George, PG; Mace, RE; Petrossian, R
This report is an update to the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) Report 345, Major and Minor Aquifers of Texas, published in 1995 and coauthored by John B. Ashworth and Janie Hopkins. Since the publication of that report more than 15 years ago, a great deal of information has become available through research at universities, state and federal agencies, and private environmental engineering firms as part of the TWDB’s Groundwater Availability Modeling Program. The TWDB itself collects a large amount of data annually on water levels and water quality from wells around the state, which is incorporated into its groundwater availability models.
In addition to new research becoming available, the aerial extent of the aquifers has changed since 1995. In the 2007 Texas State Water Plan, the TWDB adjusted the boundaries of the Blaine, Bone Spring–Victorio Peak, Edwards (Balcones Fault Zone), Igneous, Lipan, Ogallala, Pecos Valley (formerly the Cenozoic Pecos Alluvium), Seymour, and Trinity aquifers. These changes are incorporated into the aquifer summaries presented in this report.
The aquifer summaries are short descriptions covering geology, hydrology, and water use, based largely on reports generated through the Groundwater Availability Modeling Program. The summaries are preceded by sections on groundwater in Texas, including the monitoring and modeling programs at the
TWDB, a discussion of statewide groundwater issues, a summary of groundwater management t in the state, and basic groundwater
principles. The latter is included as a layman’s guide to the state’s groundwater resources.
As in any scientific report, the summary descriptions are based on current and past information. To keep the information current, aquifer descriptions will be updated and posted on the TWDB Web site as new research is completed.