Water-resources and land-surface deformation evaluation studies at Fort Irwin National Training Center, Mojave Desert, California

By: , and 

Links

Abstract

The U.S. Army Fort Irwin National Training Center (NTC), in the Mojave Desert, obtains all of its potable water supply from three groundwater basins (Irwin, Langford, and Bicycle) within the NTC boundaries (fig. 1; California Department of Water Resources, 2003). Because of increasing water demands at the NTC, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U.S. Army, completed several studies to evaluate water resources in the developed and undeveloped groundwater basins underlying the NTC. In all of the developed basins, groundwater withdrawals exceed natural recharge, resulting in water-level declines. However, artificial recharge of treated wastewater has had some success in offsetting water-level declines in Irwin Basin. Additionally, localized water-quality changes have occurred in some parts of Irwin Basin as a result of human activities (i.e., wastewater disposal practices, landscape irrigation, and/or leaking pipes). As part of the multi-faceted NTC-wide studies, traditional datacollection methods were used and include lithological and geophysical logging at newly drilled boreholes, hydrologic data collection (i.e. water-level, water-quality, aquifer tests, wellbore flow). Because these data cover a small portion of the 1,177 square-mile (mi2 ) NTC, regional mapping, including geologic, gravity, aeromagnetic, and InSAR, also were done. In addition, ground and airborne electromagnetic surveys were completed and analyzed to provide more detailed subsurface information on a regional, base-wide scale. The traditional and regional ground and airborne data are being analyzed and will be used to help develop preliminary hydrogeologic framework and groundwater-flow models in all basins. This report is intended to provide an overview of recent water-resources and land-surface deformation studies at the NTC.

Study Area

Publication type Conference Paper
Publication Subtype Conference Paper
Title Water-resources and land-surface deformation evaluation studies at Fort Irwin National Training Center, Mojave Desert, California
Year Published 2017
Language English
Publisher California State University Desert Studies Center
Contributing office(s) California Water Science Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center
Description 9 p.
Larger Work Type Book
Larger Work Subtype Conference publication
Larger Work Title 2017 Desert Symposium Field Guide and Proceedings - ECSZ does it: Revisiting the eastern California Shear Zone
First page 290
Last page 298
Country United States
State California
Other Geospatial Fort Irwin National Training Center
Google Analytic Metrics Metrics page
Additional publication details