Water-level altitudes 2007 and water-level changes in the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper aquifers and compaction 1973-2006 in the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers, Houston-Galveston region, Texas

Abstract

This report, done in cooperation with the Harris-Galveston Subsidence District, the City of Houston, the Fort Bend Subsidence District, and the Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District, is one in an annual series of reports that depicts water-level altitudes and water-level changes in the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper aquifers, and compaction in the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers in the Houston-Galveston, Texas, region. The report contains 18 sheets and 17 tables: 3 sheets are maps showing current-year (2007) water-level altitudes for each aquifer, respectively; 3 sheets are maps showing 1-year (2006-07) water-level changes for each aquifer, respectively; 3 sheets are maps showing 5-year (2002-07) water-level changes for each aquifer, respectively; 4 sheets are maps showing long-term (1990-2007 and 1977-2007) water-level changes for the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers, respectively; 1 sheet is a map showing long-term (2000-2007) water-level change for the Jasper aquifer; 2 sheets are revisions of previously published water-level-altitude maps for the Jasper aquifer for 2000 and 2002, respectively; 1 sheet is a map showing site locations of borehole extensometers; and 1 sheet comprises graphs showing measured compaction of subsurface material at the sites from 1973 or later through 2006, respectively. Tables listing the data used to construct the aquifer-data maps and the compaction graphs also are included.

Water-level altitudes 2017 and water-level changes in the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper Aquifers and compaction 1973–2016 in the Chicot and Evangeline Aquifers, Houston-Galveston region, Texas

“…During years when rainfall and temperature are near normal, total groundwater withdrawals in the study area typically do not change appreciably from the previous year; therefore, water-level altitudes in the aquifer system typically do not fluctuate appreciably from the previous year (Kasmarek and Houston, 2007;others, 2011, 2016). During years of drought or abundant rainfall, however, water-level altitudes in the aquifer system can be appreciably different compared to the previous year because of changes in recharge and groundwater withdrawals (Kasmarek and Houston, 2008;Johnson and others, 2011;others, 2012, 2013).…”

“…Maps depicting changes in water-level altitudes in the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper aquifers were constructed for the long-term (Worboys, 1995) was created from published 1977 (Gabrysch, 1979) or 2000 (Kasmarek and Houston, 2007) water-level-altitude contours. The maps were constructed by contouring the set of mapped point values computed either as the difference in water-level altitude at each point (well) for which a water-level measurement was made in 2017 and in 1977 or 2000 or as the difference in water-level altitude at that point in 2017 and the waterlevel altitude on a gridded surface of the 1977 (Gabrysch, 1979) …”

“…The USGS published its first report on water-level altitudes and waterlevel changes for the Jasper aquifer in the Houston-Galveston region (primarily Montgomery County) in 2001 (Coplin, 2001). Water-level altitudes and water-level changes for the Jasper aquifer were subsequently the subject of a detailed assessment on water-level altitudes in 2007 and water-level changes in the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper aquifers; this assessment was part of report that also depicted compaction during 1973-2006 in the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers (Kasmarek and Houston, 2007). The cumulative compaction data from a network of 13 borehole extensometers (hereinafter referred to as "extensometers") in the Houston-Galveston region have been presented in USGS reports of annual water-level altitudes and water-level changes since 1981 (cumulative compaction during 1973-81; Gabrysch and Ranzau, 1981).…”

“…A more comprehensive water-levelaltitude report for the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers was published by the USGS in 1991 (Barbie and others, 1991), and when updated well data became available, that waterlevel-altitude report was revised in 1997 (Kasmarek, 1997). Similarly, after the establishment of the LSGCD in 2001, the USGS first published a water-level-altitude map of the Jasper aquifer in the Houston-Galveston region (primarily Montgomery County) (Coplin, 2001, as additional wells with reliable water-level data were inventoried, revised water-level-altitude maps for the Jasper aquifer were prepared (Kasmarek and Lanning-Rush, 2004;Kasmarek and others, 2006;Kasmarek and Houston, 2007). In comparison to the 2001 (Coplin, 2001) and 2004 (Kasmarek and Lanning-Rush, 2004) reports, the 2007 waterlevel-altitude map (Kasmarek and Houston, 2007) was the most comprehensive for the Jasper aquifer in the study area prepared at that time.…”

“…Similarly, after the establishment of the LSGCD in 2001, the USGS first published a water-level-altitude map of the Jasper aquifer in the Houston-Galveston region (primarily Montgomery County) (Coplin, 2001, as additional wells with reliable water-level data were inventoried, revised water-level-altitude maps for the Jasper aquifer were prepared (Kasmarek and Lanning-Rush, 2004;Kasmarek and others, 2006;Kasmarek and Houston, 2007). In comparison to the 2001 (Coplin, 2001) and 2004 (Kasmarek and Lanning-Rush, 2004) reports, the 2007 waterlevel-altitude map (Kasmarek and Houston, 2007) was the most comprehensive for the Jasper aquifer in the study area prepared at that time. Since 2007, similarly comprehensive maps for the Jasper aquifer have been included in an annual series of reports that depict water-level altitudes and waterlevel changes in the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper aquifers and cumulative compaction in the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers in the Houston-Galveston region (Kasmarek and Houston, 2008;Kasmarek, Johnson, and Ramage, 2010;Johnson and others, 2011;Kasmarek and others, 2011Kasmarek and others, , 2012Kasmarek and others, , 2013Kasmarek and others, , 2014Kasmarek and others, , 2015Kasmarek and others, , 2016.…”