San Antonio Texas consistently ranks as one of the fastest growing large cities in the United States. Urban development can affect groundwater quality as trees and open space are replaced by buildings and roads, increasing the amount of urban runoff draining directly into the Edwards aquifer. A network of sophisticated surface water and groundwater monitoring sites is being used to help managers better understand aquifer hydrologic processes and the effects of urban runoff on groundwater quality.
The Edwards aquifer is one of the most productive aquifers in the United States serving as the primary source of drinking water for more than two million people in the San Antonio area, one of the fastest growing large cities in the country. Additionally, the Edwards aquifer supports a thriving agricultural community in south-central Texas. The aquifer is managed to balance municipal and agricultural demands with the water quantity and quality needed to support several endangered species that inhabit the karst caverns and springs. The potential for groundwater contamination is of concern as urbanization continues to expand into the aquifer’s recharge zone. The Edwards aquifer recharge zone is largely unconfined and is characterized by dynamic surface water/groundwater interactions that provide a potential pathway for the rapid introduction of contaminants derived from the land’s surface into the aquifer.
How much does stormwater runoff from urban areas affect the water quality of the aquifer system? The U.S Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with San Antonio Water Systems (SAWS), the City of San Antonio (CoSA), and the San Antonio River Authority (SARA) has established a network of surface water and groundwater sites in areas with various degrees of urbanization to provide long-term monitoring and water-quality data needed to answer this question. Groundwater “super sites” are continuously monitored in real-time for temperature, dissolved oxygen, conductance, pH, water level, and nitrate concentration. In addition, quarterly samples are collected and analyzed for nutrients, pesticides, selected trace ions, nitrate isotopes, strontium isotopes, and hydrogen and oxygen isotopes. The surface-water and groundwater sites are sampled during storm events to see how the stormwater quality compares to the water quality of groundwater sites.
Goals of this assessment are to assess if water quality in the Edwards aquifer is changing as result of development. Data from this project also could be used to model potential groundwater contamination and provide better understating of the dynamic hydrologic processes involved in controlling water quality, a vital resource for this urban center.
More about other Urban Waters Federal Partnership projects
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Urban Waters Federal Partnership Cooperative Matching Funds Projects
Urban Waters Federal Partnership - Suspended Sediment and Nutrient Delivery to the Gulf of Mexico
Urban Waters Federal Partnership - Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone Monitoring Network
- Overview
San Antonio Texas consistently ranks as one of the fastest growing large cities in the United States. Urban development can affect groundwater quality as trees and open space are replaced by buildings and roads, increasing the amount of urban runoff draining directly into the Edwards aquifer. A network of sophisticated surface water and groundwater monitoring sites is being used to help managers better understand aquifer hydrologic processes and the effects of urban runoff on groundwater quality.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Encino Rio Well Urban Groundwater Monitoring Site The Edwards aquifer is one of the most productive aquifers in the United States serving as the primary source of drinking water for more than two million people in the San Antonio area, one of the fastest growing large cities in the country. Additionally, the Edwards aquifer supports a thriving agricultural community in south-central Texas. The aquifer is managed to balance municipal and agricultural demands with the water quantity and quality needed to support several endangered species that inhabit the karst caverns and springs. The potential for groundwater contamination is of concern as urbanization continues to expand into the aquifer’s recharge zone. The Edwards aquifer recharge zone is largely unconfined and is characterized by dynamic surface water/groundwater interactions that provide a potential pathway for the rapid introduction of contaminants derived from the land’s surface into the aquifer.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Interior view of the Encino Rio Well Urban Groundwater Monitoring Site How much does stormwater runoff from urban areas affect the water quality of the aquifer system? The U.S Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with San Antonio Water Systems (SAWS), the City of San Antonio (CoSA), and the San Antonio River Authority (SARA) has established a network of surface water and groundwater sites in areas with various degrees of urbanization to provide long-term monitoring and water-quality data needed to answer this question. Groundwater “super sites” are continuously monitored in real-time for temperature, dissolved oxygen, conductance, pH, water level, and nitrate concentration. In addition, quarterly samples are collected and analyzed for nutrients, pesticides, selected trace ions, nitrate isotopes, strontium isotopes, and hydrogen and oxygen isotopes. The surface-water and groundwater sites are sampled during storm events to see how the stormwater quality compares to the water quality of groundwater sites.
Goals of this assessment are to assess if water quality in the Edwards aquifer is changing as result of development. Data from this project also could be used to model potential groundwater contamination and provide better understating of the dynamic hydrologic processes involved in controlling water quality, a vital resource for this urban center.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Urban Development of US 281 and 1604 Crossing over the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone San Antonio, TX. (Image Courtesy of Google Earth)
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.More about other Urban Waters Federal Partnership projects
- Science
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Urban Waters Federal Partnership Cooperative Matching Funds Projects
The Urban Waters Federal Partnership reconnects urban communities with their waterways by improving coordination among federal agencies, particularly those communities that have been disproportionately impacted by pollution or economic distress. The UWFP draws upon Environmental Justice principles—the idea that all people, regardless of race, religion, national origin, or economic station, deserve...Urban Waters Federal Partnership - Suspended Sediment and Nutrient Delivery to the Gulf of Mexico
Suspended sediment and nutrients from greater San Antonio can affect instream ecological health of the San Antonio River and ultimately impact Gulf of Mexico bays and estuaries. Real-time monitoring in urban and rural parts of the river basin may provide a glimpse into the importance of urban sediment and nutrient sources. Real-time sensors provide a tool to better understand and manage water...Urban Waters Federal Partnership - Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone Monitoring Network
The USGS Texas Water Science Center is implementing a more complete and integrated monitoring network for the Edwards aquifer to improve the understanding of aquifer water quality and establish a baseline for measuring future water-quality changes. - Partners