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USGS1985

Approximate water-level changes in wells in the Chichot and Evangeline aquifers, 1977-85 and 1984-85, and measured compaction, 1973-85, in the Houston-Galveston region, Texas

This report, which was prepared in cooperation with the City of Houston and the Galveston Coastal Subsidence District, present data on water-level changes during 1977-85 and 1984-85 in the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers (figs. 1-4) and data on measured compaction 1973-85 (fig. 5). Water levels in about 500 wells were used to construct the maps showing water-level changes. Compation data were obtained from 12 wells equipped with compaction monitors (fig. 6).

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USGS1985

Hydrologic data for urban studies in the Houston, Texas, metropolitan area, 1981

Hydro! oqic investigations of urban watersheds in Texas were begun by the U.S. Geological Survey in 1954. Studies are now in progress in Austin, and Houston. Studies have been completed in the Dallas-Fort Worth and San Antonio areas. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the city of Houston, began studies in the Houston metropolitan area in 1964. The program was expanded in 1968 to include collection of water-quality data. The objectives of the Houston urban-hydrology study are as follows: To determine, on the basis of historical data and hydro!ogic analyses, the magnitude and frequency of flood peaks and flood volumes. To determine the effect of urban development on flood peaks and volumes. To ascertain the variation in water quality for different flow conditions and different seasons. This report, the eighteenth in a series of reports to be published annually, is primarily applicable to objective 2. The report presents hydro!ogic data collected in the Houston urban area for the 1981 water year (October 1, 1980 to September 30, 1981).

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USGS1985

Hydrologic data for urban studies in the Austin, Texas, metropolitan area, 1983

Hydrologic investigations of urban watersheds in Texas were begun by the U.S. Geological Survey in 1954. Studies are now in progress in Austin, and Houston. Studies have been completed in the Dallas, Fort Worth, and San Antonio areas. The Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Texas Department of Water Reources, began hydrologic studies in the Austin urban area in 1954. In cooperation with the city of Austin, the program was expanded in 1975 to include additional streamflow and rainfall gaging stations, and the collection of surface water-quality data. In 1978, the program was expanded to include a ground-water resources study of the South Austin metropolitan area in the Balcones Fault Zone. The objectives of the Austin urban hydrology study are as follows: To determine, on the basis of historical data and hydrologic analyses, the magnitude and frequency of flood peaks and flood volume. To determine the effect of urban development on flood peaks and volume. To determine the variations in water quality during different seasons and flow conditions in representative watersheds under various types of urban development. To quantitatively appraise the ground-water resources along the Balcones Fault Zone, the effect of urbanization on the quality and quantity of recharge and discharge, and the extent of contamination in the Edwards aquifer that is in hydrologic circulation with Barton Springs. This report presents the basic hydrologic data collected in the Austin urban area for the 1983 water year (Oct. 1, 1982 to Sept. 30, 1983). Additional explanations of terms related to streamflow, water quality, and other hydrologic data used in this report are defined in the U.S. Geological Survey annual report Water Resources Data for Texas, TX-83-3, 1983.

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USGS1985

Hydrologic data for urban studies in the Houston, Texas, metropolitan area, 1982

Hydrologic investigations of urban watersheds in Texas were begun by the U.S. Geological Survey in 1954. Studies are now in progress in Austin, and Houston. Studies have been completed in the Dallas-Fort Worth and San Antonio areas. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the city of Houston, began studies in the Houston metropolitan area in 1964. The program was expanded in 1968 to include collection of water-quality data. The objectives of the Houston urban-hydrology study are as follows: To determine, on the basis of historical data and hydrologic analyses, the magnitude and frequency of flood peaks and flood volumes. To determine the effect of urban development on flood peaks and volumes. To ascertain the variation in water quality for different flow conditions and different seasons. This report, the nineteenth in a series of reports to be published annually, is primarily applicable to objective 2. The report presents hydrologic data collected in the Houston urban area for the 1982 water year (October 1, 1981 to September 30, 1982). A report by Johnson and Sayre (1973) utilized records collected from 1965 to 1969 to study the effects of urbanization on floods in the Houston area. The report also summarizes various basin parameters. A report by Waddell, Massey, and Jennings (1979) presents data on runoff from the Houston area and computed concentrations and loads of selected water-quality constituents discharged to Galveston Bay. The study utilized a variation of the "STORM" model developed by the Hydrologic Engineering Center of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. A report prepared by Li scum and Massey (1980) presents a technique for estimating the magnitude and frequency of floods in the Houston area from drainage areas, bank-full conveyance, and percentage of urban development. A definition of terms related to streamflow, water quality, and other hydrologic data, as used in this report, are defined in "U.S. Geological Survey, Water-resources data for Texas, water year 1982, volume 2." To facilitate the publication and distribution of this report some material has been included that does not conform to the formal publications standards of the U.S. Geological Survey.

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USGS1985

Texas stream-gaging program: an analysis of data uses and funding

This report presents an analysis of data uses and funding for the stream-gaging program operated by the U.S. Geological Survey in Texas. Presently (1984), 391 continuous surface water stations are operated in Texas. Selected hydrologic data, data uses, and funding sources are presented for each of the 391 stations. This study is a part of a larger project to determine the cost-effectiveness of the stream gaging program in Texas. All stations have sufficient uses to justify their continued operation.

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USGS1985

Water resources data, Texas, water year 1984; Volume 2. San Jacinto River basin, Brazos River basin, San Bernard River basin, and intervening coastal basins

Surface-water data for the 1984 water year for Texas are presented in three volumes, appropriately identified as to content by river basins. Data in each volume consist of records of stage, discharge, and water quality of streams and canals; and stage, contents, and water quality of lakes and reservoirs. Also included are crest-stage and flood-hydrograph partial-record stations, reconnaissance partial-record stations, and low-flow partial-record stations. Additional water data were collected at various sites, not part of the systematic data collection program, and are published as miscellaneous measurements. Records for a few pertinent stations in bordering States are also included. These data represent that part of the National Water Data System operated by the U.S. Geological Survey and cooperating State and Federal agencies in Texas.

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USGS1985

Water quality and streamflow data for the West Fork Trinity River in Fort Worth, Texas

Water-quality data were collected on a 13.6-mile reach of the West Fork Trinity River in Fort Worth, Texas to test a dynamic Lagrangian model. Flow was steady. Loads of dissolved constituents varied with time at the beginning of the study reach and in the reach, primarily because of photosynthesis. River quality was fairly good despite low dissolved oxygen measured in the headwaters and the significant sewage load from the tributaries. Diel and longitudinal trends were defined by sampling at fixed sites and by following dyed parcels of water. Nitrification, deoxygenation, reaeration, and photosynthesis affected the dissolved oxygen balance. Independent estimates of some of the rate coefficients were 0.1 to 0.2, 0.8, and 0 to 3.6 , all per day, for deoxygenation, nitrification, and reaeration, respectively. (USGS)

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USGS1985

A preliminary assessment of land-surface subsidence in the El Paso area, Texas

The northeast and southeast parts of the El Paso area are underlain by Hueco bolson deposits as much as 9,000 feet thick. The deposits consist of lenses of gravel, sand, silt, and clay. In the Rio Grande Valley, about 400 to 450 feet of these deposits have been eroded and replaced with as much as 200 feet of alluvium. Ground water in the shallow alluvial aquifer in the Rio Grande Valley and in the Hueco bolson aquifer outside the valley is under water-table conditions, whereas ground water in the bolson aquifer in the valley is under leaky artesian conditions. Maximum water-level declines in the Hueco bolson aquifer are 110 feet east of the Franklin Mountains and 150 feet in the downtown El Paso area. For the shallow aquifer, the maximum declines have been 125 feet in the downtown area. Compressable materials in the freshwater zone of the aquifer range from 50 to 450 feet. Recharge from the Rio Grande to the shallow alluvial aquifer has increased from an estimated 15,000 acre-feet during 1968 to 30,000 acre-feet during 1983, an increase of about 1,000 acre-feet per year. Leakage from the Rio Grande is expected to continually increase in the near future because of a continued decline in ground-water levels. The amount of leakages from the canals is much less than from the river. Releveling of bench marks along lines to the northeast and the southeast of the Rio Grande, and along its channel commonly show land subsidence of about 0.2 foot. The maximum measured subsidence is 0.41 foot along the river in the Chamizal zone. No subsidence was detected at the Riverside Diversion Dam. A comparison of subsidence, water-level declines, and clay thickness along the three survey lines shows the expected correlation of greater subsidence with thicker accumulated clay material for a given decline in water levels. The preconsolidation stress was expected to range from 85 to 115 feet of water-level decline on the basis of subsidence studies in Arizona and California. A study of specific-unit compaction along the three survey lines shows that the values usually range between 1.0 to 2.5 x 10-5 feet per feet squared. These values are comparable to the ones computed in the Tulare-Wasco, California, and Houston-Galveston, Texas, areas following the exceedance of the local preconsolidation stress. Because of this comparability, the specific-unit compaction for future periods in the El Paso area probably will not increase dramatically when the preconsolidation stress is exceeded, if it has not already been exceeded. In addition to regional subsidence, local subsidence is indicated by observable surface fractures but has not been verified by precise leveling. These local areas coincide with areas that historically were swamps along the Rio Grande.

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USGS1985

Simulated effects of projected pumping on the availability of freshwater in the Evangeline Aquifer in an area southwest of Corpus Christi, Texas

This study is an investigation of the continued availability of freshwater in the Evangeline aquifer along the Texas Gulf Coast and the potential for degradation of the water quality by salinewater intrusion. Recharge to the aquifer occurs by the infiltration of precipitation in the outcrop area and by cross-formational flow from deeper aquifers. The predevelopment recharge rate is about 6 to 8 cubic feet per second. The predevelopment flow is toward the coast. The flow is semiconfined in the outcrop area and confined underneath the Chicot aquifer in the eastern two-thirds of the study area. Discharge, under natural conditions, is upward into the Chicot aquifer and to the Nueces River or Gulf of Mexico. Intensive pumping by irrigators, industries, and municipalities over the last 80 years has created a cone of depression as deep as 219 feet below sea level under the city of Kingsville in Kleberg County. The total rate of pumpage in 1982 was 29.6 cubic feet per second. A mathematical model of the flow and water quality in the Evangel ine aquifer was developed using available data to simulate the historical effect of pumping on the potentiometric surface and water quality, and to simulate the effect of projected pumping on the potentiometric surface and water quality to the year 2020. The water quality in the aquifer is only marginally suitable for drinking water. The chloride concentration before development in the 1930's and 1940's, ranged from 9 to 1,971 milligrams per liter. The mean chloride concentration was 353 (standard deviation 262) milligrams per liter. The potential sources of water-quality degradation on a regional scale are: Salinewater intrusion from under the Gulf of Mexico; movement of poor quality water within outlying sections of the aquifer; and downward leakage from the overlying Chicot aquifer. Leakage from the Chicot is the most likely to cause serious regional water-quality degradation. Other local potential sources of contamination are: Leaky well casings, oil-field brine disposal, water movement along faults, and in-situ uranium mining. These sources might create some local water-quality degradation. The results of the historical period simulation indicate, as do current field data, that little or no significant deterioration has occurred in the water quality of the Evangeline aquifer. The simulations and the sensitivity tests of the aquifer properties, conditions, and assumptions indicate that vertical conductivity of the Chicot aquifer is the most sensitive and least well known part of the system. The storage coefficient of the Evangeline aquifer and the aggregate thickness of high-conductivity sand layers within the aquifer as well as the vertical distribution of these layers are also important properties that are not well known. Two simulations of the projected pumping a low estimate, as much as 46.2 cubic feet per second during 2011-20; and a high estimate, as much as 60.0 cubic feet per second during the same period indicate that no further regional water-quality deterioration is likely to occur. Many important properties and conditions are estimated from poor or insufficient field data, and possible ranges of these properties and conditions are tested. In spite of the errors and data deficiencies, the results are based on the best estimates currently available. The reliability of the conclusions rests on the adequacy of the data and the demonstrated sensitivity of the model results to errors in estimates of these properties.

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USGS1985

Simulation of the flow system of Barton Springs and associated Edwards Aquifer in the Austin area, Texas

A digital model of two-dimensional groundwater flow was used to estimate the hydraulic properties of the Edwards Aquifer in a 151 sq mi area near Austin, Texas. The transmissivity, hydraulic conductivity, and specific yield were estimated for the part of the aquifer that discharges at Barton Springs in Austin. The aquifer is composed of the Edwards and overlying Georgetown Limestones of Cretaceous age and ranges in thickness from about 100 ft to about 450 ft. More than 60 years of discharge measurements and 5 years of gaged discharge for Barton Springs were used to adjust springflow for the simulations. Barton Springs accounts for about 96% of springflow from the study area and 90% of the total discharge. The remaining discharge was pumpage from wells which was entered in the model. Four years of gaged recharge were used in the simulations. The potentiometric surfaces used by the models were constructed from water level measurements in as many as 75 wells. The transmissivity was calibrated through steady-state simulations that used the mean value of recharge and mean potentiometric surface to represent average conditions for the aquifer. The transmissivities vary from about 100 sq ft/day in the western part of the aquifer to > 1 million sq ft/day near Barton Springs. Specific yield was calibrated through transient-state simulations for 5 consecutive months using time-dependent data for recharge, discharge, and water levels. The mean specific yield for the aquifer is 0.014 and ranges from 0.008 to 0.064. Additional aquifer properties used in the simulations include storage coefficient, altitudes of the base and top of the aquifer, and hydraulic conductivity. A simulation for the year 2000 using projected pumping rates for municipal, industrial, agricultural, and domestic supplies indicates that the aquifer would be dewatered in the southwestern part of the study area and have large declines in the southeastern part of the study area. Another simulation of projected conditions using potential recharge enhancement predicts a rise in the potentiometric surface of about 50 feet in the southwestern part of the aquifer and moderate water-level declines in the southeastern part of the aquifer.

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USGS1985

Water-quality of Lake Conroe on the West Fork San Jacinto River, southeastern Texas

Thermal stratification in Lake Conroe, Texas usually begins to develop in March and persists until October. Thermal stratification has resulted in significant seasonal and areal variations in the concentrations of dissolved oxygen, dissolved iron, dissolved manganese, total inorganic nitrogen, and total phosphorus. Volume-weighted-average concentration of dissolved solids generally was < 120 mg/L, that of dissolved chloride generally was < 22 mg/L, and that of dissolved sulfate was < 10 mg/L in Lake Conroe during the 1973-82 water years. The concentrations of each of these constituents usually were largest during the summer. The water was moderately hard (hardness > 60 but < 120 mg/L as calcium carbonate). The average concentrations of dissolved oxygen at most sites in the downstream one-half of the lake averaged 3.2 mg/L during summer stratification and > 9 mg/L during winter circulation. The concentrations at most sites in the headwaters of the lake averaged < 4.3 mg/L during the summer and < 7.9 mg/L during the winter. Water below depths of 25 to 35 ft usually contained < 1 mg/L dissolved oxygen during the summer. The concentrations of dissolved iron and dissolved manganese in water throughout the reservoir during winter circulation and in water near the reservoir surface during summer stratification were < 100 micrograms/L. The greatest concentration occurred during summer stagnation near the reservoir bottom at a deep site near Lake Conroe Dam. The concentrations of total inorganic nitrogen and total phosphorus were greatest during summer stratification in water near the reservoir bottom at deep sites. No accumulation of these constituents within the reservoir was detected during the study. The densities and composition of algal populations varied seasonally. Algal densities were greatest during the summer with blue-green algae being the predominant phylum.

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USGS1984

Ground-water resources of Rusk County, Texas

Fresh to slightly saline water is available in most parts of Rusk County, which is located in the Piney Woods region of northeast Texas. The Wilcox aquifer, which underlies the entire county, was the source of most of the ground water withdrawn during 1980. Other units capable of yielding fresh ground water are the Carrizo, Queen City, and Sparta aquifers and the Reklaw Formation. About 5.4 million gallons per day (20,440 cubic meters per day) of ground water was used for all purposes during 1980. Of this amount, about 78 percent was used for public supply, 10 percent for mining, 8 percent for industrial purposes, and 4 percent for rural domestic use. Water levels have declined extensively at the city of Henderson, which used about 38 percent of all ground water consumed in Rusk County. Generally, the ground water is of acceptable quality. Water in some of the near-surface beds and some of the deeper sands in the Wilcox aquifer may have become mineralized because of oilfield operations. Ground-water contamination by oilfield brines at Henderson Oil Field has been documented. Two separate instances of streamflow contamination at Striker Creek and Henderson Oil Field have been documented. Moderate amounts of ground water are available for development. The amount that is available perennially is not known, but it is greater than that being withdrawn. Assuming a hydraulic gradient of about 8 feet per mile (1.5 meters per kilometer), at least 12 million gallons per day (45,420 cubic meters per day) of fresh ground water is being transmitted through the Wilcox and about 3 million gallons per day (11,350 cubic meters per day) through the Carrizo. About 20 million acre-feet (24,660 cubic hectometers) of freshwater is available from storage in the Wilcox and about 4 million acre-feet (4,930 cubic hectometers) from storage in the Carrizo. Additional amounts of slightly saline water are available from the major aquifers. Smaller but undetermined amounts of fresh ground water are available from the Sparta and Queen City aquifers and from the Reklaw Formation. Properly constructed wells in the Wilcox and Carrizo aquifers can be expected to yield more than 500 gallons per minute (32 liters per second) if the wells are properly spaced. Development of additional resources around the city of Henderson and the Mount Enterprise Fault System should be considered cautiously because of the probability of saltwater encroachment. Ground water in other parts of the county is practically undeveloped. Some mineralization of ground water is due to natural causes. Other mineralization of ground water is due to contamination. A program needs to be initiated to determine the extent and cause of mineralization that has taken place in freshwater sands. Water-quality data is needed at Henderson in order to monitor saltwater encroachment.

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USGS1984

Approximate water-level changes in wells in the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers, 1977-84 and 1983-84, and measured compaction, 1973-84, in the Houston-Galveston region, Texas

This report, which was prepared in cooperation with the City of Houston and Harris-Galveston Coastal Subsidence District, presents data on water-level changes during 1977-84 and 1983-84 in the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers (figs. 1-4) and data on measured compaction 1973-84 (fig. 5). Water levels in about 550 wells were used to construct the maps showing water-level changes. Compaction data were obtained from 12 wells equipped with compaction monitors (fig. 6).

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USGS1984

Index of surface-water stations in Texas, January 1984

The U.S. Geological Survey's investigations of the water resources of Texas are conducted in cooperation with the Texas Department of Water Resources, river authorities, cities, counties, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, International Boundary and Water Commission, and others. Investigations are under the general direction of C. W. Boning, District Chief, Texas District. The Texas District office is located in the Federal Building, 300 East 8th Street, Austin, Texas 78701. As of January 1, 1984, 399 stream-gaging, 86 reservoir-contents, 19 stage, 2 periodic discharge through range, 42 flood-hydrograph partial-record, 15 floodprofile partial-record, 34 low-flow partial-record, 11 crest-stage partial-record, 11 tide-level , 60 daily chemical-qual ity, 27 continuous-recording water-quality, 187 periodic chemical-qual ity, 175 periodic organic-quality, 60 pesticides, 1 sediment, 43 periodic sediment, 109 periodic biological, 28 continuous-recording water temperature, and 37 national stream-quality accounting network stations were in operation. Plate 1 shows the location of surface-water streamflow or reservoircontent and chemical-qual ity or sediment stations in Texas. Plate 2 shows the location of partial-record surface-water stations. This index shows the station number and name, latitude and longitude, type of data collected, and the office principally responsible for the data collection (table 1). An 8-digit permanent numerical designation for gaging stations has been adopted on a nationwide basis; stations are numbered and listed in downstream order. In the downstream direction along the main stem, all stations on a tributary entering above a main-stem station are listed before that station. A tributary entering between two main-stem stations is listed between them. A similar order is followed in listing stations on first rank, second rank, and other ranks of tributaries. To indicate the rank of any tributary on which a gaging station is situated and the stream to which it is an immediate tributary, each indention in the listing of gaging stations represent one rank. This downstream order and system of indention show which gaging stations are on tributaries between any two stations on a main stem and the rank of the tributary on which each gaging station is situated. On plates 1 and 2 the 8-digit station number is abbreviated because of space limitation.

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