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Show 1 5 4 UNDERGROUND WATER TN VALLEYS OP UTAH. which in 1900 flowed 9 gallons a minute, while in 1904 it stood about 4 feet below the surface with little or no variation. In 1904 the San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad Company put down a well 415 feet deep at its Spanish Fork station and obtained a flow of 36 gallons a minute through a 2- inch pipe from gravel in the bottom of the well. Between Spanish Fork and the Goshen divide there are a number of settlements that are adjacent to the line separating flowing and nonflowing wells. Salem is situated at the lower end of the Provo Bench, about midway between Spanish Fork and Payson. In the northwestern part of the town the water table lies close to the surface and throughout the greater part of the settlement water can be obtained within 10 feet of the surface. There are many springs, the most important of which supply Salem Pond, which covers about 13 acres and averages possibly 12 feet in depth. The line separating flowing and nonflowing wells passes about midway through Salem. The flowing wells are generally feeble and the quality of the water is poor. A first flow is commonly obtained at about 160 feet and a second at about 250 feet. Payson is situated on and near the delta formed by Peteneet Creek at the Provo stage of Lake Bonneville, part of the town being built on the delta and part on the subjacent plain. Flowing wells are not obtainable because of the elevation, and the underground water supply is furnished by dug wells. These vary considerably in depth because of the irregular distribution of the delta deposits. Their depth ranges from 15 to 115 feet and probably averages between 30 and 40 feet. As an instance of local variation it may be mentioned that in one well ground water is obtained at 18 feet while on the opposite side of the street a well was dug 90 feet without encountering water. The level of ground water is reported to fluctuate but little. A number of families in Payson are supplied by pipe lines, the water being derived from tunnels driven into the base of the bench. The town of Spring Lake is situated near the base of the mountains. The line separating flowing and nonflowing wells passes along the foot of the Provo Bench and lies about half a mile west of the town. In this locality ground water is found commonly within 10 feet of the surface and there are a number of shallow wells, but the chief supply comes from springs. Spring Lake covers an area of about 12 acres and discharges a stream of about 2 second- feet. It is made by damming a small creek that is fed by springs. Springs occur in the vicinity of the base of the mountains between Spanish Fork and Spring Lake. Most of them appear to be seep springs, but some that lie near faults that adjoin the base of the mountains may be of deeper seated origin. Many of the springs flow 20 to 50 gallons a minute. Santaquin is built on a delta of Santaquin Creek, near the base of the mountains, far above the general level at which flowing wells are obtained. The town is chiefly supplied . with water for both household and irrigation uses by Santaquin Creek, and only a few wells have been dug. About a dozen wells strike water in gravel at depths of between 15 and 25 feet on a low bench in the southeastern part of the town. Tunnels are also dug into this bench, from which two pipe lines supply a number of families with water. Below the bench in Santaquin there are very few wells; two had to be dug about 80 feet before water was obtained. Below the line separating flowing and nonflowing wells between Hobble and Santaquin creeks the valley plain slopes gently to Utah Lake. Throughout this area ground water lies within 10 feet of the surface, and adjacent to the lake and in certain isolated localities swampy conditions occur. This area is mostly underlain by clay, which is reported to predominate in all of the wells. Little or no gravel is encountered in well driving and the layers of clay alternate with layers of sand. Few satisfactory well records from this region have been obtained, and no correlation of the underground deposits has been possible. Different conditions seem to exist in neighboring wells, indicating a lenticular arrangement of the deposits. The towns of Palmyra, Lake Shore, and Benjamin are situated below the line of flowing wells. Many farms are scattered over this area, but in a few localities- north of Spanish Fork, for instance- alkali is so prevalent as to discourage settlement. Much of the water used in irrigating this tract is derived from canals supplied by Spanish Fork, but flowing wells also are used to a considerable extent. |
