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USGS1983

Hydrostratigraphic subdivisions and fault barriers of the Edwards aquifer, south-central Texas, U.S.A.

The karstic Edwards Limestone within the Balcones Fault Zone of south-central Texas forms a productive confined aquifer that consists predominately of dense carbonate rocks and contains several layers of highly permeable and porous honeycombed rocks that have been produced by the leaching of evaporitic, tidal flat or reefal deposits. Fractures have hydraulically interconnected these layers at some places. Faults, however, commonly place rocks of very high-permeability opposite rocks of very low permeability, thus creating a lateral discontinuity and a flow barrier. At places, fault barriers probably cause partial to almost complete blockage of groundwater flow normal to the fault.

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USGS1983

The white pelican (Pelicanus erythrorhynchos) as a host of Pelecanectes apunctatus (Acarina: Hypoderidae)

Several species of nymphs from the family Hypoderidae have been reported from pelecaniform birds (Cerny, 1969, Folia Parasit. (Praha) 16:271-274; Pence, 1972, J. Med. Ent. 9: 435-438; Pence and Courtney, 1973, J. Parasitol. 59: 711-718); however, there are no records from the white pelican, Pelecanus erythrorhynchos . I report here the occurrence of hypopi from this host species.

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USGS1983

Environmental contaminant hazards to Attwater's greater prairie-chickens

The Attwater's greater prairie-chicken ( Tympanuchus cupido attwateri ) was declared an endangered species in 1966 and exists only on the upper Gulf Coast prairie of southeast Texas. Since 1975, total numbers have declined from 2,240 to 1,456 in 1981 (Jurries 19679; W. Shifflett, Manager Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge [APCNWR], personal communication). The total population of this prairie grouse is presently scattered in a norther, largely agricultural, but also urban-rangeland area of 6 counties that contained about 600 individuals in 1971, and a southern, largely rangeland, but also agricultural-urban area of 4 counties that contained about 860 individuals in 1981. During the present study, Attwater's prairie-chickens completely disappeared in Wharton and Waller counties in the northern area ( W. Shifflett, personal communication). Prairie-chickens in the northern area frequent crops of rice, soybeans, peanuts, or corn; those in the southern area frequent sorghum or cotton that are planted on or near ancestral booming grounds. The use of pesticides in the agricultural areas may have contributed to the initial decline of prairie-chicken numbers. In 1927, several hundred prairie-chickens were found dead in and near a cotton field in Wharton County shortly after it had been treated with arsenic (Lehmann and Mauermann 1963). The remains of 5 prairie-chickens were found in sorghum and soybean fields in Refugio and Colorado counties between 1975 and 1977 (R. Haeber and W. Kessler, personal communication) but were too decomposed to be analyzed for evidence of pesticide exposure. Parathion formulations had been applied to the soybeans and near the sorghum. Other pesticide use on the areas was uncertain. The objective of this study was to ascertain pesticide hazards to Attwater's greater prairie-chickens.

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USGS1983

Structure, temperature, pressure, and salinity of Cenozoic aquifers of south Texas

A study of the hydrogeology of deep sedimentary basins using the Neogene deposits of the northern Gulf of Mexico basin as a model was initiated by the U.S. Geological Survey in the 1960's (Jones, 1969). This study led to investigations of geopressured-geothermal resources in this basin (Papadopulos and others, 1975; Wallace and others, 1979) and of the waste storage capabilities of the Wilcox Group in Texas (Jones and others, 1976). Techniques for delineating pressure, temperature, and salinity variations within the geologic framework were developed in conjunction with these and related studies. The purpose of this hydrologic atlas is to delineate the hydrogeology of the onshore Cenozoic aquifers of south Texas, using these techniques. The location of the study area in Texas is shown in figure 1. Hydrogeologic cross section A-A' is shown in figure 2. The surface geology of the area and the line of section A–A' are shown in figure 3. Geophysical logs of oil tests provided the framework for this section. Interpretations presented are based upon data from these logs; information from published ground water and geological reports; and structural and geologic interpretations from maps prepared by Peppard, Souders and Associates for the U.S. Geological Survey under Purchase Order Numbers 67482 and 67.483.

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USGS1983

Geologic and mineral resource potential map of the Chambers Ferry Roadless Area, Sabine National Forest, Sabine County, Texas

Under the provisions of the Wilderness Act (Public Law 88-577, September 3, 1964) and the Joint Conference Report on Senate Bill 4, 88th Congress, the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Bureau of Mines have been conducting mineral surveys of wilderness and primitive areas. Areas officially designated as "wilderness," "wild," or "canoe" when the act was passed were incorporated into the National Wilderness Preservation System, and some of them are presently being studied. The act provided that areas under consideration for wilderness designation should be studied for suitability for incorporation into the Wilderness System. The mineral surveys constitute one aspect of the suitability studies. The act directs that the results of such surveys are to be made available to the public and be submitted to the President and the Congress. This report discusses the results of a mineral survey of the Chambers Ferry Roadless Area, Sabine National Forest, Sabine County, Tex.

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USGS1983

Hydrologic data for urban studies in the Houston, Texas, metropolitan area, 1980

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 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 seventeenth 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 1980 water year (October 1, 1979 to September 30, 1980).

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USGS1983

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

Hydrologic investigations of urban drainage basins in Texas were begun by the U.S. Geological Survey in 1954. These studies are now in progress in Austin and Houston. Studies were completed in the Fort Worth metropolitan area at the end of the 1977 water year, and in the Dallas metropolitan area at the end of the 1979 water year. The study in the San Antonio area was completed at the end of the 1981 water year. The Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Texas Department of Water Resources, expanded the existing streamflow network in the San Antonio metropolitan area in May 1968 to begin urban hydrology studies in this area. In September 1968, the program was further expanded to include the collection of water-quality data. The Texas Department of Water Resources ended its participation in the project in 1979, and the city of San Antonio funded the program through the 1981 water year. The operation and maintenance of stations 08178000, San Antonio River at San Antonio; 08178700, Salado Creek (upper station) at San Antonio; and 08178800, Salado Creek (lower station) at San Antonio are funded by the city of San Antonio and the U.S Geological Survey. The operation and maintenance and collection of water-quality data at station 08178720, Lorence Creek at Thousand Oaks Blvd., San Antonio, station 08178640, West Elm Creek at San Antonio, and station 08178645, East Elm Creek at San Antonio, are funded by the Edwards Underground Water District in cooperation with the Texas Department of Hater Resources and the U.S. Geological Survey. Station 08178640, West Elm Creek at San Antonio, and station 08178645, East Elm Creek at San Antonio will provide hydrologic data on similar and adjacent watersheds. The West Elm watershed is still predominately rural but is undergoing extensive urbanization in some areas. The East Elm watershed is relatively stable and undeveloped. The objectives of the San Antonio urban hydrology study are: To provide data showing the effects of various stages of urbanization on flood discharge and runoff. To provide water-quality data on surface-water runoff from floods of various magnitudes, during all seasons of the year from areas with different types of urban development. Annual publication of the San Antonio urban studies was initiated in 1969. A definition of terms related to streamflow, water quality, and other hydrologic data, as used in this report, are defined in the U.S. Geological Survey's 1979 and 1980 "Water resources data for Texas" reports.

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USGS1983

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

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 Resources, 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 is hydrologic circulation with Barton Springs. This report presents the basic hydroloqic data collected in the Austin urban area for the 1981 water year (Oct. 1, 1980 to Sept. 30, 1981). 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-81-3, 1981.

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USGS1983

Hydrology of the Jasper (Miocene) Aquifer in the Southeast Texas coastal plain

The Jasper (Miocene) aquifer is one of several important hydrologic units in the Gulf Coastal Plain. Because the Jasper aquifer underlies shallower aquifers in many areas, regional water withdrawals from the Jasper are not significant; however, it is capable of yielding 3,000 gallons per minute (200 liters per second) or more of water to wells in certain areas. The Jasper is underlain by the Catahoula confining system (restricted) and overlain by the Burkeville confining system. The Evangeline and Chicot aquifers, in turn, overlie the Burkeville and also are prolific water-yielding aquifers. The ground-water hydrology of the Jasper aquifer in an area of about 20,000 square miles (52,000 square kilometers) was simulated by a two-dimensional digital model using a steady-state approach. The model represents hydrologic conditions prior to development by wells, when natural recharge equaled natural discharge. The model's grid pattern of 15 x 24 nodes varies from a dimension of 5 by 10 miles (8 by 16 kilometers) in the outcrop to 10 by 10 miles (16 by 16 kilometers) in the artesian section downdip from the outcrop.

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USGS1983

Summary of hydrologic information in the El Paso, Texas, area, with emphasis on ground-water studies, 1903-80

Significant development of ground water in the El Paso area started in the early 1900's; pumping gradually increased to the early 1950's and has since accelerated commensurate with the area's rapid population growth. In 1980, withdrawals of ground water for municipal, industrial, and military supplies totaled 164,354 acre-feet (203 cubic hectometers) within the El Paso, Fort Bliss, and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico metropolitan area, and adjacent areas in Texas and New Mexico. Most of the water, 132,652 acre-feet (164 cubic hectometers), was pumped from the Hueco bolson, the principal aquifer. The Mesilla bolson and Rio Grande alluvium in the lower Mesilla Valley supplied 27,461 and 4,241 acre-feet (34 and 5 cubic hectometers) respectively. The cumulative 1906 through 1980 withdrawals of ground water from the Hueco bolson metro area total 3.0 million acre-feet (3.7 cubic kilometers)-about 2.2 million acre-feet (2.7 cubic kilometers) has been pumped in the United States and 0.8 million acre-feet (1.0 cubic kilometers) in the Republic of Mexico. These withdrawals have caused water levels to decline about 130 feet (40 meters) in the downtown sections of El Paso and Ciudad Juarez. In January 1980 the theoretically recoverable volume of freshwater in storage within the Texas part of the Hueco bolson metro area was estimated at 10.0 million acre-feet (12 cubic kilometers). Dissolved-solids concentrations in recent samples from Hueco bolson wells averaged 642 milligrams per liter in the Texas part of the metropolitan area and 736 milligrams per liter in Ciudad Juarez. Concentrations are increasing at an average-annual rate of about 10 milligrams per liter in Texas and 30 milligrams per liter in Juarez. Ground water in the lower Mesilla Valley is pumped for municipal and industrial supply and also for supplemental crop irrigation during years of inadequate surface-water supply in the Rio Grande. The 1979-80 withdrawals in the valley averaged about 31,000 acre-feet per year (38 cubic hectometers). Most of the water, about 21,000 to 22,000 acre-feet per year (26 to 27 cubic hectometers), was pumped from shallow, medium depth, and deep wells in the Canutillo field. Dissolved-solids concentrations from recent samples from Canutillo wells ranged from 252 to 1,854 milligrams per liter. Flow in the Rio Grande is diverted for crop irrigation in the United States and the Republic of Mexico, and for limited municipal supply in El Paso. The flow is regulated by releases from reservoirs in New Mexico and varies widely in both quantity and quality (dissolved-solids concentrations). During 1943-80, the flow at El Paso ranged from 57,481 acre-feet (71 cubic hectometers) in 1956 to 631,800 acre-feet (779 cubic hectometers) in 1943 and averaged about 317,000 acre-feet per year (391 cubic hectometers).

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USGS1983

Projected effects of proposed chloride-control projects on shallow ground water– Preliminary results for the Wichita River basin, Texas

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' plan to control the natural chloride pollution in the Wichita River basin includes the construction of Truscott Brine Lake on a tributary of the North Wichita River. In connection with the proposed brine lake, the U.S. Geological Survey was requested to: (1) Define the existing ground-water conditions in the shallow fresh-water system of the project area; and (2) project the post-construction effects of the proposed lake on the fresh-water aquifer, especially in relation to hydraulic-head changes but also with respect to possible changes in the chemical quality of the ground water. The fresh-water aquifer in the project area is a shallow water-table system with relatively fresh water (generally a calcium sulfate type) that contains approximately 500 to 5,000 milligrams per liter of dissolved solids. The aquifer consists of Permian rocks with very small values of hydraulic conductivity and overlies a brine system (sodium chloride type) that is even less permeable. A thin transition zone separates the fresh-water aquifer and the brine system. Small quantities of infiltration from precipitation throughout the area's watershed constitute the recharge to the aquifer. Discharge from the aquifer consists of the small base flow along creeks; well discharge is negligible. Two-dimensional mathematical computer models were developed for aquifer simulation of: (1) Steady-state conditions in a fresh-water system and (2) transient conditions in a brine- fresh-water system where the density effects of the brine are considered. The main results 'of projecting the effects of the proposed Truscott Brine Lake on the fresh-water aquifer are: (1) Hydraulic head rises of 5 to 40 feet would be confined to areas near the proposed dam and along the lake shoreline, and (2) migration of salt water downstream from the dam generally would be limited to less than 1 mile and apparently would not reach equilibrium during the 100-year duration of the project. The modeling efforts did not include possible effects related to hydrodynamic dispersion in the brine- fresh-water system. Possible changes in the hydraulic conductivity of the aquifer, due to physical and chemical interactions in the brine and fresh-water environments, also were not considered.

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USGS1983

Effects of ground-water development in the North Fort Hood area, Coryell County, Texas

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is studying the adequacy of the existing ground-water supplies of North Fort Hood, located in Coryell County in central Texas and an important part of the U.S. Army's Fort Hood Military Reservation. The U.S. Geological Survey was requested to compile the available ground-water data, collect additional data, and assess the effects of the long-term development of ground water in the North Fort Hood area. Nearly all ground water in the North Fort Hood area is withdrawn from the Hensell and Hosston Members of the Travis Peak Formation. The total average annual rates of ground-water withdrawals, mostly for public supply, has steadily increased from nearly 0.5 million gallons per day during 1955 to mare than 1.5 million gallons per day during 1980. The principal effect of the long-term development of ground water in the area has been a large decline of water levels in wells. The water level in a well near Narth Fort Hood declined from a depth of 100 feet during 1943 to nearly 480 feet during 1982. The water level in a well at Gatesville was above ground level during 1898. A nearby well had a water level of 476 feet below land surface during 1982. The long-term average of water-level declines for wells in the area ranges from 8 to more than 9 feet per year. The historical confined (artesian) conditions of the principal aquifer have changed to water-table conditions in some areas as the artesian head 9 drops below the base of the confining layer due to pumping. The greater storage property of the unconfined system will decrease the rate of water-level declines. However, well yields will continue to decrease in relation to the general decline of hydraulic head in the aquifer. The ground water in the area is slightly saline and concentrations of some constituents generally exceed chemical-quality limits set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for public water supplies. Hie historical chemical changes in the ground water generally are insignificant and appear unrelated to the large declines of water levels in wells of the area.

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USGS1983

Map showing outcrops of ash-flow tuffs, Basin and Range Province and vicinity, Trans-Pecos Texas

This map report is one of a series of geologic and hydrologic maps covering all or parts of the States within the Basin and Range province of the western United States, resulting from work under the U.S. Geological Survey's program for geologic and hydrologic evaluation of the Basin and Range province to identify potentially suitable regions for future study relative to isolation of high-level nuclear waste (Bedinger, Sargent, and Reed, 1984) . The map report on the ash-flow tuffs of Trans-Pecos Texas was prepared from published maps and reports and from recent work in progress by geologists of the Texas Bureau of Economic Geology, and was compiled utilizing the project guidelines of Sargent and Bedinger (1984). The map shows the outcrops and localities of measured thicknesses of the ash-flow tuffs that resulted from silicic volcanism 38 to 28 million years ago (Henry and McDowell, 1982). Locally, however, some thin, inadequately studied tuffs of limited distribution have been excluded from the map. Such tuffs are reported in the "lower rhyolite" in the Eagle Mountains (Underwood, 1963), in the southern Davis Mountains (Parker, 1977), within parts of the Shely Group and Morita Ranch Formation in the Chinati Mountains (Cepeda and Henry, 1983) , and in the Rawls Formation in the Bofecillos Mountains (McKnight, 1969). The distribution of most ash-flow tuffs in the northern Davis and Wylie Mountains is not well known. The Chambers Tuff, largely tuffaceous sedimentary rocks, is reported to contain several ash-flow tuffs (Walton, 1972), but their distribution is poorly documented. Metamorphosed ash-flow tuffs of Precambrian age in the Thunderbird Group in the Franklin Mountains (Thomann, 1981) and in the Carrizo Mountain Group near Van Horn (Rudnick , 1983) were not included on the map. In some areas studied in reconnaissance, the definitive lithology of some volcanic units described as lava flows or tuffs has not been determined. In the Description of Map Units, the general location, caldera source and volume of tuff, isotopic age, if available, lithologic data, and the reference sources for each geologic unit are described. The nomenclature of the geologic units is from published reports and does not necessarily conform to U.S. Geological Survey usage.

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