S'.' W \\;). ;EY~AS NATURAL RESOURCL~ R. ~qC\ iNf<lRMATiON SYSTEM· ,- 'r\o.",).~"\ P.O, [}QX 13231. Capitol Btl, "'~\H~;in, Texas 78711-3231 Report 224 • ' _...l
o_,,.,.. Occurrence, Quantity, and Quality of Ground Water in Taylor County, Texas TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES October 1978 I C (' \.-) J1.1-, <c; 7 Ie'} .:!... {j C/ ERRATA ;Jc J.. c1--LJ for ef?fl.~TR- REPORT224 OCCURRENCE,QUANTITY,AND QUALITYOF GROUNDWATER IN TAYLOR COUNTY,TEXAS (PublishedbytheTexasDepartmentofWaterResourcesOctober 1978) Thefollowingtablereplacestheoneonpage 13. " !"~~a~~).~-~) '!IfJ~~,,.-j,~:4tl\.~. ~_."~ >,.J Table1.-GeologicUnitsandTheirWater-BearingPropertiesinTaylorCounty APPROXIMATE MAXIMUM THICKNESS WATER·BEARING SYSTEM SERIES GROUP FORMATION MEMBER [ftl LITHOLOGICCHARACTER CHARACTERISTICS Crossbedde(jsan(lstones.gravel,fine YieldS fresh to moderately saline silts,anclsan"yclaysoccurringinand waterinsmalltomoderatequantities borde"ng ,...·ost of the stream to walls mOstly in the Bastern channel~,ntrecounty two·thirdsofthecountv Known to yield small QUilntlties01 Undividedsudicialdeposits fwreesllhatnodsolingehtlsypr$inaglinIenwthaeternOtorthoenrne r-,--,-,--, halfofthecounty ~--I------+----_.---------1"-----------+ Quaternarv rCoonretdains"anfdins~3g"rdainseilldS,,w'ehdltdeis,h'i-gohralntagne wKantoewrn10tothryeile!lwdelslsmaallolnqgutahnet'ctioeusnotyf and gray ClilV; and white to buff linenorthofMerkelinthenorthwest nodules 01 cal'che <usually near panofthecounty.Waterinonewell surfacel. L.ower portion of the was/resh Seymour 40 cfoonrmgloamtieorna,tsescocaornsTeaingirnavgelsweOlrl roundedpebblesofquartz,quartzite. igneous c'ystalline rocks, bone fragments, p'~1'if,edwood,scaTtered wate.worn ,::eetaceous fossds. am.l cobblesand~,ehblesoflimestone Edwllrds Limestone -CLoimm-aensc:ohn"eP-"ak fiGnortsaesyrb,ileittdhedirneod"t<'c:,·-la"yhe-rg"'ue-lsator-,new-av,-"y",tb-hed-dtheid1n, Marly, larr"nated, li~ht gray to ye'lowish clay so""e thin seml,cl'yStillline limestone lenses Cretaceous Comanche locally Lower;]nd ["Poerr>arlschie·lysand, Yieldsfreshwaterinsmallquantities middle part ma'nly clay, Sand is towellsandspringsintheSOuthe,n creamtoneilrwhi'e,finetomed'um partofthllcounty grained, mad.Hately to wal: sorted, weathers b"ft \0 locally varigated, 200 some cronI)"dd:ng. argillaceous in thllupperpart,locallyconglome'atic inthe10W'Hpari.Middlepartch'afly redto;link,purple,locallygrayand greenclay,Silty,"'ithoccasionalbeds ot hard ",.lcareOds siLtstonE' Conglome'ateInlow,,"'part"la,feup ofchenand.,,~artlit"p"bbles, : 1--~--~.I-~---+---~---.j---~--~--t~--~......,r--------J--:C~'-O-'-'~b'JCd"(1 sandstone, iYields fresh to moderately saline greenish·..·av usual'y well Watarinsmalltomoderatequantities consolldati!d, medium-grained, to wells along theextremewastern s'~b-angular10w,,11roundari"ealTOp edgesofthecounty PeaseRiver SanAngelo 200 soafnd"nstiot;neloa"s"'ea'bop~oert,inot"erbisedcdlaeyrlhwailtlsh, cherty cOIHJlo....erates. gypsum nodul"5, s·raaks Of "satin spar" gypsum, a"d ren and gree" shales Weathersdark.ad Merkel ThegrayM-e.rke!dolomite,atOrnear YieldS fresh to moderUQly saline Dolomite the top ot this formation, 's not waterinsmalltomoderatequant,ties belie~'ed !C be present southward to wells in theweSternpart"fthe fromapoi"I'JUS1southofInterstate county 20ardaboutl_r)mileseast:)fTrent The rema'''der of the f'Jrmat,on consist·; of Sen"pers.stent beds of gray dol'J"'ite and anhydrite inte"pursedi"redshalesane,locally. IhIn poorIy de~eloped sandSlone lenses Builwagon '0 Upper port,on 01 tha for.n'atian is Y,e-ds tresh to moderately salinQ Permian Dolomite compriSlldofmanytbmbedsofgray warer in Sfllall quantitiestoa few dolom,te andanhydriteinterbedded wells In the eastern half of tne with some clay, but ma.nly red cO_.Jnty shales, Lo"er portion of ',""il is nominatel'l "'n shale ""ith thin strongersatdolom,t'landafewlhin le"tic~lar "haley sandstones. This f-------jf-----+----+ia-we-rredsh.;eunitth,nstothewest Arroyo SKRLtLLLvLa"aiiitbiimmmnmlneydyeeeepssssLittt'paooooeknnnneeeel! 250 Wlaats'lLn)oonae.ai(rcnhvo1mrmeadIiweslllas'oI€sel'n;tt':tp,!ol"o,ioennnndleeseetsh,"Ihn"I.",iJHnd'yeil;"'"'a.'emdAsmrstthnihtbaeaeheencdntrvddOhesddllseyworel.eirtdItTdenleedbhoti,alcaos;uantsmehnhdlaIduictrpHe0kp'1sseRoh,sgaoiaaalr,ltnrn!nnah!ltdVyyyde, swYmeieallldsllSqifnrueasnhthtiettoiesselaigTsOhtetlryansfaeplwianretswcoaafttteerrtheidne ~, TtosI-sIifl,'ferboues<ldIe,,d,,,estognraeyinttoerbebdudtetd, wYiaetledrsisnl,gshmtlaylltoqumanotdite,erastetloyasafleinwe L-"--":it:h,~,a·,'g,_il;la~~<":oe'o;"u~s'eI',m:~e:s:two,n~e;:a"n,<;j"g:ra::y sIhcaetcttotruendtywallsintheeasternpartof ,"".", _-----L._"__ SLJI)sLJr'ace L-__---'- L....__---'.__ _ JL- ---' YieldofWells: Small,lenthan100gp...,tgallonspe'minute moderare.100-1,000gpm,large,morethar<1,000,prY' Aerial Viewof Abilene, LookingSouthwest. Courtesy ofthe Abilene Reporter News. TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES REPORT 224 OCCURRENCE, QUANTITY, AND QUALITY OF GROUND WATER IN TAYLOR COUNTY, TEXAS By Howard D. Taylor, Geologist Texas DepartmentofWater Resources October 1978 TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES Harvey Davis, Executive Director TEXASWATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD A. L. Black, Chairman Robert B. Gilmore, Vice Chairman Milton Potts George W. McCleskey John H. Garrett Glen E. Roney TEXASWATER COMMISSION Felix McDonald, Chairman Dorsey B. Hardeman,Commissioner Joe R. Carroll,Commissioner Authorization for use or reproduction ofany original material contained in this publication, i.e., not obtained from other sources, is freely granted. The Department wouldappreciateacknowledgement. Published and distributed by the Texas DepartmentofWater Resources Post Office Box 13087 Austin,Texas 78711 ii ,'! ., FOREWORD Effective September 1, 1977, Texas three water resources agencies, the Texas Water Rights Corrmission, the Texas Water Development Board, and the Texas Water Quality Board, were consolidated to form the Texas Depart ment of Water Resources. A number of publications prepared under the auspices of the predecessor agencies are being published by the TDWR. To effect as little delay as possible in production of these publications, references to these predecessor agencies will not be altered except on their covers and title pages. ~ ~. Har~ ~ Executive Director TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION 3 Location and Extent ofthe Study Area 3 Purpose and Scope of the Investigation 3 Methods of Investigation 3 Previous Investigations . 4 Well-NumberingSystem 4 Acknowledgements 4 GEOGRAPHY 4 Topography and Drainage 4 Climate. 6 History, Population,and Economy 6 GENERAL GEOLOGY. 6 Geologic History . 6 Stratigraphy oftheWater-Bearing Formations 9 Pre-Permian Systems 9 Permian System . 9 Wichita Group 9 Clear Fork Group 9 Pease River Group 9 Cretaceous System . 9 Trinity Group. 9 Fredericksburg Group 14 iii TABLE OF CONTENTS (Cant'd) Page Quaternary System . 14 Pleistocene Series. 14 RecentSeries 14 Regional Structure 14 Geomorphology . 14 GENERAL GROUND-WATER HYDROLOGY. 15 HydrologicCycle. . . . 15 Source and Occurrence of Ground Water 16 Recharge, Discharge,and Movementof Ground Water 16 HydraulicPropertiesof Aquifers 17 Development of Ground Water 17 Irrigation 17 PublicSupply 18 Industrial 18 Domesticand Livestock 18 Changes in Water Levels 18 GENERAL CHEMICAL QUALITYOF GROUNDWATER 19 RelationshipofWater Quality to Use 20 Changes in Chemical Quality 25 Treatment ofWater . 27 AVAILABILITY AND QUALITY OF GROUNDWATER 27 Principal Aquifers 27 Recert Alluvium 27 Extentof the Aquifer 27 Source and Occurrenceof GroundWater 27 Movement, Recharge,and Dischargeof Ground Water 27 iv TABLE OF CONTENTS (Cant'd) Page Chemical Quality. 27 HydraulicProperties ofthe Aquifer. 32 Historyof Development 32 Changes inWater Levels 33 Well Construction 34 Availability ofGroundWaterfor Future Development 34 Antlers Formation 37 Extentofthe Aquifer 37 Source, Recharge, and Occurrence ofGround Water 37 Movementand Dischargeof Ground Water 38 Chemical Quality . 38 HydraulicProperties ofthe Aquifer. 41 Historyof Development 42 Changes in Water Levels 42 Well Construction 42 Availability of Ground Waterfor Future Development 42 Choza Formation 42 Extentofthe Aquifer 42 Source, Recharge,andOccurrence ofGround Water 43 Movementand DischargeofGround Water 43 Chemical Quality. 43 Hydraulic Properties of the Aquifer 44 Historyof Development 44 Changesin Water Levels 45 Well Construction 45 Availability of Ground Waterfor Future Development 45 v TABLE OF CONTENTS (Cant'd) Page San Angelo Formation . 45 Extentof the Aquifer 45 Source, Recharge, and Occurrence of Ground Water 45 Movementand Dischargeof Ground Water 46 Chemical Quality. 46 HydraulicProperties ofthe Aquifer 47 Historyof Development 47 Changes inWater Levels 47 Well Construction 47 Availability of Ground Water for Future Development 48 OtherWate-·Bearing Units. 48 Lueders Formation . 48 Extentofthe Unit 48 Source, Recharge, and Occurrence ofGroundWater 48 Movement and Discharge of GroundWater 48 Chemical Quality. 48 HydraulicPropertiesof the Aquifer 49 Changes inWater Levels 49 Well Construction 49 Arroyo Formation 49 Extent of the Unit 49 Source, Recharge, and Occurrence of Ground Water 49 Movementand Discharge of Ground Water 49 Chemical Quality. 50 HydraulicProperties ofthe Aquifer. 50 Well Construction 50 vi