Hydrogeologic Study of the Bryce Canyon City Area, Including Johns and Emery Valleys, Garfield County, Utah (OFR-733)

By: Janae Wallace, Trevor H. Schlossnagle, Hugh Hurlow, Nathan Payne, and Christian Hardwick

Groundwater resources development and the threat of future drought in Garfield County, southwestern Utah, prompted a study of groundwater quality and quantity in the environs of Bryce Canyon National Park and Bryce Canyon City in Johns and Emery Valleys. Water quality, water quantity, and the potential for water-quality degradation are critical elements determining the extent and nature of future development in the valley. New data collected for this study include water levels in wells, stream-, canal-, and spring-flow measurements, gravity measurements, water chemistry, and environmental chemistry tracers (stable isotopes of water, tritium, and carbon-14 dating). The report describes aquifer geology and geometry, groundwater levels and surface water-groundwater interaction, and water chemistry. Groundwater quality is pristine but most groundwater is modern recharge, suggesting sensitivity to climate change. Increased demand on drinking water warrants careful land-use planning and resource management to preserve surface and groundwater resources of Johns and Emery Valleys and surrounding areas that may be hydrologically connected to these valleys, including Bryce Canyon National Park.

Other Information:

Published: 2021

Pages: 55, 6 appendices

Plates: 2

Scale: 1:62,500

Location: Utah

Media Type: Paper Map