PROJ00300

• Contract/PO #: C153643
• Contractor Name: Morgan County Quality Water District
• Water District: 0
• County: Morgan
• Bill Number: XB 99-999
• Loan Projects - Doc Type: Feasibility Study

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General geology and hydrology

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Unconsolidated sands and gravels deposited in an ancient stream

channel within the underlying bedrock form the Hay Gulch alluvial aquifer.

This aquifer is separated from the Kiowa alluvial aquifer on the east and

the Lost Creek alluvial aquifer on the west by bedrock ridges.

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Recharge to the alluvium occurs through downward percolation of pre-

cipitation. The surface drainage watershed area is only about 37 square

miles, which is also assumed to ~~ the area which contributes to recharge

of the alluvium. The poorly developed surface drainage system, especially

through the lower portion of the basin which is mantled with sand uunes,

indicates little water f;,ows out of the basin over the surface.

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Saturated thickness

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Figure 5 shows the saturated thickness of the Hay Gulch alluvium in

the lower portion of the basin. A saturated thickness of over 100 feet

exists in the center of the chennel. The aquifer is narrow compared to

both Camp Creek and Lost Creek. A cross-section along the south line of

Sections 7 and 8, T3N, R6lW, is shown in Figure 6.

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The volume of ground water stored within the Hay Gulch alluvium is

estimated to be about 60,000 acre feet. An earlier estimate by Nelson,

Haley, Patterson and Quirk (1967) set the volume in storage at 200,000

acre feet, but this was based on considerably less data than is now avail-

able.

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In order to take advantage of the maximum recharge area and the

maximum seturated thickness, the proposed wells should be located in

Sections 5 and 8, T3N, R6lW.

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Present ground-water uses

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No large scale uses of ground water from the Hay Gulch alluvium have

occurred. The entire watershed is dry land principally utilized for

grazing, with the only ground-water extraction being for livestock and

domestic purposes.

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Valid irrigation well permits exist for three wells in Section 8,
T3N, R6lW, and three in Section 5, T3N, R6lW. The three in Section 8 were

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M. W. BITTINGER AND ASSOCIATES, INC.