Water-Supply and Irrigation Paper No. 190 Series 0, Underground Waters, 67

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

CHARLES D. WALCOTT, DIRECTOR

UNDERGROUND WATERSOF

COASTAL PLAIN OF TEXAS

BY

THOMAS U. TAYLOR

WASHINGTONGOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

1907

"IF

Wte>%|ply and Irrigation Papr Ho. 190 Series 0,

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

CHARLES D. WALCOTT, DIRECTOR

UNDERGROUND WATERSOF

COASTAL PLAIN OF TEXAS

BY

THOMAS IT. TAYLOR

WASHINGTONGOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

190T

SEP 3 0 1907

CONTENTS.

Page.Introduction............................................................. 1

Area covered................................... v...................... 1Sources of data....................................................... 1

Geography of the region.................................................. 1General statement........................................... ........ 1Topography ......................................................... 2Drainage ............................................................ 2Geology ............................................................. 2

Underground waters, by counties.......................................... 2Cameron County ........................................ ............. 3Hidalgo County...................................................... 7Starr County................x........................ ..............".. 8Nueces County....................................................... 9San Patricio County .................................................. 13Refugio County ..................................^................... 13Aransas County...................................................... 14Calhoun County. ..................................................... 14Victoria County...................................................... 15Jackson County...................................................... 16Matagorda County.................................................... 19Wharton County..................................................... 19Brazoria County.........................................'............. 21Fort Bend County.................................................... 24Harris County ....................................................... 24Galveston County.................................................... 27Chambers County.................................................... 30Jefferson County........-.....-......................-..--..........'. 31Orange County....................................................... 32Zapata County ....................................................... 33Duval County......................................................... 33Live Oak County..................................................... 33Bee County .......................................................... 34Goliad County .............. ......................................... 34Karnes County....................................................... 34Dewitt County ..........._........................................... 34Gonzales County................ .................................... 35Lavaca County....................................................... 38Fayette County ...................................................... 39Colorado County ..................................................... 39Austin County -...-..---.-.-....-....--..............-..--....-..---- 41Waller County ....................................................... 41

- Washington County .................................................. 41Grimes County........,...-..................-,..,-..-.....--...-.-.. 42

in

IV CONTENTS.

Underground waters, by counties Continued. Page.Liberty County ....................................................... 43Montgomery County ................................................. 44Walker County....................................................... 46San Jacinto County................................................... 46Polk County ......................................................... 46Hardin County........................................................ 47Tyler County ........................................................ 48Jasper County ....................................................... 48Newton County ....................................................... 50Webb County........................................................ ' 50Maverick County.........---..-.......--...-...--....-....-.-..-..--. 51Dimmit County ........................ .............................. 51Zavalla County............................. ......................... 52Lasalle County......-..-.-......--.......'...-.......--............... 53McMullen County.................................................... 53Frio County .........................................-..."............ 54Atascosa County ..................................................... 55Bexar County........................................................ 55Wilson County....................................................... 57Guadalupe County ................................................ .. 57CaldwellCounty .....................................................' 57Bastrop County ..-...--..-...---...-......-..-..--.....-........-.... 58Lee County.......................................................... 58Robertson County....-...--..........-....-.--.-.-.........-......... 58Milam County ....................................................... 59Burleson County --...-....-......-.............-...-....----...-.-.-- 60Brazos County .............................. .....". ................... 61Madison County-.-..---.........--...-........-...,.--.......-..---.. 62Leon County-........................................................ 62Freestone County ...... .............................................. 63Houston County ..................................................... 63Anderson County -....--............-..--..-.-...-..--..-.....-----.. 63Limestone County.................................................... 63Cherokee, Trinity, Angelina, San Augustine, and Sabine counties........ 63Nacogdoches County..................... ........-.--.........-.-..-. 64Shelby, Panola, and Rusk counties .................................... 65Van Zandt and Rains counties ........................................ 65Smith County......................................................... 66Wood and Gregg counties............................................. 66Upshur County ........... .......................................... 67Harrison County ..................................................... 67Marion County....................................................... . 67

ILLUSTRATIONS.

Page. PLATE I. A, A typical artesian well in the Texas Coastal Plain; _H, Artesian

well 4 miles south of Pearsall, Tex ............................. 1II. Map showing location of artesian wells in the Texas Coastal Plain... 2

III. Artesian wells in Bio Grande embayment......................... 6

U.

S.

GE

OL

OG

ICA

L S

UR

VE

Y

A.

A T

YP

ICA

L

AR

TE

SIA

N

WE

LL

IN

T

HE

T

EX

AS

C

OA

ST

AL

PLA

IN,

WA

TE

R-S

UP

PL

Y

PA

PE

R

NO

. 190

PL

. I

B.

AR

TE

SIA

N

WE

LL 4

M

ILE

S

SO

UT

H

OF

PE

AR

SA

LL,

TE

X,

UNDERGROUND WATERS OF THE COASTAL PLAIN OF TEXAS.

By T. U. TAYLOR.

INTRODUCTION.

Area covered. The region to which this report relates includes the greater part of the Coastal Plain of Texas. It comprises an area about 150 miles wide, bordering the coast and extending across the entire State. According to R. T. Hill's classification it includes the " eastern" and "southern" provinces, and it is bordered on the west, from Del Rio to Colorado River, by the "Edwards Plateau/' and, from the Colorado River to the Arkansas State line, by the "Black Prairie." It includes the district lying between the coast and a line connecting Texarkana with Del Rio, through Cooper, Greenville, Corsicana, Cameron, Elgin, and San Antonio, an area of about 75,000 square miles.

Sources of data. The information on which this report is based has been obtained partly by personal visits to the various localities and partly by correspondence. Information has been furnished by the following persons: B. M. Haberer, C. F. H. von Blucher, Randolph Robertson, F. W. Simonds, H. W. Harper, Ira H. Evans, Rudolph Kleberg, T. J. Lyne, G. Warnicke, R. D. Parker, O. M. Ball, Garland Miller, A. W. Seeligson, J. B. Armstrong, J. L. Ladd, Travis L. Smith, E. D. Dorchester, Geo. C. Herman, Geo. J. McManus, J. E. Broussard, and J. W. Sanders. The writer is also indebted to Mr. E. T. Dumble, former State geologist of Texas, for much valuable information.

GEOGRAPHY OF THE REGION.General statement. The Coastal Plain of Texas is a continuation of

the Atlantic Coastal Plain to the east, although in many features it differs from that area. In general it consists of a gently sloping plain, extending from a high or mountainous background to the Gulf. In the eastern part of Texas the Coastal Plain has the general character seen in other Southern States, but in its southwestern extension it becomes more or less modified, widening to the southwest in the

1

2 UNDERGROUND WATERS OF TEXAS COASTAL PLAIN.

vicinity of the Rio Grande where there i