Hydrogeologic Study of the Bryce Canyon City Area, Including Johns and Emery Valleys, Garfield County, Utah

Abstract

Groundwater resources development and the threat of future drought in Garfield County, southwestern Utah, prompted a study of groundwater quality and quantity in the environs of Bryce Canyon National Park and Bryce Canyon City in Johns and Emery Valleys. Water quality, water quantity, and the potential for water-quality degradation are critical elements determining the extent and nature of future development in the valley. The community of Bryce Canyon City is an area of active tourism and, therefore, of potential increase in growth (likely from tourism-related development). Groundwater exists in Quaternary valley-fill and bedrock aquifers (the Tertiary Claron Formation and Cretaceous sandstone). Increased demand on drinking water warrants careful land-use planning and resource management to preserve surface and groundwater resources of Johns and Emery Valleys and surrounding areas that may be hydrologically connected to these valleys including Bryce Canyon National Park.