1 / 12

Regional Groundwater Issues Hill Country-Gulf Coastal Plain

William Feathergail Wilson, PG # 21. Regional Groundwater Issues Hill Country-Gulf Coastal Plain . Regional Planning Groups & GMA’s. Recharge – Very Complex. Very small recharge. G roundwater age dating Geologic flow concepts Geochemical analytics Multiple correlation factors

helmut
Télécharger la présentation

Regional Groundwater Issues Hill Country-Gulf Coastal Plain

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. William Feathergail Wilson, PG # 21 Regional Groundwater IssuesHill Country-Gulf Coastal Plain

  2. Regional Planning Groups & GMA’s

  3. Recharge – Very Complex Very small recharge • Groundwater age dating • Geologic flow concepts • Geochemical analytics • Multiple correlation factors • Vertical & horizontal flow • Local & regional factors • Aquifers & aquitards • Climate past and present • Carbonates and clastics • Structural factors • Diagenesis

  4. Combined (Conjunctive) Use • Surface and groundwater • Both over allocated • Demand exceeds supply • Texas will double its population • IH-35 Corridor

  5. Recharge Areas - Hill Country

  6. Fast Growth – No More Water • Growth will cease without water • IH-35 Corridor • San Antonio • Austin • Belton-Temple • Everything in between

  7. Edwards Plateau 38,000 Miles2 • Edwards Plateau covers ~ 40 counties • Provides ~ 90% of all spring flow for Hill • Country rivers and streams • Two primary units • Edwards carbonates • Hensell sands

  8. Edwards BFZ • A thin line • Balcones Fault Zone • Highly permeable • Cavernous • Rapid recharge • Large springs • Del Rio • Bracketville • San Antonio • New Braunfels • San Marcos

  9. Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifers • Major Gulf Coastal Plain aquifer couplet • Major export targets for the IH-35 corridor • Gonzales County • Bastrop County • Lee County • SE Caldwell County • $1 million/mile pipelines • Growing political controversies (water wars) • Demand exceeds supply • Alternatives? • Hosston • Desalination

  10. IH-35 Alternate Aquifer • Hosston sands and gravels • 500-1,000 mg/liter TDS • Drilling depths 3,200’ • Bell Co. test • Taylor city well • Test well ~ $400,000 • Production well ~ $1.2 million • Compare to $400 million cost • Pipeline • Drilling • Imports

  11. Groundwater Demand Population of Texas will double by 2050 Texas Hill Country growth-demand IH-35 Corridor – no more local groundwater Pipeline transport demand & issues $1 million/mile Landowner resistance Shale gas demand: 3-5 million gallons/well – may drill >30,000 wells in south central Texas

  12. Summary • San Antonio to Belton IH-35 corridor water demand exceeds supply • Fastest growing area in Texas • Alternative supplies • Desalination • Edwards • Hosston • Sea water • Import water • Drill a Hosston test well

More Related