Puerco RiverEducation Project

-wa special project of

Southwest Research and Information Center

SUHMAR^ CF SURFACE WSER AW GRCUM) WATER QUALICT IWESTIGA21QEBXM THg FUHBCO RIVQ? VALLJSST^ NB» MiSXICO AAD ARI20»» 1986-1987

by Chris aaaey and Ray tor̂ anPuerco Riwec Bducatioo Pcuject

Socttweat Research and Information CenterP.O. Bax 4524

Albuquerque/ W 87106

Deceaber 1987

Chris Shuey, Coordwsw, SKIC Office, P.O. Bax 4524, Albuquerque, NM 87/06 {505) 262-1862Raymond A/o^ff/a. Community Liaison^ P.O. Box 155, Ft. Wmgase, NM 87316 (505) 862-7202

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SUHMARX CaP SISUPaCE WATER AN) GROUM? WAX^R QUALITY I WESTIGAMO^IN Sffi KJiBRCO RIVER VALLEY M^ ftEpCO AM) ARI^A, 1986-1987

by Chria Shuey and Ray MorganPuerco River Education Project

Southwest Researcn and Infonnation CenterP.O. Eox 4524

Albuquerque/ NM 87106

-4- December 1987

IS^CCUCTIQt̂ The chemical quality of surface Jwater:and groundLwater in an

ephemeral streamsystem was investigated by Southwest Research and .Information

Center (SRIC) in 1986 and 1987 < The investigation was part of a continuing

educational and technical services program conducted by SRIC for teva^o" • • • ; * ' •i" '"'

coninunitlea located in the Puerco River valley in western terf Mexico and easterny .r ^

-1 -.' ••'-• .'T.

Arizona«

SURFACS MATER SAWLIH3. Unfiltered surface water samples were collected

from 12 different locations in three tributaries and the mm stem of tne Puerco.'"i-^1, '̂ f^

River in terch and July 1986 and July 1987 (Figure-1)* Flew conditions ranged from

extremely lew flow in March 1986 to very high flows in July 1986 and July 1987.

Sample collection was tilred tp coincidf.with peak runoff events during the past•fSEwo sunmers* ^ ;.^ ^ - ": ',

®OUfiD WASEK SAm*!̂ CrowA,Water samples were collected from windmills/

^hand-dug water wells% ^ftd .̂ edicâ .monifcorinQ wells ^n McKinley County/ N&rfp, ^ y tff - •1» •_, ^ - • _ , ^ ' ' , — . —

,,, ;•"•, -t " " . ^ - - - _ • ' . -^ •_

iMexico/ and Apache Coyntytf Arizonaî in July 1987. Windmills and hand-dug wells•»• •'i * " 'jfrcca which .samples were c l̂l̂ cCe^ r̂e cw^ed by the. ^^ajo Nation and are

-*• '- . '-'

^regularly used by local reslstenta as, sources of water fOE- liw t̂ock and soae

&TOAtLic purpoa®s» including r̂iJ .̂usg water. Monitoring wells from which water? ' i -^ - :^-'^ ^ »- r1 ' ?^ ^ ^ ' • l ' - - '̂ " ""; ^|air̂ les were collected are wsaed by the atate o£ Naw Mexico and are. used_ only for® < r '••-• " - ' jjround water monitoring pJrposeg. Unfiltered oainples were collected Iponi nine

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windmills and hand-dug wells. Filtered samples were collected froro four windmills

and eight unonitocing wells.

AWS-raiCAL SERVICE. Chemical analyses of tne samples were carried out by

Earryiger Laboratories Inc. or Golden/ Colorado/ and the ^va]o Tribal Utility

Authority laboratory in Ft. Defiance/ Arizona.

. QMft. OCfi«ZaA5£0^» Hydrogeologic and otfte^ relevant data for each ^ell

saiTOpied in 1987 appear in Table* 1^ Water qyallcy daca for 1987 surface water and7 ' ' ' ,St ^R '*••*: > ^^ •'^ Tr v ^ - " - • • •&"- -"

1- ^ PAgw^ 2 shws^ttse r̂ lationahip between r̂ dium-226 and total suspended solids w

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the 1986 surface water samples. A review of cue chemical data in Table 2 shews tne

same relationships in runo£f samples collected in 1987,

Gross al^a activity levels were sinular for runoff waters in the twth ana

South forks In 1986 (510 picoCunes per liter to 350 pCi/1/ respectively).

Hcwever/ gross alpha radioactivity in South Fork runoff waters was more than

twice gross alpha levels in the North Fork in a runoff ^vent on July 31< 1987.

(Waters in the South Fork of the Puerco at the SRIC sampling site are not believed

to be influenced by discharges of uraniixn mininq effluents. Uranilsn mining and, ' - „ , - • ' ~: '" . •-!- • • ~- r •-: 3 - " ~-

milling discharges were the dominant source of water in tte SfoE^x FpeH axid in the'̂ . •- ' ' •Puerco main -st^m in the mid-1950s and early 1960s and again between 1969 and early

1986.) •': • . - - " ' T ^ ; , -,T^. . 0. •.. • ^ J'- " - • "

Gro^e alp^a concentratiogfi in JCUQQ^L yater at the Mey fetexiwArizona

stateline irarK

Figure 2

RaATIOMSaXP BKIWEEK RAOIW-226 (TOIM.) WD TOTAL SUSî ffiED SOLXE6XM FUESCD RIVER WATE31, ^^W MSaCD WD ABX2£S(A

(basei

data provide water quality inrornation only for tne dates upon wnich the samples

were taken. However/ wnen considered 3n an historic context; the data can form

tne oasis for a few observations about ^e nature and extent of contamination of

the shallow alluvial ground water system under the Puerco River.••*_

firsts shallcw ground water quality generally Improves with distance

downstream £ro

)• IB^J j J6fc^

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>; ' I J'LL'U:L . :_: :( ';:.: /L|J:A:L^^ |

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Known to adsoro readily to c,Uy minerala wnich are cotnoon in the scream toed and

underlying alluvial soils^ The absence c£ elevated concentrations of radiuro-226

in the alluvial ground water of the k>rth ForK valley tracks closely wiin me

filings of a U*S* Geological Survey assessment of snallcw grouna water quality

in the Puerco River valley in Arizona. (See ^Preliminary Assessment of Hater

Quality in the Alluvial Aquifer of the ?uerco River Easing Mortheaacem Ariaonap"

USGS Water Resources Investigation Report 87-4126/ June 1987

investigation of water quality in the Puerco River/Little Colorado River fiasin.

The written reports and field studies proposed by the Geological Survey not only

will provide insight into the mechanisms Chat control radionuclide transport in

surface and ground waters in the Puerco valley/ but alao will provide extensive

data on shallow ground water quality and quantity chat can be used by local the

ooHKtunities in plans for developing new watur supplies.

To date^ SRIC and the tevajo communities its seevea have benefited greatly

from the cooperation of various governmental agencies and their personnel. Staff

officers of USGS/ the ?tey Mexico Environmental Improvement Division/ and the U.S.

Bureau of Indian Affairs assisted in sample collection and field surveys. W&W

and the t^vajo Tribe provided access to wells for sampling purposes. Costs for

laboratory services have been borne exclusively by SRIC.

REFEBEMCTS AM) MSA FILES. References to published or unpublished

literature cited in this aunsiary can be obtained from the authors. Laboratory

data sheets and quality-control reports also are available upcn request. A more

lengthy and detailed version of this report is expected to be completed in mid-1988.

15

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