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Altitude of the Potentiometric Surfaces of the Memphis aquifer, Shelby County, TN

April 13, 2026

The Memphis aquifer is the primary source of groundwater for municipal, industrial, and commercial uses in the Memphis area. The Memphis area includes all of Shelby County and parts of Tipton and Fayette Counties in Tennessee, parts of DeSoto and Marshall Counties in Mississippi, and part of Crittenden County in Arkansas (Kingsbury, 2018). Long-term withdrawals form the aquifer since 1886 have created a large cone of depression in the potentiometric surface, and several smaller cones of depression exist at the municipal well fields in the Memphis area (Criner and Parks, 1976). This dataset contains digitized potentiometric surfaces represented as potentiometric contours and derived rasters, bounded by the extent of the Memphis aquifer. The data set also includes the location and extent of Memphis Light, Gas, and Water well fields and the water level measurement data used to draw the potentiometric surfaces. 

References:
Kingsbury, J.A., 2018, Altitude of the potentiometric surface, 2000–15, and historical water-level changes in the Memphis aquifer in the Memphis area, Tennessee: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Map 3415, 1 sheet, https://doi.org/10.3133/sim3415.
Criner, J.H., and Parks, W.S., 1976, Historic water-level changes and pumpage from the principal aquifers of the Memphis area, Tennessee: 1886-1975: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 76-67, iv, 45 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/wri7667.

Publication Year 2026
Title Altitude of the Potentiometric Surfaces of the Memphis aquifer, Shelby County, TN
DOI 10.5066/P13SRVTG
Authors Spencer R Smith, James A Kingsbury
Product Type Data Release
Record Source USGS Asset Identifier Service (AIS)
USGS Organization Lower Mississippi-Gulf Water Science Center - Nashville, TN Office
Rights This work is marked with CC0 1.0 Universal
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