aquifers in texas by county

In general, groundwater is fresh but very hard in the outcrop of the aquifer. In Texas, a minor aquifer is defined as one that supplies large quantities of water in small areas or small quantities of water in large areas. In 2019, more than 4.4 million acre-feet were pumped from the Ogallala Aquifer, accounting for 67 percent of the water sourced from all major Texas aquifers. It's very responsive to the weather and very responsive to drought, unfortunately. TWDB maps depict the 9 major and 21 minor aquifers. Aquifer Code Name. 500--Sandstone and carbonate-rock aquifers. U.S. Geological Survey 505 Ferguson Lane Austin, Texas 78754-4501 The Edwards and Trinity aquifers are classified as major aquifers by the Texas Water Development Board and are major sources of water in south-central Texas, where Hays County is located. In Texas, the Panhandle is the most extensive region irrigated with groundwater. Most water from aquifers is used for irrigation. An official website of the United States government. Water quality is generally good northeast of the San Antonio River basin, but deteriorates to the southwest. About 32 percent of water used to meet municipal demands is from groundwater. (March 2005), Surficial aquifer system: removed the following States from the valid list: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia. Latitude (DD) Longitude (DD) County. ASR is the process of capturing water from heavy rainfall and injecting it into underground water wells where it is stored for later use. In 2008, municipal uses accounted for 62 percent and irrigation accounted for 25 percent of the total pumpage from the aquifer. Dell City irrigation from the Bone SpringVictorio Peak minor aquifer in Hudspeth County. Eastward-flowing streams during the Quaternary Period deposited discontinuous beds of poorly sorted gravel, sand, silt, and clay that were later dissected by erosion, resulting in the isolated remnants of the formation. Elsewhere, water from the Trinity Aquifer is used primarily for municipal and domestic supply. Presented by Several agencies are investigating playa recharge and agricultural re-use projects over the aquifer. The Hickory aquifer occurs in parts of 19 counties in the Llano Uplift region of Central Texas. The information was collected by the U.S. Geological Survey and other agencies during the course of many years of study. 9999--Areas that are not a national aquifer. In most places where these two rock types are interbedded, the carbonate rocks yield much more water than the sandstone. Texas Water Development Board works best with JavaScript enabled. In cooperation with Harris-Galveston Subsidence District, the City of Houston, Fort Bend County Subsidence District, Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District, and Brazoria County Groundwater Conservation District, the U.S. Geological Survey Texas Water Science Center Gulf Coast . Water Systems The water-yielding properties of carbonate rocks vary widely; some yield almost no water and are considered to be confining units, whereas others are among the most productive aquifers known. The Gulf Coast aquifer forms an irregularly shaped belt that parallels the Texas coastline and extends through 54 counties from the Rio Grande northeastward to the Louisiana border. Near the plateaus edge, flow is toward the main streams, where the water issues from springs. This aquifer consists of isolated areas of alluvium found in parts of 25 north-central and Panhandle counties in the upper Red River and Brazos River basins. storage and recovery facility Spaces in crystalline rocks are microscopically small, few, and generally unconnected. Water levels in the Trinity Aquifer, the county's main source of groundwater, plunged. January 31, 2023. The principal aquifers shown on the 2003 map above, with some additions, were used as the first National Aquifer reference list in the USGS National Water Information System (NWIS) in the Aggregate Water Use Data System (database released in August 2001). Although referred to differently in different parts of the state, they include the Antlers, Glen Rose, Paluxy, Twin Mountains, Travis Peak, Hensell, and Hosston aquifers. Elevation (ft) Well Depth (ft) Water Level Observation Type. General Information Letters and Private Letter Rulings, State Tax Automated Research (STAR) System, Historically Underutilized Business (HUB), Vendor Performance Tracking System (VPTS), Texas Procurement and Contract Management Guide, Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation College Compendium. Water Tour | Aquifers Overview | Print Snapshot (PDF). Individual accumulations vary greatly in thickness, but most of the Seymour is less than 100 feet. The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) recognizes 9 major aquifers aquifers that produce large amounts of water over large areas (see major aquifers map) and 22 minor aquifers aquifers that produce minor amounts of water over large areas or large amounts of water over small areas (see minor aquifers map). In 2008, 72 percent of groundwater pumped from the aquifer was used for irrigation, and the rest is withdrawn for industrial uses, power supply, and municipal use. San Antonio This list of national principal aquifer codes and names are fixed values assigned by the National Water Information System(NWIS). The largest area of groundwater-level decline in the Ogallala aquifer was found in Gaines County to the southwest of Denver City, Texas. N or S, where N = aquifer, S = aquifer system, 3 digit number = rock type (4 digits used for "Other" to fill out the code), 100-- Sand and gravel aquifers200--Semiconsolidatedsand aquifers (not used)300--Sandstone aquifers400--Carbonate-rock aquifers500--Sandstone and carbonate-rock aquifers600--Igneous and metamorphic-rock aquifers9999--Areas that are not a national aquifer, 6 character identifier derived from the aquifer name using thecode derivation procedure also used for GWSI geohydrologic unit names. The aquifer consists of sand, gravel, clay, and silt and has a maximum thickness of 800 feet. Located in the upper Pecos River Valley of West Texas, this aquifer, formerly called the Cenozoic Pecos Alluvium, extends through 12 counties. Water levels in several counties in this region are very low due to over-pumping. It is part of the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System. Irrigation was the principal use in Medina and Uvalde counties. The aquifer is one of the most extensive and highly used groundwater resources in Texas. Until recently, San Antonio was one of the largest cities in the world that relied solely on a single groundwater source for its municipal supply. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. A two-dimensionalmap representation of the principal aquiferswas derived from this data and published as part of the National Atlas in 1998 (revised 2003). A lock () or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Water to the north of the Canadian River is generally fresh, with total dissolved solids typically less than 400 milligrams per liter. The Hueco Bolson, located on the eastern side of the Franklin Mountains, consists of up to 9,000 feet of clay, silt, sand, and gravel and is an important source of drinking water for both El Paso and Juarez, Mexico. Throughout much of the aquifer, groundwater withdrawals exceed the amount of recharge, and water levels have declined fairly consistently through time. About 60 percent of the approximately 16 million acre-feet of water used yearly in Texas is derived from underground formations that make up 9 major and 22 minor aquifers (for map of minor aquifers, click). Throughout most of its extent in Texas, the aquifer yields fresh to slightly saline water that is used mainly for irrigation in the Winter Garden District of South Texas, and for public supply and industrial use in Central and Northeast Texas. However, the salinity has increased in many heavily pumped areas to the point where the water has become unsuitable for domestic and municipal use. Water level increases were found in the northern portion of the study area, near the Yoakum and Terry County boundary and in northeastern Gaines County. The Catahoula Aquifer is considered an Alternative Water Source (AWS) in Montgomery County. Center the map where you want the center of your print, enter a title in the textbox and choose a page size for your print using the drop down. Now called the Maverick Basin Aquifer, it is known to be at least 3,000 square miles in area and averages 1,000 feet thick in most places. We are the premier source for trusted information about Texas. . The aquifer maps and reports undergo continual revision to reflect the latest information available. Groundwater movement in sandstone aquifers primarily is along bedding planes, but joints and fractures provide avenues for the vertical movement of water. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS Excessive pumping has lowered the water level, particularly in the artesian portion of the Winter Garden District of Atascosa, Dimmit, Frio, LaSalle, and Zavala counties and in the municipal and industrial areas of Angelina, Nacogdoches, and Smith counties. The Trinity Aquifer consists of basal Cretaceous-age Trinity Group formations extending through 61 counties from the Red River in North Texas to the Hill Country of Central Texas. Water-level declines in excess of 200 feet have occurred in Reeves and Pecos counties but have slowed since the mid-1970s with the decrease in irrigation pumpage. A major aquifer is generally defined as supplying large quantities of water in large areas of the state. This map, which was derived fromGround Water Atlas of the United Statesdata (published as part of the National Atlas in 1998, revised 2003) indicates the areal extent of the uppermost principal aquifers on a national scale. For Geophysical Well Log assistance contact. Aquifers are identified by a geohydrologic unit code-a three-digit number related to the age of the formation, followed by a 4 or 5 character abbreviation for the geologic unit or aquifer name. Although water level declines in excess of 300 feet have occurred in several areas over the last 50 to 60 years, the rate of decline has slowed, and water levels have risen in a few areas. We'd love to hear from you. Last fall while exploring for oil and gas deposits in southwest Texas, a driller instead found a huge freshwater deep aquifer. To learn more, visit theNational Aquifer Code Reference List. Groundwater also supplies about 35 percent of the municipal needs of the state. 600--Igneous and metamorphic-rock aquifers. County-- select one or more . The aquifer now provides approximately 90 percent of the citys drinking water. It is absent in a broad area extending from the north central portion of the county continuing to the south, southwest part of Gillespie County. Use in Medina and Uvalde counties in Hudspeth County in crystalline rocks are microscopically small,,. The weather and very responsive to the southwest of Denver City, Texas youve safely connected to north. 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