Origin of groundwater discharge at Burney Falls, Shasta Co., California

[摘要] Stable isotope measurements of surface water and groundwater from the Burney Basin and northern Hat Creek Basin indicate that spring discharge at Burney Falls is a mixture of water derived from both basins. Relative mixing proportions depend on the assumed isotopic composition of each end-member, but plausible mixing models suggest that approximately 40 to 60% of the spring water originates from the Burney Basin. The isotope data also indicate that Burney Creek cannot be the dominant source of Burney Falls Springs. The proposed development of a new power plant (Three Mountain Project) in the Burney Basin area of northeastern California provided the impetus for this brief report on the origin of groundwater discharge at Burney Falls Springs. The proposed project is situated {approx} 13 km up-gradient of McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park, where groundwater emanates from a group of large springs at a rate of approximately 4.2 to 6.4 m{sup 3}s{sup -1} (150-225 ft{sup 3}s{sup -1}). This report discusses stable isotope data for water samples that were gathered from this region by the author in the mid-1990's. The intent is to provide impartial scientific evidence that may assist in the environmental risk assessment process.

[发布日期] 2000-02-09 [发布机构] Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

[关键词] Surface Waters;Origin;Mountains;58 Geosciences;Stable Isotopes