Ground-Water Geology and Pump Irrigation in Frenchman Creek Basin Above Palisade, Nebraska

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Ground-Water Geology and
Pump Irrigation in
Frenchman Creek Basin
Above Palisade, Nebraska
By W. D. E. CARDWELL and EDWARD D. JENKINS
With a section on THE CHEMICAL QUALITY OF THE WATER
By E. R. JOCHENS and R. A. KRIEGER
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 1577
Prepared as part of the program of the
Department of the Interior for development
of the Missouri River basin
UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1963
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
STEWART L. UDALL, Secretary
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Thomas B. Nolan, Director
The U.S. Geological Survey catalog card for this publication appears after page 472.
For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office
Washington 25, D.C.
CONTENTS
Page
Abstract. _ ______________-____--_--__--_-------------_---------- 1
Introduction_ __________________-___________----_-_----_--------- 2
Purpose and scope of the investigation___-____-____---___-------- 2
Location and extent of the area_____________________-____--_---- 3
Previous investigations.-_______________-_-__---__-------------- 3
Methods of study_________________________-_-_--_-_-----_--- 5
Well-numbering system____________________________-_--------__ 6
Acknowledgments. ________________________-_-___------_--_--_- 7
Geography ___ _____________-___________-_-_-_-__---__-_---------- 8
Topography and drainage._____________________________________ 8
Upland areas underlain by the Ogallala formation _____________ 8
Upland areas underlain by loess of the Sanborn formation ______ 9
Upland dune-sand areas.___________-____-____-----------___ 9
Valley areas_-____________-______-__-__-__----__-------_-- 11
Climate. _____________________________________________ 13
Mineral resources and industries ________________---__-----_-__ 15
Agriculture ____________-______________-__------_____--------__ 17
Population___ _ ______________________________________________ 21
Transportation __ ______________--_________----_____-_--_--_---- 22
Geology..__________________________________________ 23"
Summary of stratigraphy.______________________________________ 23
Geologic history.______________________________________________ 23
Proterozoic era_________________.________-_____-___-_-_--__ 23
Paleozoic era____________________________________________ 25
Mesozoic era______-___-_-_______-___-_-_________--____-_ 26
Cenozoic era______________________________________________ 27
Geologic formations and their water-bearing properties.________________ 30
Upper Cretaceous series._______________________________________ 30
Pierre shale_______________________________________________ 30
Oligocene series_______________________________________________ 34
White River group_______________________________________ 34
Chadron formation ______________________________________ 34
Brule formation___________________________________ ...____ 36
Pliocene series.._______________________________________________ 40
Ogallala formation...______________________________________ 40
Pleistocene and Recent series.__________________________________ 49
Sanborn formation_______________________________________ 49
Dune sand______________________________________________ 51
Alluvium _________________________________________________ 53
Hydrologic properties of water-bearing materials._________________ 53
Aquifer tests ____________________________________________ 55
m
IV CONTENTS
(cid:9)Page
Ground water,____________________________________________________ 64
Occurrence._--_______________________-______------------_-_-- 64
Water table_____________________________________-_-------_,-_ 66
Shape and slope of the water table__-___-____-_--___--------- 68
Fluctuations of the water table..____________________________ 70
Recharge._______________________________.___---_-_--_---_-_-. 73
Precipitation_ _ __________________________-_-__-_--_----__ 73
Seepage from reservoirs, canals, and irrigation.-.._____________ 76
Topographic depressions__________________________________ 77
Streams._-_________-____________-__-___--------_-------_- 77
Discharge.___________________________________________________ 78
Transpiration and evaporation______________________________ 79
Streams, springs, and seeps.________________________________ 83
Wells. ___---____-_________-_-____-----___-------_------__ 85
Domestic and'stock wells________-_-____--__-___---_-___ 86
Municipal wells_______________________________________ 87
Industrial wells_________________-_____-_--__----_--__ 88
Irrigation wells--_-____________-------_-------_----_--_ 88
Subsurface outflow_______________________________________ 93
Summary of annual discharge and recharge.______________________ 96
Quantity in storage.___________________________________________ 96
Well construction_____________________-_-____-----_-_-_-----_ 97
Exploration for ground water.__________________---_---_---_-___ 99
Chemical quality of the water, by E. R. Jochens and R. A. Krieger______ 100
Surface water__________________________________________________ 101
Ground water_________________________________________________ 104
Domestic use.____________________________________________ 104
Irrigation use.____________________________________________ 109
Prospective depletion of streamflow by pump irrigation ________________ 110
Computations..__ _____________________________________________ 114
Conclusions--_ ________________ _ ______________________________ 122
Selected references.________________________________________________ 123
Basic data______________________________________________________ 129
Index._________________________________________________._-_______ 469
ILLUSTRATIONS
[Plates are in plate volume]
PLATE 1. Map showing areal geology of Frenchman Creek basin.
2. Fence diagram showing subsurface geology of Frenchman Creek basin,
Colorado.
3. Fence diagram showing subsurface geology of Frenchman Creek basin,
Nebraska.
4. Map of Frenchman Creek basin showing the distribution of annual
precipitation.
5. Map showing location of wells, depth to water below land surface, and
configuration of the water table (summer 1952) in Frenchman Creek
basin.
CONTENTS V
PLATE 6. Map showing location of test holes and the configuration of the bed
rock surface in Frenchman Creek basin.
7. Map of Frenchman Creek basin showing location of aquifer tests, lines
of equal transmissibility, and lines along which subsurface outflow
was computed.
8. Saturated thickness of post-Oligocene deposits in the Frenchman Creek
basin.
9. Location of water-sampling points.
10. Irrigable areas in which withdrawal of ground water may deplete the
flow of Frenchman, Spring, and Stinking Water Creeks and the
points at which streamflow was measured on October 23, 1952.
Page
FIGURE 1. Map showing location of area of investigation._____________ 4
2. Sketch showing well-numbering system__________________ 7
3. Aerial photograph showing flood plain and meandering channel
of Frenchman Creek about 13 miles downstream from the
point of effluence and approximately 1.5 miles west of
Champion, Nebr-__________-_________--__--__-------- 10
4. Diagram showing influent and effluent streams--__---_-___- 11
5. Aerial photograph showing dendritic drainage pattern and
dissection of loess uplands______________--___-_-_----__ 12
6. Annual precipitation at Holyoke, Colo____________________ 14
7. Annual precipitation and cumulative departure from normal
precipitation at Leroy, Colo___________________________ 15
8. Annual precipitation and cumulative departure from normal
precipitation at Yuma, Colo________________--__-__-_-- 16
9. Annual precipitation and cumulative departure from normal
precipitation at Imperial, Nebr_______________________ 17
10. Annual precipitation at Palisade, Nebr_____________--_---_ 18
11. Annual precipitation and cumulative departure from normal
precipitation at Wauneta, Nebr________L__-____-------- 19
12. Normal monthly precipitation at Leroy, Yuma, and Holyoke,
Colo., and at Imperial, Wauneta, and Palisade, Nebr_____ 20
13. Log of test hole 4-34-2aaa____________________ 32
14. Part of log of test hole 10-44-31ccc_______________-_ 33
15. Particle-size distribution of sample of Chadron formation at
depth of 332 to 337 feet in test hole 8-39-lccc, Chase
County, Nebr____________________________ 37
16. Particle-size distribution of sample of Chadron formation at
depth of 505 to 580 feet in test hole 10-43-6bbb, Sedgwick
County, Colo___________________.________.__-_-_-__ 38
17. Particle-size distribution of sample of sand and gravel from
the Ogallala formation at depth of 142 to 152 feet in test
hole 8-42-32dcc, Phillips County, Colo____________ 43
18. Particle-size distribution of sample of sand and gravel from
the Ogallala formation at depth of 192 to 202 feet in test
hole 8-42-32dcc, Phillips County, Colo___________._ 44
19. Particle-size distribution of sample of sand and gravel from
the Ogallala formation at depth of 142 to 152 feet in test
hole 9-37-36ddd, Perkins County, Nebr_______________ 45
20. Particle-size distribution of sample of sand and gravel from
the Ogallala formation at depth of 352 to 362 feet in test
hole ll-38-36aaa, Perkins County, Nebr__________ 46
VI CONTENTS
Page
FIGURE 21. Part of log of test hole 3-42-3lbdd_.-_______________.__ 47
22. Part of log of test hole 8-35-3Iccc______________________ 48
23. Contact of colluvial loess of the Sanborn formation with
"mortar beds" of the Ogallala formation ________________ 50
24. Diagrammatic section of the piezometric surface near a well
that is being pumped _________________________________ 56
25. Logarithmic graph of the well-function type curve____ ______ 58
26. Aquifer-test data superposed on the type curve; data from
test of well 7-43-33acd______-__________--_-_-.____-- 59
27. Semilogarithmic graph of aquifer-test data for application of
modified Theis formula; data from test of well 7-43-33acd_ 59
28. Relation of specific capacity of wells tapping the Ogallala
formation to the transmissibility of that formation in the
vicinity of the wells___________________________________ 62
29. Relation of the water table to the land surface and to bodies
of surface water._____________________________________ 66
30. Diagram illustrating artesian and water-table conditions __ __ 67
31. Diagram of wells explaining effect of changes in atmospheric
pressure. _ _____-___-__--______-__---_-__---_-__---_-- 72
32. Hydrographs for wells in Colorado and monthly precipitation
at Holyoke, Colo_____________________________________ 74
33. Hydrographs for wells in Nebraska and monthly precipita
tion at Imperial, Nebr_ _______________________________ 75
34. Effect of recharge from a stream on the drawdown of a pumped
well__________________--___________-______-_-_-_--__- 78
35. Base curve of transpiration ______________________________ 80
36. Evaporation rate from land areas at various temperatures and
rates of rainfall_____________________________________ 81
37. Hydrographs for Frenchman Creek at points near Hamlet,
Enders, Imperial, and Champion, Nebr., and for Stinking
Water Creek near Wauneta, Nebr.; graph of daily precipi
tation at Imperial, Nebr., from October 1, 1947, to Septem
ber 30, 1948______________-________________-__--__._- 84
38. Number of irrigation wells constructed during the period
1910-53 and estimated construction for the period 1953-57_ 89
39. Estimated rate of development of irrigation with ground
water,______________________________________________ 111
40. Streamflow and its computed depletion in Frenchman Creek
upstream from Palisade, Nebr________-___-_-____--__-__ 113
41. Streamflow and its computed depletion in Spring Creek at its
confluence with Stinking Water Creek near Palisade, Nebr_ 114
42. Streamflow and its computed depletion in Stinking Water
Creek upstream from Palisade, Nebr_____-________-_-___ 115
43. Theis-Conover chart for determining the percentage of
pumped water being diverted from a stream of infinite
length_______________________________________________ 118
44. Diagram showing system corresponding to the flow from a
finite-line source into a well_____-___--_________________ 121
CONTENTS VII
TABLES
Page
TABLE 1. Summary of climatic data recorded at four Weather Bureau
stations in the Frenchman Creek basin ___________---_ 13
2. Livestock on farms in Phillips County, Colo., and Chase
County, Nebr_______-_--__-_____________--_____- 18
3. Crops harvested in Phillips County, Colo., and Chase County,
Nebr___ __________.________________-__ - - 20
4. Area and estimate of population of the Frenchman Creek
basin in 1950, by counties-___-______-___--------------- 21
5. Population of Phillips County, Colo., and Chase County,
Nebr__ __________________________________ _ _ _ _ _ 22
6. Generalized section of the stratigraphic units younger than
the Niobrara in the Frenchman Creek basin and their
water-bearing properties_____--_-__---_---------------- 24
7. Summary of the results of aquifer tests____________________ 60
8. Classification of aquifers according to transmissibility and
estimates of probable yields of properly constructed and
developed wells.________________________-_--_--------- 63
9. Climatologic data,________________________-_---_--_----- 82
10. Summary of climatologic and ground-water data____________ 82
11. Distribution of wells according to intended use______________ 85
12. Estimate of water pumped daily from domestic and stock
wells in Phillips County, Colo., and Chase County, Nebr__ 86
13. Summary of municipal water supplies____________--_-__-- 87
14. Type of power used to operate irrigation pumps_--______-.__ 90
15. Reported number of acres irrigated with water from wells
and average number of acres irrigated per well in 1953-___ 90
16. Quantity of water pumped from irrigation wells in the basin __ 92
17. Electric-power and service costs, consumption of power, and
efficiencies of pumps for 12 irrigation wells in 1953__--_- 94
18. Average power costs per foot of lift for engines and motors
in pumping an acre-foot of water________________------_- 95
19. Subsurface outflow from the Frenchman Creek basin. _ ______ 95
20. Subsurface flow across the Colorado-Nebraska State line____ 96
21. Quantity of ground water discharged annually and equivalent
rate of annual recharge from precipitation.-______-___-_-_ 97
22. Chemical analyses of surface water in Nebraska--___________ 102
23. Chemical analyses of ground water__-___-_-_-_--__-------- 105
24. Suitability of water from public supplies for domestic use. _ _ _ 108
25. Depletion of streamflow in Frenchman Creek from the point
of effluence to the gaging station near Imperial, Nebr., and
to the gaging station at Palisade, Nebr_________________ 119
26. Depletion of streamflow in Spring Creek from the point of
effluence to the mouth of Spring Creek and depletion of
flow in Stinking Water Creek from the point of effluence
to the gaging station near Palisade, Nebr_____.____-_-_-_ 120
27. Sample logs of test holes_______-_____________________--__ 130
28. Drillers' logs of test holes, seismograph shotholes, and wells __ 208
29. Records of wells________________________________. 424
30. Measurements of water levels in observation wells.__________ 458

GROUND-WATER GEOLOGY AND PUMP IRRIGATION IN
FRENCHMAN CREEK BASIN ABOVE PALISADE, NEBRASKA
By W. D. E. CARDWELL and EDWARD D. JENKINS
ABSTRACT
This report describes the geography, geology, and ground-water resources of
that part of the Frenchman Creek basin upstream from Palisade, Nebr., an area
of about 4,900 square miles. The basin includes all of Phillips County, Colo.,
and Chase County, Nebr., and parts of Logan, Sedgwick, Washington, and Yuma
Counties, Colo., and Dundy, Hayes, Hitchcock, and Perkins Counties, Nebr. The
land surface ranges from nearly flat to rolling; choppy hills and interdune saddles
are common in the areas of dune sand, and steep bluffs and gullies cut the edges
of the relatively flat loess plateaus. Most of the basin is drained by tributaries
of Frenchman Creek, but parts of the sandhills are undrained. Farming and
livestock raising are the principal industries. Irrigation with ground water has
expanded rapidly since 1934.
The rocks exposed in the basin are largely unconsolidated and range in age from
Pliocene to Recent. They comprise the Ogallala formation (Pliocene), the San-
born formation (Pleistocene and Recent?), dune sand (Pleistocene and Recent),
and alluvium (Recent). The rocks underlying the Ogallala are the Pierre shale
(Late Cretaceous) and the White River group (Oligocene). The Pierre shale is
relatively impermeable and yields little or no water to wells. The White River
group also is relatively impermeable and yields little or no water to wells; however,
small to moderate quantities of water possibly may be obtained from wells that
penetrate fractured or "porous" zones in the upper part of the White River group
or permeable channel deposits within the group. The Ogallala formation is the
main aquifer in the basin and yields moderate to large quantities of water to
wells. The Sanborn formation and the dune sand generally lie above the water
table, but in areas of high water table the dune sand yields small quantities of
water to wells for domestic and stock supplies. The alluvium, which includes
the low terrace deposits bordering the major streams, yields small to large quanti
ties of water to wells.
The ground-water reservoir is recharged only from precipitation on the basin.
Of the average annual precipitation of 19.5 inches, about 0.9 inch infiltrates to the
water table, thereby contributing about 220,000 acre-feet of water annually to
the ground-water reservoir. About 81 million acre-feet of water that could
drain under gravity, and thus theoretically is available to wells, is held in ground-
water storage in the basin. Water is discharged from the ground-water reser
voir by wells, evaporation and transpiration, springs, seepage into streams, and
movement into adjacent areas to the east and southeast. Most of the domestic,
stock, and irrigation water supplies and all the public supplies are pumped from
wells.
1
2 GROUND-WATER GEOLOGY, FRENCHMAN CREEK BASIN
During 1953, 96 wells were used to irrigate 10,000 acres of land with 19,000
acre-feet of water. About 34,000 acre-feet of water is evaporated and transpired
annually in the valleys of the main streams and in areas of shallow water table
in the sandhills.
From the projection of base-flow measurements made during 1952, it was esti
mated that the average annual flow of Frenchman Creek into the reservoir above
Enders Dam is about 57,000 acre-feet. By similar determinations, the average
annual flow of Frenchman Creek at the gaging station at Palisade, Nebr., about
22 miles downstream from Enders Dam, is about 76,000 acre-feet, and the flow
of Stinking Water Creek at the gaging station near Palisade is about 22,000 acre-
feet. The combined flow of Frenchman and Stinking Water Creeks at their
confluence near Palisade thus is about 98,000 acre-feet per year. About 90,000
acre-feet of ground water is estimated to move eastward each year across the
Colorado-Nebraska State line within the basin.
Additional irrigation wells that will tap the Ogallala formation and the alluvium
in the major valleys undoubtedly will be drilled. On the basis of current esti
mates of future irrigation withdrawals, it is concluded that by the year 2008 the
additional pumping of water from wells will shift the point of effluence of French
man Creek downstream about 5 miles and that of Spring Creek 1 or 2 miles.
This depletion will reduce the annual flow of Frenchman Creek into Enders
Reservoir by about 17,000 acre-feet and will reduce the combined annual flow
of Frenchman, Spring, and Stinking Water Creeks at Palisade by about 20,000
acre-feet. Recharge to the ground-water reservoir during 1952 and 1953 approxi
mately balanced the discharge of ground water from the reservoir. Although
lowering the water table will reduce to some extent the evapotranspiration losses
and will salvage some runoff in the streams above their new and lower points of
effluence, the net effect probably will be negligible perhaps about 1 percent of
the average annual streamflow of Frenchman Creek at Palisade.
The ground and surface waters are moderately mineralized, and in most of
the basin they are of the calcium bicarbonate type. The percent sodium
and the concentration of boron are low; therefore, the water rates as excellent
for irrigation. The water is suitable for domestic use, but it is hard.
The field data upon which the report is based are given in tables and figures
they include records of 776 wells; chemical analyses of 71 samples of ground
water and 34 samples of surface water; sample logs of 102 test holes; drillers'
logs of 974 wells, test holes, and seismograph shot holes; electric logs of 4 test
holes; and mechanical analyses of 6 samples of water-bearing material.
INTRODUCTION
PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF THE INVESTIGATION
This investigation of the geology and ground-water resources of
the drainage basin of Frenchman Creek upstream from Palisade,
Nebr. (hereafter called simply "the Frenchman Creek basin" or
"the basin"), in eastern Colorado and western Nebraska, was made
by the Geological Survey as a part of the program of the U.S. De
partment of the Interior for development of the Missouri River
basin.
Ground water and soil are the two principal natural resources of
the Frenchman Creek basin. Ground water is used to supply the
population, to water livestock, and to irrigate 10,000 acres of land.