WSP09541

• File Number: 8273.300
• Description: Colorado River Basin Salinity Control - Federal Agencies - USGS
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Water Division: 5
• Date: 1/1/1996
• Author: USGS
• Title: Hydrology/ chemical quality/ and characterization of salinity in the Navajo aquifer in and near the Greater Aneth Oil Field - San Juan County - Utah
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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Figure 7. AbalO Mountains near Monhcello. Utah. aboul35 miles nOr1h of the study area. San Juan County. Utah

tx'cause lht.' Entrada, Kl\ajo. and Wingate SanJ'.\(lIlt'~
do not crop oul alnn!,! lht' San Juan River in Ihe ...tud~
area Ifig. .~). Water from tht' :'>Ja\'aju :t4uifer alStllllay
discharge upward through the .\hlrri"m Fonnation 10
:'-h.-Elmo Creel.; lx>fnrc disl"harging iOlt) Ihl' San Juan
River (tjg. Xl.

Using e...llnlalt"d \alu,.... 1)1' hydraulic l'tlnJUl.:tiv-
it\'. hvdraulic gradicnl. anLl I,.To',-<.;cl.:[jonal area. :\xt"f\
(i 986. p. .311 cstimah:J th;tI 0.9 ft-\t... wa... di,..:harging'
from the :'\a\':.I)o .illuift"f to the San Juan River in a 17.5
mi reach up_"lfeam from the Comb Ridge .\Ionrll.:lmc.
we...1 of the study area. Aver:- 114811. p. I XI a].,o u...et.!
dbchargc rel'ord" from U.S. Geological Su["\('~ ...Iream-
flow-gaging ...tatian... on the San Juan River at Four C\\r-
ners. Coloradt1. the San Juan Ri\er at .\k\kan Hal.
Utah, aoout 20 mi down"'lrearn from Bluff. and
~1cElrno Cred at Aneth, for ;';memocr 14;-;0, to ...ho"
that net gain of the San Juan Ri\t"r from hcJnx.k a4ui-

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fl'r... "a... a!:lollt 00 n'I.... In Feoruar\ I 9H2. calculated
gain hetween Ihe...e gaging ...t'-llion" 'wa... [Ioout .200 ft~/:.
(Re.\lillardandother....14SJJ. During thi... tIme of year.
ch,mge in di"chiUge uf the river i" :-.mall. t'\"apotranspi-
ralilln 1:-. minimal. and ba:-.e flu" b a:-....u1l1ed to be allrib-
Uled to ~round-waler inllo". Whitfield and mhers
IllJH.'. r. -l-Jl c...lmlatt'"d ha:-.e flow In the S,II1 Juan River
fwmthe ~k<,t)wio: a4ulfer "'y:-.lCITl in July 1459, before
l'llll...truclion of ;';avajo Dam. In be abuut 28.6 ft~/...
tx'l"ecn Shiprock, ;'\iew .\1exico, about 40 mi upstream
frolll Aneth. and -'lexican H;u, Utah.

Water a].,o di"'l'haf!~e... from the Navajo a4uifer
from llllwing artesian \\cl1.... and wel!... that arc pumped,
partil'lllarly by wmdmilb. Waler dbl'hargc<, from lhe
(lpen !:It)rc,, of walt~-r "ell:-.I fig. 9) and dry holes and pre-
viou...ly producing oil well" that were plugged bal'k 10
watcr-beanng fnmlalion.... Waler di...charges from the
annulu:-. oclwecn the ..urface and intermediate ca...mg...