Ground-water withdrawals and land-surface subsidence in the Houston-Galveston region, Texas, 1906-80

Simple item page
dc.acquisition-srcJoe Broadus, USGS, Houston, Texasen_US
dc.call-noTD 225 .H76 G33 1982 GBAYen_US
dc.contract-noen_US
dc.contributor.authorGabrysch, R.K.en_US
dc.contributor.otheren_US
dc.date.accessioned2010-02-15T17:33:25Z
dc.date.available2010-02-15T17:33:25Z
dc.date.issued1982en_US
dc.degreeen_US
dc.description68 pgs.en_US
dc.description-otheren_US
dc.description.abstractThe withdrawal of large amounts of ground water in the Houston-Galveston region, Texas, has resulted in water-level declines of as much as 250 feet (76 meters) in wells completed in the Chicot aquifer and as much as 300 feet (91 meters) in wells completed in the Evangeline aquifer during 1943-1977. Since late 1976, changes in pumping distribution resulting from efforts to control subsidence and the introduction of surface water from Lake Livingston have altered the pattern of water-level changes. In the Johnson Space Center and Baytown-La Porte areas (Chicot aquifer), and in the Pasadena area (Evangeline aquifer), water levels rose about 20 feet (6.1 meters) during 1973-1977. However, in the western Houston area (Evangeline aquifer), water levels have continued to decline at an increasing rate through 1977. The decline in water levels have caused pronounced regional subsidence of the land surface. The center of regional subsidence is the Pasadena area, where more than 9 feet (2.7 meters) and possibly as much as 10 feet (3.0 meters) of subsidence occurred between 1906 and 1978. Almost 9 feet (2.7 meters) of subsidence occurred between 1943 and 1978. Localized centers of subsidence exist throughout the region, especially in the Baytown-La Porte and Texas City areas. Evaluation of tide records from five gages in Galveston Bay and the tidal reaches of Buffalo Bayou indicates that changes in elevations of significantly less than 0.5 foot (150 millimeters) and possibly as little as 0.1 foot (30 millimeters) can be detected. The unit of measure of compressibility, specific-unit compaction, ranged from 1.0 x 10-5 to 4.0 x 10-5 feet-1 (3.28 x 10-5 to 1.31 x 10-4 m-1) of compaction per foot of clay thickness per foot of average water-level change for 1906-78. The greatest compressibility was at the Clear Lake site and the least compressibility is related to the age of the sediments and the depth of burial of the sediments.en_US
dc.description.urihttp://gbic.tamug.edu/request.htmen_US
dc.geo-codeHoustonen_US
dc.geo-codeGalvestonen_US
dc.geo-codeKatyen_US
dc.geo-codePasadenaen_US
dc.geo-codeBaytownen_US
dc.geo-codeLa Porteen_US
dc.geo-codeTexas Cityen_US
dc.geo-codeAlta Lomaen_US
dc.geo-codeSeabrooken_US
dc.geo-codeAddicksen_US
dc.geo-codeMoses Lakeen_US
dc.geo-codeLake Houstonen_US
dc.geo-codeLake Livingstonen_US
dc.geo-codeTexasen_US
dc.geo-codeUnited Statesen_US
dc.history11/15/05 easen_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1969.3/25723
dc.latitudeen_US
dc.locationGBIC Circulating Collectionen_US
dc.longitudeen_US
dc.notesPrepared in cooperation with the Texas Department of Water Resources and the Harris-Galveston Coastal Subsidence Districten_US
dc.placeAustin, TXen_US
dc.publisherU.S. Geological Surveyen_US
dc.relation.ispartofseries8664.00en_US
dc.relation.urien_US
dc.scaleen_US
dc.seriesOpen-File Report 82-571en_US
dc.subjectground wateren_US
dc.subjectsurface wateren_US
dc.subjectsubsidenceen_US
dc.subjectwater levelsen_US
dc.subjectcompactionen_US
dc.subjectaquifersen_US
dc.subjectwellsen_US
dc.subjecttidal recordsen_US
dc.subjecttide gaugesen_US
dc.subjectwater supplyen_US
dc.subjectearth movementsen_US
dc.titleGround-water withdrawals and land-surface subsidence in the Houston-Galveston region, Texas, 1906-80en_US
dc.typeBooken_US
dc.universityen_US
dc.vol-issueen_US

Files

Collections

Galveston Bay Bibliography
GBIC Materials Available at Jack K. Williams Library