Evaluation for the Development of a Jacob’s Well Groundwater Management Zone in Hays County, Texas
Jacob’s Well is a karst spring originating from the Lower Cretaceous, Middle Trinity Aquifer and is located in the Cypress Creek watershed near Wimberley, Texas. The Middle Trinity Aquifer is the primary groundwater resource for water supply in the region. Jacob’s Well flow responds to climatic variations of both short- and long-term cycles. Groundwater pumping […]
Barton Springs segment of the Edwards (Balcones Fault Zone) Aquifer, central Texas
The Barton Springs segment of the Edwards (Balcones Fault Zone) Aquifer is a prolifi c karst aquifer system containing the fourth largest spring in Texas, Barton Springs. The Barton Springs segment of the Edwards Aquifer supplies drinking water for ~60,000 people, provides habitat for federally listed endangered salamanders, and sustains the iconic recreational Barton Springs […]
March 2018 Potentiometric Map of the Middle Trinity Aquifer, Central Texas
The Middle Trinity Aquifer is the primary groundwater resource for the central and western portions of Hays County. Groundwater levels and potentiometric surface maps provide critical information about the hydrologic relationships of recharge, discharge, and storage within an aquifer, and the direction of groundwater flow. This report provides a potentiometric map of the Middle Trinity […]
Regional Geologic Geodatabase Project, Central Texas
Geologic data are used by hydrogeologists to develop a better understanding of aquifers. Geophysical logs, driller’s and cuttings logs, and outcrops provide valuable information about aquifer characteristics and can be used in combination with other geologic data to characterize groundwater resources. The purpose of this project was to build a geodatabase of geologic control points […]
Stratigraphic evaluation of Trinity Aquifers in Hays and Western Travis County and Implications for Groundwater Availability
Trinity Aquifers are very important groundwater resources in central Texas. However, they show signs of hydrologic stress and depletion in some areas. This study focused on detailed stratigraphic evaluations to better understand hydrologic variations in the Trinity Aquifer system. The study consisted of seven wells located throughout the Western Travis and Northern Hays County area […]
Geologic Mapping of Upper Glen Rose Unit 3 (Lower Cretaceous) In The Onion Creek Basin, Western Hays County, Texas: Implications for Recharge to the Trinity Aquifer
Understanding of geologic structure, lithology, and spatial distribution of geologic units that act as barriers to flow (aquitards) is critical for delineating groundwater movement and recharge in karst aquifers. In western Hays County, Texas, the Upper Glen Rose Member of the Trinity Group accounts for most of the surface outcrop and forms what is commonly […]
2017 Groundwater Tracing in the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer: Onion Creek and Little Bear Creek
A groundwater trace performed in the fall of 2017 verified the connection to Barton Springs from three sites: Crooked Oak Cave on Onion Creek, Fenceline Sink on Little Bear Creek, and Stoneledge Quarry adjacent to Little Bear Creek. Groundwater tracer arrived at Main Barton Spring in 5.4 days from Crooked Oak Cave, in 6.0 days […]
Dye Trace at Raccoon Cave near Jacob’s Well Spring, Hays County, Texas
A consortium of agencies and scientists planned and executed a dye-trace test in the vicinity of Jacob’s Well Spring (JWS) in late March – early April 2018. The goal of the trace was to evaluate the hydrogeologic connection of Racoon Cave, a karst feature developed within the Lower Glen Rose formation, with JWS and area […]
Is the BSEACD’s Drought Trigger Methodology Representative of the Middle Trinity Aquifer?
Increased drilling and permit requests in the Middle Trinity Aquifer have highlighted the need for increased data collection and evaluation to better manage this limited resource. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the representativeness of the Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District’s (BSEACD) drought trigger methodology (DTM) for the Middle Trinity Aquifer, which relies […]
Summary of Findings: Upper Onion Creek Dye Trace, Hays County, Texas, Winter 2017
A consortium of central Texas agencies and groundwater scientists conducted a series of studies of the Trinity Aquifers that culminated in publication of the Hydrogeologic Atlas of the Hill Country Trinity Aquifer (Wierman et al., 2010). A continuation of those studies has revealed a hydrologic connection between the Middle Trinity Aquifer and the Blanco River […]