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<br /><:> <br />l\J <br />W <br />00 <br /> <br />CHAPTER IV <br /> <br />PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION AND QUANTIFICATION ACTIVITIES <br /> <br />Problem identification and quantification activities were directed <br />at determining the nature and volume of salt loading from Meeker Dome. <br />They involved compiling historical accounts of the dome area as back- <br />ground to understanding the salinity problem, collecting information on <br />the geological formations producing the salt, locating where the saline <br />water was reaching the surface, determining the quality and quantity of <br />saline water being added to the White River, calculating the amount of <br />salt entering the Colorado River from the dome, and developing hypothe- <br />ses about why the salinity problem existed and how the saline water was <br />reaching the surface. <br /> <br />The geology and hydrology of the dome are described below to pro- <br />vide background for subsequent discussions of the salt loading problem. <br />The descriptions of the geology and hydrology of the dome area were <br />based on available information at the time of the problem identification <br />and quantification activities. <br /> <br />Geology <br /> <br />Meeker Dome is a small anticline underlain by thousands of feet of <br />sedimentary rock. The anticline consists of brittle sands tones and <br />siltstones interbedded with plastic shales. Brief descriptions of the <br />formations and their thicknesses which were taken from available well <br />logs are presented in Figure 1. The Weber Formation and upper forma- <br />tions contain beds of anhydrite, a probable source of calcium sulfate <br />in water that issued from the dome; however, the high sodium chloride <br />concentration in the saline waters underlying this area has not been <br />explained. The water bearing properties of these formations are dis- <br />cussed in a subsequent section in this chapter. <br /> <br />Hydrology <br /> <br />Surface water resources <br /> <br />c <br /> <br />At a gaging station about 3 miles upstream from the dome and above <br />Coal Creek, the U.S. Geological Survey has monitored flow of the White <br />River since 1961. The average flow from 1961 to 1980 at this station <br />was 536 cfs. Approximately 50 percent of this annual flow occurs as <br />snowmelt during the months of May and June. The maximum instantaneous <br />flow recorded at this station during the 20-year period was 4,900 cfs, <br />and the minimum streamflow was 6.5 cfs. <br /> <br />Coal Creek drains into the White River immediately upstream of the <br />dome. Although no continuous gage exists at this site, instantaneous <br /> <br />7 <br />