Ground Water-Surface Water Relations in the Silver Creek Area.  by J.A. Moreland 1977

Water enters the fluvioglacial valley fill in the Silver Creek area from seepage from the Big Wood River, irrigation return, leakage from canals, and precipitation. The recharge joins underflow from the Big Wood River canyon and moves generally southward through the valley. The various inflow sources cause significant seasonal fluctuations in ground-water levels. The lithology of the valley fill partly controls the movement of ground water through the system.  . . . . Streamflow measurements made throughout the area of ground-water discharge show that most of the flow in Silver Creek is derived from springs issuing from the shallow, unconfined aquifer near the upstream edge of the confining beds. Over half the ground-water discharge which feeds the Big Wood River also rises from the shallow aquifer. However, a substantial part of the ground-water component of flow in the Big Wood River apparently is discharged from the downstream part of the confined aquifer near Stanton Crossing. Seasonal fluctuations in the ground-water component of flow in Silver Creek are directly related to water-level fluctuations in the aquifer near the springs. The complex interaction of ground and surface water is clearly demonstrated in seasonal variations of gains and losses along Silver Creek. In some downstream reaches near Picabo, the creek gains flow during periods of high ground-water levels and loses flow during the period of lower ground-water levels.