Bureau of Land Management's Decision Record and Environmental

Jersey Valley Geothermal Development Project
Environmental Assessment: NV063-EAO8-091
water movement is transmitted mostly through unconsolidated sediments in the valley floor and,
to a lesser extent, through localized areas of highly fractured consolidated rocks. Ground water
from the Jersey Valley basin eventually flows to the southwest and contributes to the Dixie
Valley Hydrographic Area ground water basin recharge.
The Jersey Valley Hydrographic Area has committed ground water rights of 27.25 AFY and an
estimated perennial yield of 250 AFY. The manner of use for all of the committed ground water
rights is reported as industrial (NDCNR-DWR 2009a). The point of diversion for this ground
water use is located within the privately owned land block within the JV Unit Area in the
NW¼SW¼ of Section 34, T27N, R4OE (see Figure 6). The application for this ground water
right was filed on March 25, 2009 (NDCNR-DWR 2009b). As of January 2010, the
NDCNR-DWR had no well drill log records available for this ground water diversion point
(NDCNR-DWR 201 Oc).
There is one recorded ground water well located within five miles of the Jersey Valley hot
springs. This well, currently owned by the BLM, is located in the Jersey Valley Hydrographic
Area, approximately 4 miles southwest of the Jersey Valley unit area, in the SE¼, SW¼ of
Section 11, T26N, R39E (see Figure 6). The well was constructed in 1957 to a total depth of
200 feet with a reported depth to ground water of 138 feet (NDCNR-DWR 2010c). Subsequent
measurements of the depth to ground water in this well, taken during 1981 and 1982, show a
consistent depth to ground water of 136 feet (USGS 2009b). The USGS has no available ground
water quality data from this well (USGS 2009c).
Between 1981 and 1982, fourteen geothermal exploration (temperature gradient) “wells” were
drilled within five miles of the Jersey Valley unit area. Of these, nine are located within the
Jersey Valley unit area (NDCNR-DWR 2010c). All of these geothermal exploration “wells”
were drilled to relatively shallow depths (ranging from 340 feet to 500 feet). The NDWR does
not list these wells as plugged and abandoned, although the drilling logs on file indicate that they
were sealed with cement upon completion. No depth-to-ground water measurements or water
quality data are available for any of these geothermal exploration “wells” (NDNR-DWR 2OlOc).
Surface water within the Jersey Valley unit area is limited to a few springs and associated ponds
and a few west-flowing stream channels. Figure 6 shows streams flowing out of Jersey Canyon,
Butcher Canyon and several unnamed canyons within the unit area. These streams are either
ephemeral (flowing only during or immediately after rain events) or intermittent (flowing part of
the year, principally due to rain events and spring snowmelt, but dry the rest of the year). No
stream flow or water quality data are available for these streams.
Figure 6 also shows five springs within the Jersey Valley unit area. The eastcrnmost spring is a
cold water spring located at the mouth of Jersey Canyon on private land within the Jersey Valley
unit area in the NW¼SW¼ of Section 34. The northernmost spring, located in Section 15, and
the westernmost spring, located in the center of Section 29, are both small hot springs/seeps with
little flow.
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