Award Date

1-1-1993

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Geoscience

Number of Pages

98

Abstract

Under natural conditions in Las Vegas Valley the shallow aquifer was recharged by upward leakage of ground water from the principal aquifer. Presently recharge to the shallow aquifer is infiltration from over-irrigation which poses a potential threat to the quality of the principal aquifer. To evaluate this contamination potential, water levels from monitoring wells in both aquifers were collected, a three dimensional finite difference ground-water flow model (MODFLOW) was developed to estimate volume and velocity of potential leakage, and water quality samples were collected; Water levels collected in the shallow aquifer show a dependency on potentiometric head in the principal aquifer. A linear regression analyses showed good correlation of water level changes in the shallow aquifer due to injection and pumping operations in the principal aquifer with increasing correlation coefficients with shallow aquifer depth; These analyses indicate that within the District's main well field, the primary source of shallow aquifer ground water is the principal aquifer and that potential contamination from the upper poorer quality ground water (due to evapotranspiration) is not a present threat due to very slow vertical leakage. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).

Keywords

Aquifer; District; Estimation; Field Leakage; Main; Nevada; Principals Shallow; Valley; Vegas; Water; Well; Las Vegas

Controlled Subject

Hydrology

File Format

pdf

File Size

3205.12 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

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