introduction
Greenleaf, an incorporated
community of over 800 residents, lies in the interior of the western
Snake River Plain, in Canyon County, Idaho (Figure 1). The town
derives domestic water from two wells that penetrate confined aquifers
in the upper part of the Neogene Idaho Group. This report summarizes
results of a study to assist Greenleaf in expanding its water supply
with additional ground water. It was completed by the Idaho Water
Resources Research Institute’s (IWRRI) Technical Assistance for Rural
Ground-Water Development in Idaho project
Statement of Problem
Several factors impact some
uses of ground water in the Greenleaf area. These include elevated
concentrations of arsenic, fluoride, manganese, iron, organically
derived gas, and elevated temperature. The IWRRI project team was
initially asked to study the issue of smelly water at Greenleaf
because the community planned to drill a new well in the fall of 2003.
Understanding the concentration and distribution of arsenic and other
dissolved constituents in ground water is important in locating and
constructing a new well of the city. We undertook this study to
provide the city with technical information that will enhance the
possibility of a successful drilling program.
Objectives
This study was undertaken for
several reasons:
- To define the source
aquifers from which Greenleaf draws water,
- To analyze the
stratigraphy that hosts confined aquifers in the Greenleaf area,
- To study the distribution
of naturally occurring constituents such as organically derived
gases, arsenic, and other metals,
- To locate potentially
clean aquifers,
- To understand potential
geometries and flow paths of thermal water and its impact on ground
water.
