The U.S. Army Fort Irwin National Training Center (NTC), approximately 35 mi north-northeast of Barstow, California, covers approximately 1,177 square miles, and is comprised of ten groundwater basins, three of which have been subdivided into subbasins on the basis of additional hydrologic testing. Since the early 1990s, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been studying water resources issues at Fort Irwin. One issue of concern is the potential effect of groundwater development resulting from planned training expansion and infrastructure at the NTC on natural springs and seeps, an important water source for wildlife. In 2010, the USGS entered into cooperative agreements with the U.S. Army to complete studies of groundwater resources focusing primarily on undeveloped basins within the NTC. Electrical resistivity data were collected in 2015 and 2017 at three groups of springs in undeveloped basins in order to quantify the spatial extent of groundwater associated with each spring and to detect hydrologic change over this two year time period. In 2017, electrical resistivity data were also collected at the airstrip on Bicycle Lake (a dry lakebed) to provide insight on ground failures and data regarding the depth of the known surface cracks and macropolygon features.

The U.S. Army Fort Irwin National Training Center (NTC), approximately 35 mi north-northeast of Barstow, California, covers approximately 1,177 square miles, and is comprised of ten groundwater basins, three of which have been subdivided into subbasins on the basis of additional hydrologic testing. Since the early 1990s, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been studying water resources issues at Fort Irwin. One issue of concern is the potential effect of groundwater development resulting from planned training expansion and infrastructure at the NTC on natural springs and seeps, an important water source for wildlife. In 2010, the USGS entered into cooperative agreements with the U.S. Army to complete studies of groundwater resources focusing primarily on undeveloped basins within the NTC. Electrical resistivity data were collected in 2015 and 2017 at three groups of springs in undeveloped basins in order to quantify the spatial extent of groundwater associated with each spring and to detect hydrologic change over this two year time period. In 2017, electrical resistivity data were also collected at the airstrip on Bicycle Lake (a dry lakebed) to provide insight on ground failures and data regarding the depth of the known surface cracks and macropolygon features.

The Cahuilla Valley and Terwilliger Valley groundwater basins, 9-006 and 7-026 respectively (California Department of Water Resources 2016) located approximately 25 miles southwest of Palm Springs, are the sole-source for groundwater supply for the rural disadvantaged community and two Native American Tribes, the Ramona Band of Cahuilla and the Cahuilla. The characteristics and sustainable yield of the Cahuilla Valley and Terwilliger Valley groundwater basins are not well understood and are threatened by increasing water use and potential changes in water sustainability related to climate change. Previous USGS studies of the Cahuilla-Terwilliger Valley groundwater basins defined the thicknesses and characteristics of the alluvial sediments that constitute the main water-bearing unit of the aquifer system and identified where wells completed in the underlying fractured bedrock are located (Moyle, 1976; Landon and others, 2015; Woolfenden and Bright, 1988). However, although the fractured bedrock is an important part of the aquifer system for domestic and some irrigation supply, the thickness and hydraulic characteristics of the fractured bedrock are not well understood (Landon and others, 2015; Moyle 1976). Existing gravity data identified a possible conduit for groundwater flow beneath Cahuilla Creek in the Cahuilla and Durasno Valleys (Landon and others, 2015). Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) data was collected in August 2018 to evaluate the cross-sectional depth to bedrock underlying a narrow section of Durasno Valley, and to help select locations for groundwater monitoring wells. Data from two transects were collected perpendicular to Cahuilla Creek, and offset by approximately 600 meters (m).

The U.S. Army Fort Irwin National Training Center (NTC), approximately 35 miles north-northeast of Barstow, California, obtains all of its potable water supply from three groundwater basins (Irwin, Langford, and Bicycle Basins) within the NTC boundaries. In these basins, groundwater withdrawals exceed natural recharge, resulting in water-level declines. However, managed aquifer recharge using treated wastewater has offset water-level declines in Irwin Basin. Additionally, localized water-quality changes have occurred in some parts of Irwin Basin as a result of human activities (for example, wastewater disposal practices, landscape irrigation, and (or) leaking pipes). As part of a research study in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) collected eight electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) surveys on irrigated fields in the Irwin Basin in July 2019 and February 2020. The ERT geophysical technique injects direct-current electricity with known voltage and current into the earth using a series of electrodes and measures the resulting resistivity. This technique is generally limited to investigations of aquifer properties that are less than 100 meters below land surface.

The Cahuilla Valley and Terwilliger Valley groundwater basins, 9-006 and 7-026 respectively (California Department of Water Resources 2016) located approximately 25 miles southwest of Palm Springs, are the sole-source for groundwater supply for the rural disadvantaged community and two Native American Tribes, the Ramona Band of Cahuilla and the Cahuilla. The characteristics and sustainable yield of the Cahuilla Valley and Terwilliger Valley groundwater basins are not well understood and are threatened by increasing water use and potential changes in water sustainability related to climate change. Previous USGS studies of the Cahuilla-Terwilliger Valley groundwater basins defined the thicknesses and characteristics of the alluvial sediments that constitute the main water-bearing unit of the aquifer system and identified where wells completed in the underlying fractured bedrock are located (Moyle, 1976; Landon and others, 2015; Woolfenden and Bright, 1988). However, although the fractured bedrock is an important part of the aquifer system for domestic and some irrigation supply, the thickness and hydraulic characteristics of the fractured bedrock are not well understood (Landon and others, 2015; Moyle 1976). Existing gravity data identified a possible conduit for groundwater flow beneath Cahuilla Creek in the Cahuilla and Durasno Valleys (Landon and others, 2015). Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) data was collected in August 2018 to evaluate the cross-sectional depth to bedrock underlying a narrow section of Durasno Valley, and to help select locations for groundwater monitoring wells. Data from two transects were collected perpendicular to Cahuilla Creek, and offset by approximately 600 meters (m).

The Santa Clara River Lakes, located along the San Andreas fault 19 miles northwest of Palmdale, California, were placed on the state’s “303(d) List” or “Impaired Water List” in 1996 for eutrophic conditions, high pH, and low dissolved oxygen. In 2016, the state adopted a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) in the Santa Clara River Lakes. This study focuses on the largest of the three lakes, Lake Elizabeth, which is surrounded by the unincorporated town of Elizabeth Lake, CA. The local community uses on-site wastewater treatment systems instead of a centralized sewer system, resulting in potential contamination of groundwater. In response to concerns over the quality of water in the area and fluctuating water levels in Elizabeth Lake, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) cooperated with the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board to assess hydrologic conditions and water quality near Elizabeth Lake. As part of this work, the USGS did electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) survey lines at two locations across the southern edge of the lake near the community in March 2019.

The Cahuilla Valley and Terwilliger Valley groundwater basins, 9-006 and 7-026 respectively (California Department of Water Resources 2016) located approximately 25 miles southwest of Palm Springs, are the sole-source for groundwater supply for the rural disadvantaged community and two Native American Tribes, the Ramona Band of Cahuilla and the Cahuilla. The characteristics and sustainable yield of the Cahuilla Valley and Terwilliger Valley groundwater basins are not well understood and are threatened by increasing water use and potential changes in water sustainability related to climate change. Previous USGS studies of the Cahuilla-Terwilliger Valley groundwater basins defined the thicknesses and characteristics of the alluvial sediments that constitute the main water-bearing unit of the aquifer system and identified where wells completed in the underlying fractured bedrock are located (Moyle, 1976; Landon and others, 2015; Woolfenden and Bright, 1988). However, although the fractured bedrock is an important part of the aquifer system for domestic and some irrigation supply, the thickness and hydraulic characteristics of the fractured bedrock are not well understood (Landon and others, 2015; Moyle 1976). Existing gravity data identified a possible conduit for groundwater flow beneath Cahuilla Creek in the Cahuilla and Durasno Valleys (Landon and others, 2015). Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) data was collected in August 2018 to evaluate the cross-sectional depth to bedrock underlying a narrow section of Durasno Valley, and to help select locations for groundwater monitoring wells. Data from two transects were collected perpendicular to Cahuilla Creek, and offset by approximately 600 meters (m).