Water Resources of the Curlew Valley Drainage Basin, Utah and Idaho (TP-45)

By: C. H. Baker, Jr

The Curlew Valley drainage basin covers about 1,200 square miles in northern Utah and southern Idaho. Locomotive Springs are in the southern end of the basin. Runoff in this semiarid region is scanty, and the drainage basin includes only two small perennial streams. Deep Creek, the larger of these streams, originates in the northeastern part of the basin in Idaho. A large spring group, Holbrook Springs, contributes an average of about 30 cubic feet per second to Deep Creek, but much of the water is diverted in Idaho for irrigation in both States. The mean discharge of the creek near the Utah-Idaho boundary during 1970-72 was about 8.5 cubic feet per second. Indian Creek drains the Raft River Mountains on the west side of Curlew Valley; the long-term mean discharge of the creek near the foot of the mountains is less than 0.5 cubic foot per second. No water leaves the drainage basin in either of these streams.

The primary purpose of the study on which this report is based was to determine whether or not the flow of Locomotive Springs--a source of water for a State Waterfowl Management Area?has been or will be diminished as a result of ground-water withdrawals elsewhere in Curlew Valley. To this end, it was necessary to make a quantitative appraisal of the water resources of the Curlew Valley drainage basin, with emphasis on ground water, and to evaluate the effects of both present and planned water-supply developments on the hydrologic regimen.

Other Information:
Published: 1974
Pages: 37
Plates: 5 pl.
Location: Box Elder County
Media Type: Paper Publication