Geochemical-Hydrological Studies of the Imperial Valley, California

Abstract

Water quality data for 145 wells in the Imperial Valley, California were complied and plotted in three depth intervals, using modified Stiff diagrams, Langelier-Ludwig diagrams, single chemical parameter contours and three dimensional surface plots of the contoured surfaces. The depth zones, chose a from a plot of well perforation intervals, are shallow, from 80 to 300 ft., intermediate, from 300 to 1,500 ft., and deep, greater than 1,500 ft. The modified Stiff diagrams show the areal distribution of at lease five distinct water types - sodium chloride water, a sodium chloride with high sulfate water, a sodium chloride with high calcium water, a high sulfate water and a sodium bicarbonate water. The Langelier-Ludwig plot shows two distinct groupings. One group essentially along the Na+K axis contains a high proportion of points plotted for the shallow depth zone and the other group, essentially along the SO4 + C1 axis, contains a high proportion of points plotted for the intermediate depth zone. Some structural features can be seen on the single parameter contour plots.