the area and fill irregularit ies in th e surface

    nf t h e sediments. Tn some localities, moderate to large quantities of water may be obtained from this sequenceof rocks, but water levels are often far beneath the land surface. Even t