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Environment: Snake River Aquifer & Groundwater

Snake River

Books in the Library Catalog

Chemical constituents in groundwater from multiple zones in the Snake River Plain Aquifer at the Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho, 2005-08 by Bartholomay, Roy C.
Call Number: TD428.A86B367 2010
Publication Date: 2010
Completion summary for well NRF-16 near the Naval Reactors Facility, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho by Twining, Brian V.
Call Number: TD428.A86T885 2010
Publication Date: 2010
Feasibility of large-scale managed recharge of the Eastern Snake Plain aquifer system by Idaho Dept. of Water Resources
Call Number: TD224.I2I32 1999
Publication Date: 1999
Ground water quality in the Twin Falls hydrogeologic subarea, 1991-2000 by Neely, Kenneth W.
Call Number: GB1025.I2N44 2001
Publication Date: 2001
Ground water vulnerability assessment, Snake River Plain, Southern Idaho by Michael Rupert
Call Number: TD23.7.G918 1991
Publication Date: 1991
Iodine-129 in the Snake River Plain Aquifer at and near the Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho, 2003 and 2007 by Bartholomay, Roy C.
Call Number: TD428.A86B37 2009
Publication Date: 2009
Tritium concentrations in flow from selected springs that discharge to the Snake River, Twin Falls -Hagerman Area, Idaho by Mann, Larry J.
Call Number: TD426.T78M315 1989
Publication Date: 1989

USGS Reports

Evaluation of Chemical and Hydrologic Processes in the Eastern Snake River Plain Aquifer Based on Results from Geochemical Modeling, Idaho National Laboratory, Eastern Idaho Nuclear research activities at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Idaho National Laboratory (INL) produced liquid and solid chemical and radiochemical wastes that were disposed to the subsurface resulting in detectable concentrations of some waste constituents in the eastern Snake River Plain (ESRP) aquifer. These waste constituents may affect the water quality of the aquifer and may pose risks to the eventual users of the aquifer water. To understand these risks to water quality the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the DOE, conducted geochemical mass-balance modeling of the ESRP aquifer to improve the understanding of chemical reactions, sources of recharge, mixing of water, and groundwater flow directions in the shallow (upper 250 feet) aquifer at the INL. Modeling was conducted using the water chemistry of 127 water samples collected from sites at and near the INL. Water samples were collected between 1952 and 2017 with most of the samples collected during the mid-1990s. Geochemistry and isotopic data used in geochemical modeling consisted of dissolved oxygen, carbon dioxide, major ions, silica, aluminum, iron, and the stable isotope ratios of hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon. Geochemical modeling results indicated that the primary chemical reactions in the aquifer were precipitation of calcite and dissolution of plagioclase (An60) and basalt volcanic glass. Secondary minerals other than calcite included calcium montmorillonite and goethite. Reverse cation exchange, consisting of sodium exchanging for calcium on clay minerals, occurred near site facilities where large amounts of sodium were released to the ESRP aquifer in wastewater discharge. Reverse cation exchange acted to retard the movement of wastewater-derived sodium in the aquifer. Regional groundwater inflow was the primary source of recharge to the aquifer underlying the Northeast and Southeast INL Areas. Birch Creek (BC), the Big Lost River (BLR), and groundwater from BC valley provided recharge to the North INL Area, and the BLR and groundwater from BC and Little Lost River (LLR) valleys provided recharge to the Central INL Area. The BLR, groundwater from the BLR and LLR valleys and the Lost River Range, and precipitation provided recharge to the Northwest and Southwest INL Areas. The primary source of recharge west and southwest of the INL was groundwater inflow from BLR valley. Upwelling geothermal water was a small source of recharge at two wells. Aquifer recharge from surface water in the northern, central, and western parts of the INL indicated that the aquifer in these areas was a dynamic, open system, whereas the aquifer in the eastern part of the INL, which receives little recharge from surface water, was a relatively static and closed system.
Evaluation of Quality-Control Data Collected by the U.S. Geological Survey for Routine Water-Quality Activities at the Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho, 1996–2001
Evaluation of Quality-Control Data Collected by the U.S. Geological Survey for Routine Water-Quality Activities at the Idaho National Laboratory and Vicinity, Southeastern Idaho, 2002–08
Field Methods and Quality-Assurance Plan for Water-Quality Activities and Water-Level Measurements, U.S. Geological Survey, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho
Geochemistry of groundwater in the Beaver and Camas Creek drainage basins, eastern Idaho
Groundwater Information for Idaho
Iodine-129 in the Eastern Snake River Plain Aquifer at and near the Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho, 2010–12
Iodine-129 in the Eastern Snake River Plain Aquifer at and near the Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho, 2017–18
Measurement of Unsaturated Hydraulic Properties and Evaluation of Property-Transfer Models for Deep Sedimentary Interbeds, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho
Multilevel Groundwater Monitoring of Hydraulic Head and Temperature in the Eastern Snake River Plain Aquifer, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho, 2009–10. By Brian Twining and Jason Fisher.
Multilevel Groundwater Monitoring of Hydraulic Head and Temperature in the Eastern Snake River Plain Aquifer, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho, 2011–13
Optimization of Water-Level Monitoring Networks in the Eastern Snake River Plain Aquifer Using a Kriging-Based Genetic Algorithm Method
Paleomagnetic Correlation and Ages of Basalt Flow Groups in Coreholes At and Near the Naval Reactors Facility, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho
Purgeable Organic Compounds at or near the Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho, 2015
U.S. Geological Survey geohydrologic studies and monitoring at the Idaho National Laboratory, southeastern Idaho Fact Sheet 2017-3070
An Update of Hydrologic Conditions and Distribution of Selected Constituents in Water, Eastern Snake River Plain Aquifer and Perched Groundwater Zones, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho, Emphasis 2009‒11
An Update of Hydrologic Conditions and Distribution of Selected Constituents in Water, Eastern Snake River Plain Aquifer and Perched Groundwater Zones, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho, Emphasis 2012–15 Since 1952, wastewater discharged to in ltration ponds (also called percolation ponds) and disposal wells at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has affected water quality in the eastern Snake River Plain (ESRP) aquifer and perched groundwater zones underlying the INL. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy, maintains groundwater-monitoring networks at the INL to determine hydrologic trends and to delineate the movement of radiochemical and chemical wastes in the aquifer and in perched groundwater zones. This report presents an analysis of water-level and water-quality data collected from the ESRP aquifer, multilevel monitoring system (MLMS) wells in the ESRP aquifer, and perched groundwater wells in the USGS groundwater monitoring networks during 2012–15. From March–May 2011 to March–May 2015, water levels in wells completed in the ESRP aquifer declined in all wells at the INL. Water-level declines were largest in the northern part of the INL and smallest in the southwestern part...
An Update of Hydrologic Conditions and Distribution of Selected Constituents in Water, Eastern Snake River Plain Aquifer and Perched Groundwater Zones, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho, Emphasis 2016–18
USGS Idaho Water Science Center
Water-Quality Characteristics and Trends for Selected Sites At and Near the Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho, 1949–2009

More Reports and Fact Sheets from USGS Idaho

Idaho Department of Water Resources

Idaho Department of Water Resources

Idaho Department of Environmental Quality

Idaho's Treasure; The Eastern Snake River Plain Aquifer