Natalie Houston is a Hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Austin, Texas. She has been a Hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey since 1998.
Career Highlights:
Water-use specialist for the Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center since 2010
Education and Certifications
Natalie has a B.S. in Geology from the University of Texas at Austin, and a M.A. in Applied Geography from Texas State University.
Affiliations and Memberships*
She holds a professional geologist license in the state of Texas (number 3188).
Science and Products
Pecos River Basin Salinity Assessment
Upper Rio Grande Basin Focus Area Study
Coastal Lowlands Regional Groundwater Availability Study
Water Budget Science in Oklahoma and Texas
Estimating National Water Use Associated with Continuous Oil and Gas Development
Public supply water use reanalysis for the 2000-2020 period by HUC12, month, and year for the conterminous United States
Data Tables Associated with an Analysis of the U.S. Geological Survey's Historical Water-use Data, 1985–2015
Hydrogeologic, geologic, and water-level data for the groundwater component of the upper Rio Grande Focus Area Study, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas, United States and Chihuahua, Mexico 2017
Groundwater-withdrawal data from the Coastal Lowlands Aquifer System in parts of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, 1925-2018
Groundwater withdrawals from the Hueco Bolson, Mesilla Basin, and the Rio Grande alluvium in El Paso and Hudspeth Counties, Texas, 1980-2018
Data to Estimate Water Use Associated with Continuous Oil and Gas Development, Permian Basin, United States, 1980-2019.
Estimated Use of Water by Subbasin (HUC8) in the Red River Basin, 2010 and 2015
Data Used to Assess the Hydrogeologic Framework with Emphasis on the Ogallala and Edwards-Trinity Aquifers, in and Near Gaines, Terry, and Yoakum Counties, Texas, 2018
Water-level altitudes 2015 and water-level changes in the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper aquifers and compaction 1973-2014 in the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers, Houston-Galveston region, Texas
Water-level altitudes 2009 and water-level changes in the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper Aquifers and compaction 1973-2008 in the Chicot and Evangeline Aquifers, Houston-Galveston Region, Texas
Water-level altitudes 2008 and water-level changes in the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper Aquifers and compaction 1973-2007 in the Chicot and Evangeline Aquifers, Houston-Galveston Region, Texas
Hydrogeologic characterization of the Brazos River Alluvium Aquifer, Bosque County to Fort Bend County, Texas
Water-level altitudes 2007 and water-level changes in the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper aquifers and compaction 1973-2006 in the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers, Houston-Galveston region, Texas
Upper Rio Grande Basin water-resource status and trends: Focus area study review and synthesis
Estimates of water use associated with continuous oil and gas development in the Permian Basin, Texas and New Mexico, 2010–19, with comparisons to the Williston Basin, North Dakota and Montana
Estimates of water use associated with continuous oil and gas development in the Permian Basin, Texas and New Mexico, 2010–19
Hydrogeologic framework and groundwater characterization in selected alluvial basins in the upper Rio Grande basin, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas, United States, and Chihuahua, Mexico, 1980 to 2015
Risk-based decision-support groundwater modeling for the lower San Antonio River Basin, Texas, USA
Pecos River Basin salinity assessment, Santa Rosa Lake, New Mexico, to the confluence of the Pecos River and the Rio Grande, Texas, 2015
Updated numerical model with uncertainty assessment of 1950-56 drought conditions on brackish-water movement within the Edwards aquifer, San Antonio, Texas
Simulation of groundwater flow in the Edwards-Trinity and related aquifers in the Pecos County region, Texas
Geodatabase compilation of hydrogeologic, remote sensing, and water-budget-component data for the High Plains aquifer, 2011
A conceptual hydrogeologic model for the hydrogeologic framework, geochemistry, and groundwater-flow system of the Edwards-Trinity and related aquifers in the Pecos County region, Texas
A conceptual model of the hydrogeologic framework, geochemistry, and groundwater-flow system of the Edwards-Trinity and related aquifers in the Pecos County region, Texas
Data collection and compilation for a geodatabase of groundwater, surface-water, water-quality, geophysical, and geologic data, Pecos County Region, Texas, 1930-2011
Geonarrative: Water-Use Data-Gap Analysis
This water-use data-gap analysis analyzed the differences between the current state of the Nation's water-use data and the data needed to achieve the long-term goals of the USGS Water Availability and Use Science Program.
Science and Products
- Science
Pecos River Basin Salinity Assessment
The USGS Texas Water Science Center assesssed salinity of the Pecos River Basin from Santa Rosa Lake, New Mexico to the confluence of Pecos River and Rio Grande, Texas. This assessment included an extensive literature review, compilation of previously published salinity related data, data gap analysis, additional data collection to fill data gaps, and identification of potential areas of elevated...Upper Rio Grande Basin Focus Area Study
USGS is undertaking a 3-year study of water use, availability, and change in the Upper Rio Grande Basin in one of several national “Focus Area Studies” in the Department of Interior’s WaterSMART initiative. The Upper Rio Grande study area runs 670 miles from its headwaters in Colorado through New Mexico and northern Mexico to Ft. Quitman, Texas. Along its river corridor, it is a primary source of...Coastal Lowlands Regional Groundwater Availability Study
USGS is undertaking a 5-year study to assess groundwater availability for the aquifers proximal to the Gulf of Mexico from the Texas-Mexico border through the panhandle of Florida, known as the Coastal Lowlands Aquifer System (CLAS). This study is one of several within the Regional Groundwater Availability Studies of the USGS Water Availability and Use Science Program.Water Budget Science in Oklahoma and Texas
A water budget is an accounting of hydrologic components of the water cycle, transfers between the components, and their relative contributions within a water system. Water budgets help define how much water is available, how much water is used, where the water comes from, and at what rate water is replenished or consumed. In its simplest form, a water budget defines the amount of water entering...Estimating National Water Use Associated with Continuous Oil and Gas Development
Project Period: 2016-ongoing Cooperator: U.S. Geological Survey Water Availability and Use Science Program Project Chiefs: Ryan McShane and Jeremy McDowell - Data
Public supply water use reanalysis for the 2000-2020 period by HUC12, month, and year for the conterminous United States
The U.S. Geological Survey is developing national water-use models to support water resources management in the United States. Model benefits include a nationally consistent estimation approach, greater temporal and spatial resolution of estimates, efficient and automated updates of results, and capabilities to forecast water use into the future and assess model uncertainty. This data release contData Tables Associated with an Analysis of the U.S. Geological Survey's Historical Water-use Data, 1985–2015
The datasets in this data release contain the results of an analysis of the U.S. Geological Survey's historical water-use data from 1985 to 2015. Data were assessed to determine the top category of water-use by volume. Data from groundwater, surface water, and total water (groundwater plus surface water) use were parsed by water type, and the top category of use by county or the geographic regionHydrogeologic, geologic, and water-level data for the groundwater component of the upper Rio Grande Focus Area Study, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas, United States and Chihuahua, Mexico 2017
This Data Release contains various types of hydrologic and geologic data from the Upper Rio Grande Focus Area Study from 1921-2017, including groundwater-level measurement data compiled and synthesized from various sources, water-level altitude and water-level change maps developed from the water-level measurement data every 5 years from 1980-2015, and the horizontal extent of 13 alluvial basins iGroundwater-withdrawal data from the Coastal Lowlands Aquifer System in parts of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, 1925-2018
This data release contains compiled historical groundwater-withdrawal data for the Coastal Lowlands Aquifer System in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida from 1925 to 2018. Most groundwater-withdrawals were distributed to groundwater wells and separated into water-use categories of industrial, production wells, power generation, mining, domestic, irrigation, livestock or commercialGroundwater withdrawals from the Hueco Bolson, Mesilla Basin, and the Rio Grande alluvium in El Paso and Hudspeth Counties, Texas, 1980-2018
This data release contains compiled groundwater withdrawal data from 1980 to 2018 for the Hueco Bolson, Mesilla Basin, and the Rio Grande alluvium in El Paso and Hudspeth Counties, Texas. Most groundwater withdrawal volumes were distributed to wells and separated into water-use categories. The data were compiled, distributed, and categorized as part of the U.S. Geological Survey’s involvement in tData to Estimate Water Use Associated with Continuous Oil and Gas Development, Permian Basin, United States, 1980-2019.
One of the largest conventional oil reservoirs in the United States, the Permian Basin, is becoming one of the world?s largest continuous oil and gas producing reservoirs. Continuous, or horizontal well drilling techniques extract oil and gas by directionally drilling and hydraulically fracturing the surrounding reservoir rock. The continuous extraction of oil and gas using hydraulic fracturing reEstimated Use of Water by Subbasin (HUC8) in the Red River Basin, 2010 and 2015
The Red River basin is one of several national "focus area studies" in the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Census. The objective of the National Water Census is to provide nationally-consistent base layers of well-documented data that account for water availability and use nationally. A focus area study (FAS) is a stakeholder-driven assessment of water availability in river basins with knownData Used to Assess the Hydrogeologic Framework with Emphasis on the Ogallala and Edwards-Trinity Aquifers, in and Near Gaines, Terry, and Yoakum Counties, Texas, 2018
More than 11,500 well records, such as geophysical logs, drilling descriptions, and published hydrogeologic framework information, were evaluated to help characterize the framework of hydrogeologic units in and near Gaines, Terry, and Yoakum Counties, Texas. Additional geophysical data were collected to improve the spatial coverage across the study area and to reduce uncertainty with regard to hyd - Maps
Water-level altitudes 2015 and water-level changes in the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper aquifers and compaction 1973-2014 in the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers, Houston-Galveston region, Texas
Most of the land-surface subsidence in the Houston-Galveston region, Texas, has occurred as a direct result of groundwater withdrawals for municipal supply, commercial and industrial use, and irrigation that depressured and dewatered the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers, thereby causing compaction of the aquifer sediments, mostly in the fine-grained silt and clay layers. This report, prepared by theWater-level altitudes 2009 and water-level changes in the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper Aquifers and compaction 1973-2008 in the Chicot and Evangeline Aquifers, Houston-Galveston Region, Texas
This report, done in cooperation with the Harris-Galveston Subsidence District, the City of Houston, the Fort Bend Subsidence District, and the Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District, is one in an annual series of reports that depicts water-level altitudes and water-level changes in the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper aquifers, and compaction in the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers in the HoustoWater-level altitudes 2008 and water-level changes in the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper Aquifers and compaction 1973-2007 in the Chicot and Evangeline Aquifers, Houston-Galveston Region, Texas
This report, done in cooperation with the Harris-Galveston Subsidence District, the City of Houston, the Fort Bend Subsidence District, and the Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District, is one in an annual series of reports that depicts water-level altitudes and water-level changes in the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper aquifers, and compaction in the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers in the HoustoHydrogeologic characterization of the Brazos River Alluvium Aquifer, Bosque County to Fort Bend County, Texas
Introduction The Brazos River alluvium aquifer underlies the Brazos River in Texas from Bosque County to Fort Bend County. The aquifer, one of 21 minor aquifers in the State, supplies water for irrigation, domestic, stock, and commercial use. The Brazos River alluvium aquifer likely will become more important in the future as demand for water increases statewide. A thorough understanding of the hyWater-level altitudes 2007 and water-level changes in the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper aquifers and compaction 1973-2006 in the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers, Houston-Galveston region, Texas
This report, done in cooperation with the Harris-Galveston Subsidence District, the City of Houston, the Fort Bend Subsidence District, and the Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District, is one in an annual series of reports that depicts water-level altitudes and water-level changes in the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper aquifers, and compaction in the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers in the Housto - Multimedia
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Filter Total Items: 34
Upper Rio Grande Basin water-resource status and trends: Focus area study review and synthesis
The Upper Rio Grande Basin (URGB) is a critical international water resource under pressure from a myriad of climatic, ecological, infrastructural, water-use, and legal constraints. The objective of this study is to provide a comprehensive assessment of the spatial distribution and temporal trends of selected water-budget components (snow processes, evapotranspiration (ET), streamflow processes, aAuthorsKyle R. Douglas-Mankin, Christine Rumsey, Graham A. Sexstone, Tamara I. Ivahnenko, Natalie Houston, Shaleene Chavarria, Gabriel B. Senay, Linzy K. Foster, Jonathan V. Thomas, Allison K. Flickinger, Amy E. Galanter, C. David Moeser, Toby L. Welborn, Diana E. Pedraza, Patrick M. Lambert, Michael Scott JohnsonEstimates of water use associated with continuous oil and gas development in the Permian Basin, Texas and New Mexico, 2010–19, with comparisons to the Williston Basin, North Dakota and Montana
The Permian Basin, in west Texas and southeastern New Mexico is one of the largest conventional oil and gas reservoirs in the United States and is becoming one of the world’s largest continuous oil and gas (COG) reservoirs. Advances in technology have enabled oil and gas to be extracted from reservoirs that historically were developed using conventional, or vertical, well drilling techniques. ConvAuthorsNatalie A. Houston, Grady P. Ball, Amy E. Galanter, Joshua F. Valder, Ryan R. McShane, Joanna N. Thamke, Jeremy S. McDowellEstimates of water use associated with continuous oil and gas development in the Permian Basin, Texas and New Mexico, 2010–19
In 2015, the U.S. Geological Survey started a topical study to quantify water use in areas of continuous oil and gas (COG) development. The first phase of the study was completed in 2019 and analyzed the Williston Basin. The second phase of the study analyzed the Permian Basin using the same techniques and approaches used for the Williston Basin analysis. The Permian Basin was selected for the secAuthorsJoshua F. Valder, Ryan R. McShane, Joanna N. Thamke, Jeremy S. McDowell, Grady P. Ball, Natalie A. Houston, Amy E. GalanterHydrogeologic framework and groundwater characterization in selected alluvial basins in the upper Rio Grande basin, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas, United States, and Chihuahua, Mexico, 1980 to 2015
Increasing demand for the limited water resources of the United States continues to put pressure on resource management agencies to balance the competing needs of ecosystem health with municipal, agricultural, and other uses. To meet these needs, the U.S. Geological Survey conducted a multiyear study to evaluate water resources in the upper Rio Grande Basin in the southwestern United States. The uAuthorsNatalie A. Houston, Jonathan V. Thomas, Linzy K. Foster, Diana E. Pedraza, Toby L. WelbornRisk-based decision-support groundwater modeling for the lower San Antonio River Basin, Texas, USA
A numerical surface-water/groundwater model was developed for the lower San Antonio River Basin to evaluate the responses of low base flows and groundwater levels within the basin under conditions of reduced recharge and increased groundwater withdrawals. Batch data assimilation through history matching used a simulation of historical conditions (2006-2013); this process included history-matchingAuthorsLinzy K. Foster, Jeremy T. White, Andrew T. Leaf, Natalie A. Houston, Aarin TeaguePecos River Basin salinity assessment, Santa Rosa Lake, New Mexico, to the confluence of the Pecos River and the Rio Grande, Texas, 2015
The elevated salinity of the Pecos River throughout much of its length is of paramount concern to water users and water managers. Dissolved-solids concentrations in the Pecos River exceed 3,000 milligrams per liter in many of its reaches in the study area, from Santa Rosa Lake, New Mexico, to the confluence of the Pecos River with the Rio Grande, Texas. The salinity of the Pecos River increases doAuthorsNatalie A. Houston, Jonathan V. Thomas, Patricia B. Ging, Andrew P. Teeple, Diana E. Pedraza, David S. WallaceUpdated numerical model with uncertainty assessment of 1950-56 drought conditions on brackish-water movement within the Edwards aquifer, San Antonio, Texas
In 2010, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the San Antonio Water System, began a study to assess the brackish-water movement within the Edwards aquifer (more specifically the potential for brackish-water encroachment into wells near the interface between the freshwater and brackish-water transition zones, referred to in this report as the transition-zone interface) and effects on sprAuthorsLinzy K. Brakefield, Jeremy T. White, Natalie A. Houston, Jonathan V. ThomasSimulation of groundwater flow in the Edwards-Trinity and related aquifers in the Pecos County region, Texas
The Edwards-Trinity aquifer is a vital groundwater resource for agricultural, industrial, and public supply uses in the Pecos County region of western Texas. The U.S. Geological Survey completed a comprehensive, integrated analysis of available hydrogeologic data to develop a numerical groundwater-flow model of the Edwards-Trinity and related aquifers in the study area in parts of Brewster, Jeff DAuthorsBrian R. Clark, Johnathan R. Bumgarner, Natalie A. Houston, Adam L. FosterGeodatabase compilation of hydrogeologic, remote sensing, and water-budget-component data for the High Plains aquifer, 2011
The High Plains aquifer underlies almost 112 million acres in the central United States. It is one of the largest aquifers in the Nation in terms of annual groundwater withdrawals and provides drinking water for 2.3 million people. The High Plains aquifer has gained national and international attention as a highly stressed groundwater supply primarily because it has been appreciably depleted in soAuthorsNatalie A. Houston, Sophia L. Gonzales-Bradford, Amanda T. Flynn, Sharon L. Qi, Steven M. Peterson, Jennifer S. Stanton, Derek W. Ryter, Terry L. Sohl, Gabriel B. SenayA conceptual hydrogeologic model for the hydrogeologic framework, geochemistry, and groundwater-flow system of the Edwards-Trinity and related aquifers in the Pecos County region, Texas
The Edwards-Trinity aquifer is a vital groundwater resource for agricultural, industrial, and municipal uses in the Trans-Pecos region of west Texas. A conceptual model of the hydrogeologic framework, geochemistry, and groundwater-flow system in the 4,700 square-mile study area was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the Middle Pecos Groundwater Conservation DistrictAuthorsJonathan V. Thomas, Gregory P. Stanton, Johnathan R. Bumgarner, Daniel K. Pearson, Andrew Teeple, Natalie A. Houston, Jason Payne, MaryLynn MusgroveA conceptual model of the hydrogeologic framework, geochemistry, and groundwater-flow system of the Edwards-Trinity and related aquifers in the Pecos County region, Texas
A conceptual model of the hydrogeologic framework, geochemistry, and groundwater-flow system of the Edwards-Trinity and related aquifers, which include the Pecos Valley, Igneous, Dockum, Rustler, and Capitan Reef aquifers, was developed as the second phase of a groundwater availability study in the Pecos County region in west Texas. The first phase of the study was to collect and compile groundwatAuthorsJohnathan R. Bumgarner, Gregory P. Stanton, Andrew Teeple, Jonathan V. Thomas, Natalie A. Houston, Jason Payne, MaryLynn MusgroveData collection and compilation for a geodatabase of groundwater, surface-water, water-quality, geophysical, and geologic data, Pecos County Region, Texas, 1930-2011
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with Middle Pecos Groundwater Conservation District, Pecos County, City of Fort Stockton, Brewster County, and Pecos County Water Control and Improvement District No. 1, compiled groundwater, surface-water, water-quality, geophysical, and geologic data for site locations in the Pecos County region, Texas, and developed a geodatabase to facilitate use of tAuthorsDaniel K. Pearson, Johnathan R. Bumgarner, Natalie A. Houston, Gregory P. Stanton, Andrew Teeple, Jonathan V. Thomas - Web Tools
Geonarrative: Water-Use Data-Gap Analysis
This water-use data-gap analysis analyzed the differences between the current state of the Nation's water-use data and the data needed to achieve the long-term goals of the USGS Water Availability and Use Science Program.
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government