Drinking water source protection plan for East Creek well field at Bryce Canyon National Park
Martin L. 1998. Drinking water source protection plan for East Creek well field at Bryce Canyon National Park. Drinking Water Source Protection Plans. National Park Service, Water Resources Division. Fort Collins, Colorado
Drinking water for the public water supply at Bryce Canyon National Park is obtained from shallow wells completed in the alluvium of East Creek. Hydrogeologic analyses shows that the area contributing groundwater to wells in East Creek is limited to the alluvial deposits between the well field and the main road through the park. The National Park Service should maintain a fence to exclude cattle from the proximity of the wells. Surface runoff from anywhere in the drainage basin upstream of the East Creek well field could quickly transport contaminants to the vicinity of the well field where they could infiltrate into the alluvial aquifer and pose a threat to the drinking water supply. Three small parking areas are located within the drainage basin of East Creek: Inspiration Point, Bryce Point, and Paria View. Any contaminants in runoff from these parking areas would be present in only small quantities and would be greatly diluted as they were transported downstream. Traffic accidents are not expected to be a threat to the drinking water supply as these would be infrequent events, relatively small quantities of contaminant would be involved, recovery of spilled material and natural dilution would mitigate effects and it would take approximately 15 years for groundwater to travel from the vicinity of the road to the well field. Management actions should be initiated to assure long-term continued protection of the water supply for the East Creek Wellfield. These actions include signage to make persons aware they are in the source area of a public water supply, enlarging the fenced area around the wellfield, and possibly restricting access to the source area on Forest Service land surrounding the wellfield.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Martin, Larry
- Date of Issue
- 1998-12
- Publisher
- National Park Service, Water Resources Division
- Units
- BRCA , WRD
- Keywords
- Aquatic Studies, Aquifer, Cattle, Contaminant, drinking water wells, Grazing, Ground Water, Groundwater, Hydrogeology, Hydrology, Land Use, NCPN springs literature 2003, Sevier River, Springs, Utah, Water Quality, Water Quantity, Water Resources, Watershed, Watershed Management, well water, Wells, WRBIB