Geothermal activity in and around the City of Wells, Nevada, is evidenced by hot springs and the presence of hot waters in several private and municipal wells, suggesting that this area may host a commercially-viable geothermal resource. For this reason, under the U.S. Department of Energy’s Small Business Vouchers Pilot (SBV) Program, research teams from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) and the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), in collaboration with the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR), worked closely with the Elko Heat Company, the City of Wells, and Better City to review existing data and conduct field studies to site a geothermal well for district heating and other direct use applications for the Wells community. This effort started with the compilation and review of existing structural, geochemical, and geophysical information for this area. New field investigations included the measurement of ground temperatures with shallow 2-meter probes and in deeper Geoprobe holes, the collection and geochemical analysis of water samples from springs and wells, geologic mapping, direct current (DC) ground resistivity surveys, and electromagnetic induction (EMI) surveys. These data were integrated into a GIS geodatabase and a 3D conceptual geological model. A zone of anomalously high temperatures at shallow depths was identified in an area that coincides with the possible intersection of N-S and E-W faults. This zone exhibits low electrical resistivity in the shallow subsurface (depths less than 50 m), suggesting the presence of hot subsurface fluids at this location. While no subsurface waters have been sampled in this area, water samples from springs and wells to the east and west of this zone were found to display differing chemical and isotopic characteristics, suggesting that this zone may be related either to outflow from the hot spring system northwest of the City, or to outflow from a blind system further east following the regional hydraulic gradient. Maximum temperatures for the two groups of these fluids estimated by multicomponent geothermometry are ~180°C for the hot spring system and ~160°C east of the shallow temperature anomaly. The drilling of exploration wells at recommended locations within the temperature anomaly and other areas deemed favorable has provided additional information on the potential for shallow (less than 150 m deep) and deeper resources of hot water for direct use by the community of Wells.

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