Sponsor
Portland State University. Department of Geology
First Advisor
John Bershaw
Term of Graduation
Summer 2025
Date of Publication
8-6-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (M.S.) in Geology: Geohydrology
Department
Geology
Language
English
Subjects
Columbia River Basalt Group, hydrogeology, Mosier, Rowena, water
Physical Description
1 online resource (vii, 69 pages)
Abstract
Groundwater level declines are a growing concern within the upper Rowena Creek drainage, Oregon. This area is home to a small community located on the upper limb of the Columbia Hills anticline, where local residents rely on aquifers within the Columbia River Basalt Group (CRBG) for domestic water supplies. Groundwater level declines in CRBG aquifers have been studied more extensively in the Mosier area, which lies approximately 5 miles to the northwest of Rowena, but there has been little research conducted specifically on the upper Rowena Creek drainage area. Rowena is located higher up the dip of the Columbia Hills Anticline, where some of the younger CRBG flows found in the Mosier area are less prevalent and less utilized for water supply. The groundwater flow system around Rowena Creek is not well understood and is further complicated by a local fault, called the Rowena Creek Fault, and proximity to the crest of the Columbia Hills anticline.
This study investigates the groundwater flow system in the upper Rowena Creek area using existing geology and well construction information available from the Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD), rock geochemistry, and stable isotope and major ion water chemistry. A local stratigraphy for the Rowena area is developed and applied to contextualize trends in groundwater levels and water chemistry results. Static water level elevation information compiled from OWRD, and supplemented with the collection of additional measurements for two wells, indicates that this area experiences falling hydraulic head with depth, indicating that it is a groundwater recharge zone. Stable isotope water chemistry results support this observation and indicate that precipitation recharging groundwater in the Rowena area is local to the rain shadow of the Cascade Range. Major ion water chemistry results indicate that groundwater on the east and west sides of the Rowena Creek is chemically distinct, suggesting that the creek may be acting as a discharge boundary. These water chemistry results and static water level elevations suggest that observed groundwater level declines around the Rowena area may be related to the limited availability of recharge created by a hyper- local groundwater flow system bounded by Rowena Creek and the crest of the Columbia Hills anticline. Therefore, careful management of currently available groundwater resources will likely be important to ensuring the long-term sustainability of groundwater resources in this area.
Rights
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Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/44107
Recommended Citation
Kambur, CateLee YaMei, "A Groundwater Flow System Investigation in the Upper Rowena Creek Drainage, Oregon" (2025). Dissertations and Theses. Paper 6924.