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Hydrogeologic analysis of the southern Rathdrum Prairie area, Idaho Item Info

Many industrial, municipal and domestic water users on the Rathdrum prairie depend solely on water from the underlying ground water flow system. The source and character of recharge to the aquifer may be significant constraints on the future development of the Rathdrum Prairie. The ground water system in the southern portion of the Rathdrum Prairie in Idaho was investigated to determine the characteristics and magnitude of recharge to the glacial aquifer from the Spokane River in the reach between Lake Coeur d'Alene to Post Falls. Particular emphasis was placed upon the occurrence of zinc in the flow regime, originating from long term mining activities in the Coeur d'Alene-Spokane River drainage. The study, conducted in the summer of 1975, included measurements of water levels in wells and collection of samples for quality analysis. The configuration of the water table near the Spokane River indicates recharge through the channel bottom. The hydrogeologic conditions of the glacial aquifer indicate an average hydraulic conductivity of 10,000 gallons per day per square foot. Results of the study show that fine grained channel sediments largely control the magnitude of recharge through the channel bottom. The rate of ground water recharge from the Spokane River above Post Falls in estimated to be 230 cubic feet per second (cfs) an important indication of ground water movement and recharge characteristics. Studies of selected cations show that concentrations increase away from the Spokane River into the aquifer system. Comparison of the water quality data reveal that no statistically significant difference exists at the .05 level of significance between the Spokane River and the glacial aquifer adjacent to the river. Concentrations of zinc in the ground water system are found to be generally below 0.01 parts per million (ppm).

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Title:
Hydrogeologic analysis of the southern Rathdrum Prairie area, Idaho
Authors:
Sagstad, Steven R.
Date Created (ISO Standard):
1977-04
Description:
Many industrial, municipal and domestic water users on the Rathdrum prairie depend solely on water from the underlying ground water flow system. The source and character of recharge to the aquifer may be significant constraints on the future development of the Rathdrum Prairie. The ground water system in the southern portion of the Rathdrum Prairie in Idaho was investigated to determine the characteristics and magnitude of recharge to the glacial aquifer from the Spokane River in the reach between Lake Coeur d'Alene to Post Falls. Particular emphasis was placed upon the occurrence of zinc in the flow regime, originating from long term mining activities in the Coeur d'Alene-Spokane River drainage. The study, conducted in the summer of 1975, included measurements of water levels in wells and collection of samples for quality analysis. The configuration of the water table near the Spokane River indicates recharge through the channel bottom. The hydrogeologic conditions of the glacial aquifer indicate an average hydraulic conductivity of 10,000 gallons per day per square foot. Results of the study show that fine grained channel sediments largely control the magnitude of recharge through the channel bottom. The rate of ground water recharge from the Spokane River above Post Falls in estimated to be 230 cubic feet per second (cfs) an important indication of ground water movement and recharge characteristics. Studies of selected cations show that concentrations increase away from the Spokane River into the aquifer system. Comparison of the water quality data reveal that no statistically significant difference exists at the .05 level of significance between the Spokane River and the glacial aquifer adjacent to the river. Concentrations of zinc in the ground water system are found to be generally below 0.01 parts per million (ppm).
Subjects:
groundwater recharge groundwater movement aquifer characteristics
Location:
Rathdrum Prairie; Kootenai
Latitude:
47.799
Longitude:
-116.87
Collection:
Coeur d'Alene Basin
Rights:
Rights to the digital resource are held by the University of Idaho. http://www.uidaho.edu/
Publisher:
University of Idaho
Contributing Institution:
University of Idaho
Type:
Text
Format:
application/pdf
Cataloger:
wbv
Date Digitized:
2012

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Source
Preferred Citation:
"Hydrogeologic analysis of the southern Rathdrum Prairie area, Idaho", Idaho Waters Digital Library, University of Idaho Library Digital Collections, https://www.lib.uidaho.edu/digital/iwdl/items/iwdl-cda_sagstad_1977.html
Rights
Rights:
Rights to the digital resource are held by the University of Idaho. http://www.uidaho.edu/
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