Publications

This report is one in an annual series of reports that depicts altitudes of water levels and water-level changes since 1977 and compaction since 1973 in the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers in the Houston-Galveston region, Texas.

In Bexar County, residential and commercial development on the Edwards aquifer recharge zone is increasing. The aquifer possibly can be contaminated by spills, leakage of hazardous materials, or runoff from the rapidly developing urban areas that surround, or are built on, the intensely faulted and fractured, karstic limestone outcrops characteristic of the recharge zone. Furthermore...

Rainfall in southeast Texas, which ranged in amounts from about 8 to more than 28 inches during October 15–19, 1994, caused severe flooding in parts of a 38-county area. A combination of meteorological events—residual atmospheric moisture over southern Texas associated with Hurricane Rosa from the Pacific Coast of Mexico and low-level moisture from the Gulf of Mexico drawn inland to a...

The Trinity River Basin National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) study-unit staff began assessment activities in 1991, and in 1992, undertook a retrospective review of existing data on pesticides. The main purpose of this review was to aid in the design of a pesticide-sampling network for the study unit. The review consisted of the compilation, screening, and analysis of available...

Assessment activities in the Trinity River Basin study unit of the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program began in October 1991 with 2 years dedicated to planning, analyzing existing information, and designing data-collection networks. In October 1993, a 3-year intensive data-collection program was initiated. Guidelines were provided by the NAWQA Program National Synthesis...

Geologic sections showing the subsurface delineation of approximately 100 Stratigraphic units composing the Mesozoic and Cenozoic Eras illustrate the interrelation of these units across most of the Gulf Coastal Plain of Texas. The geologic names that constitute the nomenclature have been published, and the vast majority are approved for use by the U.S. Geological Survey. Four dip...

Concentrations of nutrients in the streams of the 1,660-square-mile Lewisville Lake drainage basin have some association with the two types of physiographic regions in the basin prairie regions and cross timbers regions. Total nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations generally are larger in streams draining the prairie regions than in streams draining the cross timbers regions, a...

Biological and associated water-quality data were collected from lower Olmos Creek and upper San Antonio River in San Antonio, Texas, during April-September 1989. Benthic macroinvertebrate, periphyton, and phytoplankton communities were sampled at three sites along the Olmos Creek/San Antonio River system. Total mean densities of benthic macroinvertebrates for the three sites ranged from...

Buffalo Bayou is the major stream that drains the Houston, Texas, metropolitan area. The U.S. Geological Survey has provided specific conductance, temperature, and dissolved oxygen data to the City of Houston for three sites along a 7.7-mile reach of Buffalo Bayou since 1986. Summary statistics and graphical comparisons of the data show substantial variability in the properties during...

Fifty-four major streams discharging directly to the Gulf of Mexico and having drainage areas exceeding 200 square miles were identified in the United States. Forty-four U.S. Geological Survey streamflow-gaging stations along the Gulf of Mexico with at least 40 years of daily streamflow data also were identified. These stations include most of the major streams and comprise 95 percent of...

The U.S. Geological Survey's investigations of the water resources of Texas are conducted in cooperation with the Texas Water Development Board, river authorities, cities, counties, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation, International Boundary and Water Commission, and others. Investigations are under the general direction of R.O. Hawkinson, District Chief, Texas District...

One water-quality monitoring site was established on Whites Bayou, at the downstream end of the study area. Sampling began in March 1994 and will continue for 1 year. Sampling frequency ranges from four times per month in May and June to once per month in July. Stream-stage measurements were made three times per week from April to September. Field measurements during sampling include...