Many aquifer tests have been conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey to estimate hydraulic properties of aquifers in Nevada and adjacent states. Transmissivity is the principal hydraulic property that has been estimated from the aquifer tests in Nevada because these values directly affect estimates of ground-water flow. Aquifer tests have been described well by Stallman (1971), who reported:
“An aquifer test is a controlled field experiment made to determine the hydraulic properties of water-bearing and associated rocks. The test is made by observing ground-water flow that is produced by known hydraulic boundary conditions such as variations of head along a connected stream, pumping wells, changes in weight imposed on the land surface, or changes in recharge. The hydraulic boundary conditions may be imposed as part of the natural hydrologic system or by an act of man. Ground-water flow varies in space and time and is dependent on the hydraulic properties of the rocks and the boundary conditions imposed on the ground-water system.”
Aquifer-Test Design, Observation, and Data Analysis
Click on a symbol on the map to find out more information about each test or view a list of aquifer tests.
Click on the aquifer test name below for additional information.
Aquifer tests available from this site have been approved by the U.S. Geological Survey and are archived as per Office of Ground Water Technical Memorandum 2009.01. Data, analyses, and aquifer-test reports that are distributed from this web site are stored in the aquifer-test archive of the Nevada Water Science Center. These aquifer-test results have been approved and released to the public by the Western Region Ground-Water Specialist. Limited hydraulic property estimates, such as hydraulic conductivity, transmissivity, and storage coefficient, also are stored in the National Water Information System (NWIS).