Lynne Fahlquist
Lynne Fahlquist is a Hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Austin, TX; currently serving as Public Information Officer for the USGS Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center.
Biography
Education and Licenses
B.S. Geology, Texas A&M University
M.S. Geology, Texas A&M University
Professional Geoscientist, Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists
Employment
1989-1993 Geologist, Branch of Igneous and Geothermal Processes, USGS
1995-2011 Hydrologist, Water Mission Area, Texas Water Science Center, USGS
2011-Present Hydrologist/Public Information Officer, Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center, USGS
Science and Products
Stream Science Capabilties
Texas has 16 river basins and more than 15 major rivers and more than 100 secondary streams. These rivers and streams play a vital role for communities and ecosystems across Texas by providing water for drinking, recreation, and irrigation; recharging aquifers; and transporting sediment and nutrients.The USGS Texas Water Science Center (TXWSC) collects data and has science projects at several...
Global patterns and environmental controls of perchlorate and nitrate co-occurrence in arid and semi-arid environments
Natural perchlorate (ClO4−) is of increasing interest due to its wide-spread occurrence on Earth and Mars, yet little information exists on the relative abundance of ClO4− compared to other major anions, its stability, or long-term variations in production that may impact the observed distributions. Our objectives were to evaluate the occurrence...
Jackson, W Andrew; Böhlke, John K.; Andraski, Brian J.; Fahlquist, Lynne S.; Bexfield, Laura M.; Eckardt, Frank D.; Gates, John B.; Davila, Alfonso F.; McKay, Christopher P.; Rao, Balaji; Sevanthi, Ritesh; Rajagopalan, Srinath; Estrada, Nubia; Sturchio, Neil C.; Hatzinger, Paul B.; Anderson, Todd A.; Orris, Greta J.; Betancourt, Julio L.; Stonestrom, David A.; Latorre, Claudio; Li, Yanhe; Harvey, Gregory J.
The quality of our Nation's waters: water quality in the Mississippi embayment-Texas coastal uplands aquifer system and Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer, south-central United States, 1994-2008
About 8 million people rely on groundwater from the Mississippi embayment—Texas coastal uplands aquifer system for drinking water. The Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer also provides drinking water for domestic use in rural areas but is of primary importance to the region as a source of water for irrigation. Irrigation withdrawals...
Kingsbury, James A.; Barlow, Jeannie R. B.; Katz, Brian G.; Welch, Heather L.; Tollett, Roland W.; Fahlquist, Lynne S. Factors affecting public-supply well vulnerability in two karst aquifers
Karst aquifers occur in a range of climatic and geologic settings. Nonetheless, they are commonly characterized by their vulnerability to water-quality impairment. Two karst aquifers, the Edwards aquifer in south-central Texas and the Upper Floridan aquifer in western Florida, were investigated to assess factors that control the movement of...
Musgrove, MaryLynn; Katz, Brian G.; Fahlquist, Lynne S.; Crandall, Christy A.; Lindgren, Richard J.
Assessing the vulnerability of public-supply wells to contamination—Edwards aquifer near San Antonio, Texas
This fact sheet highlights findings from the vulnerability study of a public-supply well field in San Antonio, Texas. The well field consists of six production wells that tap the Edwards aquifer. Typically, one or two wells are pumped at a time, yielding an average total of 20-21 million gallons per day. Water samples were collected from public-...
Jagucki, Martha L.; Musgrove, MaryLynn; Lindgren, Richard J.; Fahlquist, Lynne; Eberts, Sandra M.
Simulations of groundwater flow and particle-tracking analysis in the zone of contribution to a public-supply well in San Antonio, Texas
In 2006, a public-supply well in San Antonio, Texas, was selected for intensive study to assess the vulnerability of public-supply wells in the Edwards aquifer to contamination by a variety of compounds. A local-scale, steady-state, three-dimensional numerical groundwater-flow model was developed and used in this study to evaluate the movement of...
Lindgren, Richard L.; Houston, Natalie A.; Musgrove, MaryLynn; Fahlquist, Lynne S.; Kauffman, Leon J.
Hydrogeology, chemical characteristics, and water sources and pathways in the zone of contribution of a public-supply well in San Antonio, Texas
In 2001, the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program of the U.S. Geological Survey initiated a series of studies on the transport of anthropogenic and natural contaminants (TANC) to public-supply wells (PSWs). The main goal of the TANC project was to better understand the source, transport, and receptor factors that control contaminant...
Musgrove, MaryLynn; Fahlquist, Lynne; Stanton, Gregory P.; Houston, Natalie A.; Lindgren, Richard J.
Geochemical evolution processes and water-quality observations based on results of the National Water-Quality Assessment Program in the San Antonio segment of the Edwards aquifer, 1996-2006
As part of the National Water-Quality Assessment Program, the U.S. Geological Survey collected and analyzed groundwater samples during 1996-2006 from the San Antonio segment of the Edwards aquifer of central Texas, a productive karst aquifer developed in Cretaceous-age carbonate rocks. These National Water-Quality Assessment Program studies...
Musgrove, MaryLynn; Fahlquist, Lynne; Houston, Natalie A.; Lindgren, Richard J.; Ging, Patricia B.
Sources of groundwater based on Helium analyses in and near the freshwater/saline-water transition zone of the San Antonio segment of the Edwards Aquifer, South-Central Texas, 2002-03
This report evaluates dissolved noble gas data, specifically helium-3 and helium-4, collected by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the San Antonio Water System, during 2002-03. Helium analyses are used to provide insight into the sources of groundwater in the freshwater/saline-water transition zone of the San Antonio segment of the...
Hunt, Andrew G.; Lambert, Rebecca B.; Fahlquist, Lynne Low-Level detections of halogenated volatile organic compounds in groundwater: Use in vulnerability assessments
Concentrations of halogenated volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were determined by gas chromatography (GC) with an electron-capture detector (GC-ECD) and by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) in 109 groundwater samples from five study areas in the United States. In each case, the untreated water sample was used for drinking-water...
Plummer, Niel; Busenberg, E.; Eberts, S.M.; Bexfield, L.M.; Brown, C.J.; Fahlquist, L.S.; Katz, B.G.; Landon, M.K.
Ground-Water Quality Beneath Irrigated Cropland of the Northern and Southern High Plains Aquifer, Nebraska and Texas, 2003-04
A study of the quality of ground water beneath irrigated cropland was completed for the northern and southern High Plains aquifer. Ground-water samples were collected from 30 water-table monitoring wells in the northern agricultural land-use (NAL) study area in Nebraska in 2004 and 29 water-table monitoring wells in the southern agricultural land-...
Stanton, Jennifer S.; Fahlquist, Lynne Widespread presence of naturally occurring perchlorate in high plains of Texas and New Mexico
Perchlorate (ClO4-) occurrence in groundwater has previously been linked to industrial releases and the historic use of Chilean nitrate fertilizers. However, recently a number of occurrences have been identified for which there is no obvious anthropogenic source. Groundwater from an area of 155 000 km2 in 56 counties in northwest Texas and eastern...
Rajagopalan, S.; Anderson, T.A.; Fahlquist, L.; Rainwater, Ken A.; Ridley, M.; Jackson, W.A. Quality of water in the Trinity and Edwards aquifers, south-central Texas, 1996-98
During 1996–98, the U.S. Geological Survey studied surface- and ground-water quality in south-central Texas. The ground-water components included the upper and middle zones (undifferentiated) of the Trinity aquifer in the Hill Country and the unconfined part (recharge zone) and confined part (artesian zone) of the Edwards aquifer in the Balcones...
Fahlquist, Lynne; Ardis, Ann F.
Hurricane Laura Temporarily Reverses Neches River
As Hurricane Laura came ashore near the Texas and Louisiana borders, its strong winds pushed so much water ahead of it that the Neches River even flowed backwards for a time, according to a USGS streamgage in Beaumont.
New Tools for Flood Preparedness Available for Medina River Near Bandera, Texas
New tools for flood preparedness are now available for the Medina River near Bandera, Texas, from the U.S. Geological Survey, the Bandera County River Authority and Groundwater District, and the Texas Water Development Board.
Online Tool Illustrates Groundwater Resources in Texas Panhandle
An interactive viewer to visualize groundwater resources in Gaines, Terry and Yoakum Counties, Texas, is now available from the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Llano Estacado Underground Water Conservation District, Sandy Land Underground Water Conservation District and South Plains Underground Water Conservation District.
USGS Measures Flooding Across Texas
Reporters: Do you want to accompany a USGS field crew as they measure flooding? Please contact Jennifer LaVista or Lynne Fahlquist.
Midwest US: What’s in Your Stream? Get Online to Find Out!
An online interactive tool for learning about pesticides, nutrients, and the overall health of Midwest streams is now available from the U.S. Geological Survey. This information can be used by the public and resource managers to better understand the relative effects of these stressors on aquatic organisms in streams.
Post-Harvey Report Provides Inundation Maps and Flood Details on “Largest Rainfall Event Recorded in US History”
Nineteen inundation maps and detailed flood information from Hurricane Harvey are now available from the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Hurricane Harvey was the most significant rainfall event in U.S. history, both in scope and peak rainfall amounts, since records began in the 1880s.
USGS Releases New Web-Based Groundwater Model Visualization Tool
A new U.S. Geological Survey groundwater model visualization tool is now available to help users visualize the inputs and outputs of complex groundwater models across the country.
New App for Lake Houston Provides Real-Time Stream and Water-Quality Data
Real-time water-quality, streamflow and water height information for Lake Houston and the surrounding San Jacinto watershed are now available from a new web application from the U.S. Geological Survey, done in cooperation with the City of Houston.
Borehole Geophysical Logs Now Easily Accessible through new USGS Online Map
Digital borehole geophysical logs and related data files are now easily accessible through GeoLog Locator a new web-based, map view and retrieval tool developed by the U.S. Geological Survey.
River Levels Set Records in Texas: USGS Continues to Monitor Rivers in the State Due to Flooding
Editor’s note: this news release will be updated online with more information on the streamgage records being set in Texas as it becomes available.
Rivers and streams reached record levels as a result of Hurricane Harvey’s rainfall, with about 40 U.S. Geological Survey streamgages measuring record peaks.
USGS Efforts Continue After Harvey
As Harvey’s record breaking rainfall and catastrophic flood waters recede in Texas and western Louisiana, U.S. Geological Survey teams are collecting high water marks, monitoring water levels and coastal change, retrieving storm tide sensors and collecting samples for water quality analysis.
USGS Crews Measure Record Flooding in South-Central Texas
Reporters: Do you want to interview USGS scientists as they measure flooding? Please contact Jennifer LaVista or Lynne Fahlquist.
U.S. Geological Survey field crews are measuring record flooding in parts of south-central Texas following intense rainfall from Tropical Storm Harvey.