Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Study Of Trace Elements In Southern Nevada Spring Waters And Lakes, Hyejeong Lee

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Comprehending the natural water resource is imperative for the entire state of Nevada and of particular significance for Southern Nevada, where rapid population growth and climate change are placing significant strain on supplies. This research underscores the significance of water chemistry in identifying potential water source areas through trace elements. For the first time, the study proposed measuring the compositions of the entire suite of metal elements, ranging from Li to U, in over 40 springs in the Moapa Valley and its upper gradient valleys, utilizing the iCAP Qc ICP-MS (Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer) at UNLV. The research evaluated …

An Evaluation Of Bank Storage At Lake Mead Reservoir In The Southwest United States, Jon Woodrow Wilson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A water balance model is employed at Lake Mead to monitor and verify changing hydrology that affects total volume at the reservoir. Bank storage, which is defined as the volume of water captured in permeable lithologic layers subject to changes induced by contact and proximity to an open waterbody, is one component that is updated regularly and is based upon data and methods that were developed in the 1960’s from observations made within the first 30 years of the reservoir's maturation. Since this period, the reservoir has undergone further development and a current understanding of additional hydrologic affects to bank …

Assessing Near Surface Hydrologic Processes And Plant Response Over A 1600 M Mountain Valley Gradient In The Great Basin, Nv, U.S.A., Dale Devitt, Brian Bird, Brad Lyles, Lynn Fenstermaker, Richard Jasoni, Scotty Strachan, Jay Arnone Iii, Franco Biondi, Scott Mensing, Laurel Saito

Life Sciences Faculty Research

This study investigated near surface hydrologic processes and plant response over a 1600 m mountain-valley gradient located in the Great Basin of North America (Nevada, U.S.A.) as part of a long-term climate assessment study. The goal was to assess shifts in precipitation, soil water status and associated drainage with elevation and how this influenced evapotranspiration and plant cover/health estimated by a satellite-derived Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), all to better understand how water is partitioned in a mountain valley system. Data were acquired during a three-year period from meteorological stations located in five plant communities ranging in elevation from 1756 …

Water Source Partitioning For Shrubland Transpiration In A Mixed Phreatophytic Plant Community, Amanda Jean Wagner

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Groundwater in the basins of east central Nevada (Great Basin Desert, NV) has been permitted for export to southern Nevada. These basins are also vulnerable to changes in climate that could lead to declining recharge. Any decline in groundwater levels no matter the driving force could significantly impact phreatophytes (deep rooted shrubs), which utilize water from both the vadose zone and the capillary fringe to meet plant water needs, to support growth, and for overall health. A reduction in groundwater due to these forces could have a significant impact on the decoupling of phreatophytes from what is normally a reliable …

Estimating Aquifer Characteristics And Identification Of A Sub-Basin For Artificial Storage And Recovery, Northeastern Ivanpah Valley, Nevada, Nikolas James Taranik

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The identification of a structurally controlled sub-basin with impediments to groundwater flow within Southern Nevada could provide a favorable area for artificial recharge and storage of native or imported water, extending the water supply of Southern Nevada. For this purpose, the area of northeastern Ivanpah Valley was investigated to determine the ability of the aquifer to accept and recover stored water, if acceptable water quality existed in the potential sub-basin storage area, and if structural controls impeded and isolated groundwater flow. The results found evidence the proposed sub-basin is structurally isolated by the McCullough, Roach, and Stateline Faults, which was …

The Evaluation Of Water Storage In Death Valley Using Grace Satellite Data, Maile Sweigart

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

As drought conditions spread across the United States, concerns over water supplies, water use, and water management policies are growing and possible contributing environmental factors are continually being scrutinized. This thesis examines Death Valley as an analog for Southern Nevada and utilizes NASA EOS data, combined with ancillary climate data, to assess the effect of decadal climate variability on groundwater storage in the Death Valley area. Historical climate data, combined with satellite imagery observations, were compiled and calculated for analyses. Conclusions derived from statistical analyses infer trends between GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) satellite data and fluctuating levels of …

Research Poster: From Lab To Basin Scale: A Look At Changes In Evaporative And Transpirative Processes In Arid And Semi-Arid Shallow Groundwater Systems, Jeremy E. Koonce, Michael H. Young, Dale A. Devitt, Zhongbo Yu

2010 Annual Nevada NSF EPSCoR Climate Change Conference

Research poster

Baseline Microbial Characterizations Of An Imperiled Aquatic Diversity Hotspot: Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Jessica Newburn, Jim Bruckner, Jenny C. Fisher, Duane P. Moser

Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)

Located in the discharge zone of the Death Valley Flow System, Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge is a spring-fed desert oasis and biodiversity hotspot about 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. These critical wetlands are potentially threatened by groundwater pumping, exotic species invasions, and climate change. Although a major component of the lower food web, very little is known about the microbial makeup of this ecosystem. As a first step towards understanding the microbial and biogeochemical aspects of this system, a detailed molecular-based characterization of microbial communities, baseline chemistry, and physical characteristics of various springs of Ash Meadows will be …

Groundwater Characterization At Yucca Mountain Task 2: Surface Complexation And Solid Phase Sorption, Kenneth Czerwinski, Anthony Hechanova, Amy J. Smiecinski

Publications (YM)

The purpose and scope of this report is to present an overview of the experiments, methods, results, and conclusions from research performed for the project “Groundwater Characterization at Yucca Mountain Task 2: Surface Complexation and Solid Phase Dissolution”. The impact of surface complexation, alteration phase formation, and solution competition with metal ions on the solubility and speciation of actinide elements (U, Pu, Np) will be examined. In particular the role of iron (as Fe2+ and Fe3+) and silicate (as SO3 2-) concentrations on speciation, solubility, sorption, and secondary phase formation of actinides will be investigated. While a large body of …

Geostatistical And Stochastic Study Of Radio Nuclide Transport In The Unsaturated Zone At Yucca Mountain, Ming Ye, Amy J. Smiecinski, Raymond E. Keeler

Publications (YM)

The U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board [Cohon et al. 1998] evaluated the technical and scientific validity of activities undertaken by the Secretary of Energy to characterize Yucca Mountain, Nevada, for its suitability as an underground repository in which to store high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel. In the report, the Board pinpointed that the study on groundwater flow and radionuclide transport in the saturated and unsaturated zones below Yucca Mountain should, over the next several years, focus on reducing prediction uncertainty. In its 2002, the Board repeated this concern by stating, “… hydrogeologic processes that affect radionuclide transport …

Yucca Mountain Saturated Zone Carbon-14, James Thomas, Drew Coleman, Raymond E. Keeler, Amy J. Smiecinski

Publications (YM)

This Scientific Investigation Plan (SIP) provides an overview of the work described in “Yucca Mountain Saturated Zone Carbon-14”, a proposal funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Repository Development under the UCCSN/YMP Co-op in support of the Science and Technology Initiatives. The objective of this work is to provide improved estimates of the time required for ground water to travel from the site of the proposed high-level radioactive waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, to the accessible environment.

Chemical Analyses In Support Of Yucca Mountain Studies, Jeanette Daniels, Klaus J. Stetzenbach, Drew Coleman, Amy J. Smiecinski, Raymond E. Keeler

Publications (YM)

The objective of this task “Chemical Analyses in Support of Yucca Mountain Studies” is to provide the Department of Energy (DOE) with data and reports from comprehensive chemical analyses of waters sampled from the wells of the Nye County Early Warning Drilling Program (NCEWDP), the Inyo County’s Drilling Program, and the Nye county Tracer Test. In addition, this task will be used to provide other laboratory support needs as they arise within the Yucca Mountain Project. This support is provided by the Harry Reid Center for Environmental Studies (HRC) at University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), which is part of …

Groundwater Flow And Thermal Modeling To Support A Preferred Conceptual Model For The Large Hydraulic Gradient North Of Yucca Mountain, Phil Oberlander, Greg Pohll, Drew Coleman, Raymond E. Keeler, Amy J. Smiecinski

Publications (YM)

This task will create a two-dimensional, saturated zone, vertical cross-section model of groundwater flow and thermal transport through the large hydraulic gradient (LHG). This model is referenced herein as the thermal model. The scope of this study is limited to presenting a postulated hydrogeologic configuration of the LHG. The conceptualization will include the use of postulated hydrogeologic structures and material properties. The thermal model will be spatially limited to the area immediately upgradient and downgradient of the LHG and will not reproduce the many hydrogeologic features of the existing regional and site-scale models. The thermal model will be orientated north …

Yucca Mountain Climate Technical Support Representative, Saxon E. Sharpe, Dick Reinhardt, Eric Smistad, Don Baepler, Amy J. Smiecinski

Publications (YM)

The principal investigator (PI), Saxon Sharpe, for Task ORD-FY04-012, DOE Cooperative Agreement DE-FC28-04RW12232, will serve as Yucca Mountain Climate Technical Support Representative for the Department of Energy (DOE) in a series of activities related to past, present, and future climate for the Yucca Mountain Project (YMP) climate program.

As stated in the Viability Assessment of a Repository at Yucca Mountain: “Climate and its changes over time directly affect system performance at Yucca Mountain.” Currently, information from climate studies is used in models that support the Total System Performance Assessment and Licensing Application. It is a model component of all key …

Estimation Of Groundwater Velocities From Yucca Flat To The Amargosa Desert Using Geochemistry And Environmental Isotopes, Ronald L. Hershey, Steve Y. Acheampong

Publications (WR)

Geochemical modeling techniques were applied to groundwater flowpaths from Yucca Flat on the Nevada Test Site (NTS) to the Amargosa Desert, south of the NTS to estimate groundwater flow velocities for independent comparison to velocities calculated by other methods. The groundwater flowpaths examined considered flow in the carbonate aquifer beneath Yucca and Frenchman flats mixing with flow from carbonate aquifers east and southeast of the NTS and discharging at wells south of the NTS border. The approach used the computer codes WATEQ4F and NETPATH to calculate chemical speciation, determine the saturation state of mineral phases, and simulate mixing and the …

An Isotopic Analysis Of The Hydrology And Riparian Vegetation Water Sources On Bishop Creek, M. L. Space, J. W. Hess, S. D. Smith

Life Sciences Faculty Research

Five power generation plants along an eleven kilometer stretch divert Bishop Creek water for hydro-electric power. Stream diversion may be adversely affecting the riparian vegetation. Stable isotopic analysis is employed to determine surface water/ground-water interactions along the creek. surface water originates primarily from three headwater lakes. Discharge into Bishop Creek below the headwaters is primarily derived from ground water. The average δD and δ18O values are significantly different for surface water and ground water that an isotopic analysis can delineate between these two components of flow. Therefore isotopic shifts along the creek can determine gaining reaches. In addition, by knowing …

Investigations And Research In Nevada By The Water Resources Division, U. S. Geological Survey, 1982-83, Terry Katzer, Otto Moosburner, William D. Nichols

Publications (WR)

The Water Resources Division, U.S. Geological Survey, is charged with (1) maintaining a hydrologic network in Nevada that provides information on the status of the State's water resources and (2) engaging in technical water-resources investigations that have a high degree of transferability. To meet these broad objections, 26 projects were active in Nevada during fiscal year 1982 in cooperation with 36 Federal, State, and local agencies. Total funds were $3,319,455, of which State and local cooperative funding amounted to $741,500 and Federal funding (comprised of Geological Survey Federal and cooperative programs plus funds from six other Federal agencies) amounted to …

Available Water Supply Of The Las Vegas Ground-Water Basin Nevada, Glenn Thomas Malmberg

Publications (WR)

The Las Vegas ground-water basin as described in this report includes the southern part of Indian Spring Valley, Three Lakes Valley, the northern half of Ivanpah Valley, and Las Vegas Valley. These valleys in part are inferred to form a hydrologic unit that includes an area of about 3,000 square miles in the southern part of Clark County, Nev.

The valleys forming the Las Vegas ground-water basin are broad structural depressions surrounded by mountains. The climate of the region is arid, and precipitation in the basin lowlands rarely exceeds 5 inches per year. Drainage is interior except for occasional Hood …

Interbasin Movement Of Ground Water At The Nevada Test Site, Isaac J. Winograd

Publications (WR)

The present paper presents hydraulic evidence for the interbasin circulation of ground water through carbonate rocks of Paleozoic age at the Nevada Test Site. An integral part of this evidence is the discovery that aquifers in alluvium and tuff, formerly thought to be the principal aquifers at the Test Site, are semiperched above a thick tuffaceous aquiclude that separates them from the carbonate rocks.

This paper is based on one of the studies being made by the Geological
Survey for the Atomic Energy Commission. These studies seek to evaluate
the risk that may arise if ground water should be contaminated …

Water Levels And Artesian Pressure In Wells In Las Vegas Valley And In Other Valleys In Nevada, 1913-1945, T. W. Robinson, George B. Maxey, J. C. Fredericks, C. Harry Jameson

Publications (WR)

The rock formations of the earth are great natural reservoirs in which a part of the water derived from rain and snow is stored. Water levels and artesian pressure in wells register the stages of these natural reservoirs. The changes in water levels or artesian pressure are indicative of the depletion or replenishment of the natural reservoirs. Systematic and periodic measurements of water levels and artesian pressure in wells have been made in Nevada, by State and Federal agencies from time to time. However, only a few of these measurements have ever been published. Under the cooperative arrangement between the …

Progress Report On The Ground-Water Resources Of The Las Vegas Artesian Basin, Nevada, George B. Maxey, C. Harry Jameson

Publications (WR)

Whether the tremendously increased population acquired by Las Vegas in the years 1940 to 1942 will be retained cannot at present be foretold. However, the valley will undoubtedly be expected to support a considerably larger population than it did at any time prior to 1940, and continually increasing demands on the water supply for innumerable pcacetimc activities must be anticipated. Therefore, a sound evaluation of tho ground water resources of Las Vegas Valley is directly in line with the other wisely progressive planning programs which are now operating or are taking shape in the valley as well as in the …