Hydrogeology of the Camp Verde area, Yavapai County, Arizona

Glotfelty, Marvin

The Camp Verde Area in central Arizona is a region of rapid population growth. As the community at Camp Verde increases in size, there may be substantially increased ground-water withdrawal in that area. Two 1:24000 groundwater elevation maps were constructed with 20-foot contour intervals from U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) data for the Camp Verde area and the Camp Verde/Montezuma Castle area. Nineteen percent of the wells in the study area were field checked to insure water levels did not vary from those previously reported by USGS and ADWR. Ground-water movement in the Camp Verde area is basinward, and then southward along the Verde River. The potentiometric contours point upstream in the study area south of Camp Verde, indicating effluent conditions. A 9-hour aquifer test was conducted on April 27, 1984 in Camp Verde at well (A-14-05) 32ccb. Median values of transmissivity and storage coefficient calculated for the test data were 65,000 gallons per day per foot, and 0.0005, respectively. A two-dimensional finite-difference computer model (Trescott and others, 1976) was used to simulate conditions of increased ground-water withdrawal in Camp Verde. The model was calibrated using the data from the aquifer test conducted in Camp Verde. The calibration of the computer model matched the Theis solution for drawdown at the pumped well to within 0.53 foot. Three hypothetical scenarios were simulated by the computer model: 1) two pumping centers one mile apart discharging 500 gallons per minute (gpm) for a period of 5 years, 2) two pumping centers one mile apart discharging 1000 gpm for 5 years, and 3) a single pumping center representing a well field, discharging 5000 gpm for 5 years. If 1000 gpm or more are discharged from a single pumping center for a period of 5 years, substantial drawdown will occur and will cause overdraft and well spacing problems. (Copied verbatim from the thesis.)