Groundwater--Baseflow interactions of a shallow fracture flow system: Childress Creek basin, central Texas

Conference · Mon Feb 01 04:00:00 EST 1993 · Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States)

OSTI ID:5976371

Mann, J F ^[1]

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1. Baylor Univ., Waco, TX (United States). Geology Dept.

The Georgetown Formation in central Texas crops out west of the major urban growth along Interstate Highway 35. The Georgetown Formation, comprised of interbedded limestone and calcareous shale, is not recognized as a major aquifer. However, numerous shallow wells occur in these bedrock units and shallow groundwater is directly connected to surface streams. A large percentage of cities throughout central Texas are dependent upon surface water for their primary water supply. Recent investigations revealed shallow flow systems along bedding plane separations and fractures associated with weathering, release of overburden, neotectonic movements and the Balcones Fault Zone. Many pollutants which can affect this source are conveyed through the groundwater system and return to the streams as baseflow. Therefore a better understanding of surface-groundwater relations is needed to aid in understanding the potential for impacts in the watershed. Data obtained from monitoring baseflow, groundwater levels, and rainfall is being used to investigate recharge, shallow fracture flow systems, transmissivity in the watershed, baseflow recession, and groundwater levels. This information will help determine regional aquifer characteristics, modeling flow paths, and water budgets in watersheds having highly fractured unconfined aquifers such as those found in the Washita Prairie. As a result coefficients of storage, transmissivity, and scale simulation model will yield a regional water budget. This study provided a detailed analysis of the relationship between groundwater levels and stream baseflow in Childress Creek. These same methods may in turn be applied to watersheds in areas of increased urban development and used in watershed models for analysis of regional impacts related to landuse changes and pollution loads.

• OSTI ID: 5976371
• Report Number(s): CONF-9303212--
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States) Journal Volume: 25:1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

58 GEOSCIENCES
580000* -- Geosciences
AQUIFERS
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
FLOW MODELS
GEOLOGIC FORMATIONS
GROUND WATER
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROLOGY
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
NORTH AMERICA
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION
RECHARGE
RIVERS
STREAMS
SURFACE WATERS
TEXAS
USA
WATER
WATER POLLUTION
WATERSHEDS