OCR Text |
Show of Northern Juab Valley, Ut it appears that well discharge is in the range of 15,000 acre- feet annually. Springs also discharge a few thousand acre- feet of additional groundwater from the confined system. Water levels and artesian pressures have been declining continually since 1950 indicating that this rate of discharge is exceeding recharge to the system. 37 The State Engineer has imposed a moratorium on any future well development. ( d) Sevier River Area Approximately 32,000 acre- feet are withdrawn annually from the groundwater reservoirs within the Unit area. Large scale well development has been somewhat restricted because of the complex interrelationship between the surface and groundwater systems. The Cox Decree, recognizing the groundwater- surfacewater relationship, severely limited well development. In addition, the State Engineer has placed a moratorium on any future development of large wells because groundwater has been fully appropriated in the basin. ( e) Uinta Basin Groundwater development in the northwestern part of the Uinta Basin has been limited to small domestic and stock wells associated with the scattered farms of the area. The U. S. Geological Survey has recently initiated a 3- year study of the groundwater system in the area. Results are not yet available. However, the annual well discharge is estimated to be only a few hundred acre- feet. The extremely shallow and limited extent of the valley fill severely limits the yield of individual wells. ( 2) Estimated Potential Groundwater Supplies Without the Bonneville Unit In some areas included within the proposed Unit additional groundwater could be developed. Table B- 8 summarizes the volumes of present and additional development estimated for each area. . Generally, in areas where additional development is assumed, to be possible, recharge is in equilibrium with discharge. This means that well development would increase at the expense of natural discharge. ( a) Salt Lake County As part of the 7- year groundwater investigation conducted by the U. S. Geological Survey, 32 analog model studies 190 |