Hydrogeologic Framework and Hydrologic Budget Components of the Columbia Plateau Regional Aquifer System, Washington, Oregon, and Idaho

Download or read book Hydrogeologic Framework and Hydrologic Budget Components of the Columbia Plateau Regional Aquifer System, Washington, Oregon, and Idaho written by S. C. Kahle and published by CreateSpace. This book was released on 2014-07-10 with total page 76 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Columbia Plateau Regional Aquifer System (CPRAS) covers an area of about 44,000 square miles in a structural and topographic basin within the drainage of the Columbia River in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. The primary aquifers are basalts of the Columbia River Basalt Group (CRBG) and overlying sediment. Eighty percent of the groundwater use in the study area is for irrigation, in support of a $6 billion per year agricultural economy. Water-resources issues in the Columbia Plateau include competing agricultural, domestic, and environmental demands. Groundwater levels were measured in 470 wells in 1984 and 2009; water levels declined in 83 percent of the wells, and declines greater than 25 feet were measured in 29 percent of the wells.