The History of the Creation of the Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District
Introduction: This District, the Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District, has evolved after years of untiring efforts by many individuals dedicated to aquifer protection. There were at least six serious legislative efforts to create water laws for this area dating from 1937 to 1985, but none of them became law, not until August 1987. The intent […]
Hydrogeologic Atlas of southwestern Travis County, Central Texas
The Hill Country Priority Groundwater Management Area (PGMA) was designated in 1990 in response to existing and projected groundwater availability issues within the Trinity aquifers. Anecdotal reports suggest current groundwater availability issues in the Southwestern Travis County (SWTC) portion of the PGMA. In the absence of a groundwater conservation district, the area’s hydrogeology remained poorly characterized […]
Estimating the number of Trinity Aquifer exempt wells in a recently annexed groundwater conservation district territory
In 2015, the Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District (District) annexed the eastern portion of Hays County coincident with the Edwards Aquifer Authority boundary to extend groundwater protection and management to the previously unregulated Trinity and other non-Edwards aquifers. To estimate Trinity Aquifer pumpage, first the number of Trinity Aquifer wells needed to be identified. High-volume […]
Monitor Wells
Groundwater levels provide critical information about the hydrologic relationships of recharge and discharge to storage within an aquifer, and the direction of groundwater flow. The District maintains over 40 monitor wells to track water levels using continuous-recording instruments or periodic manual measurements. The District monitors groundwater levels within the Edwards, Upper and Middle Trinity Aquifers. […]
Groundwater Tracing Study of the Barton Springs Segment of the Edwards Aquifer
Nico M. Hauwert, P.G. Hydrogeologist and James W. Sansom, Jr., P.G. Hydrogeologist, Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District David A. Johns, Hydrogeologist, City of Austin Watershed Protection and Development Review Department Thomas J. Aley, Hydrogeologist, Ozark Underground Laboratory PREPARED IN COOPERATION WITH THE TEXAS NATURAL RESOURCE CONSERVATION COMMISSION AND U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY September 2004 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: […]
Well Water Checkup
Pleasant Valley Spring: A Newly Documented Karst Spring of the Texas Hill Country Trinity Aquifer
Texas Hill Country springs provide baseflow for rivers that recharge the downstream Edwards Aquifer. This study is an initial characterization of Pleasant Valley Spring (PVS) and recognition of its significance for the Hill Country, Middle Trinity Aquifer, and the Edwards Aquifer. PVS is a perennial, artesian, karst spring complex located in the bed of the […]
Influence of Faulting and Relay Ramp Structures on Groundwater Flow in the Karstic Edwards and Trinity Aquifers, Central Texas, USA
The Cretaceous-age Edwards and Middle Trinity Aquifers of central Texas are critical groundwater resources for human and ecological needs. These two major karst aquifers are stratigraphically stacked (Edwards over Trinity) and structurally juxtaposed (normal faulting) in the Balcones Fault Zone. Studies have long recognized the importance of faulting on the development of the karstic Edwards […]
Potentiometric Investigation of Two Large Springs Discharging From the Middle Trinity Aquifer, Western Hays County, Texas.
Pleasant Valley Spring (PVS) and Jacob’s Well Spring (JWS) are large karst springs providing perennial baseflow to the Blanco River and Cypress Creek, respectively, which eventually recharges the Edwards Aquifer. In order to better understand groundwater flow and sources of recharge to these springs (springsheds), we created a potentiometric map of the area surrounding the […]
Groundwater Flow as Evidenced from a Historic Petroleum Contamination Site, Barton Springs Segment of the Edwards Aquifer, Austin, Texas
Leaking petroleum storage tanks from gas stations are one of the most common sources of contamination of groundwater in the U.S. and Texas. In 1992 a 2,900 gallon gasoline and diesel release occurred at the Big Wheel Truck Stop located on the highly sensitive Edwards Aquifer in Austin, Texas. The fate and transport of the […]