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surface, maintaining an upward gradient at the elevation of Fourmile Creek. Thus, stream <br />depletion due to induced flow from pumping the Park Center Well will not occur. <br />Relationship of this well to other non-tributary wells <br />A cursory review of well records in the area of the Park Center well identified four wells in the <br />Arkansas River Valley (southeast of Canon City) that are designated as non-tributary. Two wells <br />are about nine miles south of the Arkansas River near the town of Wetmore, in T. 21 S., R. 69 <br />W. sec. 9 and are probably not a factor in the Arkansas River flow because of their distance <br />from the river. Of greater relevance to the issue of non-tributary designation is the Higgens <br />Artesian Well #1 located in T. 19 S., R. 69 W. sec. 1 and the Donnelly well #1, located in T. 19 <br />S. , R. 68 W. sec. 7 NE',~ NW'/ . These wells are located only about 2.5 miles north of the <br />Arkansas River, west of the town of Penrose. The Higgens Artesian Well is 1875 ft. deep, and <br />has several hundred feet of interbedded shale and sandstone overlying the producing aquifer. The <br />Dannelly well #1 is approximately 733 ft. deep and produces 110 gallons per minute by artesian <br />flow (possibly from the Niobrara Formation). <br />Because of the great depth and its location, the Park Center Well is more isolated geologically <br />and hydrologically from the Arkansas River than either the Higgens Artesian Well #1 or the <br />Donnelly Well #i. The thiclmess of impermeable and semipermeable beds that form the confining <br />layer is greater at the Park Center Well and because of the great distance from the Arkansas <br />River, there is little or no opportunity for pumping of the Park Center Well to directly affect <br />flout In the Arkansas River. <br />Conclusions <br />The existing and historical pumpage at the Park Center Well is derived from a nontributary water <br />source that is separate and isolated from surface waters. Because of the hydraulically isolated <br />conditions of the pumped aquifer and the great depth from which water is obtained (through <br />intervening impermeable or law permeability strata), pumping will not cause any depletion of <br />nearby surface water courses. Other deep wells near the Arkansas River east of Canon City are <br />designated as nontributary. The Park Center Well is completed at a greater depth than these <br />known nontributary wells in the area. In addition, the presence of gas in the Morrison Formation <br />and in the upper Fountain Formation indicates that the permeability of the strata is very low, and <br />the producing aquifer at the Park Center Well is hydrologically isolated from surface water. <br />Literature Cited <br />Gerhard, Lee C., 1967, Paleozoic Geologic Development of the Canon City Embayment, <br />Colorado: American Assoc. of Petroleum Geologists Bull., Vol. 51, No. 11, p. 226Q-2280. <br />Schulze, Jack D., 1954, The Pre-Dakota Geology of the Northern Half of the Canon City <br />Embayment, Colorado: Unpublished Masters Thesis, University of California. <br />Scott, Glenn R., Richard B. Taylor, Judy C. Epis and Reinhard A. Wobus, 1978, Geologic Map <br />of the Pueblo 1° X 2° Quadrangle, South-Central Colorado: U.S. Geological Survey <br />Mscellaneous Investigations Map I-1022. <br />7 <br />