W24XX Frontispiece 30 X 32 picas - CA Water | USGSMtWhitney Los Angeles Aqueduct ADA Frontispiece. Vertically exaggerated perspective and oblique view of the Owens Valley, California,

W24XXFrontispiece30 X 32 picas

Volcanic TablelandablelandVolcanic Tableland

Tinemaha Reservoir

Pleasant ValleyReservoir

Alabama HillsAlabama Hills

Red MtnRed Mtn

Inyo

Mou

ntai

ns

Mou

ntai

ns

Whi

teM

ount

ains

Crater MtnCrater Mtn

Red Mtn

Crater MtnSIERRA

SIERRA

NEVADA

BishopBishop

Big PineBig PineBig Pine

Owens

Owens

Riv

er

Owens

Riv

er

IndependenceIndependence

LonePine

Owens LakeLos Angeles Aqueduct

N

LonePine

Owens Lake

LonePine

WhitneyMt

Alabama Hills

Los Angeles Aqueduct

SIERRA

NEVADA

Inyo

Mou

ntai

ns

Frontispiece.

Vertically exaggerated perspective and oblique view of the Owens Valley, California,showing the dramatic difference in topographic relief between the valley and the surrounding mountains.

Introduction 3

Ow

ens

Los AngelesAqueduct

River

Tinemaha Reservoir

Aqueduct intake

Haiwee Reservoir

Mono CratersTunnel

OwensLake(dry)

DiazLake

GrantLake

LakeCrowley

PleasantPleasantValleyValley

ReservoirReservoir

MonoLake

PleasantValley

Reservoir

Ow

ens

low

er

River

119°00'

38°00'

118°00'

37°00'

MONO COUNTY

MONO COUNTY

TUOLUMNECOUNTY

MARIPOSACOUNTY

INYO COUNTY

COUNTY

COUNTY

TULARE

FRESNO

FRES

NO COUNTY

MADERA C

OUNTY

INYOCOUNTY

TULARECOUNTY

CALIFORNIA

INYO

MO

UNTAINS

Ow

ens

Valley

MO

UN

TAIN

S

WH

ITE

SIERR

AN

EV

AD

A

SIERRA

Long

Adobe Valley

Benton

Valle

y

Ham

mil

Valley

Chalfant

Valley

Valley

RoundValleyTungsten

Hills

NEVADA

NEVADA

MONO BASIN

Alabama Hills

Alabama Hills

Coso Range

Bishop

Big Pine

Lee Vining

Lone Pine

40 KILOMETERS0

40 MILES0

VolcanicTablelandVolcanicTableland

190

395

395

6

Mt Whitney

LawsLaws


PovertyHills

CraterMountain

EXPLANATION

Ground-water basin for Owens,Round, Chalfant, Hammil, andBenton Valleys – Areas outsidethe ground-water basin includebedrock, the Volcanic Tableland,Long Valley, and isolatedunconsolidated deposits. Thinwhite line is geologic contact

Boundary of drainage basin

Big Pine

Bishop

Alabama Hills

Lone Pine

Coso Range

InyoCounty

Mono County

California

Study areaSan Francisco

Los Angeles

Pacific OceanSan Diego

Figure 1.

Drainage areas and physiographic and cultural features of the Owens Valley and the Mono Basin, California.

6 Evaluation of the Hydrologic System and Selected Water-Management Alternatives in the Owens Valley, California

OwensLake(dry)

Owens

River

Ow

ens

lower

River

LakeCrowley

Tinemaha Reservoir


HaiweeReservoir

GrantLake

Mono CratersTunnel

Mono Lake

37°00'

38°00'

119°00' 118°00'

Ground-water flow model – Maximumextent shown

Study site – Letter is U.S. Geological Surveydesignation A-S. Vegetation and dewatering sitesalso have shallow wells. Refer to tables 1 and 2for additional information

Preliminary valleywide model

Dewatering modelVertical cross-sectional model

Final valleywide model

Independencecross-sectional

model

Independencedewatering

model

Alabama Hillscross-sectional

modelWell (N indicates vertically nested wells)

Area simulated with final valleywideground-water flow model

Not simulated

Vegetation (I indicates intermittent monitoring; C, continuous monitoring)

Dewatering (N indicates vertically nested wells)

O N

I

N

E

D

MONO COUNTYINYO COUNTY

TU

LAR

E CO

UN

TY

FRES

NO COUNTY

MADERA C

OUNTY

CALIFORNIA

INY

O

WH

ITE

MO

UNTAINS

CosoRange

MO

UN

TAIN

S

SIERRA

NEVADA

NEVADA

MONO BASIN

EXPLANATION

Valley fill

Bedrock

Geologic contact

40 KILOMETERS0 10 20 30

40 MILES0 10 20 30

Big Pine

Long

Benton

Valley

Ham

mil

Valley

Valley

Benton

Range

Alabama Hills

190

395

395

6

SIE

RR

AN

EV

AD

A

VolcanicTableland

Chalfant V

alley

Round

Valley

Bishop


Lone Pine

Drainage basin boundary

Poverty Hills

IA

NB

NDIE

NNNMCF

IG

IJNP

NS

NRNQ

HI

NK

CL

NO

CC

Figure 2.

Location of detailed hydrologic investigations and ground-water flow models for the Owens Valley, California, 1982–88.


C-drain Freeman

Cr

A-drain

Creek

Horton

Creek

Pine

RiverOwens

Ow

ens

Riv

er

Cree

k

Cre

ek

Creek

Coyote

Cr

FishSlough

Baker B

ig P

ine

Cr

Bir

ch

Tabo

ose

Tin

emah

aC

reek

Cree

k

Cree

k

Cr

Cr

McGee

Cr

Birch

Rawson Cr

Red

Mtn

Cr

Shannon

Bishop

Cr

Silv

er C

anyo

n

Can

yon

Col

dwat

er

TinemahaReservoir

BigPine

WarrenLake

KlondikeLake

Bishop Cr Canal

Canal

Geiger Canal

CanalCollins

Canal

OwensRiver

PleasantValley

Reservoir

WHITE

SIERRA

NEVADA

INY

O C

OU

NT

Y

MO

NO

CO

UN

TY

MOUNTAINS

VALLEYOWENS

Volcanic

Tableland

Wauco

ba

Canyon

PovertyHills

Crater Mtn

RedMtn

Tungsten

Hills

RoundValley

ValleyChalfant

FRESNO COUNTYINYO COUNTY

NORTH

Owens RiverGorg

e


20 MILES0 15105

Bishop

Laws

Big Pine

395

6

118°15'

118°30'

118°30'

118°45'

37°1

5'

37°0

0'

37°1

5'

37°3

0'

Mono

OwensLake(dry)

Basin SierraNevada

CaliforniaNevada

Area of map

North

Owens ValleyCos

o

Range

Figure 3.

High-altitude infrared imagery showing major geologic, hydrologic, and cultural features of the Owens Valley, California. Image taken May 3, 1983, from Landsat by National Aeronautical and Space Administration. Processing and permission by EROS data center, Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

http://edcwww.cr.usgs.gov/

http://www.nasa.gov/NASA_homepage.html/

Description of Study Area 15

RiverOwenslower

OwensLake(dry)

DiazLake

Thib

aut

Sym

mes

Shep

herd

Lon

e

Tut

tle

Dia

z C

r

Car

roll

Cot

tonw

oodN

Lub

kin

Pin

eC

r

Hog

back

North Bairs C

rSouth B

airs Cr

Saw

mill

Div

isio

n

Goo

dale

Cre

ek

Cre

ek

Cre

ek

Creek

Creek

Cr

Cr

George

Cre

ek

Cre

ek

Cre

ek

Cre

ek

Cre

ek

Cre

ek

Cre

ek

Inde

pend

ence

Cree

k

Oak

Sou

th

Nor

thO

ak

Los

Angeles

Aqueduct

Aqueductintake

SIERRA

Mazourka

Canyon

NEVADAFRESNOCOUNTY

TULARE COUNTY

INYOMOUNTAINS

VALLEYOWENS

Alabama Hills

Mount Whitney

Description of colors – False colors may be created in image processing. Red color indicates densevegetation; white indicates snow in mountain areas and bare soil or salt deposits on valleyfloor and near Owens Lake (dry); dark blue or black typically indicates water

Annotated features – Selected physiographic and cultural features are annotated here for clarity.Thin white line (gray line over snow) is a geologic contact; dark blue color indicates surface water.Additonal features are annotated on figures 4, 11, and 17

High-altitude infrared image

Boundary of the Owens Valley drainage basin

EXPLANATION

Independence

Lone Pine

136

395

118°15'

118°00'

37°0

0'

36°4

5'

36°3

0'

Figure 3.

Continued.


Younger alluvial fan deposits – Poorly sorted,unconsolidated, gravel, sand, silt, and clay

Glacial and talus deposits – Poorly to moderatelysorted, unconsolidated to consolidated silty-sandygravels, some clay

Older alluvial fan deposits – Very poorly sorted,unconsolidated to moderately consolidated gravel,sand, silt, and clay

Fluvial and lacustrine deposits – Moderately towell-sorted, unconsolidated lenses and layers ofsand, silty sand, and gravelly sand; layers, lenses,or massive beds of silty clay

Qb Olivine basalt – Flows and cones with extensiveinterflow breccia and clinker zones; collectively named the Big Pine volcanic field

River

Lake Crowley

Grant Lake

Owens

PleasantValley

Reservoir

TinemahaReservoir

Mono Crat

ers

Tunnel

White MountainFault Zone

UD

UD

U

U

D

D

UD

U ?D

Qa

Qa

Qoa

Qoa

Qa

Qa

Qv

Qv

Qv

Qv

pQ

pQ

pQ

Qt

Qt

Qt

Qt

Qt GENERALIZED GEOLOGIC UNITS

Valley Fill(Permeable materials)

QUAT

ERNA

RY

Qfl

Qfl

Qfl

Qfl

Qt

Qa

pQ

Qbt

Qoa

Qfl

pQ

pQ

VALLEY

Valley

Benton Range

Long

Round Valley

OWENSCraterMtn

TungstenHills

ValleyChalfant

ValleyHammil

Valley

Benton

WHITE

SIERRANEVADA

MOUNTAINS

CoyoteWarp

Embayment

Waucobi

PovertyHills

RedMtn

INY

O C

OU

NT

Y

MADERA COUNTY

MO

NO

CO

UN

TY

MONO COUNTY

FRESNO COUNTY

MONOBASIN

118°00'

119°00'

119°00'

NORTH37

°00'

Bishop

Laws

CALIFORNIANEVADA

Big Pine

6

395


40 MILES0 10 20 30

A

B'

BA'

Volcanic

Tableland

Area of map

Los Angeles

Pacific Ocean

San Francisco

San Diego

CA

LI F

OR

NI A

Figure 4.

Generalized surficial geology of the Owens Valley drainage basin, California (modified from Hollett and others, 1991).


Undifferentiated sedimentary, metamorphic, and granitic rocks – Consolidated and impermeable

Bedrock(Impermeable or poorly permeable materials, not

part of the Owens Valley ground-water basin)

Bishop Tuff – Bedrock member of the Bishop Tuff,commonly referred to as the Volcanic Tableland whereexposed; composed of welded or agglutinated ash andtuff. Impermeable except where fractured; underlainby permeable members of the Bishop Tuff and valley-fill deposits

Volcanic flows and pyroclastic rocks, undifferentiated – Includes rocks of the Coso volcanic field. Storage and transmissive characteristics are largely unknown

OwensLake(dry)River

lower Owens

HaiweeReservoir

UD

U

D

?

U

ValleyOwens

Independence

Fault

Fault

D

U? D

UD

Qa

Qoa

MountWhitney

Qoa

GENERALIZED GEOLOGIC UNITS

QUAT

ERNA

RYPR

E-QU

ATER

NARY

Qoa

Qv

pQ

pQ

pQ

pQ

Qfl

Qb

Qv

Qbt

pQ

Qa

QaQv

pQ

Qa

pQ

SIERRANEVADA

INYO

Coso Range

MOUNTAINS

VALLEYOWENS

Alabama

MazourkaCanyon

Hills

TULARE COUNTY

FRESNO COUNTY

118°00'

36°0

0'

37°0

0'

Independence395

190

Geologic contact

Fault – Dashed where inferred, dottedwhere concealed, queried whereuncertain. D, downthrown side; U, upthrown side; arrows indicaterelative direction of lateral movement

Line of hydrogeologic section (Shownin figure 5)

Boundary of the Owens Valley drainagebasin

?UD

A

C'

C

A'

Lone Pine

Figure 4.

Continued.


? ? ?

?

?

��

��

yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

��

yyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

��

��

Hydrogeologic Units

Unit 1 – Unconfined partof the aquifer system

Unit 2 – Confining unit ofthe aquifer system

Unit 3 – Confined andunconfined parts of theaquifer system

Unit 4 – Where present,the top serves as the baseof the aquifer system

Permeable materials –Not part of the definedaquifer system

Generalized direction ofground-water flow

Approximate area of ground-water recharge or discharge

Recharge, mostly from tributarystreams

Discharge, mostly toevapotranspiration

10 MILES0 5

10 KILOMETERS0 5

Vertical exaggeration X13Datum is sea level

VolcanicTableland

A A'

2,000

1,600

2,400

2,800

3,200

3,600

4,000

4,400

4,800FEET

2,000

1,600

2,400

2,800

3,200

3,600

4,000

4,400

4,800

Ow

ens

Riv

er

Bishop

Generalized Geologic Units

Younger alluvial fan deposits – Poorly sorted,unconsolidated gravel, sand, silt, and clay

Valley Fill

Bedrock

Older alluvial fan deposits – Very poorly sorted,unconsolidated to moderately consolidated gravel,sand, silt, and clay

Transition-zone deposits – Moderately to well-sorted, unconsolidated sandy gravel, not exposedat land surface

Fluvial and lacustrine deposits – Moderately towell-sorted, unconsolidated lenses and layers ofsand, silty sand, and gravelly sand; layers, lenses,or massive beds of silty clay; shaded where massiveor continuous bed

Glacial and talus deposits – Poorly to moderatelysorted, unconsolidated to consolidated silty-sandygravels, some clay

Olivine basalt – Flows and cones with extensiveinterflow breccia and clinker zones; collectively named the Big Pine volcanic field

Undifferentiated bedrock units – Includesgranitic, metamorphic, volcanic, andsedimentary rocks

Bishop Tuff – Valley-fill members are composedof an upper member of friable ash, pumice, andtuff, shown with -pattern, and a lower basaltmember composed principally of pumice

Unknown geology

Volcanic Tableland – Bedrock unit of the upperBishop Tuff member composed of welded oragglutinated ash and tuff that grades laterallyand vertically to the upper valley fill member

?

Qbt

?

?

??

?

??

QflQfl

?

?

Qfl

QflQfl

Qa

Qoa

Qtz

Qt

Qfl

Qb

Qbt

Unknowngeology

Qbt

Fault – Dashed where inferred; queried where uncertain; arrow indicates relative movementof fault block. indicates geologic mappingis truncated to show approximate depth ofbedrock

QUAT

ERNA

RY

QUAT

ERNA

RYPR

E-QU

ATER

NARY

��yy

��

��

Figure 5.

Typical hydrogeologic sections of the Owens Valley, California (modified from Hollett and others, 1991, plates 1 and 2). Sections located on figure 4.


WHI

TE M

OUNT

AIN

FALU

T ZO

NE

Owen

s Va

lley

Faul

tC C'

2,000Vertical exaggeration X13

Vertical exaggeration X13

2,400

2,800

3,200

3,600

4,000

4,400

BEND

INSE

CTIO

NIn

depe

nden

ce

Ow

ens

Riv

er

BEND

INSE

CTIO

N

Los A

ngele

s Aqu

educ

t4,800

5,200

5,600

6,000

6,400FEET

2,000

2,400

2,800

3,200

3,600

4,000

4,400

4,800

5,200

5,600

6,000

6,400

Approximate depth of bedrocksurface below land-surface datum

B B'

2,400

2,800

3,200

3,600

4,000

4,400

4,800

5,200

5,600

2,400

2,800

3,200

3,600

4,000

4,400

4,800

5,200

5,600FEET

CraterMountain

Ow

ens

Riv

er

Qfl

?

Qoa

Qoa

Qoa

Qt

Qoa

Qoa

Qa

Qa

Qtz

?

2,000'

3,000'

1,600'

?

?

?

Qfl

Qoa Qoa

Qoa

Qb

Qb

Qa

Qt

Qt

Qtz

Qtz

?

?

Datum is sea level

Datum is sea level

Figure 5.

Continued.


C

D

A

B

U.S. Government lands, either Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management, are located generally in the mountains and along the edge of the mountains or on the Volcanic Tableland. Of the 307,000 acres owned by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power in the Owens Valley and the Mono Basin drainage basins, most of the land (240,000 acres) is located on the valley floor of the Owens Valley.

The main economic activities in the valley are livestock ranching and tourism. About 190,000 acres of the valley floor is leased by the Los Angeles Depart-ment of Water and Power to ranchers for grazing and about 12,400 additional acres is leased for growing alfalfa pasture. Access to most lands in the mountains and the valley is open to the public, and tens of thou-sands of people each year utilize the many recreational benefits such as hunting, fishing, skiing, and camping.

Since the early 1900's, water use in the Owens Valley has changed from meeting local needs, such as ranching and farming, to exporting some surface water, to exporting a greater quantity of both surface and ground water. The major historical periods with similar water use are summarized in table 4.

As of 1988, water use within the valley involves both surface-water diversions and ground-water pump-ing. About 1,200 to 2,000 acre-ft/yr of ground water is supplied to the four major towns in the valley—Bishop, population 10,352; Big Pine, population 1,610; Inde-pendence, population 655; and Lone Pine, population 2,062 (U.S. Department of Commerce, 1990). Other in-valley uses of water are for Indian reservations and for stockwater, irrigation of pastures, and cultivation of alfalfa. Fish Springs and Blackrock fish hatcheries rely on ground water, and the Mt. Whitney fish hatchery

Figure 6.

Native plant communities in the Owens Valley, California.

A,

High-ground-water alkaline meadow.

B,

High-ground-water alkaline scrub.

C,

Dryland alkaline scrub.

D,

Dryland nonalkaline scrub.


OwensLake(dry)

Owens

River

Ow

ensRiver

LakeCrowley

Tinemaha Reservoir

Los AngelesAqueduct

HaiweeReservoir

GrantLake

MonoCratersTunnel

Mono Lake

37°00'

38°00'

118°00'119°00'


TU

LAR

E CO

UN

TY

FRES

NO COUNTY

MADERA C

OUNTY

CALIFORNIA

INY

O

WH

ITE

MO

UNTAINS

MO

UN

TAIN

S

SIERRANEVADA

NEVADA

MONOBASIN

Bishop

EXPLANATION

Valley fill

Bedrock


40 MILES0 10 20 30

Independence

Lone Pine

Big Pine

Long

Round

Valley

Benton

Valley

Ham

mil

Valley

Chalfant V

alley

Valley

Benton

Range

VolcanicTableland

190

395

SIE

RR

AN

EV

AD

A

Line of equal mean annualprecipitation – Interval, 1 and 10inches. Period of record 1938–60


Precipitation stations – Closeddiamonds are continuous-record and open diamonds are partial-recordstations. Symbol s indicates a snowsurvey station. Number correspondsto precipitation graph (B) and table (C).Locations are approximate

20

A

CraterMtn Poverty

Hills

RedMtn

6

Alabama Hills

Coso Range

TungstenHills

4030

8

4

456

6

5020

10

10

20

30

40

10

9

87

6 109

87

9

8

7

7

57

89

10

3020s

s

s

ss

ss

s s ss

s

s

s ss

s

s

19

20

2

1

3

45

6

78

9

8

10

12

11

13

15

14

16

1817

s

Figure 7. (A) Contours of mean annual precipitation; (B) relation between recent mean annual precipitation and altitude; and (C) data for selected precipitation stations in the Owens Valley, California. Data from E.L. Coufal, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, written commun., 1986, and oral commun., 1989. Map modified from Stetson, Strauss, and Dresselhaus, consulting engineers, written commun., 1961.

Hydrologic System 27

ALTITUDE OF LAND SURFACE , IN FEET ABOVE SEA LEVEL(LSD)

1

1

1

1

1

1

1. Rock Creek at store 18.30 9,700 37°27' 118°45' 1948-88

3. Bishop Yard 7.12 4,140 37°21' 118°24' 1931-88

U.S. Weather Bureau, South Lake5. 20.30 9,620 37°11' 118°34' 1926-88

7. Big Pine Creek at Glacier Lodge 19.45 8,200 37°06' 118°26' 1948-88

9. Los Angeles Aqueduct at intake 6.49 3,825 36°58' 118°13' 1932-88

11. Onion Valley 22.77 8,850 36°46' 118°20' 1950-88

13. Lone Pine 4.06 3,661 36°36' 118°04' 1919-88

15. Cottonwood Gates 7.31 3,775 36°25' 118°02' 1928-88

17. South Haiwee Reservoir 7.79 3,800 36°08' 117°57' 1924-88

19. White Mountain No. 2 19.73 12,070 37°35' 118°14' 1953-88

Short or discontinuous record.

2. U.S. Weather Bureau, Bishop 5.67 4,108 37°22' 118°22' 1931-88

4. U.S. Weather Bureau, Lake Sabrina 16.56 9,100 37°13' 118°37' 1926-88

6. Big Pine Power House No. 3 10.72 5,400 37°08' 118°20' 1927-88

8. Tinemaha Reservoir 7.20 3,850 37°04' 118°14' 1935-88

10. U.S. Weather Bureau, Independence 5.98 3,950 36°48' 118°12' 1886-1988

12. Los Angeles Aqueduct at Alabama Gates 4.24 3,675 36°41' 118°05' 1931-88

14. Cottonwood at Golden Trout Camp 19.04 10,600 36°29' 118°11' 1948-81

16. North Haiwee Reservoir 6.60 3,850 36°14' 117°58' 1931-88

18. Haiwee Power House 5.34 3,570 36°07' 117°57' 1930-75

20. White Mountain No. 1 13.94 10,150 37°30' 118°10' 1950-77

Siteno. Station name

Recent mean annualprecipitation for rain

years 1963-84(inches/year)

Altitude(feet)

Latitude(north)

Longitude(west)

Period ofrecord

(rain years)

RE

CE

NT

ME

AN

AN

NU

AL

PR

EC

IPIT

AT

ION

(P

RA

VE),

CA

LCU

LAT

ED

FO

R R

AIN

YE

AR

S 1

963-

84,

IN IN

CH

ES

PE

R Y

EA

R

Regression equation(P RAVE) = 0.00245 LSD – 3.205 r 2 = 0.99

30

20

10

0

-100 5,000 10,000 15,000

158

16

9

18

13 12

210

3

6

Site number(see 7C below)

Values not used inregression equation

75

14

204

19

11

1

17

C

B

Figure 7. Continued.


EXPLANATION

Line indicating the same precipitation atBishop and Independence

Annual value – For rain years 1935-88

Average annual value – For rain years

U.S. WEATHER BUREAU AT INDEPENDENCE

All values in inches per rain year (July 1 to June 30).Bishop gage moved January 1945

1935-88

1963-84

00

10

20

5 10

U.S

. WE

AT

HE

R B

UR

EA

U A

T B

ISH

OP

15 20

was to measure evapotranspiration at representative vegetation study sites throughout the valley (fig. 2), to relate these data to soil and plant characteristics at the sites, to extend the relations to quantify evapotranspi-ration throughout the valley, and then to synthesize the results in an analysis of the overall hydrologic system.

As part of the studies of native vegetation, Duell (1990) used micrometeorologic equipment to collect detailed evapotranspiration measurements during 1984–85, a period of relatively abundant surface water and ground water in the valley. The results for high-ground-water alkali meadow and alkali scrub com-munities (fig. 6 and table 3), which are summarized in table 5, show that evapotranspiration rates on the valley floor ranged from about 12 in/yr to about 45 in/yr depending on the type and percentage of vegetative cover. Assuming that these rates are representative of average conditions on the valley floor where the depth

to water is approximately 3 to 15 ft, then evapotran-spiration is about 3 to 6 times greater than the quantity of precipitation that is available.

During the same period and at the same sites, Groeneveld and others (1986a, 1986b) collected tran-spiration measurements from native vegetation using a porometer, an instrument that encloses a few leaves of a plant and measures water-vapor flux (Beardsell and others, 1972). These measurements can be converted to transpiration from an entire site using measurements of total leaf area per plant and plant density per site. Results from Groeneveld and others (1986a, p.117) suggest that most of the evapotranspiration measured by Duell (1990) is transpiration from native vegetation.

Coincident monitoring of soil moisture at the same sites indicated that most of the transpired water came from the unsaturated zone, including that part just below the land surface. These findings indicate that the

Figure 8. Annual precipitation as Bishop and Independence, California (sites 2 and 10, respectively, in figure 7).


Fulle

r

RiverOwens

Ow

ens

Riv

er

Bishop

OwensRiver

CanalCr

Canal

Geiger Canal

CanalCollins

Birch

Creek

Cree

k

Cre

ek

Creek

Creek

Coyote

FishSlough

Baker

Big

Pin

e C

reek

Bir

ch

Tabo

ose

Tin

emah

aC

reek

Cree

k

Cree

k

Creek

CreekCr

Cr

Horton

McGee

Creek

Raw

son

Red

Mtn

Cr

Shannon

Bishop

Cr

Pine

Silv

er C

anyo

n

Can

yon

Col

dwat

er

TinemahaReservoir

PleasantValley

Reservoir

Cr

BigPine

Canal

KlondikeLake

WarrenLake

Rawson Canal

Canal

S McNally

McNallyN

A-drain

Freeman

Cr

C-drain

WHITE

SIERRA

NEVADA

INY

O C

OU

NT

Y

MO

NO

CO

UN

TY

MOUNTAINS

VALLEYOWENS

Volcanic

Tableland

Wauco

ba

Canyon

PovertyHillsCrater

Mtn

RedMtn

Tungsten

Hills

RoundValley

Valley

Chalfant


NORTH

Owens RiverGo

rge

118°15'

118°30'

118°45'

37°1

5'

37°0

0'

37°1

5'

37°3

0'

Bishop

Laws

Big Pine

395

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20 MILES0 15105

Figure 9. Estimated average annual transpiration by native vegetation during water years 1983–87 in the Owens Valley, California. Map values derived from more than 14,000 point estimates of average annual evapotranspiration obtained from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (R.H. Rawson, written commun., 1988).


lower

Thib

aut

Sym

mes

Shep

herd

Lon

e

Tut

tle

Dia

z C

r

Car

roll

Cot

tonw

oodN

Lub

kin

Pin

eC

r

Hog

back

North Bairs C

rSouth B

airs Cr

Saw

mill

Div

isio

n

Cre

ek

Cre

ek

Cre

ek

Creek

Creek

Cr

Cr

George

Cre

ek

Cre

ek

Cre

ek

Cre

ekCre

ek

Cre

ek

Inde

pend

ence

Oak

Cr

Sou

thNor

th O

ak

OwensLake(dry)

Goo

dale

Cr

SIERRA NEVADAFRESNOCOUNTY

TULARECOUNTY

INYOMOUNTAINS

VALLEYOWENS

Alabama Hills

Mt Whitney 118°15'

118°00'

118°30'

37°0

0'

36°4

5'

36°3

0'

Independence

Lone Pine

EXPLANATION

395

136

Valley fill Transpiration by native vegetation –In feet per year. Refer to figure 6and table 3

Areas with other land cover –Includes lakes and ponds, irrigatedlands, and urban areas

Unmapped areas of valley fill

Ground-water flow model grid

Less than 0.50.5 to 1.01.0 to 1.51.5 to 2.0More than 2.0

Bedrock

Geologic contact

Boundary of theOwens Valleydrainage basin

Mono

Basin SierraNevada

CaliforniaNevada

Area of map

North

Owens Valley

AqueductIntake

Los AngelesAqueduct

RiverOwensDiazLake



A

B

C

D

rates of infiltration. In general, tributary streamflow increases from south to north much as precipitation does (fig. 7).

As expected from precipitation patterns (fig. 7A), discharge from tributary streams on the east side of the valley is much less than discharge on the west. Only two streams produce a reliable source of water each year—Coldwater Canyon and Silver Canyon Creeks (fig. 11), and these streams typically discharge less than 2,000 acre-ft/yr. Farther south, Mazourka Creek was monitored by the U.S. Geological Survey continuously during 1961–72 (Mazourka Creek near Independence, USGS station 10282480). Zero flow was recorded all days except during two brief periods in 1967 and 1969. During these periods, discharge peaked at more than 1,300 and

600 ft3/s, respectively. This type of large, infrequent runoff is characteristic of other basin-and-range valleys (Fenneman, 1931, p. 329) and probably is typical of most stream drainages along the east side of the Owens Valley south of Silver Canyon Creek (fig. 11).

Percent Valleywide Runoff

Total runoff for the Owens Valley is highly correlated with flow in individual tributary streams and has been calculated by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (M.L. Blevins, written commun., 1988; table 5) for water years 1935–88. Total runoff is defined as the sum of inflow from the Owens River at the Pleasant Valley Reservoir, measured and estimated inflow from tributary streams, and estimated mountain-

Figure 10. Major surface-water features in the Owens Valley, California. A, Owens River just north of Bishop looking west toward the Tungsten Hills and Round Valley (photograph taken winter 1988). B, Los Angeles Aqueduct looking north toward the Sierra Nevada (photograph taken winter 1985). C, lower Owens River east of the Alabama Hills (photograph taken summer 1988). D, Owens Lake viewed from alluvial fan south of the Alabama Hills (photograph taken spring 1986).


Fulle

r

RiverOwens

Ow

ens

Riv

er

Bishop

OwensRiver

CanalCr

Canal

Laws ditchCanal

CanalCollins

Birch

Creek

Cree

k

Cre

ek

Creek

Creek

Coyote

FishSlough

Baker B

ig P

ine

Cr

Bir

ch

Tabo

ose

Tin

emah

aC

reek

Cree

k

Cree

k

Creek

CreekC

reek

Cr

Horton

McGee

Creek

Raw

son

Red

Mtn

Cr

Shannon

Bishop

Cr

Pine

Silv

er C

anyo

n

Can

yon

Col

dwat

er

TinemahaReservoir

PleasantValley

Reservoir

Cr

BigPine

Canal

KlondikeLake

WarrenLake

Rawson Canal

Canal

S McNally

McNallyN

A-drain

C-drain

Freeman

Cr

WHITE

SIERRA

NEVADA

INY

O C

OU

NT

Y

MO

NO

CO

UN

TY

MOUNTAINS

VALLEYOWENS

Volcanic

Tableland

Wauco

ba

Poleta

Canyon

Westgard P

ass

Black Canyon

Canyon

PovertyHills

Crater

Mtn

RedMtn

Tungsten

Hills

RoundValley

Valley

Chalfant


NORTH

Owens RiverGo

rge

118°15'

118°30'

118°45'

37°1

5'

37°0

0'

37°1

5'

37°3

0'

Bishop

Laws

Big Pine

395

6


20 MILES0 15105

Fish Springsfish hatchery

BGNWBBWA

LMUO

GKQGGKAX

THWPFZLE

RHSGRICUTAPE

RDQW

CLUASMWI

LGUJ

SMJS

SMQA

FPVK

Power House #6

FXEKKCXC

BKJOMJAA

HVSYOLZR

FPGSMMDAMLUA

TIEEBKQY

BERWABQG KXCQ BFRS

BKFW

ONYF

Figure 11. Location of the Owens River–Los Angeles Aqueduct system, the lower Owens River, tributary streams, lakes, reservoirs, spillgates, major gaging stations, and selected pumped wells in the Owens Valley, California.


RiverOwenslower

Los AngelesAqueduct

Thib

aut

Cre

ek

Sym

mes

Shep

herd

Lon

e

Tut

tle

Dia

z C

r

Car

roll

Cot

tonw

oodN

Lub

kin

Pin

eC

r

Hog

back

North Bairs C

rSouth B

airs Cr

Saw

mill

Div

isio

n

Cre

ek

Cre

ek

Cre

ek

Creek

Creek

Cr

Cr

George

Cre

ek

Cre

ek

Cre

ek

Cre

ekCre

ek

Inde

pend

ence

Cree

k

Oak

Sou

thNor

th O

ak

OwensLake(dry)

Goo

dale

Cr

DiazLake


TULARECOUNTY

INYOMOUNTAINS

VALLEYOWENS

Alabama Hills

Mount Whitney 118°15'

118°00'

118°30'

37°0

0'

36°4

5'

36°3

0'

Independence

Lone Pine

EXPLANATION

395

136

Valley fill

Bedrock

Geologic contact


Mono

BasinSierra

Nevada

CaliforniaNevada

Area of map

North

Owens Valley

MountWhitney

fish hatcheryBlackrock

fish hatchery

Surface-water gaging stations and pumped wells – Stationname and code (SKLG), as used by the Los Angeles Departmentof Water and Power, are listed in table 6

Stream gage

Spillgate

Well

Owens River–Los Angeles Aqueduct system

Lower Owens River

Pipeline (water)

OQFE

TBLXAGMY

OEFNIDMA

BTTGSHAY

BlackrockThibaut

LocustGeorge

Lone PineDiaz

Independence

Intake

DeanRussell

GOEI DKWM

SGUQ

DMBW

AIRG

AHPC

SHTW

GFXM

BBKYSLQU

SLQU

TCQF

AHPC

DNWY

TERG

OBQDOCPK

ICPN

SYZS BALC

SKLGBAOU

GBUB

HTIELONX

SZGA HTXW

GCYTLOXZ

TYEX

LZUD

LZPC

TZQU

Owens River atKeeler Bridge

Mazourka Creeknear Independence

BAZW

SKRO

LBOI

Locust

SKLG



10 0.2 0.5 1 90 95 98 99 99.999.8 99.992 5 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

20

30

40

50

6070

9080

100

200

300

PROBABILITY THAT RUNOFF WILL BE LESS THAN INDICATED VALUE, IN PERCENT

Data point – Selected water years are identified

EXPLANATION

Best-fit line – Dashed where less certain

ANNU

AL R

UNOF

F FO

R OW

ENS

VALL

EY,

IN P

ERCE

NT O

F LO

NG-T

ERM

AVE

RAGE

ANN

UAL

RUNO

FF

1976

Long-term average annual runoff for the Owens Valley was calculated for water years1935-84 by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (station OUKR, table 6;M.L. Blevins, written commun., 1988). Annual runoff for the Owens Valley commonly is expressed as a percent of long-term average annual runoff and is referred to locally aspercent valleywide runoff or percent runoff year. Refer to table 7 for annual values

1977

1976

1963

1984

19831969

19671982

1972

1979

19781980

19751981

, (4)

whereR G is stream recharge to the aquifer system for

the reach between the base-of-mountains and river–aqueduct gages, in acre-feet per year;

S BM is measured stream discharge at the base-of-mountains gage, in acre-feet per year;

S RA is measured stream discharge at the river–aqueduct gage, in acre-feet per year;

W G is measured well discharge that flows into the stream between the base-of-mountains and river–aqueduct gages, in acre-feet per year; and

ET G is the estimated evapotranspiration between the two gages in the immediate vicinity of the stream channel, in acre-feet per year.

Streamflow data for a 50-year period, water years 1935–84, were used to determine the loss for each tributary stream, defined as the sum of R G and ET G. Because all other values in equation 4 are

RG SBM SRA–( ) W G ET G–+=

Figure 12. Annual-runoff probability for the Owens Valley, California.


Regression liney = 0.57x

x = TAPEy = TAPE – (TBLX – TCQF)

x = SKLGy = SKLG – (SKRO – SLQU)

x = SGUQy = SGUQ – (SHAY – SHTW)

x = ICPNy = ICPN – IDMA( y includes irrigation diversions)

x = GBUBy = GBUB – (GCYT – GFXM)( y includes irrigation diversions)

x = BALC + BAOUy = (BALC + BAOU) – (BBKY – BAZW)

George CreekIndependence Creek

Sawmill Creek

Taboose Creek

Bairs Creek

Shepherd Creek

Annual data point

0 5 10 15 20

15

00 5 10 15 20

ANNUAL DISCHARGE AT BASE-OF-MOUNTAIN GAGE, IN THOUSANDS OF ACRE-FEET PER YEAR

AN

NU

AL

ST

RE

AM

LO

SS

, IN

TH

OU

SA

ND

S O

F A

CR

E-F

EE

T P

ER

YE

AR

10

5

15

0

10

5

15

0

10

5 Regression liney = 0.47x



Regression liney = 0.69xRegression line

y = 0.69x(y = 0.61x, without diversions)

(y = 0.59x, without diversions)

Figure 13. Streamflow relations for selected tributary streams in the Owens Valley, California. Annual data are for water years 1935–84. Station codes, such as TAPE, are shown in figure 11 and described in table 6.


Fulle

r

RiverOwens

Ow

ens

Riv

er

Bishop

OwensRiver

CanalCr

Canal

Geiger Canal

CanalCollins

Birch

Creek

Cree

k

Cre

ek

Creek

Creek

Coyote

FishSlough

Baker B

ig P

ine

Cr

Bir

ch

Tabo

ose

Tin

emah

aC

reek

Cree

k

Cree

k

Creek

CreekCr

Cr

Horton

McGee

Creek

Raw

son

Red

Mtn

Cr

Shannon

Bishop

Cr

Pine

Silv

er C

anyo

n

Can

yon

Col

dwat

er

TinemahaReservoir

PleasantValley

Reservoir

Cr

BigPine

Canal

KlondikeLake

WarrenLake

Rawson Canal

Canal

S McNally

McNallyN

A-drain

C-drain

Freeman

Cr

WHITE

SIERRA

NEVADA

INY

O C

OU

NT

Y

MO

NO

CO

UN

TY

MOUNTAINS

VALLEYOWENS

Volcanic

Tableland

Wauco

ba

PovertyHillsCrater

Mtn

RedMtn

Tungsten

Hills

RoundValley

Valley

Chalfant


NORTH

Owens RiverGo

rge

118°15'

118°00'

118°30'

118°45'

37°1

5'

37°0

0'

37°1

5'

37°3

0'

Bishop

Laws

Big Pine

395

6


20 MILES0 15105

GEOLOGY

Valley fill Area simulated withground-water flow model

Area not simulated

Bedrock

Geologic contact

Fault – Selected faults thataffect the path of ground-water flow and the distributionof hydraulic head in unit 1and unit 3 (from figure 4).Dashed where approximate

Poleta

Canyon

Westgard P

ass

Black Canyon

Canyon

4,10

03,900

3,950

4,0004,1504,200

4,300

4,400

4,05

0

4,050

4,000

3,950 3,900

4,200

4,150

4,100

4,2504,3004,350

4,400

3,850

Figure 14. Ground-water conditions in the defined aquifer system of the Owens Valley, California, spring 1984. Shown area areal extent of the defined aquifer system, occurrence of unconfined and confined conditions, boundary conditions, configuration of potentiometric surface in hydrogeologic units 1 and 3, and generalized direction of ground-water flow (from Hollett and others, 1991, fig. 17).


Los AngelesAqueduct

Thib

aut

Sym

mes

Shep

herd

Lon

e

Tut

tle

Dia

z C

r

Car

roll

Cot

tonw

oodN

Lub

kin

Pin

eC

r

Hog

back

North Bairs C

rSouth B

airs Cr

Saw

mill

Div

isio

n

Cre

ek

Cre

ek

Cre

ek

Creek

Creek

Cr

Cr

George

Cre

ek

Cre

ek

Cre

ek

Cre

ek

Cre

ek

Cre

ek

Inde

pend

ence

Nor

th O

ak

OwensLake(dry)

Goo

dale

Cr

DiazLake

AqueductIntake

RiverOwenslower

Cree

k

Oak

Sou

th


TULARECOUNTY

INYOMOUNTAINS

VALLEYOWENS Alabama Hills

Mt Whitney 118°15'

118°00'

118°30'

37°0

0'

36°4

5'

36°3

0'

Independence

395

136

Mono

BasinSierra

Nevada

CaliforniaNevada

Area of map

North

Owens Valley

MazourkaCanyon

EXPLANATIONHYDROLOGY


Lone Pine

Approximate extent of the confined part ofthe aquifer

Boundary of the aquifer system – As defined in this report. Arrows indicate thedirection of ground-water flow to or fromadjacent permeable materials

Ground-water divide – Approximatelylocated

Generalized direction of ground-waterflow – Combined direction of ground-waterflow in hydrogeologic units 1 and 3

OWENS VALLEY FAULT

Potentiometric contour – Shows approximate altitudeof the hydraulic head in hydrogeologic unit 3, representedby the lower layer of the ground-water flow model, spring1984. Contour interval 50 feet. Datum is sea level

3,900

3,800

3,900

3,750

3,700 3,650

3,900 Potentiometric contour – Shows approximate altitudeof the water table in hydrogeologic unit 1, represented bythe upper layer of the ground-water flow model, spring1984. Contour interval 50 feet. Datum is sea level

3,800

3,900

3,750

3,750

3,70

0

3,700

3,650

3,60

0

3,600



Fulle

r

River

Owens

Ow

ens

Riv

er

Bishop

OwensRiver

CanalCr

Canal

Geiger Canal

CanalCollins

Birch

Creek

Cree

k

Cre

ek

Creek

Creek

Coyote

FishSlough

Baker B

ig P

ine

Cr

Bir

ch

Tabo

ose

Tin

emah

aC

reek

Cree

k

Cree

k

Creek

CreekCr

Cr

Horton

McGee

Creek

Raw

son

Red

Mtn

Cr

Shannon

Bishop

Cr

Pine

Silv

er C

anyo

n

Can

yon

Col

dwat

er

TinemahaReservoir

PleasantValley

Reservoir

Cr

BigPine

Canal

KlondikeLake

WarrenLake

Rawson Canal

Canal

S McNally

McNallyN

A-drain

C-drain

Freeman

Cr

WHITE

SIERRA

NEVADA

INY

O C

OU

NT

Y

MO

NO

CO

UN

TY

MOUNTAINS

VALLEYOWENS

Volcanic

Tableland

Wauco

ba

PovertyHillsCrater

Mtn

RedMtn

Tungsten

Hills

RoundValley

Valley

Chalfant


NORTH

Owens RiverGo

rge

118°15'

118°30'

118°45'

37°1

5'

37°0

0'

37°1

5'

37°3

0'

Bishop

Laws

Big Pine

395

6


20 MILES0 15105

Poleta

Canyon

Westgard P

ass

Black Canyon

Canyon

Figure 15. Transmissivity of valley-fill deposits as determined from aquifer tests in the Owens Valley, California.


Los AngelesAqueduct

Thib

aut

Sym

mes

Shep

herd

Lon

e

Tut

tle

Dia

z C

r

Car

roll

Cot

tonw

oodN

Lub

kin

Pin

eC

r

Hog

back

North Bairs C

rSouth B

airs Cr

Saw

mill

Div

isio

n

Cre

ek

Cre

ek

Cre

ek

Creek

Creek

Cr

Cr

George

Cre

ek

Cre

ek

Cre

ek

Cre

ekCre

ek

Cre

ek

Inde

pend

ence

Cree

k

Oak

Sou

thNor

th O

ak

OwensLake(dry)

Goo

dale

Cr

DiazLake

AqueductIntake

RiverOwenslower

SIERRA

Mazourka Canyon

NEVADAFRESNOCOUNTY

TULARECOUNTY

INYOMOUNTAINS

VALLEYOWENS

Alabama Hills

Mt Whitney 118°15'

118°00'

118°30'

37°0

0'

36°4

5'

36°3

0'

Independence

Lone Pine

EXPLANATION

395

136

Valley fill

Bedrock

Geologic contact


Mono

BasinSierra

Nevada

CaliforniaNevada

Area of map

North

Owens Valley

Transmissivity – In feet squared per day. Refer to table9 for specific values and method of calculation

Less than 5,000

5,000 to 10,000

10,000 to 40,000

Greater than 40,000



Fulle

r

RiverOwens

Ow

ens

Riv

er

Bishop

OwensRiver

CanalCr

Canal

Geiger Canal

CanalCollins

Birch

Creek

Cree

k

Cre

ek

Creek

Creek

Coyote

FishSlough

Baker B

ig P

ine

Cr

Bir

ch

Tabo

ose

Tin

emah

aC

reek

Cree

k

Cree

k

Creek

CreekCr

Cr

Horton

McGee

Creek

Raw

son

Red

Mtn

Cr

Shannon

Bishop

Cr

Pine

Silv

er C

anyo

n

Can

yon

Col

dwat

er

TinemahaReservoir

PleasantValley

Reservoir

Cr

BigPine

Canal

KlondikeLake

WarrenLake

Rawson Canal

Canal

S McNally

McNallyN

A-drain

C-drain

Freeman

Cr

WHITE

SIERRA

NEVADA

INY

O C

OU

NT

Y

MO

NO

CO

UN

TY

MOUNTAINS

VALLEYOWENS

Volcanic

Tableland

PovertyHillsCrater

Mtn

RedMtn

Tungsten

Hills

RoundValley

Valley

Chalfant


NORTH

Owens RiverGo

rge

118°15'

118°30'

118°45'

37°1

5'

37°0

0'

37°1

5'

37°3

0'

Bishop

Laws

Big Pine

395

6


20 MILES0 15105

Wauco

ba

Poleta

Canyon

Westgard P

ass

Black Canyon

Canyon

Figure 16. Average horizontal hydraulic conductivity of valley-fill deposits in the Owens Valley, California.


RiverOwensLos Angeles

Aqueduct

Thib

aut

Sym

mes

Shep

herd

Lon

e

Tut

tle

Dia

z C

r

Car

roll

Cot

tonw

oodN

Lub

kin

Pin

eC

r

Hog

back

North Bairs C

rSouth B

airs Cr

Saw

mill

Div

isio

n

Cre

ek

Cre

ek

Cre

ek

Creek

Creek

Cr

Cr

George

Cre

ek

Cre

ek

Cre

ek

Cre

ekCre

ek

Cre

ek

Inde

pend

ence

Cree

k

Oak

Sou

thNor

th O

ak

OwensLake(dry)

Goo

dale

Cr

DiazLake

AqueductIntake


TULARECOUNTY

INYOMOUNTAINS

VALLEYOWENS

Alabama Hills


118°00'

118°30'

37°0

0'

36°4

5'

36°3

0'

Independence

Lone Pine

EXPLANATION

395

136

Valley fill

Bedrock


Mono

BasinSierra

Nevada

CaliforniaNevada

Area of map

North

Owens Valley

Mazourka Canyon

Geologic contact

Average horizontal hydraulic conductivity –In feet per day. Value calculated from transmissivitydetermined from an aquifer test divided by estimatedsaturated thickness

Less than 10

10 to 100

100 to 1,000

Greater than 1,000



Fish Springs

Big SeeleySprings

CharlesButteNo 1

Little SeeleySprings

Fulle

r

RiverOwens

Ow

ens

Riv

er

Bishop

OwensRiver

CanalCr

Canal

Geiger Canal

CanalCollins

Birch

Creek

Cree

k

Cre

ek

Creek

Creek

Coyote

FishSlough

Baker B

ig P

ine

Cr

Bir

ch

Tabo

ose

Tin

emah

aC

reek

Cree

k

Cree

k

Creek

CreekCr

Cr

Horton

McGee

Creek

Raw

son

Red

Mtn

Cr

Shannon

Bishop

Cr

Pine

Silv

er C

anyo

n

Can

yon

Col

dwat

er

TinemahaReservoir

PleasantValley

Reservoir

Cr

BigPine

Canal

KlondikeLake

WarrenLake

Rawson Canal

Canal

S McNally

McNallyN

A-drain

C-drain

Freeman

Cr

WHITE

SIERRA

NEVADA

INY

O C

OU

NT

Y

MO

NO

CO

UN

TY

MOUNTAINS

VALLEYOWENS

Volcanic

Tableland

Wauco

biEmbaym

ent

PovertyHills

CraterMtn

RedMtn

Tungsten

Hills

RoundValley

Valley

Chalfant


NORTH

Owens RiverGo

rge

118°15'

118°30'

118°45'

37°1

5'

37°0

0'

37°1

5'

37°3

0'

Laws

395

6


20 MILES0 15105

GEOLOGY

Valley fill

Bedrock

Geologic contact


DISC

HARG

E, IN

AC

RE-F

EET

PER

YEAR

20,868

5,29012,429

Big Pine

1960 70 80 1990

25,99434,453

668

10,69912,623

6,091Laws Bishop

50,000

40,000

30,000

20,000

10,000

01960 70 80 1990 1960 70 80 1990

Bishop

Big Pine

Figure 17. Location of springs, seeps, pumped or flowing wells, and approximate area of well fields in the Owens Valley, California. Inset graphs show annual discharge from each well field for water years 1963–88.


HinesSprings

Little BlackrockSprings Big Blackrock

Springs

Reinhackle Springs

Independence Springfield

Independence

Los AngelesAqueduct

Thib

aut

Sym

mes

Shep

herd

Lon

e

Tut

tle

Dia

z C

r

Car

roll

Cot

tonw

oodN

Lub

kin

Pin

eC

r

Hog

back

North Bairs C

rSouth B

airs Cr

Saw

mill

Div

isio

n

Cre

ek

Cre

ek

Cre

ek

Creek

Creek

Cr

Cr

George

Cre

ek

Cre

ek

Cre

ek

Cre

ekCre

ek

Cre

ek

Inde

pend

ence

Oak

Sou

thNor

th O

ak

OwensLake(dry)

Goo

dale

Cr

DiazLake

RiverOwenslower

AqueductIntake

OWENS VALLEY FAULT


TULARECOUNTY

INYOMOUNTAINS

VALLEYOWENS

Alabama Hills

Mt Whitney 118°15'

118°30'

36°4

5'

36°3

0'

395

136

Mazourka Canyon

DISC

HARG

E, IN

AC

RE-F

EET

PER

YEAR

DISC

HARG

E, IN

AC

RE-F

EET

PER

YEAR

Big Pine50,000

40,000

30,000

DISC

HARG

E, IN

AC

RE-F

EET

PER

YEAR

20,000

10,000

01960 1970 1980 1990

34,45325,994

668

Thibaut-Sawmill Bairs-George

Independence-Oak Lone Pine

Symmes-Shepherd

Taboose-Aberdeen

50,000

40,000

30,000

20,000

10,000

0

50,000

40,000

30,000

20,000

10,000

0

1960 70 80 1990

1960 70 80 1990

1960

19601960

196070 80 1990

70 80 199070 80 1990

70 80 1990

17,549

33910,167

25,505

1,78318,950

2,651

3272,199

11,245

3,3827,789

2,062

2591,997

12,842

2,0448,336

Well field

Well-field discharge – Bar chart shows totaldischarge (top line) and distribution of total dischargebetween hydrogeologic units 1 (green) and 3 (blue), which are represented in the ground-water flowmodel as the upper and lower layers, respectively

Well-field name

Average discharge (acre-feet per water year)

Upper model layer

Lower model layer

1963-69, top number

1970-84, middle number

1985-88, bottom number

Seep

Spring

Well with measured dischargeduring water years 1963-88

Boundary of the OwensValley drainage basin

Lone Pine




300,000

250,000

200,000

150,000

100,000

50,000

050 100

ANNUAL RUNOFF, IN PERCENT OF AVERAGE ANNUAL RUNOFF

EXPLANATION

Average annual runoff for the Owens Valleywas calculated for water years 1935-84by the Los Angeles Department of Waterand Power (station OUKR, table 6; M.L.Blevins, written commun., 1988). Annualrunoff for the Owens Valley commonly isexpressed as a percent of long-term average annual runoff and is referred tolocally as percent valleywide runoff orpercent runoff year; refer to table 7 forannual values

Antecedent relation – Based on quantityof runoff in preceding water year. Annualpumpage is greater when antecedentconditions are dry

Data point – Annual value for water years

Wet conditions in preceding year

Dry conditions in preceding year

1963-69

1970-84

1985-88

AN

NU

AL

PU

MP

AG

E, I

N A

CR

E-F

EE

T P

ER

YE

AR

150 200

1988

1986

19691967196319661965

1964 1968

1985

1977

1971

1981

1979

1970

1976

1975

1973

1978

19821980

198319841974

1972

1987

aquifer recharge and discharge resulted in greater fluctuations in ground-water levels.

Underflow

Underflow into and out of the aquifer system occurs at several locations shown in figure 14. Under-flow from three drainages (Bishop and Big Pine Creeks and Waucoba Canyon) originates as recharge from tributary streams outside the aquifer system. For that reason, the quantity of underflow from those areas, totaling about 500 acre-ft/yr, is included for water-budget purposes as part of tributary stream recharge (table 10).

The quantity of underflow from Round Valley, the Volcanic Tableland, and Chalfant Valley is much greater and was estimated to average about 4,000 acre-ft/yr (table 10). Prior estimates of underflow from these areas were significantly higher, totaling as much as 25,000 acre-ft/yr. These estimates were based on Darcy's law (Los Angeles Department of Water and Power 1972, 1976, 1978, 1979) and on steady-state ground-water-model simulations (Danskin, 1988). As shown in table 10, the quantity of underflow into the aquifer system is not known with certainty. However,

the present estimates, which are consistent with results from several different ground-water flow models developed during the cooperative USGS studies, probably are more accurate than previous estimates. The models also are based on Darcy's law, but they have additional advantages; these include incorpora-ting nearby ground-water recharge and discharge, accounting for changes in ground-water storage, and matching various historical conditions (calibration).

Underflow out of the aquifer system occurs only across an arbitrary east–west line south of Lone Pine. In the area east of the Alabama Hills, most ground water flows out of the aquifer system through hydrogeologic unit 3, which is thicker and more transmissive than hydrogeologic unit 1. In the area west of the Alabama Hills, hydrogeologic units 1 and 3 act together, and there is no clear distinction between the two units, or indication of the relative quantity of underflow from each. Total underflow from both areas was estimated to be about 10,000 acre-ft/yr. This estimate is based on calibration of the valleywide ground-water flow model and on a water-budget analysis of the Owens Lake area by Lopes (1988). No difference in the quantity of underflow before and after 1970 was detected (table 10).

Figure 18. Relation between annual pumpage and annual runoff for the Owens Valley, California.


Canal

Creek Fulle

r

RiverOwens

Ow

ens

Riv

er

Bishop

OwensRiver

Cr

Canal

Geiger Canal

CanalCollins

Birch

Creek

Cree

k

Cre

ek

Creek

Coyote

FishSlough

Baker B

ig P

ine

Cr

Bir

ch

Tabo

ose

Tin

emah

aC

reek

Cree

k

Cree

k

Creek

CreekCr

Cr

Horton

McGee

Creek

Raw

son

Red

Mtn

Cr

Shannon

Bishop

Cr

Pine

Silv

er C

anyo

n

Can

yon

Col

dwat

er

TinemahaReservoir

PleasantValley

Reservoir

Cr

BigPine

Canal

KlondikeLake

WarrenLake

Rawson Canal

Canal

S McNally

McNallyN

A-drain

C-drain

Freeman

Cr

WHITE

SIERRA

NEVADA

INY

O C

OU

NT

Y

MO

NO

CO

UN

TY

MOUNTAINS

VALLEYOWENS

Volcanic

Tableland

Wauco

ba

Canyon

PovertyHillsCrater

Mtn

RedMtn

Tungsten

Hills

RoundValley

Valley

Chalfant


NORTH

Owens RiverGo

rge

118°15'

118°30'

118°45'

37°1

5'

37°0

0'

37°1

5'

37°3

0'

Bishop

Laws

Big Pine

395

6


20 MILES0 15105

Poleta

Canyon

Westgard P

ass

Black Canyon

GEOLOGY

Bedrock

Geologic contact



Area not simulated

○○

○○○

○○○

○○

○

○

○○

○

○○○

○○○○

○○

3,950 3,900

4,050

4,000

4,2004,150

4,100

4,250

4,3004,350 4,400

3,850

4,000

3,900

3,850

4,1004,2004,300

3,850

3,90

0

3,95

0

4,00

0

4,050

4,100

4,150

4,15

0

4,200

4,250

4,30

04,

350

Figure 19. Measured and simulated potentiometric surfaces for hydrogeologic unit 1 (upper model layer) in the Owens Valley, California, spring 1984.


Riverlower Owens

Los AngelesAqueduct

Thib

aut

Sym

mes

Shep

herd

Lon

e

Tut

tle

Dia

z C

r

Car

roll

Cot

tonw

oodN

Lub

kin

Pin

eC

r

Hog

back

North Bairs C

rSouth B

airs Cr

Saw

mill

Div

isio

n

Cre

ek

Cre

ek

Cre

ek

Creek

Creek

Cr

Cr

GeorgeC

reekC

reek

Cre

ek

Cre

ek

Cre

ek

Cre

ek

Inde

pend

ence

Cree

k

Sou

thO

ak

Nor

th O

ak

OwensLake(dry)

Goo

dale

Cr

DiazLake

AqueductIntake


TULARECOUNTY

INYOMOUNTAINS

VALLEYOWENS

Alabama Hills


118°00'

118°30'

37°0

0'

36°4

5'

36°3

0'

Independence

395

136

Mono

BasinSierra

Nevada

CaliforniaNevada

Area of map

North

Owens Valley



Lone Pine

MazourkaCanyon

OWENS VALLEY FAULT


○○

○

○○○○

○○

○



○○○○○○○○○○○3,650

4,1004,0

50

4,150

4,150

4,1004,050

4,000

3,9503,900

3,850

3,600

4,200

4,0003,9003,850

3,900

3,950

3,800

3,950

3,750

3,70

0

3,900Simulated

Potentiometric contour – Shows approximatealtitude of the water table in hydrogeologic unit 1,represented by the upper layer of the ground-waterflow model, spring 1984. Contour interval 50 feet. Datum is sea level

3,800

3,900

3,750

3,750

3,70

0

3,650

3,600

3,900Measured



Freeman

Cr

Fulle

r

RiverOwens

Ow

ens

Riv

er

Bishop

OwensRiver

CanalCr

Canal

Geiger Canal

CanalCollins

Birch

Creek

Cree

k

Cre

ek

Creek

Creek

Coyote

FishSlough

Baker B

ig P

ine

Cr

Bir

ch

Tabo

ose

Tin

emah

aC

reek

Cree

k

Cree

k

Creek

CreekCr

Cr

Horton

Creek

Raw

son

Red

Mtn

Cr

Shannon

Bishop

Cr

Pine

Silv

er C

anyo

n

Can

yon

Col

dwat

er

TinemahaReservoir

PleasantValley

Reservoir

Cr

BigPine

Canal

KlondikeLake

WarrenLake

Rawson Canal

Canal

S McNally

McNallyN

A-drain

C-drain

WHITE

SIERRA

NEVADA

INY

O C

OU

NT

Y

MO

NO

CO

UN

TY

MOUNTAINS

VALLEYOWENS

Volcanic

Tableland

Wauco

ba

Canyon

PovertyHillsCrater

Mtn

RedMtn

Tungsten

Hills

RoundValley

Valley

Chalfant


NORTH

Owens RiverGo

rge

118°15'

118°30'

118°45'

37°1

5'

37°0

0'

37°1

5'

37°3

0'

Bishop

Laws

Big Pine

395

6


20 MILES0 15105

Poleta

Canyon

Westgard P

ass

Black Canyon

GEOLOGY

Bedrock

Geologic contact



Area not simulated

○○

○○○

○○○

○○

○

○

○○

○

○○○

○○○○

○○

3,950

4,050

4,100

3,95

0

4,000

3,90

0

3,900

4,000

4,100

4,200

4,150

4,15

0

4,250

4,35

0

3,850

4,150

4,000

3,950 3,900

4,200

4,150

4,100

4,250

4,3004,350

4,400

3,8504,

050

Figure 20. Measured and simulated potentiometric surfaces for hydrogeologic unit 3 (lower model layer) in the Owens Valley, California, spring 1984.


RiverOwenslower

Los AngelesAqueduct

Thib

aut

Sym

mes

Shepherd

Lon

e

Tut

tle

Dia

z C

r

Car

roll

Cot

tonw

oodN

Lub

kin

Pin

eC

r

Hog

back

North Bairs C

rSouth B

airs Cr

Saw

mill

Div

isio

n

Creek

Cre

ek

Cre

ek

Creek

Creek

Cr

Cr

George

Cre

ek

Cre

ek

Cre

ek

Cre

ek

Cre

ek

Cre

ek

Inde

pend

ence

Cr

Oak

Sou

th

Nor

th O

ak

OwensLake(dry)

Goo

dale

Cr

DiazLake

AqueductIntake


TULARECOUNTY

INYOMOUNTAINS

VALLEYOWENS Alabama Hills

Mt Whitney 118°15'

118°00'

118°30'

37°0

0'

36°4

5'

36°3

0'

Lone Pine

395

136

Mono

BasinSierra

Nevada

CaliforniaNevada

Area of map

North

Owens Valley



Independence

MazourkaCanyon

OWENS VALLEY FAULT


○○

○

○○○○

○○

○



○○○○○○○○○○○

3,900 Potentiometric contour – Shows approximatealtitude of the hydraulic head in hydrogeologic unit 3, represented by the lower layer of theground-water flow model, spring 1984.Contour interval 50 feet. Datum is sea level

Measured

3,8503,850

3,900

3,800

3,7503,750

3,600

3,700

3,700

3,65

0

3,70

0

3,650

Simulated

4,1004,0

50

4,15

0

3,650

4,200

4,000

3,950

3,750

3,700

4,150

4,100

4,0003,900

3,850

3,600

3,900

3,850

3,800

3,900

3,900

3,950



OwensLake(dry)

Owens

River

LakeCrowley

River

Ow

ens

lower

River

Owens

Tinemaha Reservoir


HaiweeReservoir

GrantLake

Mono CratersTunnel

Mono Lake

37°00'

38°00'

118°00'119°00'

190

395

395

MONO COUNTYINYO COUNTYFR

ESNO C

OUNTY

MADERA C

OUNTY

CALIFORNIA

INY

O

WH

ITE

MO

UNTAINS

MO

UN

TAIN

S

SIE

RR

AN

EV

AD

A

SIERRA

NEVADA

NEVADA

MONOBASIN

Bishop

LawsLaws

Bishop

Laws

EXPLANATION

Valley fill

7

2

Bedrock

Bishop Basin

Simulated areas in the

Well field

Stream-measurement pointand number

Spring

Owens Lake Basin


40 MILES0 10 20 30

Independence

Lone PineLone PineLone Pine

Big Pine

Independence

Big Pine

LongValley

Benton

Range

VolcanicTablelandRound

Valley

TU

LAR

E CO

UN

TY

Alabama Hills

3

Fish Springs

Poverty HillsBig Seeley Springs

Big Blackrock Springs

4

5

6

7

8

CosoRange

1

Crater Mountain

AFigure 21. Simulated ground-water recharge and discharge during water years 1963–88 in the Owens Valley, California. Values for each water-budget component are given in table 11.


1960

12

0

2

4

6

8

10

5

10

15

20

25

RE

CH

AR

GE

OR

DIS

CH

AR

GE

, IN

TH

OU

SA

ND

S O

F A

CR

E-F

EE

T P

ER

YE

AR

YEAR

50

100

150

200

250

50

100

150

200

250

30

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

0300

0

-120

60

0

60

120

180

-180

300

0

-15

-10

-5

0

5

10

15

25

50

75

100

125

10

20

30

40

50

150

0

-10

0

10

20

30

40

-20

60

0

1970 1980 1990 1960 1970 1980 1990 1960 1970 1980 1990

Multiple items in bar graphs are shown as added (stacked) values, except for stream gain, stream loss, and spring discharge. Miscellaneousrecharge includes "operations, ground-water recharge, recreation/wildlife, enhancement and mitigation" as defined by the Los AngelesDepartment of Water and Power (R.H. Rawson, written commun., 1987-89). Refer to table 11

Tributarystreams

Surface-water recharge Miscellaneous recharge Recharge from irrigation andstock water

Ungagedmountain

front

Upper model layer

Pumped and flowing wells

Lower model layer

Bishop Basin

Evapotranspiration

Stream-measurement points on map5 to 6

1 to 2

4 to 72 to 3

7 to 8

Stream loss (-)

River-aqueduct system andlower Owens River

Owens Lake Basin

Big Blackrock Springs

Measured

Fish Springs

Simulated

Measured

Big Seeley Springs

Simulated

Inflow

Boundary underflow

OutflowSpillgate releases

Recharge from precipitation andspillgate releases

Precipitation

Into storage

Ground-water storage

Out of storage

Canals andditches

Measured

Simulated

Stream gain (+)

B



Bishop 279(17, 14, unknown)

Big Pine 216(66, 25, unknown)

Bishop USGS 2(37, 24, upper)

Lone Pine 379T(148, 30, upper)

Goodale 419T(96, 23, upper)

Independence 1T(129, 12, upper)


4,050

4,040

4,030

4,020

4,010

4,000

3,990

3,980

3,970

3,960

3,950

3,970

3,960

3,950

3,940

3,930

3,920

3,910

3,900

3,890

3,880

3,870

3,870

3,860

3,850

3,840

3,830

3,820

3,810

3,800

3,790

3,780

3,770

3,900

3,890

3,880

3,870

3,860

3,850

3,840

3,830

3,820

3,810

3,800

3,750

3,740

3,730

3,720

3,710

3,700

3,690

3,680

3,670

3,660

3,650

1960 1970 1980 1990 1960 1970 1980 1990

ALT

ITU

DE

, IN

FE

ET

AB

OV

E S

EA

LE

VE

L

YEAR YEAR

4,320

4,310

4,300

4,290

4,280

4,270

4,260

4,250

4,240

4,230

4,220

Variations in Recharge

EXPLANATIONWell and designation –Area and well number; model row, column,and layer are noted in parentheses

Land-surface datum

Near wellfields

Inrecharge

areas

Distant fromrecharge

areas and well fields

Measured ground-water level

AA

Figure 22. Sensitivity of simulated hydraulic heads in the Owens Valley, California, to variations in recharge (A) and pumpage (B) at wells in recharge areas, near well fields, and distant from both. Method of variation is described in text. Well locations are shown on plate 1.


4,320

Near wellfields

Inrecharge

areas

Distant fromrecharge

areas and well fields

Bishop 279(17, 14, unknown)

Sensitivityanalysis

ModelCalibration

Big Pine 216(66, 25, unknown)


Lone Pine 379T(148, 30, upper)

Goodale 419T(96, 23, upper)

Independence 1T(129, 12, upper)

4,310

4,300

4,290

4,280

4,270

4,260

4,250

4,240

4,230

4,220

4,050

4,040

4,030

4,020

4,010

4,000

3,990

3,980

3,970

3,960

3,950

3,970

3,960

3,950

3,940

3,930

3,920

3,910

3,900

3,890

3,880

3,870

3,870

3,860

3,850

3,840

3,830

3,820

3,810

3,800

3,790

3,780

3,770

3,900

3,890

3,880

3,870

3,860

3,850

3,840

3,830

3,820

3,810

3,800

3,750

3,740

3,730

3,720

3,710

3,700

3,690

3,680

3,670

3,660

3,650

1960 1970 1980YEAR YEAR

ALT

ITU

DE

, IN

FE

ET

AB

OV

E S

EA

LE

VE

L

1990 1960 1970 1980 1990

Hydraulic headsimulated during

Model calibration Sensitivity analysis

Upper model layer

Lower model layer

Upper model layer

Lower model layer

Variations in Pumpage

B



OwensLake(dry)

Owens

River

LakeCrowley

River

Ow

ens

lower

River

Owens

Tinemaha Reservoir


HaiweeReservoir

GrantLake

Mono CratersTunnel

Mono Lake

37°00'

38°00'

119°00' 118°00'


ESNO C

OUNTY

MADERA C

OUNTY

CALIFORNIA

INY

O

WH

ITE

MO

UNTAINS

MO

UN

TAIN

S

SIE

RR

AN

EV

AD

A

SIERRA

NEVADA

NEVADA

MONOBASIN

Bishop

LawsLaws

EXPLANATION

Valley fill – Unconsolidated materialnot simulated by the ground-water flowmodel

Bedrock


Rise

40 KILOMETERS

40 MILES

Independence

Lone Pine

Big Pine

Bishop

Independence

Lone Pine

Big Pine

LongValley

ValleyRound

Benton

Range

Alabama Hills

VolcanicTableland

TU

LAR

E CO

UN

TY

0 to10 feet

10 to20 feet

Greater than30 feet

20 to30 feet

Decline

0 to10 feet

20 to30 feet

Greater than30 feet

10 to20 feet

Simulated change in water-table altitude –Values calculated by the valleywide ground-water flow model for the upper model layer,which represents hydrogeologic unit 1 (figures5 and 14). Rise indicates water table in 1984 is higher than in 1963

Poverty Hills

Crater Mountain

CosoRange

0 10 20 30

0 10 20 30

Figure 23. Simulated change in water-table altitude in the Owens Valley, California, between water years 1963 and 1984.


0.8

0.6

0.4

FLO

W R

AT

E, I

N C

UB

IC F

EE

T P

ER

SE

CO

ND

YEAR

0.2

01960 1970 1980 1990

2,000 feet

2,000 feet

400

Bedrock(not simulated)

Hydrogeologic unit 3 (lower model layer)

EXPLANATION

Geologic materials

Undifferentiated, partly consolidated deposits –Poorly permeable, not part of the defined aquifersystem

Bedrock – Impermeable

Simulated ground-water flow vector – Numberand vector indicate mean flow rate, in cubic feetper second, and direction for water years 1970-84.Upper italic number indicates mean flow rate forwater years 1963-69

Simulated ground-water flow rates for wateryears 1963-88 –

Horizontal flow rate in lower model layer

Horizontal flow rate in upper model layer

Vertical flow rate from lower to upper model layerEvapotranspiration rate from upper model layer

Hydrogeologic unit 4(not simulated)

Hydrogeologic unit 1(upper model layer)

Hydrogeologic unit 2(approximated by Darcy's law)

DE

PT

H B

ELO

W L

AN

D S

UR

FA

CE

, IN

FE

ET

>2,000

300

200

100

0

A

B

Fine-grained deposits – Poorly permeable

Fluvial and lacustrine deposits – Moderatelyto highly permeable

��

0.120.07

0.130.18

0.590.42

0.120.07

0.230.15

0.020.00

0.320.28

North

Land surface with native vegetation(high-ground-water alkaline scrub)

Figure 24. Simulated ground-water flow rates near the fast-drawdown site at Independence, California (figure 2, site K; table 1). A, average flow vectors for water years 1963–69 and 1970–84 for the ground-water model cell (row 128, column 23) that represents the area surrounding site K. Also refer to section C–C’ (figure 5). B, annual flow rates for water years 1963–88.


��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

b

b'

West East

Valley floor(Area of reduced discharge from springs, seeps,

and evapotranspiration under pumped conditions)(Area of recharge)

Alluvial fan

Ow

ens

Val

ley

Fau

lt

Los

Ang

eles

Aqu

educ

t

Ow

ens

Riv

er

EXPLANATION

Hydrogeologic unit 1 – Unconfined zone withwater-table surface. Light brown area is unsaturated. Cross-hatched area is desaturated by pumping andno longer capable of transporting ground watertoward the valley floor

Generalized direction of ground-water flow

Well – Yellow color indicates interval open to theaquifer

Fault – Dashed where inferred. Arrows indicatedirection of movement

Saturated thickness of hydrogeologicunit 1 – Under different pumping conditions

b no pumping b' pumping

Hydrogeologic unit 3 – Composite confined zonewith potentiometric surface

Fine-grained, less permeable deposit – Mostlysilt and clay

No pumping

Pumping

No pumping

Pumping

��

395

Land Surface

NOT TO SCALE

Figure 25. Schematic section across the Owens Valley near Independence, California, showing ground-water flow under different pumping conditions. Saturated thickness of hydrogeologic unit 1 beneath the alluvial fans may decrease markedly (from b to b’ ) during pumping and result in significantly less ground-water flow toward the valley flow.


Tinemaha Reservoir

OwensLake(dry)

Owens

River

LakeCrowley

River

Ow

ens

lower

River

Owens


HaiweeReservoir

GrantLake

Mono CratersTunnel

Mono Lake

37°00'

38°00'

119°00' 118°00'


ESNO C

OUNTY

MADERA C

OUNTY

CALIFORNIA

INY

O

WH

ITE

MO

UNTAINS

MO

UN

TAIN

S

SIE

RR

AN

EV

AD

A

SIERRA

NEVADA

NEVADA

MONOBASIN

Bishop

EXPLANATION

Valley fill – Unconsolidated materialnot simulated by the ground-waterflow model

Bedrock

Line of section – Shown in figures 28and 29

Boundary of the Owens Valleydrainage basin

E'

E E'

D

E

D'

C

C'

B

B'

A

A'

Simulated change in water-table altitude – Values for 1984 and 1988 steady-state con-ditions were simulated for the upper layer of thevalleywide ground-water flow model, as describedin text. Decline indicates water table for 1988steady-state conditions is lower than in 1984


40 MILES0 10 20 30

Independence

Lone Pine

Big Pine

Benton

Range

Alabama Hills

VolcanicTableland

TU

LAR

E CO

UN

TY

0 to10 feet

10 to30 feet

Greater than50 feet

30 to50 feet

DeclineRise

0 to10 feet

30 to50 feet

Greater than50 feet

10 to30 feet

LongValley

Laws

Round

ValleyPoverty Hills

Crater Mountain

CosoRange

Bishop

Independence

Lone Pine

Big Pine

Figure 26. Simulated change in water-table altitude in the Owens Valley, California, between water year 1984 conditions and 1988 steady-state conditions.

Evaluation of Selected Water-Management Alternatives 107

Tributary streams 54% Evapotranspiration 53%

Underflow5%

Springs andseeps13%Pumped and

flowing wells11%

River-aqueductchannel

9%

LowerOwensRiver9%

Lakes,reservoirs, canals,

ditches, ponds, andmiscellaneous water

operations 17%



operations 18%



operations 21%

Ungagedrunofffrom

mountainfront andbedrockoutcrops

13%

Ungagedrunofffrom


12%

Ungagedrunofffrom


14%

Spillgates3%

Irrigationand

watering oflivestock

9%

Precipitation1%

Underflow3%

Water years 1963-69

Water years 1970-84

Storage gain (7,000)Inflow (198,000) Outflow (191,000)

Storage loss (12,000)

Storage change (0)

Outflow (198,000)

Outflow (205,000)

Inflow (186,000)

Inflow (205,000)

1988 Steady state

GROUND-WATER INFLOW GROUND-WATER OUTFLOW

Tributary streams 55%

Tributary streams 47%

Evapotranspiration 34%

Evapotranspiration 17%

Irrigationand wateringof livestock

6%

Irrigation andwatering oflivestock

5%

Spillgates3%

Spillgates3%

LowerOwensRiver7%

Lower OwensRiver 5%

Precipitation1%

Underflow3%

Underflow3%

Precipitation1%

Pumped andflowing wells

50%

Pumped andflowing wells

73%

Underflow5%

Springs andseeps

1%

Underflow5%


3%


8%

Figure 27. Simulated ground-water budgets for the aquifer system of the Owens Valley, California, for water years 1963–69, water years 1970–84, and 1988 steady-state conditions. Average inflow, outflow, and change in storage are expressed in acre-feet per year. Refer to text for model assumptions and to table 11 for precise values.


A A'

B B'

C C'

395US

395US

Laws section A–A'

McG

ee C

r

Ow

ens

Riv

er

Ow

ens

Riv

er

395US

Ow

ens

Riv

er

McN

ally

can

als

Big

Pine

Can

alBishop section B–B'

Taboose section C–C'

4,400

4,500GROUND-WATER FLOW MODEL COLUMN

DISTANCE, IN THOUSANDS OF FEETVertical scale greatly exaggeratedDatum is sea level

ALT

ITU

DE

, IN

FE

ET

10 15 20 25 30 35

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

4,300

4,200

4,100

4,000

4,200

4,300

ALT

ITU

DE

, IN

FE

ET

4,100

4,000

3,900

3,800

4,000

4,100

ALT

ITU

DE

, IN

FE

ET

3,900

3,800

3,700

3,600

110 percent runoff100 percent runoff

90 percent runoff

Land surface

Ground-water flow model row 121984

Maximum 1963-88

Minimum 1963-88



Figure 28. Sections showing the simulated water table in the Owens Valley, California, for 1998 steady-state conditions with different quantities of runoff. Line of sections shown in figure 26.


D D'

395US

Vertical scale greatly exaggeratedDatum is sea level

EXPLANATION

E E'

Alabama Hills

Ow

ens

Riv

er

395US

Ow

ens

Riv

er

Los

Ange

les

Aque

duct

Simulated water table – Fromcalibration and verification of theground-water flow model

Valley fill

Bedrock

Land surface

Simulated water table – For water manage-ment alternative 2 (1988 steady-state conditionswith different quantities of runoff). Values arecalculated by the valleywide ground-water flowmodel for the upper model layer, which representshydrogeologic unit 1 (figures 5 and 14)

Maz

ourk

a C

anyo

n (p

roba

bly

show

n to

o de

ep)

Lone Pine section E–E'

4,100


ALT

ITU

DE

, IN

FE

ET

10 15 20 25 30 35

4,000

3,900

3,800

3,700

DISTANCE, IN THOUSANDS OF FEET

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

4,100

4,200

ALT

ITU

DE

, IN

FE

ET 4,000

3,900

3,800

3,700

3,600

Well 357

Well 1T

Above-average runoff (110 percent)

Range during wateryears 1963-88

Average runoff (100 percent)

Below-average runoff (90 percent)

Water year 1984


Depth of valleyfill unknown

Independence section D–D'Ground-water flow model row 128



A A'

B B'

C C'

395US

395US

Laws section A–A'


McG

ee C

r

125

1007550

250

Ow

ens

Riv

er

Ow

ens

Riv

er

395US

Ow

ens

Riv

er

McN

ally

can

als

Big

Pine

Can

alBishop section B–B'

Taboose section C–C'

4,400



ALT

ITU

DE

, IN

FE

ET

10 15 20 25 30 35

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

4,300

4,200

4,100

4,000

4,200

4,300

ALT

ITU

DE

, IN

FE

ET

4,100

4,000

3,900

3,800

4,000

4,100

ALT

ITU

DE

, IN

FE

ET

3,900

3,800

3,700

3,600

Land surface

Ground-water flow model row 12 1984

Percentpumpage



Figure 29. Sections showing the simulated water table in the Owens Valley, California, for 1988 steady-state conditions with different quantities of pumpage. Line of sections shown in figure 26.


D D'

395US


EXPLANATION

Maz

ourk

a C

anyo

n (p

roba

bly

show

n to

o de

ep)

0Simulated water table for water year 1984 –From calibration andverification of the ground-water flow model

Valley fill

Bedrock

Land surface

100755025

125

E E'

Alabama Hills

Ow

ens

Riv

er

395US

Ow

ens

Riv

er

Los

Ange

les

Aque

duct

Independence section D–D'

Lone Pine section E–E'

GROUND-WATER FLOW MODEL COLUMNA

LTIT

UD

E, I

N F

EE

T

10 15 20 25 30 35


0 10 20 30 40 50 60

4,100

4,200

ALT

ITU

DE

, IN

FE

ET 4,000

3,900

3,800

3,700

3,600

Well 357

Well 1T



4,100

4,200

4,000

3,900

3,800

3,700

Depth of valleyfill unknown

Simulated water table – For watermanagement alternative 3 (1988 steady-state conditions with different quantities ofpumpage). Values are calculated by thevalley-wide ground-water flow model forthe upper model layer, which representshydrogeologic unit 1 (figures 5 and 14).Dotted and dashed lines from top tobottom indicate 0, 25, 50, 75, and 125percent of 1988 steady-state pumpage,respectively. Magenta line is 100 percent



Droughtconditions

3-year period

70%

Maximum

100%

1988 steady-state value

Simulation period

Responseshown infigure 31



130%

3-year period 3-year period

Percent of averageannualrunoff

Annualpumpage

Water-tableresponse

down

up

less

more

less

more

1988steady-stateconditions

Wetconditions

I II III



Near artificial recharge

On the valley floor

Some areas on the valley floor that have a simulated decline in water-table altitude greater than 10 ft are areas that are covered with native vegetation identified as susceptible to stress from pumping (R.H. Rawson, Los Angeles Department of Water and

Power, written commun., 1988; Sorenson and others, 1991). The significant water-table decline in these areas decreases evapotranspiration, prompts native vegetation to drop leaves, and reduces total biomass on the valley floor. Some species, such as rabbitbrush

Figure 30. Diagram of water-management alternative 4 for the Owens Valley, California. Shown are changes in percent of average annual runoff, annual pumpage, and water-table response at typical locations in the valley during the 9-year simulation period. Results at the end of each 3-year period are displayed in figures 31–33.


OwensLake(dry)

Owens

River

LakeCrowley

River

Ow

ens

lower

River

Owens

Tinemaha Reservoir


HaiweeReservoir

GrantLake

Mono CratersTunnel

Mono Lake

37°00'

38°00'

119°00' 118°00'


ESNO C

OUNTY

MADERA C

OUNTY

CALIFORNIA

INY

O

WH

ITE

MO

UNTAINS

MO

UN

TAIN

S

SIE

RR

AN

EV

AD

A

SIERRA

NEVADA

NEVADABishopBishop

EXPLANATION


Bedrock

Rise

Simulated change in water-table altitude –Value at end of the first 3-year period (I)compared with 1988 steady-state conditions.Refer to diagram of alternative 4 (figure 30).Rise indicates water table at end of period Iis higher than 1988 steady-state value

40 KILOMETERS0

40 MILES0

Independence

Lone Pine

Big Pine

Independence

Lone Pine

Big Pine

Benton

Range

Alabama Hills

VolcanicTableland

TU

LAR

E CO

UN

TY

0 to10 feet

10 to20 feet

Greater than30 feet

20 to30 feet

Decline

0 to10 feet

20 to30 feet

Greater than30 feet

10 to20 feet

MONO BASIN

LongValley

6


10 20 30

10 20 30

Round

ValleyPoverty Hills

CosoRange

Crater Mountain

LawsLawsLaws

Figure 31. Simulated change in water-table altitude in the Owens Valley, California, for water-management alternative 4 at the end of period I, representing 3 years of drought.


OwensLake(dry)

Owens

River

LakeCrowley

River

Ow

ens

lower

River

Owens

Tinemaha Reservoir


HaiweeReservoir

GrantLake

Mono CratersTunnel

Mono Lake

37°00'

38°00'

119°00' 118°00'


ESNO C

OUNTY

MADERA C

OUNTY

CALIFORNIA

INY

O

WH

ITE

MO

UNTAINS

MO

UN

TAIN

S

SIE

RR

AN

EV

AD

A

SIERRA

NEVADA

NEVADABishop

40 KILOMETERS0

40 MILES0

Independence

Lone Pine

Big Pine

Benton

Range

Alabama Hills

VolcanicTableland

TU

LAR

E CO

UN

TY

MONO BASIN

LongValley

Rise

0 to10 feet

10 to20 feet

Greater than30 feet

20 to30 feet

Decline

0 to10 feet

20 to30 feet

Greater than30 feet

10 to20 feet


10 20 30

10 20 30

Round

Valley

Poverty Hills

CosoRange

Crater Mountain

LawsLaws

Bishop

Independence

Lone Pine

Big Pine

Laws

Bedrock

Simulated change in water-table altitude –Value at end of the second 3-year period (II)compared with 1988 steady-state conditions.Refer to diagram of alternative 4 (figure 30).Rise indicates water table at end of period IIis higher than 1988 steady-state value

EXPLANATION


Figure 32. Simulated change in water-table altitude in the Owens Valley, California, for water-management alternative 4 at the end of period II, representing 3 years of recovery.


lower

OwensLake(dry)

Owens

River

LakeCrowley

River

Ow

ens

River

Owens

Tinemaha Reservoir


HaiweeReservoir

GrantLake

Mono CratersTunnel

Mono Lake

37°00'

38°00'

119°00' 118°00'

EXPLANATION



ESNO C

OUNTY

MADERA C

OUNTY

CALIFORNIA

INY

O

WH

ITE

MO

UNTAINS

MO

UN

TAIN

S

SIE

RR

AN

EV

AD

A

SIERRA

NEVADA

NEVADA

40 KILOMETERS0

40 MILES0

Benton

Range

Alabama Hills

VolcanicTableland

TU

LAR

E CO

UN

TY

MONO BASIN

LongValley

BishopBishop

Independence

Lone Pine

Big Pine

Independence

Lone Pine

Big Pine

10 20 30

10 20 30

Round

ValleyPoverty Hills

CosoRange

Crater Mountain

LawsLawsLaws

Rise

0 to10 feet

10 to20 feet

Greater than30 feet

20 to30 feet

Decline

0 to10 feet

20 to30 feet

Greater than30 feet

10 to20 feet


Bedrock

Simulated change in water-table altitude –Value at end of the third 3-year period (III)compared with 1988 steady-state conditions.Refer to diagram of alternative 4 (figure 30).Rise indicates water table at end of period IIIis higher than 1988 steady-state value

Figure 33. Simulated change in water-table altitude in the Owens Valley, California, for water-management alternative 4 at the end of period III, representing 3 years of wet conditions.


Owens Lake

Ow

ens

lower

River

Owens Lake

Ow

ens

lower

River

Owens Lake

Ow

ens

lower

River

Owens Lake

Ow

ens

lower

River

37°00'11

8°00

'37°00'

118°

00'

37°00'

118°

00'

37°00'

118°

00'


INY

O

WH

ITE

MTS

MTS

SIE

RR

AN

EV

AD

A

VolcanicTableland

0 feet

Greater than0 to 5 feet

5 to 10 feet

10 to15 feet

Greater than15 feet

Simulated decline in water-tablealtitude – Values obtained from a1-year simulation of the valleywideground-water flow model using anadditional 10,000 acre-feet per yearof pumpage at each well field, oneat a time, and compared with 1988steady-state initial conditions. Referto table 15

Valley fill – Unconsolidated materialsnot simulated by the ground-waterflow model

EXPLANATION

Bedrock

Geologic contact

Well field and name


20 KILOMETERS0 10

20 MILES0 10

Alabam

a

Hills


INY

O

WH

ITE

MTS

MTS

SIE

RR

AN

EV

AD

A

VolcanicTableland

Alabam

a

Hills


INY

O

WH

ITE

MTS

MTS

SIE

RR

AN

EV

AD

A

VolcanicTableland

Alabam

a

Hills


INY

O

WH

ITE

MTS

MTS

SIE

RR

AN

EV

AD

A

VolcanicTableland

Alabam

a

Hills

D. Allwell fields,excludingLone Pine

A. LawsandTaboose-Aberdeenwell fields

B. Bishopand Thibaut-Sawmillwell fields

C. Big PineandIndependencesouth well fields

BishopBishop

Lone Pine

Big Pine

Lone Pine

Big Pine

BishopBishop

Lone Pine

Big Pine

Lone Pine

Big Pine

BishopBishop

Independence

Lone Pine

Big Pine

IndependenceIndependenceIndependenceIndependenceIndependence

Lone Pine

Big Pine

Taboose-Aberdeen

LonePine

LonePine

Laws Bishop

Thibaut-Sawmill Independence

south

BigPine

LawsLaws

BishopBishop

Independence

Lone Pine

Big Pine

Independence

Lone Pine

Big Pine

Figure 34. Simulated decline in water-table altitude in the Owens Valley, California, resulting from a unit increase in pumpage at each well field.


Owens Lake

Ow

ens

Lower

River

Owens Lake

Ow

ens

Lower

River

Owens Lake

Ow

ens

Lower

River

Owens Lake

Ow

ens

Lower

River

Owens Lake

Ow

ens

Lower

River

37°00'11

8°00

'37°00'

118°

00'

37°00'

118°

00'

37°00'

118°

00'

37°00'

118°

00'


INY

O

WH

ITE

MTS

MTS

SIE

RR

AN

EV

AD

A

VolcanicTableland

EXPLANATION

20 KILOMETERS0 10

20 MILES0 10

Alabam

a

Hills


INY

O

WH

ITE

MTS

MTS

SIE

RR

AN

EV

AD

A

VolcanicTableland

Alabam

a

Hills


INY

O

WH

ITE

MTS

MTS

SIE

RR

AN

EV

AD

A

Bishop

Independence

Lone Pine

Big Pine

VolcanicTableland

Alabam

a

Hills


INY

O

WH

ITE

MTS

MTS

SIE

RR

AN

EV

AD

A

VolcanicTableland

Alabam

a

Hills

D. Allwell fields,excludingLone Pine

A. Lawsand Taboose-Aberdeenwell fields

B. Bishopand Thibaut-Sawmillwell fields


INY

O

WH

ITE

MTS

MTS

SIE

RR

AN

EV

AD

A

VolcanicTableland

Alabam

a

Hills

E. All wellfields,includingLone Pine

C. Big PineandIndependencesouth well fields

Greater than0 to 5 feet

0 feet

5 to 10 feet

10 to15 feet

Greaterthan 15feet

Simulated decline in water-tablealtitude – Values obtained from a1-year simulation of the valleywideground-water flow model using themaximum pumpage available ateach well field, one at a time, andcompared with 1988 steady-stateinitial conditions. Refer to table 15

Valley fill – Unconsolidated materials not simulated bythe ground-water flow model

Bedrock

Geologic contact


Well field and name

Taboose-Aberdeen

Laws Bishop

Thibaut-Sawmill Independence

south

BigPine

BishopBishop

Independence

Lone Pine

Big Pine

Independence

Lone Pine

Big Pine

LawsLaws

BishopBishop

Independence

Lone Pine

Big Pine

Independence

Lone Pine

Big Pine

LawsLaws

BishopBishop

Independence

Lone Pine

Big Pine

Independence

Lone Pine

Big Pine

LawsLaws

BishopBishop

Independence

Lone Pine

Big Pine

Independence

Lone Pine

Big Pine

LawsLaws

BishopBishop

Independence

Lone Pine

Big Pine

Independence

Lone Pine

Big Pine

LawsLaws

LonePine

LonePineLonePine

Figure 35. Simulated decline in water-table altitude in the Owens Valley, California, resulting from maximum pumpage at each well field.

Documents

W24XX Frontispiece 30 X 32 picas - CA Water | USGSMtWhitney Los Angeles Aqueduct ADA Frontispiece. Vertically exaggerated perspective and oblique view of the Owens Valley, California,