Groundwater Age of the West Plains, Spokane County, Washington
Faculty Mentor
Chad Pritchard
Presentation Type
Poster
Start Date
May 2025
End Date
May 2025
Location
PUB NCR
Primary Discipline of Presentation
Geology
Abstract
Radiocarbon dating of groundwater in the West Plains has focused on the basaltic aquifers, since these are the most commonly used for drinking water wells. However, looking at the West Plains holistically, there is a need for recharge, which may include water in basement rocks (Eocene to Cretaceous granite and Cambrian to Mesoproterozoic metasedimentary rocks). Additionally residents in the area have wells within the basement rock aquifers that tend to dry up during years with low precipitation. Groundwater interactions between basement and basaltic aquifers are examined using groundwater age, groundwater models, groundwater budgets and a meteoric water line.
Recommended Citation
Meier-Grolman, Cadence and Pritchard, Chad, "Groundwater Age of the West Plains, Spokane County, Washington" (2025). 2025 Symposium. 33.
https://dc.ewu.edu/srcw_2025/ps_2025/p1_2025/33
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Groundwater Age of the West Plains, Spokane County, Washington
PUB NCR
Radiocarbon dating of groundwater in the West Plains has focused on the basaltic aquifers, since these are the most commonly used for drinking water wells. However, looking at the West Plains holistically, there is a need for recharge, which may include water in basement rocks (Eocene to Cretaceous granite and Cambrian to Mesoproterozoic metasedimentary rocks). Additionally residents in the area have wells within the basement rock aquifers that tend to dry up during years with low precipitation. Groundwater interactions between basement and basaltic aquifers are examined using groundwater age, groundwater models, groundwater budgets and a meteoric water line.
