Download - Mace's Believe It or Not
Mace’s
RobertE.Mace,Ph.D.,P.G.TexasWaterDevelopmentBoard
presentedtoTexasAllianceofGroundwaterDistricts’
LeadershipTrainingOctober27,2016
BIZARRETEXASGROUNDWATERFACTS!
ThefollowingpresentaHonisbaseduponprofessionalresearchandanalysiswithinthescopeoftheTexasWaterDevelopmentBoard’sstatutoryresponsibiliHesandprioriHesbut,unlessspecificallynoted,doesnotnecessarilyreflectofficialBoardposiHonsordecisions.
BelieveitorNot!
40%ofallwaterusedinTexascomesfromtheOgallala
Aquifer!
*anditusedtobe50%!
WaterlevelsarerisinginpartsoftheOgallala!
ThelongesttransportofwaterinTexasisbythe
CanadianRiverMunicipalWater
Authority!(ifyoudon’tcountShinerBock…)
CanadianRiverMunicipalWaterAuthority
OgallalaAquifer
• 322miles(+LakeMeredithwhenavailable…)
There’smorerechargetotheOgallala
thantheEdwards!
Ogallala:~1,100,000AFYEdwards:~640,000AFY
but…
ThewatertableisprobablydroppingfasterintheOgallalaaquifer
thanrecharge!
TexasalmostbroughttheMississippiRivertotheHighPlainstosolvethe“OgallalaProblem”!
TexasWaterDevelopmentBoard1968
DellCityhadTexas’first(andthenafon’sfigh)desalinafonplant
in1967!
1961
Youcangofishinginthe
EdwardsAquifer!
TheDNAofthesecriPerscanbetraced
backto~Cretaceous
Hmes!
World’slargestfreshwatershrimpwasfedbyspringsfromthe
EdwardsAquifer!GiantFreshwaterPrawnBigClawRiverShrimp
CaughtintheDevil’sRiver!
Yum!
Houstonhassunkupwardsof10feetdue(inlargepart)to
groundwaterpumping!
GULF OF MEXICOGULF OF MEXICO
GALVESTON
BAY
GALVESTON
BAY
HOUSTONHOUSTON
95º96º
97º 31º
30º
29º
N
1.0
3.04.0
5.06.0
4.0
2.03.0
9.0
8.0
7.06.0
5.0
2.0
1.0
6.0
5.04.0
7.0
8.0
10.09.0 9.0
8.0
7.0
1906-1995MeasuredLand-SurfaceSubsidence
fromUSGS
land subsidence
photos from USGS’s Circular 1182
ElPasohassunktoo!
2.5to5inchesalongtheRioGrande
OneofthefirstthingsIdealtwithattheTWDBwasadrive-bywaterwitching!
TheSeymourAquiferisa
man-madeaquifer
ThetownofBurkburnek(nearWichitaFalls)uses
93wellsforwatersupply!
NumberofgroundwaterconservaHondistrictsthroughthedecades…
9797
currently99districts(+twosubsidencedistricts)
972,914districtsby2060
Mybookshelf
ofgroundwaterreferencesisorganizedbycolor!
Thereusedtobe
astumpwellnearGlenRose!
WacousedtobeknownasGeyserCity!
Bell’sWelldestroyedtheschool!
DrPepperusedtobecalledtheArtesianMfg
andBoklingCo!
Folksonceproposeddrilling270artesian
wellstoturnDallasintoaseaporttown!
• Drilledfirstwellin1887• The“DallasGeyser”:1,000,000gallonsperday• “Well,Iswar:I’drathergotoseethatthanahanging!”
Dallas:1887
YoucansfllvisitthewellheadatBigRed!
ThediscoveryofartesianwaterinTexasleddirectlytothe
developmentoflargebreweriesinTexas!
TexasBrewingCompany,FortWorth,circa1900
FortWorthakemptedtocircumvent
decliningwaterlevelsintheTrinityAquiferby“followingthewater”!
1903,DallasMorningNews
• 13-feetindiameter,172feetdeepshag• Overamileintunnels• 13wells• Abandonedby1910• AnearlyFreese&Nicholsproject!