synoptic discharge, water-property, and ph measurements

U.S. Department of the InteriorU.S. Geological Survey

Scientific Investigations Report 2006-5237

Prepared in cooperation with the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Synoptic Discharge, Water-Property, and pH Measurements for Muddy River Springs Area and Muddy River, Nevada, February 7, 2001


By David A. Beck and Jon W. Wilson

Prepared in cooperation with the National Park Serviceand the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Scientific Investigations Report 2006-5237

U.S. Department of the InteriorU.S. Geological Survey

U.S. Department of the InteriorDIRK KEMPTHORNE, Secretary

U.S. Geological SurveyMark D. Myers, Director

U.S. Geological Survey, Carson City, Nevada: 2006

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Although this report is in the public domain, permission must be secured from the individual copyright owners to reproduce any copyrighted materials contained within this report.

Suggested citation:Beck, D.A., and Wilson, J.W., 2006, Synoptic discharge, water-property, and pH measurements for Muddy River Springs area and Muddy River, Nevada, February 7, 2001: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2006-5237, 12 p. Available at <http://pubs.water.usgs.gov/sir2006-5237>.

iii

Contents

Abstract .......................................................................................................................................................... 1Introduction.................................................................................................................................................... 1

Acknowledgments ............................................................................................................................... 1Purpose and Scope ............................................................................................................................. 1

Description of Study Area ........................................................................................................................... 2Discharge Measurements ........................................................................................................................... 3

Evaluation of Discharge Measurements ......................................................................................... 4Muddy River Springs Area ........................................................................................................ 4Muddy River ................................................................................................................................. 5

Water-Property and pH Measurements......................................................................................... 10Summary....................................................................................................................................................... 11References Cited......................................................................................................................................... 12

Figures1. Map showing location of study area ............................................................................................ 22. Map showing location of discharge-measurement sites and tributary springs

to the Muddy River .......................................................................................................................... 33. Map showing location of discharge-measurement sites along the mainstem

of the Muddy River .......................................................................................................................... 44. Graph showing comparison of discharge measurements in the Muddy River

Springs area and mainstem of the Muddy River and Moapa, Nevada, September 1963 and February 2001 ............................................................................................................................ 9

5. Graph showing mean discharge at selected sites in the Muddy River Springs area and mainstem of the Muddy River, Nevada, September 10–12, 1963—February 7, 2001 .. 10

6. Graph showing water-temperature and specific-conductance measurements at selected sites in the Muddy River Springs area and mainstem of the Muddy River, Nevada, February 7, 2001 ............................................................................................................. 11

Tables1. Discharge and water-property measurements in the Muddy River Springs area

near Moapa, Nevada, September 1969 and February 2001 ..................................................... 62. Synoptic discharge, water-property, and pH measurements in the mainstem

of the Muddy River, February 7, 2001 ........................................................................................... 83. Maximum, minimum, and percent difference of discharge and stage

measurements collected in the mainstem of the Muddy River, February 7, 2001 ................. 9

iv

Conversion Factors and Datums

Multiply By To obtain

cubicfootpersecond(ft³/s) 0.02832 cubicmeterpersecond(m³/s)

foot(ft) 0.3048 meter(m)

inch(in.) 25.4 millimeter(mm)

mile(mi) 1.609 kilometer(km)

mileperhour(mi/h) 1.609 kilometerperhour(km/h)

squaremile(mi²) 2.590 squarekilometer(km²)

Temperature: Degrees Celsius (°C) can be converted to degrees Fahrenheit (°F) by using the formula °F = (1.8 x °C) + 32.

Discharge or flow: The rate that matter passes through a cross section of a stream channel or other water body per unit of time. The term commonly refers to the volume of water (including, unless otherwise stated, any sediment or other constituents suspended or dissolved in the water) that passes a cross section in a stream channel, flume, weir, canal, pipeline, etc., within a given period of time (cubic feet per second).

Specific conductance is given in microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius (μS/cm at 25°C).

Sea level: In this report, “sea level” refers to the National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1988 (NGVD of 1988, formerly called “Sea-level Datum of 1988”), which is derived from a general adjustment of the first-order leveling networks of the United States and Canada.

Horizontal coordinate information is referenced to the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD83) unless otherwise stated.

AbstractOnFebruary7,2001,synopticdischargemeasurements

atselectedsitesalongtheMuddyRiverinNevada,indicatedthreetrendsindischargeresultingfromcontributionsofspringdischarge,influencesofdiversionaryflow,andcontributionsfromshallowgroundwater.Effectsfromdiversionaryandtributaryflowwerelocalinnatureandresultedinanetgainof2.6cubicfeetpersecondthroughoutthemeasuredreach.Theminorincreaseindischargemaybetheresultofcontributionsfromground-waterflowandmeasurementerror.Comparisonof1963and2001dischargemeasurementswithintheMuddyRiverSpringsareaindicatedthatdischargeratesandtrendsfromthesesourcewatersweresimilar.AlongthemainstemoftheMuddyRiver,water-temperaturemeasurementsindicatedanetdecreaseof8.8degreesCelsius.Watersamplescollectedandanalyzedforspecificconductanceindicatedanetincreaseof390microsiemenspercentimeterat25degreesCelsius,whereaspHmeasurementsremainedrelativelyconstant.

IntroductionThisreportcontainsanexaminationofdischarge,water

property,andpHdatacollectedintheMuddyRiverSpringsareaandMuddyRiveronFebruary7,2001.MuddyRiveroriginatesfromnumerousseepsandspringsatthenorthwestcornerofMoapaValley,andflowsinasoutheastdirectiondischargingintoLakeMead(fig.1).TheMuddyRiverSpringsareaisdefinedastheterminaldischargepointoftheWhiteRiverground-waterflowsystem(Eakin,1966),whichispartoftheRegionalCarbonate-RockProvincethatencompassesabout100,000mi²ofeasternNevada,westernUtah,andpartsofsoutheasternIdahoandCalifornia(Harrillandothers,1983;fig.1).TheriparianhabitatwithintheMuddyRiverareacon-tainsdiversewildlife,includingtheendangeredMoapadace(Moapa coriacea).

TheNevadaStateEngineer’sOfficeisconsideringappli-cationstodevelopground-waterresourcesneartheMuddyRiveranditssourcewaters.Resourcemanagersareconcerned

aboutthepotentialeffectsoftheseproposedwithdrawalsontheMoapaValleyNationalWildlifeRefugeandotherriparianecosystemsandspring-dischargeareasadjacenttotheriver.

ThisstudyislimitedtotheMuddyRiverSpringsarea(fig.2)andtotheupper18-milereachoftheMuddyRiverendingjustsouthofOverton,Nev.(fig.3).Forthepurposesofthisreport,sitenamesinthetexthavebeenabbreviated,butarelistedintables1and2.AllreferencestotheMuddyRiverSpringsareaaredefinedasthatpartofthevalleyupstreamoftheU.S.GeologicalSurvey(USGS)surface-watergagingstation,MRMoapa(site09416000).ReferencestotheMuddyRiverindicatetheriverbetweenMRMoapa(site09416000)andtheSouthernNevadaWaterAuthority(SNWA)surface-watergagingstation,MRatLewisAve.(site09419507).

Thisinvestigationwasdeveloped,incooperationwiththeNationalParkServiceandtheU.S.FishandWildlifeService,toprovidemeasureddischarge,watertemperature,specificconductance,andpHatmultiplesiteswithintheMuddyRiverSpringsareaandtheMuddyRiver.

Acknowledgments

TheauthorsacknowledgetheBureauofIndianAffairs,theNatureConservancy,SouthernNevadaWaterAuthority,NevadaDivisionofWaterResources,MoapaValleyWaterDistrict,NevadaPowerCompany,andtheMoapaBandofPaiutes-Tribalfortheirparticipationinthiseffort.

Purpose and Scope

Thepurposeofthisreportistopresentsynopticmeasure-mentscollectedwithintheMuddySpringsareaandalongtheMuddyRiver,andtocharacterizechangesindischargewithintheseareas.DatacollectedonFebruary7,2001,includemeasurementsofdischarge,watertemperature,andspecificconductancefrom15siteswithintheMuddyRiverSpringsarea;measurementsofdischarge,watertemperature,specificconductance,andpHfrom14sitesalongtheMuddyRiver;anddischargemeasurementsfrom1municipaland4agricul-turaldiversions.


By David A. Beck and Jon W. Wilson

Discharge,water-property,andpHdatawerecollectedduringaperiodofminimalevapotranspiration,andmunicipalandagriculturaldiversions.Anevaluationofchangesinthesedatahelpsto:(1)assesssurface-waterandground-waterinter-actionand(2)accountforlossesorgainsofriverdischargewithinthespringandriverareas.

Description of Study AreaThelocationofthestudyareaisconsideredtheterminal

drainageareaoftheWhiteRiverground-waterflowsystem(Eakin,1966),locatedwithintheRegionalCarbonate-Rock

Province(fig.1).TheMuddyRiverSpringsareaandtheMuddyRiverareboundedbytheMeadowValleyMountainstothenorth,theMormanMountainstothenortheast,theMuddyMountainstothesouth,andArrowCanyonRangetothewest(fig.1).

TheMuddyRiveroriginatesfromasystemofspringtributariesdescribedbyEakin(1964),whichareclusteredalongthenortheastslopeofArrowCanyonRange(fig.2).Thesetributariesgenerallyconsistofwarm-waterspringsandseepsthatemanatefromalluvialdeposits,occuringnearsur-faceexposuresofcarbonaterocks.ThesespringsandseepsdischargeintothemainstemoftheMuddyRiverthroughthreespringtributariesthatincludeSouthForkMuddyRiver,MuddySpringsTributary,andRefugeStream

EXPLANATION

UT

CA

NV

ID

AZ

AREA OF STUDY

White River Ground-Water Flow System

Regional Carbonate-Rock Province

Location of springs (Note: Tail indicates general direction of flow)

0 2010 Kilometers

0 105 Miles

Muddy River

Muddy RiverSprings area

M O R M A N M O U N T A I N S

MU

DD

Y M

OU

NT

AIN

S

Base from U.S. Geological Survey digital data 1:100,000, 1978-1989; Universal TransverseMercator projection, Zone 11. Shaded relief base from 1:250,000-scale Digital ElevationModel; sun illumination from northwest at 30 degrees avove horizon100,000-foot grid based on Nevada State Plane coordinate system, central zone.

115°0' 114°45' 114°30' 114°15'

36°30'

36°45'

37°0

LINCOLN COUNTY

CLARK COUNTY

AR

RO

WC

AN

YO

NR

AN

GE

MEA

DOW

VALLEY

MOUNTAIN

S

Virgin Rive

r

Lake Mead

Figure 1. Location of study area.

2 Synoptic discharge, water-property, and pH measurements Muddy River Springs area and Muddy River, Nev., 2001

(fig.2).StreamsintheMuddyRiverSpringsareatypicallyaremeandering,shallowchannelsconsistingmainlyofmudandorganicdebris.MostbanksarethicklyovergrownbySaltcedar(Tamarix ramosissima),cattails(Typha latifolia),andreeds(Phragmites communis).

ManyirrigationdiversionsandditchespreviouslyexistedintheMuddyRiverSpringsarea.MostoftheditcheshavebeenabandonedwiththeexceptionofchannelsnearCardyLambSpringsandUnnamedSpringsnearLDSEastWell(fig.2).

TheMuddyRiverflowsthroughfourfarmingcommuni-ties(Moapa,Glendale,Logandale,andOverton)andthroughthenortheastcorneroftheMoapaRiverIndianReservationdrainingabout6,940mi²(fig.3).DiversionsfromtheMuddyRiverprimarilyareusedtoirrigatenearbyfarmlandandtosupplywaterfortheReidGardnerPowerGeneratingStationandMoapaValleyDairy(fig.3).TheMuddyRiverisincisedmoderately(about20ftdeep),withthechannelconsistingofmud,sand,gravel,andorganicdebris.MostbanksoftheriverareovergrownthicklywithSaltcedarandothervegetation.

CaliforniaWashandMeadowValleyWashsystemscontributesurfacewatertotheMuddyRiverduringperiodsofheavyrainfall.ThesetwosystemsentertheMuddyRivernearthetownsofMoapaandGlendale,respectively(fig.3).

Discharge MeasurementsData-collectionsiteswereselectedtomatchlocations

ofpreviousmeasurements(asindicatedinearlierreports),andtodocumentchangesindischargeatpointsofinflowanddiversion.Furthermore,measurementswerecollectedduringaperiodofexpectedminimalevapotranspirationandsteadybaseflowtoconstrainhumanandnaturalinfluencesonstreamflow.

Withtheexceptionofseveralflumesites,alldischargemeasurementsweremadewithacurrentmeterusingstandardmethodsoftheUSGS(BuchananandSomers,1969).AnaveragedischargeforeachsitewascomputedfromsynopticmeasurementsmadeateachsiteintheMuddyRiverSpringsareaandthemainstemoftheMuddyRiverandarelistedin

114°44'24" 114°43'48" 114°43'12" 114°42'36" 114°42'0"

36°42'36"

36°43'12"

36°43'48"

09416000

Cardy Lamb Springs

Baldwin Springs

Apcar (Pipeline Jones) Springs

Pederson Springs

Plummer (Iverson) Springs

Unnamed Springs near LDS East Well

Refuge Stream

09415875

09415880

0941590009415885

0941590509415906

09415940

09415920

364236114424301

09415927

09415945

09415930

09415955 364240114414001

364241114424801

MOAPA VALLEY NATIONALWILDLIFEREFUGE

South Fork Muddy River

Muddy Springs Tributary

0 10.5 Kilometers

0 0.50.25 Miles

Muddy Springs

Muddy River

Muddy River

Base from U.S. Geological Survey digital data 1:100,000, 1978-1989; Universal TransverseMercator projection, Zone 11. Shaded relief base from 1:250,000-scale Digital ElevationModel; sun illumination from northwest at 30 degrees avove horizon100,000-foot grid based on Nevada State Plane coordinate system, central zone.

NEVADA

Study area

EXPLANATION

Discharge-measurement sites (numbers refer to table 1).Muddy River (mainstem)

Tributary springs

Irrigation diversion

Figure 2. Location of discharge-measurement sites and tributary springs to the Muddy River.

Discharge Measurements �

tables1and2,respectively.DischargemeasurementsmadewithintheMuddyRiverSpringsareawereratedfairorgood(within5percentor8percentofactualflow,respectively),anddischargemeasurementsmadeintheMuddyRiverwereallratedgood(within5percentofactualflow).Dischargeratingsarebasedonestimatesofthestandarderrorforeachcurrent-meterdischargemeasurement(SauerandMeyer,1992).

Staffgageswereinstalledatselectedsitesandusedtomonitorchangesinwaterstageduringperiodsofdatacol-lection.Stageatmostsitesremainedsteady(withinafewhundredthsofafoot)duringthemeasurementperiodasdocu-mentedbyfieldobservations.Stagewasunsteadyatseveralsites,andisdiscussedlaterinthisreport.

Evaluation of Discharge Measurements

MeasurementsofdischargeontheMuddyRiverSpringsareaandthemainstemoftheMuddyRiverarediscussedinthefollowingsections.MeasurementsonFebruary7,2001,in

theMuddyRiverSpringsarearangefromaminimumaveragedischargeof2.39ft³/satWSEast(site364236114424301)toamaximumaveragedischargeof41.8ft³/satMRbelowRefuge(site09415955;table1).MeasurementsfromsitesalongthemainstemoftheMuddyRiverrangefromaminimumaver-agedischargeof32.2ft³/satMRatNarrows(site09416500)toamaximumaveragedischargeof41.3ft³/satMRbelowAndersonWash(site09419490;table2).Acomparisonofdis-chargesshowsanetincreaseof2.6ft³/sbetweentheterminousofthespringtributarieswithinMuddyRiverSpringsarea(MRbelowRefuge,site09415955)andthesiteupstreamoftheflowdiversionintoBowmanReservoir(MRbelowAndersonWash,site09419490;fig.3).

Muddy River Springs AreaDischargemeasurementsweremadeat15siteswithin

theMuddyRiverSpringsarea.Includedarethreemajortribu-taries—SouthForkMuddyRiver,MuddySpringsTributary,

!

!

!

!

!

!

114°42' 114°36' 114°30' 114°24'

36°30'

36°36'

36°42'

MOAPA INDIAN RESERVATIONBOUNDARY(approximately located)

09416000

09416500364102114405901

09417000

36392211438200109417380

09417380

09417390

0941889009418900

09419000

09419490 363715114295501

09419507

Power Plant

Dairy

Glendale

Logandale

Overton

M O R M A N

M O U N T A I N S

M O R M A N

M E S A

Moapa

MOAPA

VALLEY

MOAPA

VALLEY

ARROW CAN

YON

RANGE

Californ

ia Wash

Base from U.S. Geological Survey digital data 1:100,000, 1978-1989; Universal TransverseMercator projection, Zone 11. Shaded relief base from 1:250,000-scale Digital ElevationModel; sun illumination from northwest at 30 degrees above horizon100,000-foot grid based on Nevada State Plane coordinate system, central zone.

PD

Muddy

River

Muddy River

Lake Mead

MU

DD

YM

OU

NTA

INS

BowmanReservoir

Meadow

Valley Wash

0 4 82 6 KILOMETERS

0 2 3 41 MILES

EXPLANATION

River discharge measurement sites (numbers refer to table 2).

Diversion discharge measurement sites (numbers refer to table 2).

NEVADA

Study area

I5

Figure �. Location of discharge-measurement sites along the mainstem of the Muddy River.

� Synoptic discharge, water-property, and pH measurements Muddy River Springs area and Muddy River, Nev., 2001

andRefugeStream—andfivesitesalongthemainstemoftheMuddyRiver(fig.2,table1).

Anaverageoftwodischargemeasurementspersiteweremadebetween9a.m.and3p.m.onFebruary7,2001.Measurementsweremadeusingstandardmethodsdescribedabovewiththeexceptionofdischargevaluesobtainedfromthreeflumesites:BaldwinSprings(site09415875),MSatLDS(site09415900),andWSWest(site09415920).Atthesesites,dischargewascomputedusingmeasureddepthsofwaterwithinflumestructuresandstandardflumeratings(Rantzandothers,1982).

Anetincreaseof26.2ft³/soccurredbetweenMRbelowUpperConfluence(site09415880)andMRbelowRefuge(site09415955;fig.2).FlowsfromMuddySpringsTributaryandRefugeStreamaccountedforapproximately16ft³/s(about60percent)ofthisincreaseindischarge.

Elevensitesfromtable1,includingMRMoapa(site09416000),wereavailabletocomparedischargemeasurementsfromFebruary2001tomeasurementsfromSeptember10–12,1963(Eakin,1964).Graphicalcomparisonof1963and2001dischargemeasurementsareshowninfigure4.Maximumdifferencesbetween1963and2001measure-mentsarewithinthemainstemoftheMuddyRiverandrangebetween1.9ft³/sand4.2ft³/s.Differenceswithinthespring-tributarysiteswerelessthan1ft³/swiththeexceptionofRefugeStreamaboveConfluence(site09415930)whichhadadifferenceof-1.3ft³/s(table1).Minimumdifferencesindischargemeasurementsmadebetween1963and2001were-0.08ft³/sand0.04ft³/satMSatLDS(site09415900)andWSWest(site09415920)intheRefugeStream,respectively.Dischargemeasurementsmadein1963remainedaboutthesamebetweenMRbelowRefuge(site09415955)andMRMoapa(site09416000)withdischargevaluesof43.7ft³/sand42.8ft³/s,respectively;however,in2001,dischargebetweenthesamesitesdecreasedby3.2ft³/s,afteraccountingforMRPowerDiversion(fig.4).Thisvalueisbasedonthediffer-encebetween41.8ft³/smeasuredatMRbelowRefuge(site09415955)andadischargeof35.5ft³/smeasuredatMRMoapa(site09416000)combinedwith3.10ft³/satMRPowerDiversion(site09415950).

Muddy RiverOnFebruary7,2001,dischargemeasurementswere

madeat11sitesdownstreamofandincludingMRMoapa(site09416000),andatthreediversions(fig.3;table2).

Twelveofthemeasurementsites(upstreamofLogan-daleDiversion,site363715114295501)areupstreamofBowmanReservoir,whereamajorityofflowwasdivertedduringthestudyperiod(fig.3).SixdischargemeasurementsweremadeatmostsitesontheMuddyRiverbetween9a.m.and3p.m.onFebruary7,2001.Dischargemeasurementsalsowerecollectedatthreeirrigationdiversions(MoapaIndianDiversion,site364102114405901;DairyDiver-sion,site363922114382001;andLogandaleDiversion,site363715114295501).Waterpumpedfromtheriverat

MRPowerDiversion(site09415950)wasdeterminedfromhourlyobservationsoftheflowmeteronthetransmissionpipe(table2).

Anirrigation-diversiongatewasopenedupstreamofMRatNarrows(site09416500)duringthetimeofdatacollec-tion.Approximately12percentofthetotalflowwasdivertedfromtheriverbasedonmeasurementsmadeatMoapaIndianDiversion(site364102114405901)andMRatNarrows(site09416500).Thisdiversionofflowisbelievedtohavetem-porarilyaffecteddischargemeasurementsatMRatRailroad(site09417000),MRaboveCaliforniaWash(site09417270),MRbelowCaliforniaWash(site09417380),andMRaboveMeadowValleyWash(site09417390).Differencesbetweenmaximumandminimumdischargemeasurementsatthesesitesrangedfrom11to14percent(table3).Althoughtheindividualdischargemeasurementsatthesesitesareratedgood,thecomputedaveragedischargesarenotconsideredtoaccuratelyrepresentbaseflowconditionsaswellasaveragemeasurementsfortheothersites.Theseaveragedischargesareincludedinthisreporttohelpapproximatechangesindischargeandtrendswithintheaffectedreachoftheriver.ThediversionofwaterupstreamofMRatWhiteNarrows(site09416500)isnotconsideredtohaveaffectedsitesatandbelowMRatI-15(site09418890)duringtheperiodofdatacollection.

DischargemeasurementsinFebruary2001alongtheMuddyRivershowthreetrends(fig.5).BetweenMRMoapa(site09416000)andMRaboveCaliforniaWash(site09417270),measureddischargeindicatedanapproximatenetdecreaseof3ft³/s.DivertedwaterbetweenthissectionoftheMuddyRivertotaled6.0ft³/s;however,onthedayofthemeasurements,mostoftheflowdivertedbytheDairyDiver-sion(site363922114382001,1.5ft³/s),dischargeddirectlybacktotheriverjustupstreamofMRaboveCaliforniaWash(site09417270).

BetweenMRaboveCaliforniaWash(site09417270)andMRatI-15(site09418890),measureddischargeindicatedanapproximatenetincreaseof6.2ft³/s,whichis0.2ft³/smorethanthesumofallupstreamdivertedflows,excludingwaterusedbyNevadaPowerCompany,whichwasnotreturnedtotheriver.Finally,dischargemeasurementsmadebetweenMRatI-15(site09418890)andMRbelowAndersonWash(site09419490)hadanincreaseof2.6ft³/s.

DischargemeasuredatMRbelowAndersonWash(site09419490)isequivalentnearlytothedischargeobtainedattheoutflowofspringsintheMuddyRiverSpringsarea(atMRbelowRefuge,site09415955)withvaluesof41.3ft³/sand41.8ft³/s,respectively.Because3.10ft³/swasdivertedatMuddyRiverPowerDiversion(site09415950)andwasnotreturnedtotheriver,flowdownstreamofthisdiversionfromtheMuddyRiverSpringsareawas38.7ft³/s(41.8ft³/sminus3.10ft³/s).Bytakingthediversionintoaccount,thenetchangeindischargebetweentheMuddyRiverSpringsareaandMRbelowAndersonWash(site09419490)isanincreaseof2.6ft³/s.Themaximumcomputederrorforthedischargemeasurementsmadeatthetwositesisabout4.2ft³/s,whichis

Discharge Measurements �

Tabl

e 1.

Di

scha

rge

and

wat

er-p

rope

rty m

easu

rem

ents

in th

e M

uddy

Riv

er S

prin

gs a

rea

near

Moa

pa, N

evad

a, S

epte

mbe

r 196

3 an

d Fe

brua

ry 2

001.

[Site

alti

tude

inf

eeta

bove

mea

nse

ale

vel.

Abb

revi

atio

ns:f

t,fe

et;f

t³/s

,cub

icf

eetp

ers

econ

d;µ

S/cm

,mic

rosi

emen

spe

rce

ntim

eter

at2

5de

gree

sC

elsi

us;°

C,d

egre

esC

elsi

us]

Site

nu

mbe

rSi

te n

ame

Abb

revi

ated

na

me

Latit

ude

Long

itude

Site

altit

ude,

in

ft

Dis

char

geSp

ecifi

c

cond

ucta

nce

Wat

er

tem

pera

ture

,2/

7/20

01in

°C

Aver

age

Diffe

renc

e,�

in ft

³/s

field

9/10

–12

/196

�,�

in µ

S/cm

labo

rato

ry2/

7/20

01,�

in µ

S/cm

9/10

–12

/196

�,1

in ft

³/s

2/7/

2001

,2

in ft

³/s

Sout

h Fo

rk M

uddy

Riv

er09

4158

75B

aldw

inS

prin

gsF

lum

ene

ar

Moa

paB

aldw

inS

prin

gs36

°43'

16"

114°

43'1

4"1,

770

NA

4.11

NA

NA

977

27

Mud

dy S

prin

gs T

ribut

ary

0941

5900

Mud

dyS

prin

gat

LD

SFa

rm

near

Moa

paM

Sat

LD

S36

°43'

18"

114°

42'5

3"1,

745

7.25

7.17

[-0.

08]

NA

974

27

0941

5905

Mud

dyS

prin

gsT

ribu

tary

ab

ove

Con

flue

nce

with

M

uddy

Riv

ern

ear

Moa

pa

MS

Tri

buta

ry36

°43'

00"

114°

42'4

5"1,

760

8.32

9.16

0.84

N

A99

9N

A

Refu

ge S

tream

0941

5940

Apc

arS

trea

ma

tPip

elin

eJo

nes

Flum

ene

arM

oapa

Apc

ara

tPJF

36°4

2'51

"11

4°42

'50"

1,73

5N

A2.

54

NA

NA

1,01

0N

A

0941

5945

Apc

arS

trea

ma

bove

Con

flu-

ence

with

Ref

uge

Stre

am

near

Moa

pa

Apc

ara

bove

C

onfl

uenc

e36

°42'

46"

114°

42'3

2"1,

770

2.94

3.86

0.

92

1,16

01,

060

NA

0941

5920

War

mS

prin

gsW

estn

ear

Moa

paW

SW

est

36°4

2'41

"11

4°42

'48"

1,77

03.

783.

82

0.04

N

A96

927

3642

3611

4424

301

War

mS

prin

gsE

ast(

Plum

mer

M

ain)

nea

rM

oapa

WS

Eas

t36

°42'

36"

114°

42'4

3"1,

750

2.26

2.39

0.

13

1,04

01,

000

27

0941

5927

War

mS

prin

gsC

onfl

uenc

eat

Iv

erso

nFl

ume

near

Moa

paW

SC

onfl

uenc

e36

°42'

41"

114°

42'3

2"1,

745

NA

8.00

N

AN

A1,

000

NA

0941

5930

Ref

uge

Stre

ama

bove

Con

flu-

ence

with

Apc

arS

trea

m

near

Moa

pa

Ref

uge

Stre

am

abov

e

Con

flue

nce

36°4

2'42

"11

4°42

'30"

1,77

08.

377.

04

[-1.

33]

1,05

01,

000

NA

3642

4111

4424

801

War

mS

prin

gsI

rrig

atio

nD

iver

-si

onb

elow

War

mS

prin

gs

Roa

dne

arM

oapa

WS

Div

ersi

on36

°42'

41"

114°

42'4

8"1,

770

(0.7

4)(1

.13)

0.39

1,

050

NA

NA


Tabl

e 1.

Di

scha

rge

and

wat

er-p

rope

rty m

easu

rem

ents

in th

e M

uddy

Riv

er S

prin

gs a

rea

near

Moa

pa, N

evad

a, S

epte

mbe

r 196

3 an

d Fe

brua

ry 2

001—

Cont

inue

d.

[Site

alti

tude

inf

eeta

bove

mea

nse

ale

vel.

Abb

revi

atio

ns:f

t,fe

et;f

t³/s

,cub

icf

eetp

ers

econ

d;µ

S/cm

,mic

rosi

emen

spe

rce

ntim

eter

at2

5de

gree

sC

elsi

us;°

C,d

egre

esC

elsi

us]

Site

nu

mbe

rSi

te n

ame

Abb

revi

ated

na

me

Latit

ude

Long

itude

Site

altit

ude,

in

ft

Dis

char

geSp

ecifi

c

cond

ucta

nce

Wat

er

tem

pera

ture

,2/

7/20

01in

°C

Aver

age

Diffe

renc

e,�

in ft

³/s

field

9/10

–12

/196

�,�

in µ

S/cm

labo

rato

ry2/

7/20

01,�

in µ

S/cm

9/10

–12

/196

�,1

in ft

³/s

2/7/

2001

,2

in ft

³/s

Mai

nste

m—

Mud

dy R

iver

0941

5880

Mud

dyR

iver

bel

owN

orth

and

So

uth

Fork

Con

flue

nce

near

M

oapa

MR

bel

owU

pper

C

onfl

uenc

e36

°43'

23"

114°

42'5

4"1,

755

NA

15.6

NA

NA

989

26

0941

5885

Mud

dyR

iver

nea

rL

DS

Fa

rmn

ear

Moa

paM

Rn

ear

LD

S36

°43'

14"

114°

42'5

2"1,

750

19.5

16.0

[-3.

5]1,

290

988

26

0941

5906

Mud

dyR

iver

bel

owC

onfl

u-en

cew

ithM

uddy

Spr

ings

T

ribu

tary

nea

rM

oapa

MR

bel

owS

prin

gC

onfl

uenc

e36

°42'

59"

114°

42'4

2"1,

745

31.8

28.0

[-3.

8]1,

190

990

NA

0941

5955

Mud

dyR

iver

bel

ow

Con

flue

nce

with

Ref

uge

Stre

amn

ear

Moa

pa

MR

bel

owR

efug

e36

°42'

51"

114°

42'1

3"1,

730

43.7

41.8

[-1.

9]1,

120

1,00

0N

A

0941

5950

Mud

dyR

iver

Pow

er

Div

ersi

onn

ear

Moa

paM

RP

ower

D

iver

sion

36°4

2'40

"11

4°41

'40"

1,71

0N

A(3

.10)

NA

NA

NA

NA

0941

6000

Mud

dyR

iver

nea

rM

oapa

6M

RM

oapa

36°4

2'40

"11

4°41

'40"

1,71

042

.835

.5

[-4.

20]7

NA

1,01

026

1 Dis

char

gem

easu

rem

ents

mad

eby

the

U.S

.Geo

logi

calS

urve

ydu

ring

Sep

tem

ber

10–1

2,1

963.

Av

alue

inp

aren

thes

esd

enot

esd

iver

ted

disc

harg

e.2 D

isch

arge

ism

ean

ofm

ultip

lein

stan

tane

ous

disc

harg

em

easu

rem

ents

mad

eat

eac

hsi

te.A

val

uein

par

enth

eses

den

otes

div

erte

ddi

scha

rge.

3 Dif

fere

nce

ise

xpre

ssed

as

the

resu

ltof

the

1963

dis

char

gev

alue

min

usth

e20

01d

isch

arge

val

ue.V

alue

inb

rack

ets

deno

tes

alo

ssin

dis

char

ge.

4 Spe

cifi

c-co

nduc

tanc

em

easu

rem

ents

mad

ein

the

fiel

d,S

epte

mbe

r10

–12,

196

3.5 S

peci

fic-

cond

ucta

nce

mea

sure

men

tsm

ade

inth

eU

.S.G

eolo

gica

lSur

vey

labo

rato

ryin

Hen

ders

on,N

ev.,

Febr

uary

8,2

001.

6 Riv

ers

iteis

not

par

tof

Mud

dyR

iver

Spr

ings

are

a,b

utis

incl

uded

inta

ble

for

com

pari

son

with

196

3m

easu

rem

ents

.7 D

iffe

renc

eis

200

1di

scha

rge

valu

esf

orM

RM

oapa

and

MR

pow

erd

iver

sion

min

us1

963

disc

harg

eva

lue

for

MR

Moa

pa.

Discharge Measurements 7

Tabl

e 2.

Sy

nopt

ic d

isch

arge

, wat

er-p

rope

rty, a

nd p

H m

easu

rem

ents

in th

e m

ains

tem

of t

he M

uddy

Riv

er, F

ebru

ary

7, 2

001.

[Site

alti

tude

inf

eeta

bove

mea

nse

ale

vel.

Abb

revi

atio

ns:f

t,fe

et;f

t³/s

,cub

icf

eetp

ers

econ

d;µ

S/cm

,mic

rosi

emen

spe

rce

ntim

eter

at2

5de

gree

sC

elsi

us;°

C,d

egre

esC

elsi

us]

Site

num

ber

Site

nam

eA

bbre

viat

ed s

ite n

ame

Latit

ude

Long

itude

Site

altit

ude,

in ft

Aver

age

disc

harg

e,1

in ft

� /s

Spec

ific

cond

ucta

nce,

2

labo

rato

ry,

in µ

S/cm

Wat

er

tem

pera

ture

,in

°C

pH,�

field

, in

st

anda

rd

units

0941

6000

Mud

dyR

iver

nea

rM

oapa

MR

Moa

pa36

°42'

40"

114°

41'4

0"1,

710

35.5

1,

010

26.0

8.2

3641

0211

4405

901

Moa

paI

ndia

nR

eser

vatio

nIr

riga

tion

Div

ersi

on(

nort

hga

ge)

atW

hite

N

arro

ws

near

Moa

pa

Moa

paI

ndia

nD

iver

sion

36°4

1'02

"11

4°40

'59"

1,67

5(4

.50)

NA

NA

NA

0941

6500

Mud

dyR

iver

atW

hite

Nar

row

sne

arM

oapa

MR

atN

arro

ws

36°4

1'02

"11

4°40

'59"

1,67

032

.2

1,02

023

.48.

4

0941

7000

Mud

dyR

iver

atR

ailr

oad

Pum

pPl

antn

ear

Moa

paM

Ra

tRai

lroa

d36

°39'

22"

114°

38'3

2"1,

585

34.1

1,

020

21.4

8.5

3639

2211

4382

001

Dai

ryI

rrig

atio

nD

iver

sion

bel

ow

Rai

lroa

dPu

mp

Plan

tnea

rM

oapa

Dai

ryD

iver

sion

36°3

9'22

"11

4°38

'20"

1,57

5(1

.50)

4N

AN

AN

A

0941

7270

Mud

dyR

iver

abo

veC

alif

orni

aW

ash

near

Moa

paM

Ra

bove

Cal

ifor

nia

Was

h36

°39'

12"

114°

36'5

2"1,

555

32.5

1,

090

20.6

8.5

0941

7380

Mud

dyR

iver

bel

owC

alif

orni

aW

ash

near

Moa

paM

Rb

elow

Cal

ifor

nia

Was

h36

°39'

21"

114°

35'5

0"1,

530

35.0

1,

150

19.6

8.4

0941

7390

Mud

dyR

iver

abo

veM

eado

wV

alle

yW

ash

near

Gle

ndal

eM

Ra

bove

Mea

dow

V

alle

yW

ash

36°3

9'33

"11

4°34

'54"

1,51

035

.6

1,26

019

.48.

4

0941

8890

Mud

dyR

iver

atI

-15

near

Gle

ndal

eM

Ra

tI-1

536

°39'

48"

114°

34'1

1"1,

500

38.7

1,

360

18.8

8.4

0941

8900

Mud

dyR

iver

nea

rL

ewis

Ran

chn

ear

Gle

ndal

eM

Rn

ear

Lew

isR

anch

36°3

9'10

"11

4°33

'20"

1,49

039

.3

1,38

018

.28.

4

0941

9000

Mud

dyR

iver

nea

rG

lend

ale

MR

nea

rG

lend

ale

36°3

8'35

"11

4°32

'20"

1,46

037

.4

1,38

017

.88.

3

0941

9490

Mud

dyR

iver

bel

owA

nder

son

Was

hne

arL

ogan

dale

MR

bel

owA

nder

son

Was

h36

°37'

26"

114°

30'2

9"1,

430

41.3

1,

400

17.2

8.4

3637

1511

4295

501

Irri

gatio

nD

iver

sion

nea

rL

ogan

dale

Log

anda

leD

iver

sion

36°3

7'15

"11

4°29

'55"

1,38

0(5

.00)

NA

NA

NA

0941

9507

Mud

dyR

iver

atL

ewis

Ave

nue

at

Ove

rton

MR

atL

ewis

Ave

.36

°32'

07"

114°

25'4

2"1,

250

4.17

3,

390

10.7

8.0

1 Dis

char

geis

mea

nof

mul

tiple

inst

anta

neou

sm

easu

rem

ents

mad

eat

site

on

Febr

uary

7,2

001.

Av

alue

inp

aren

thes

esd

enot

esd

iver

ted

disc

harg

e.

2 Spe

cifi

c-co

nduc

tanc

em

easu

rem

ents

mad

ein

the

U.S

.Geo

logi

calS

urve

yla

bora

tory

inH

ende

rson

,Nev

.,Fe

brua

ry8

,200

1.

3 Fie

ldp

Hm

easu

rem

ents

mad

eby

Nat

iona

lPar

kSe

rvic

e.

4 Dis

char

gem

easu

rem

entm

ade

onF

ebru

ary

6,2

001.

� Synoptic discharge, water-property, and pH measurements Muddy River Springs area and Muddy River, Nev., 2001

Figure �. Comparison of discharge measurements in the Muddy River Springs area and mainstem of the Muddy River and Moapa, Nevada, September 1963 and February 2001.

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

DIS

CHA

RGE,

INCU

BIC

FEET

PER

SECO

ND

September 10–12, 1963

February 7, 2001

0941

5900

Mud

dyS

prin

gat

LDS

Farm

0941

5905

Mud

dyS

prin

gsTr

ibut

ary

0941

5920

War

mS

prin

gsW

est

3642

3611

4424

301

War

mS

prin

gsE

ast

3642

4111

4424

801

War

mS

prin

gs

0941

5930

Ref

uge

Stre

amab

ove

Con

fluen

cew

ithA

pcar

Stre

am

0941

5885

Mud

dyR

iver

near

LDS

Farm

0941

5906

Mud

dyR

iver

belo

wC

onflu

ence

with

Mud

dyS

prin

gsTr

ibut

ary

0941

5955

Mud

dyR

iver

belo

wC

onflu

ence

with

Ref

uge

Stre

am

0941

6000

Mud

dyR

iver

near

Moa

pa

0941

5945

Apc

arS

tream

abov

eC

onflu

ence

with

Ref

uge

Stre

am

Muddy River Springs area Mainstem Muddy River

Incl

udes

3.10

cubi

cfe

etpe

rsec

ond

from

Mud

dyR

iver

Pow

erD

iver

sion

Table �. Maximum, minimum, and percent difference of discharge and stage measurements collected in the mainstem of the Muddy River, February 7, 2001.

Site number

Site name

Discharge measurements Stage measurements

maximum minimumPercent range1

maximum minimumPercent range1in cubic feet

per secondin cubic feet per second

09416000 MuddyRivernearMoapa 37.1 33.8 9 0.78 0.77 1

09416500 MuddyRiveratWhiteNarrowsnearMoapa 33.3 30.4 9 9.30 9.30 1

09417000 MuddyRiveratRailroadPumpPlantnearMoapa 37.6 32.3 14 8.32 8.24 1

09417270 MuddyRiveraboveCaliforniaWashnearMoapa 34.8 31.0 11 9.28 9.16 1

09417380 MuddyRiverbelowCaliforniaWashnearMoapa 37.2 32.9 12 9.56 9.35 2

09417390 MuddyRiveraboveMeadowValleyWashnearGlendale 37.3 32.7 12 7.84 7.68 2

09418890 MuddyRiveratI-15nearGlendale 39.2 36.9 6 8.89 8.83 1

09418900 MuddyRivernearLewisRanchnearGlendale 39.6 38.8 2 9.13 9.11 0

09419000 MuddyRivernearGlendale 38.8 36.5 5 5.22 5.20 0

09419490 MuddyRiverbelowAndersonWashnearLogandale 43.3 40.2 7 8.31 8.28 01Denotespercentdifferencefrom"maximum"to"minimum"measuredvalue.

Discharge Measurements 9

largerthantheincreaseinflowbetweenthetwosites.There-fore,nomeasurablechangeindischargeasaresultofground-waterinfloworevapotranspirationwasobservedbetweentheMuddyRiverSpringsareaandMRbelowAndersonWash(site09419490).

RiverdischargebelowMRbelowAndersonWash(site09419490)isaffectedbydiversionintoBowmanReservoir(fig.3)andtheIrrigationDiversionnearLogandale(site363715114295501).BetweenMRbelowAndersonWash(site09419490)andMuddyRiveratLewisAvenueatOverton(site09419507),thetotaldecreaseindischargeis37.1ft³/s(table2).

Water-Property and pH Measurements

WatersampleswerecollectedconcurrentlywithsynopticdischargemeasurementsfortheMuddyRiverSpringsareaandMuddyRiverandanalyzedforspecificconductanceattheUSGSlaboratoryinHenderson,Nevada.Watertemperaturewasmeasuredatmanyofthesites;whereas,fieldpHread-ingswereobtainedonlyatselectedMuddyRiversites.Meanvalueswerecomputedforspecificconductanceandwatertemperaturewheremultiplemeasurementswerecollected.

Water-temperature,specific-conductance,andpHdatafortheMuddyRiverSpringsareaandtheMuddyRiverarelistedintables1and2.Figure6showswater-temperatureandspecific-conductancemeasurementsmadebetweenMRbelowUpperConfluence(site09415880)andMRbelowAndersonWash(site09419490).

IntheMuddyRiverSpringsarea,water-temperatureandspecific-conductancemeasurementsrangedfrom26to27ºCand969to1,060µS/cm,respectively(table1).Thesemea-surementsindicatethatwaterswithintheMuddyRiverSpringsareahavesimilartemperaturesandspecificconductance.WatertemperatureintheMuddyRiverremainedstableandspecificconductanceincreasedslightlybythetimedischargereachedMRMoapa(site09416000;fig.6).

Specific-conductance,water-temperature,andpHdatacollectedatMuddyRiversitesbetweenMRMoapa(site09416000)andMRbelowAndersonWash(site09419490)rangedfrom1,010to1,400µS/cm,from10.7to26.0ºC,andfrom8.2to8.5,respectively(table2).Aspecificconduc-tanceof3,390µS/cmwasmeasuredatMRatLewisAve.(site09419507),whichisdownstreamofBowmanReservoir.Specific-conductancemeasurementsmadeatsitesbetweentheMRMoapa(site09416000)andMRbelowAndersonWash

Figure �. Mean discharge at selected sites in the Muddy River Springs area and mainstem of the Muddy River, Nevada, September 10–12, 1963—February 7, 2001.

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18

DISTANCE, IN MILES

DIS

CHA

RGE,

INCU

BIC

FEET

PER

SECO

ND

0941588

09415885

09415955

09416000

09416500

09417000

0941590609415906 09417270

09417380

0941889009418900

09417390

09419000

09419490

EXPLANATION

War

mS

prin

gsD

iver

sion

(1.1

3 ft3 /s

)

Nev

ada

Pow

erD

iver

sion

(3.1

0ft3 /s

)

Moa

paR

eser

vatio

nD

iver

sion

(4.5

0ft3 /s

)

Dai

ryD

iver

sion

(1.5

3ft3 /s

)

Cal

iforn

iaW

ash

Mea

dow

Valle

yW

ash

Ande

rson

Was

h

1963 Discharge measurements (value at site 09419000 isaverage of daily mean, September 10–12, 1963)

Mean discharge, error bars indicate a 5 percentvariation (February 7, 2001)

Muddy RiverSprings area

Mainstem Muddy River


(site09419490)indicatedthreetrends:(1)specificconduc-tancewasstableorincreasedslightlybetweenMRMoapa(site09416000)andMRatRailroad(site09417000),(2)specificconductanceincreasedby340µS/cmbetweenMRatRailroad(site09417000)andMRatI-15(site09418890),and(3)specificconductanceincreasedby40µS/cmbetweenMRatI-15(site09418890)andMRbelowAndersonWash(site09419490).TheincreaseinspecificconductancebetweensitesMRatRailroad(site09417000)andMRatI-15(site09418890)isindicativeofwaterenteringtheriverthroughashallowground-watersystem.Anetdecreaseinwatertemper-atureof8.8°CwasnotedbetweenMRMoapa(site09416000)andMRbelowAndersonWash(site09419490).Betweenthesesites,measurementsofpHremainedrelativelystableandrangedfrom8.2to8.5(table2).

SummarySynopticdischarge,specific-conductance,water-tem-

perature,andpHmeasurementsweremadebetween9a.m.and3p.m.onFebruary7,2001,intheMuddyRiverSprings

areaandmainstemoftheMuddyRiver.Thesedatawerecollectedat29sitestohelpassessthespatialvariabilityofdischargeinthetributaryspringsandriverduringaperiodoflowevapotranspiration,andmunicipalandagriculturaldiversion.TwodischargemeasurementsweremadeatmostsiteswithintheMuddyRiverSpringsareaandsixdischargemeasurementsweremadeatmostsitesontheMuddyRiver.Anaveragedischargewascomputedandusedtorepresentthedischargerateateachmeasurementsite.FortheMuddyRiverSpringsarea,thelowestdischarge,2.39ft³/s,occurredatWSEast(site364236114424301)andthehighestdischarge,41.8ft³/s,occurredatMRbelowRefuge(site09415955).AlongthemainstemoftheMuddyRiver,downstreamofMRMoapa(site09416000),thelowestdischarge,32.2ft³/s,occurredatMRatNarrows(site09416500)andthehighestdischarge,41.3ft³/s,occurredatMRbelowAndersonWash(site09419490).WithintheMuddyRiverSpringsarea,dischargemeasurementsmadeonFebruary7,2001,werecomparedwithmeasurementsmadeduringSeptember10–12,1963.

Dischargedataindicatedanetincreaseof26.2ft³/sbetweenMRbelowUpperConfluence(site09415880)andMRbelowRefuge(site09415955).Thisincreaseindischarge

Figure 6. Water-temperature and specific-conductance measurements at selected sites in the Muddy River Springs area and mainstem of the Muddy River, Nevada, February 7, 2001.

16

18

20

22

24

26

28

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18

DISTANCE, IN MILES

TEM

PERA

TURE

,IN

DEG

REES

CELS

IUS

900

1,000

1,100

1,200

1,300

1,400

1,500

SPEC

IFIC

CON

DUCT

ANCE

,IN

MIC

ROSI

EMEN

SPE

RCE

NTI

MET

ERAT

25DE

GRE

ESCE

LSIU

S

09415880

09415885

09416000

09416500

09417000

09417270

0941738009417390

09418890

09418900

09419000

0941949009415906

09415955

Nev

ada

Pow

erD

iver

sion

Moa

paR

eser

vatio

nD

iver

sion

Dai

ryD

iver

sion

War

mSp

rings

Div

ersi

on

Cal

iforn

iaW

ash

Mea

dow

Val

ley

Was

h

And

erso

nW

ash

Muddy RiverSprings Area

Mainstem Muddy River

Summary 11

primarilyistheresultoftributaryinflowfromMuddySpringsTributaryandRefugeStream.Anapproximatenetdecreaseindischargeof10.4ft³/s,occurredbetweenMRbelowRefuge(site09415955)andMRaboveCaliforniaWash(site09417270)primarilybecauseofwaterdiversions.Anapproxi-matenetincreaseindischargeof9.9ft³/soccurredbetweenMRaboveCaliforniaWash(site09417270)andMRbelowAndersonWash(site09419490)primarilybecauseofreturnflows.MeasurementsofdischargewithinthemainstemoftheMuddyRiverindicateanetlossof0.5ft³/sbetweenMRbelowRefuge(site09415955)andMRbelowAndersonWash(site09419490).However,whenthedivertedflowintotheNevadaPowerPumpStationnearMoapa(site364240144414001)issubtractedfromthedischargemeasuredattheRefugeStreamsite,changeindischargeforthesamereachindicatesanetgainof2.6ft³/s.Thisincreaseindischargefallswithinthemaximumcomputed-measurementerror.

Specific-conductance,water-temperature,andpHdataalsowerecollectedandanalyzedfortrendsbetweenmea-surementsites.Specific-conductancemeasurementsweresimilarwithintheMuddyRiverSpringsarea.Anincreaseof390µS/cmwasevidentbetweenMRMoapa(site09416000)andMRbelowAndersonWash(site09419490),withmostofthatincreaseoccurringbetweentheMRatRailroad(site09417000)andMRatI-15(site09418890).Water-tempera-turemeasurementsalsoweresimilarwithintheMuddyRiverSpringsarea,butdecreaseddownstreamalongtheMuddyRiver.MeasurementsofpHwithintheriverremainedrela-tivelyconstant.

ThenetincreasesindischargeandspecificconductancefortheselectedreachoftheMuddyRiverbetweenMRbelowRefuge(site09415955)andMRbelowAndersonWash(site09419490),indicatecontributionfromashallowground-watersystem.MeasurementsofdischargefromtheMuddyRiverSpringsareatothediversionintoBowmanReservoirindicatethelocalinfluencesfromdiversionsandtributaries.However,nomeasurablenetgainorlossinstreamflowwasobservedalongtheentirereach.

References Cited

Buchanan,T.J.,andSomers,W.P.,1969,Dischargemeasure-mentsatgagingstations:U.S.GeologicalSurveyTech-niquesofWater-ResourcesInvestigations,book3,chap.A8,65p.

Eakin,T.E.,1964,Ground-waterappraisalofCoyoteSpringandKaneSpringValleysandMuddyRiverSpringsarea,LincolnandClarkCounties,Nevada:NevadaDepartmentofConservationandNaturalResources,Ground-WaterResourcesReconnaissanceSeries,Report25,40p.

Eakin,T.E.,1966,ARegionalInterbasinGroundwaterSystemintheWhiteRiverarea,SoutheasternNevada:NevadaDepartmentofConservationandNaturalResources,WaterResourceBulletinno.33,271p.

Harrill,J.R.,Welch,A.H.,Prudic,D.E.,Thomas,J.M.,Carman,R.L.,Plume,R.W.,Gates,J.S.,andMason,J.L.,1983,AquifersystemsintheGreatBasinregionofNevada,Utah,andadjacentstates—Astudyplan:U.S.GeologicalSurveyOpen-FileReport82-445,49p.

Rantz,S.E.,andothers,1982,Measurementandcomputationofstreamflow,volume2,computationofdischarge:U.S.GeologicalSurveyWaterSupplyPaper2175,v.2,346p.

Sauer,V.B.,andMeyer,R.W.,1992,Determinationoferrorinindividualdischargemeasurements:U.S.GeologicalSurveyOpen-FileReport92-144,21p.


Beck and Wilson—

Synoptic discharge, water-property, and pH

measurm

ents, Muddy River Springs area and M

uddy River, Nev., February 7, 2001—

USGS SIR 2006-5237

synoptic discharge, water-property, and ph measurements

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