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). 1700 North Congress Avenue, Austin, TX 78701TEL: 512-463-7847 / FAX: 512-475-2053, Asset Management Program for Small Systems, State Water Implementation Fund for Texas (SWIFT), Guidance & References for Online Loan Application, State Water Implementation Fund for Texas, 6th Planning Cycle Information (2026 RWPs), 2021 Regional Water Plans & Previous Plans, Regional Water Planning Data Entry Application (RWP22) Training, District Information (O-Z and Other Districts), Extended Naturalize Flow and Reservoir Evaporation, Flood Planning Useful Links and Resources, Drought Response and Financial Assistance, Water Conservation Plan ~ Utility Profile, Historical Water Loss Audit and Conservation Annual Report Data, Industrial, Commercial & Institutional (ICI), Brackish Resources Aquifer Characterization System, Notice of Nondiscrimination and Reasonable Accommodation, Texas Natural Resources Information System (TNRIS), Texas Water Infrastructure Coordination Committee (TWICC). TWDB maps depict the 9 major and 21 minor aquifers. The Geologic Atlas of Texas illustrates the surface extent of geologic formations (and aquifers) across the state. The aquifer also feeds several well-known recreational springs and underlies some of Texas most environmentally sensitive areas. Water Systems For Geophysical Well Log assistance contact. Sulfate and chloride concentrations also tend to increase with depth. The aquifer consists of sand, gravel, clay, and silt and has a maximum thickness of 800 feet. The Edwards (BFZ) aquifer forms a narrow belt extending through 13 counties from a groundwater divide in Kinney County through the San Antonio area northeastward to the Leon River in Bell County. 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. An $8 million experimental Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) project is expected to start this fall that will test the idea of storing millions of gallons of water in the aquifer sourced from the District's East Texas reservoirs, turning the aquifer into a massive storage tank. Freshwater saturated thickness averages 95 feet. Groundwater in the confined area of the aquifer is generally softer and has total dissolved solids concentrations less than 1,000 milligrams per liter except in the southern and western portions of the aquifer. Water quality generally ranges from fresh to slightly saline. Groundwater in the unconfined area is hard and typically has total dissolved solids concentrations less than 1,000 milligrams per liter. Aquifers play a major role in providing water to many parts of Texas. 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. Does your community have an annual fair or festival you'd like to have listed on our site, or in the next Texas Almanac? You may need to request the addition of Alluvial aquifers to the list of aquifers valid in your State. National Geographic Information Systems (GIS) layer of SSAs Information on sole source aquifers (SSAs) is widely used in assessments under the National Environmental Policy Act and at the state and local level. Freshwater saturated thickness averages 95 feet. Their combined freshwater saturated thickness averages about 600 feet in North Texas and about 1,900 feet in Central Texas. These data delineate the areal extent of the alluvial and glacial aquifers as defined in The Ground Water Atlas of The United States. See more information on Water Issues and the Texas economy. The Aggregate Water-Use Data System (AWUDS) is the database management system used to enter, store, and analyze state aggregate water-use data. storage and recovery facility The aquifer is comprised of the Twin Mountains, Glen Rose, Paluxy, Hosston, and Hensell formations. The desired future conditions provide the foundation for estimating the amount of groundwater available to the region. Aquifers in carbonate rocks are most extensive in the eastern U.S. The aquifer underlies an extensive area in south-central Texas extending along the Balcones fault zone from Kinney County eastward to San Antonio, and thence northeastward to Hays County. Texas State Historical Association. 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 ). These aquifers consist of limestones, sands, clays, gravels, and conglomerates. The Catahoula Aquifer is considered an Alternative Water Source (AWS) in Montgomery County. Conservation districts are promoting more-efficient irrigation techniques, and market-based, voluntary transfers of unused agricultural water rights to municipal uses are more common. These aquifers, which are in rocks that range in age from Pleistocene to Cambrian, They are grouped into four categories: basin-fill, blanket sand and gravel, glacial-deposit, and stream-valley aquifers. In Harris, Galveston, Fort Bend, Jasper, and Wharton counties, water level declines of as much as 350 feet have led to land subsidence. 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. A poorly defined groundwater divide in Hays County hydrologically separates the aquifer into the San Antonio and Austin regions. These declines are primarily attributed to municipal pumping, but they have slowed over the past decade as a result of increasing reliance on surface water. This area corresponds to the principal recharge zone for the aquifers. Page Contact Information: Texas Water Data Maintainer Page Last Modified: 2023-02-25 01:14:50 EST Aquifers are vital to the states economy and environment, highlighting the need for their proper management and conservation. Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). The U.S. Geological Survey prepared this dataset in cooperation with the Harris-Galveston Subsidence District, City of Houston, Fort Bend Subsidence District, Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District, and Brazoria County Groun The first publication of the core of the national aquifer list in a comprehensive manner was theGround Water Atlas of the United States(USGS Hydrologic Atlas 730, published in 2000) published as part of the National Atlas in 1998, revised 2003. It is the third most important groundwater resource in Texas after the Edwards and the Ogallala aquifers. This system has been divided into three major water-producing components referred to as the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper aquifers. For the distance tool click points on the map to build line segments to measure and double click to complete the measurement. The Ogallala Aquifer is the largest aquifer in the United States and is a major aquifer of Texas underlying much of the High Plains region. Total dissolved solids increase from less than 1,000 milligrams per liter in the east and southeast to between 1,000 and 5,000 milligrams per liter, or slightly to moderately saline, as the depth to the aquifer increases. Aquifers are shown in the States of Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Montana. Water Tour | Aquifers Overview | Print Snapshot (PDF). Entriesinitalicsare no longer valid.To learn more about a specific aquifer, visit the Principal Aquifers websitefor an overview, or access more extensive information from theGround Water Atlas of the United States. Although the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer reaches 3,000 feet in thickness, the freshwater saturated thickness of the sands averages 670 feet. 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. For the location tool click on the map to get coordinates for a particular location. Geology, Major and Minor Aquifers, BRACS Study Areas, Regional Water Planning Areas, Groundwater Management Areas, Groundwater Conservation Districts, River Basins, Counties, 7.5' United State Geological Survey Grid, 2.5' State Grid, Latitude, Longitude, and Land Elevation. Below are other webpages associated with principal aquifers. Refer to the metadata for a complete description of the files and how they were generated. He got the county through the crisis, and thanks to some heavy rains in 2012, the aquifer rebounded a little. Would you like to submit an article, provide feedback, or just get in touch? Presented by For the location tool click on the map to get coordinates for a particular location. It consists of the Hooper, Simsboro, and Calvert Bluff formations of the Wilcox Group and the overlying Carrizo Formation of the Claiborne Group. The information was collected by the U.S. Geological Survey and other agencies during the course of many years of study. The aquifer is comprised of the Twin Mountains, Glen Rose, Paluxy, Hosston, and Hensell formations. Major Aquifers of Texas [Map] Author: Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) Year: 2006: Document Number: 1295: HCP EIS Reference: . In most places where these two rock types are interbedded, the carbonate rocks yield much more water than the sandstone. The name of N600NECRSN was changedfrom "New England crystalline-rock aquifers" to "New York and New England crystalline-rock aquifers" to better reflect the geographic extent (January 2015). Delineations of the downdip boundaries of such aquifers as the Edwards (BFZ), Trinity, and Carrizo-Wilcox are based on chemical quality criteria. The pages below contain descriptionsand maps of these main aquifer types: These pages, formerly hosted at ourAquifer Basicswebsite,provide ageneral summary of information published in the Ground Water Atlas of the United States. Years of heavy pumpage have caused significant water-level declines in portions of the aquifer. Some of these declines have resulted in significant land-surface subsidence, particularly in the Houston-Galveston area. Edwards (Balcones Fault Zone) (San Antonio-oriented) The aquifer is primarily composed of sand locally interbedded with gravel, silt, clay, and lignite. Barton SpringsEdwards Aquifer Conservation District provides aquifer management for the rest of Hays and southern Travis counties, and the Kinney County Groundwater Conservation District manages the aquifer segment within Kinney County. Map of major and minor aquifers in Texas. 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. The Maverick Aquifer, as it's been named, lies more than a mile deep under parts of Maverick, Uvalde, Dimmit and Kinney 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. Most water from aquifers is used for irrigation. Aquifers can contain fresh, brackish, or saline water; or, usually, all three There are several types of aquifers with very different characteristics Michael Conner: Understanding Aquifers 7 All the "science" about aquifers is a simplification, and it is frequently quite controversial. 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. The appropriate component aquifer should be used instead of Northern Great Plains. Volcanic-rock aquifers have a wide range of chemical, mineralogic, structural, and hydraulic properties Aquifer maps often include large-to-small areas that are designated "minor aquifer," "not a principal aquifer," or "confining unit. These are usually areas are underlain by low-permeability deposits and rocks, unsaturated materials, or aquifers that supply little water because they are of local extent, poorly permeable, or both. Natural salt pollution in the upper reaches of the Red and Brazos river basins precludes the full utilization of these water resources. 1, Total pumping estimates for the Ogallala, Edwards-Trinity (High Plains), and Dockum aquifers in High Plains UWCD No. Historical large-scale groundwater withdrawals, especially for the municipal uses of El Paso and Juarez, have caused major water-level declines and significantly changed the direction of flow, causing a deterioration of the chemical quality of the groundwater in the aquifer, according to El Paso Water Utilities and the USGS. There are nine major aquifers and 22 minor aquifers that supply groundwater for municipal and irrigation needs throughout the state. A two-dimensionalmap representation of the principal aquiferswas derived from this data and published as part of the National Atlas in 1998 (revised 2003). Aquifer Code Name. In 2019, more than 90 percent of the water pumped from the Ogallala was used for irrigation, while more than 90 percent of the Hueco-Mesilla pumpage served municipal purposes. In 2008, almost 96 percent of the water pumped from the Ogallala was used for irrigation. Guadalupe runs dry with rainfall scarce. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS Water-conservation measures by agricultural and municipal users are being promoted. 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). The EAA has an active program to educate the public on water conservation and also operates several active groundwater recharge sites. 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. However, water quality diminishes to the south, where large areas contain total dissolved solids in excess of 1,000 milligrams per liter. For the area tool click points on the map to begin building the polygon you want to measure and then double click to close the polygon. Nearly 100 groundwater conservation districts work across the state to preserve Texas aquifers and their groundwater levels. A two-dimensional map representation of the principal aquifers of the Nation is shown below. For the distance tool click points on the map to build line segments to measure and double click to complete the measurement. Computer models of the northern and southern portions of the Ogallala aquifer were completed by the Texas Water Development Board and its contractor. Texas Water Development Board works best with JavaScript enabled. Such sites will not be retrieved using this search criteria. 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