The Scott Valley area is in the Klamath Mountains in the northwestern part of California, about 28 miles south of the Oregon border. The area has a north-south length of about 25 miles and extends in an east-west direction for about .10 miles at its widest part. The average seasonal precipitation from July 1 to June 30 is 21.7 inches and the average annual temperature is 50.3° F. The area has a population of about 3,000. The industries are agriculture, cattle raising, and lumbering. About 60 percent of the farm income is derived from livestock. Hay, largely alfalfa, is the chief agricultural crop and is dependent upon surface- water irrigation for successful production.

In the spring of 1953, in connection with the special investigation of the water resources of the Klamath River basin in California, the U. S. Geological Survey was requested by the office of the State Engineer, as part of the cooperative program with the State of California, to initiate a series of ground-water investigations in the upper Klamath River basin in California. As a part of this program, a study of the geology and ground-water resources in Scott Valley was begun June 1,1953.