Located in Nevada, the alluvial and bedrock aquifers in the Goshute Valley serve as the sole water source for the City of West Wendover, Nevada, and a critical supplementary source for Wendover, Utah. In 2003, AQUA completed a drinking water source protection plan for the Wendover community and secured a cooperative groundwater protection agreement with the Bureau of Land Management which manages large tracts of public land in the basin. In 2007 a company began active gold mining exploration activities in the Goshute Mountains within a drinking water source protection zone.
Recently, based on the prior agreement with the BLM, the cities and mining company entered into an agreement to study the groundwater conditions in the area by assembling a team of consultants including AQUA Engineering to evaluate geologic information, complete test pumping of selected wells, and determine the water chemistry and aquifer characteristics of the alluvial and bedrock aquifers. Our efforts included collection of water level measurements in several monitoring wells, real time level and flow measurements in four production wells, water chemistry in wells and springs, and real time turbidity measurements in a spring located adjacent to mineral exploration sites. The data will be compiled in a hydrologic study of the basin including water quality trends, management and operational practices to protect water quality in the aquifer.