| OCR Text |
Show 50 Groundwater The amount of groundwater which seeps annually into the Great Salt Lake through permeable layers or aquifers is unknown. Estimates of the groundwater draining toward the Lake, which have been made for only two- thirds of the area surrounding the Lake, range from 36,000 to 200,000 acre- feet per year. However, the proportion of this water that is consumed by evapotranspiration instead of entering the Lake is unknown. The groundwater within the aquifers beneath the Lake, which are essentially full, is thought to move slowly. Hely and others ( 1971) suggest that most of the annual flow from aquifers in the Jordan Valley moves upward to the surface by artesian pressure. The water reaches the surface below the line of perennial vegetation where it enters the Lake or is consumed by evapotranspiration. The discrete groundwater basins which surround Great Salt Lake are separated from one another by mountain ranges which limit the lateral extent of the unconsolidated deposits that act as aquifers. Precipitation on the mountains recharges the aquifers. An artesian well on the Antelope Island causeway yields fresh water, showing that fresh water is present beneath Great Salt Lake in at least some aquifers. Stephens ( 1974) indicates that fresh ( less than 1,000 mg/ 1) groundwater is present in the northern part of Curlew Valley, 10- 15 miles from the edge of the Lake. Slightly saline ( 1,000- 3,000 mg/ 1) groundwater is present south of the fresh water in Curlew Valley and also in Hansel Valley and Rozel Flat. This water might be suitable for process water or could possibly be treated. The quantity of readily available slightly- saline groundwater |
