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Groundwater resources of the Devils Postpile National Monument—Current conditions and future vulnerabilities

Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5048
By:  and 
https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20175048

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Abstract

This study presents an extensive database on groundwater conditions in and around Devils Postpile National Monument. The database contains chemical analyses of springs and the monument water-supply well, including major-ion chemistry, trace element chemistry, and the first information on a list of organic compounds known as emerging contaminants. Diurnal, seasonal, and annual variations in groundwater discharge and chemistry are evaluated from data collected at five main monitoring sites, where streams carry the aggregate flow from entire groups of springs. These springs drain the Mammoth Mountain area and, during the fall months, contribute a significant fraction of the San Joaquin River flow within the monument. The period of this study, from fall 2012 to fall 2015, includes some of the driest years on record, though the seasonal variability observed in 2013 might have been near normal. The spring-fed streams generally flowed at rates well below those observed during a sequence of wet years in the late 1990s. However, persistence of flow and reasonably stable water chemistry through the recent dry years are indicative of a sizeable groundwater system that should provide a reliable resource during similar droughts in the future. Only a few emerging contaminants were detected at trace levels below 1 microgram per liter (μg/L), suggesting that local human visitation is not degrading groundwater quality. No indication of salt from the ski area on the north side of Mammoth Mountain could be found in any of the groundwaters. Chemical data instead show that natural mineral water, such as that discharged from local soda springs, is the main source of anomalous chloride in the monument supply well and in the San Joaquin River. The results of the study are used to develop a set of recommendations for future monitoring to enable detection of deleterious impacts to groundwater quality and quantity

Suggested Citation

Evans, W.C., and Bergfeld, D., 2017, Groundwater resources of the Devils Postpile National Monument—Current conditions and future vulnerabilities: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2017–5048, 31 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20175048.

ISSN: 2328-0328 (online)

Study Area

Table of Contents

  • Abstract
  • Introduction
  • Purpose and Scope
  • Inventory of Groundwater Chemistry
  • Streamflow and Seasonality
  • Inter-basinal Impacts
  • Sample Site Descriptions
  • Methods
  • Results
  • Temperature and Specific Conductance
  • Discussion and Summary
  • Recommendations
  • References Cited
Publication type Report
Publication Subtype USGS Numbered Series
Title Groundwater resources of the Devils Postpile National Monument—Current conditions and future vulnerabilities
Series title Scientific Investigations Report
Series number 2017-5048
DOI 10.3133/sir20175048
Year Published 2017
Language English
Publisher U.S. Geological Survey
Publisher location Reston, VA
Contributing office(s) National Research Program - Western Branch
Description Report: v, 31 p.; Table
First page 1
Last page 31
Country United States
State California
Other Geospatial Devils Postpile National Park
Online Only (Y/N) Y
Google Analytic Metrics Metrics page
Additional publication details