Texas Almanac, 1988-1989 Page: 70
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70 TEXAS ALMANAC 1988-1989
most of Texas, the Carrizo-Wilcox aquifer yields fresh
to slightly saline water which is acceptable for most
irrigation, public supply and industrial uses. Because
of excessive pumping, the water levels have been sig-
nificantly lowered, particularly in the Winter Garden
Districtof Dimmit and Zavala counties and in the munici-
pal and industrial areas located north of Lufkin in Ange-
lina and Nacogdoches counties. however, water-level de-
clines in the Winter. Garden area have been
significantly arrestedduring thepast 10 years.
Gulf Coast Aquifer - Geologically, the Gulf Coast
aquifer ranges in age from Miocene to Holocene, and it
is collectively composed of. the Catahoula, Oakville, La-
garto, Goliad, Willis, Lissie and Beaumont formations.
Lithologically, it consists of alternating beds of clay,
silt, sand and gravel which are hydrologically connect-
ed. The principal water-bearing units are the Goliad,
Willis and Lissie formations. It parallels the Texas Gulf
Coast from Mexico to Louisiana. Normally, fresh to
slightly saline ground water occurs in the aquifer from
the San Antonio River basin northeastward to Louisi-
ana. In this area, large quantities are pumped for mu-
nicipal, Industrial and irrigation use. Ground-water
quality tends to deteriorate in the San Antonio River
basin and southwestward to Mexico, where there are
areas in which no appreciable amounts of fresh to
slightly saline water can be found. Problems of land-
surface subsidence in the Houston area are well docu-
mented. Additionally, withdrawal of ground water
from the Gulf Coast aquifer can cause increased chlo-
ride content, especially in the southwest portion, and
salt-water encroachment along the coast. Therefore,
management of future withdrawals from the aquifer is
necessary in order to alleviate serious ground-water
problems.
Water Budget
Average annual precipitation in Texas is estimatedat 413,000,000 acre-feet. (One acre-foot is 325,851 gal-
lons.) The Average Annual Water Budget for Texas,
which follows, was compiled by the Texas Water Devel-
opment Board.
This shows that more water is lost through evapora-
tion, consumption by useless weeds and brush and dis-
charge into the Gulf of Mexico than is used by Texas
municipalities, industries and agriculture. In addition
to these losses, precipitation is very unevenly distrib-
uted in Texas, with abundant supplies in the eastern
half of the state contrasting with scarcities in the west-
ern portion. Also, it shows that the total outgo exceeds
the income, which is the result of mining ground water.
Average Annual Water Budget for TexasINCOME
All precipitation
OUTGO
Evaporation
From plant cover
From soil surface
Transpiration
From non-economic plants
Cultivated crops
Range and pasture plants
Commercial forests
Addition to ground-
water storage
Surface Runoff
industrial, municipal and
irrigation consumption
Evaporation from water surface .
Discharged into seaTotal Outgo
Million
Acre-Ft.
413
174
52
122
193
154
16
13
10
5
49
2
8
39
421Per
Cent
100.0
42.0
12.5
29.5
47.0
37.5
4.0
3.0
2.5
1.0
12.0
, 0.5
2.0
9.5
102.0MAJOR AQUIFRS
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(. . iis ;-N ,-e, .M
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%wi - -VVh R -91 f- t :MD 11 .
ii - -i I~- eti T .-.{ee ;-:~w. [.SK ~ "?\ .- _ - -LSTATE OF TEXAS
Texo Department of Woater Resource
sw.:.ua.EXPLANATION
MAJOR AQUIFERS
S Alluvm and Son Deposts
EMeDr -Tinly (ahw)
Edi.ts (lc Fault Zwe)
S Guff Coost
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Texas Almanac, 1988-1989, book, 1987; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth113819/m1/73/: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.