Ground-Water Conditions in Anderson, Cherokee, Freestone, and Henderson Counties, Texas

113 Pages·2000·3.23 MB·English

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GROUND-WATER CONDITIONS
IN ANDERSON, CHEROKEE,
FREESTONE, AND HENDERSON
COUNTIES, TEXAS
AUGUST 1972
TEXAS WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD
REPORT 150
GROUND-WATER CONDITIONS IN
ANDERSON, CHEROKEE, FREESTONE,
AND HENDERSON COUNTIES, TEXAS
By
William F. Guyton & Associates
Consulting Ground-Water Hydrologists
Austin-Houston, Texas
Prepared undercontractforthe
TexasWater Development Board
August 1972
TEXAS WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD
W. E. Tinsley, Chairman Marvin Shurbet, Vice Chairman
Robert B. Gilmore John H. McCoy
Milton T. Potts Carl lllig
Harry P. Burleigh, Executive Director
Authorization for use or reproduction of any original material contained in
this publication, i. e., not obtained from other sources, is freely granted. The Board
would appreciate acknowledgement.
Published and distributed
by the
Texas Water Development Board
Post Office Box 13087
Austin, Texas 78711
ii
-
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
ABSTRACT" """.""."""" .. """" ""." """" """"""" " "" ,
INTRODUCTION """" .. """""" """""" """ "."" "."."."""" . 3
Purpose" , ,, ,,,,.. ,,.. , ,.. , ,.,, ,,.. ,,, , . 3
Scope ,,. " .,,,, ,., ,.,." .".. ".. ,,., , ,,,, , 3
Areaof Investigation .. ,,.,.. , ,,,.,, ,,.,.,,.,, ,, ,.,.,, ,.. ,,. 4
Population .. "."" "."." ,.,,, ,,., ,, , ,.,.. , ,,. ,,,.,.. 4
Climate "" .. "" ,,,.". ,,,,," ." ."" " "" " ",,, . 5
Previous Investigations .. "" """ "".""." """""."" " "."."",, . 5
Well-Numbering System .. """" "." """.""." .. """"."." .. ""."""""""""""" ".. 5
Acknowledgements ,,,, ,.,,. , ,, ,,., , ,.,.,,,, . 7
INVENTORYOF WATER WELLS ".""""" ""."." " " "".""."" .. "." . 24
ELECTRIC LOGSAND DRILLERS' LOGS"" "" ,.. " " ,". , " ." ,." "" , . 24
GEOLOGY AS RELATEDTO THE OCCURRENCE OF GROUNDWATER , ,,,.. ,,,,, . 24
General Stratigraphy and Structure" ,., ,,,.,,,., ,,, ,, ,.,.,, , . 24
Principal Water-Bearing Formations .. ".. ".. """"."."""." """."" " """ . 29
Wilcox Group " """" """"" .. """"" """."""" ".".".""." . 29
Carrizo Sand "" .. ".. ""." """ "" "" " ".. 30
Queen City Sand """" """ "" "" "."""""" ",, . 30
Sparta Sand , ,.. ,.. ,,,,,, ,.,, ,, ,,., ,.,, ,. ,,, ,, . 31
Other Formations " ,, ,., ,,,, ,,,,., ,.,,,,,,. ,,., ,,, , . 31
Cretaceous Rocks "" """" """ ".""" " "." . 31
Midway Group.. ,, ,, ,,,,,.,,,, , , , ,,, . 32
Reklaw Formation , ,, ,,., ,, ,,,, " ,,,,,,.. , ,, 32
Weches Formation , ,,,, ".,. ,, ,., ,,,,.. , 32
Cook Mountain Formation " "" " " "" . 32
Alluvium 32
iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS (Confd.)
Page
RECHARGE, MOVEMENT,AND NATURAL DISCHARGE OF GROUND WATER. ................. 33
WELLCONSTRUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION. ............................................. 34
CHEMICAL QUALITYOF GROUND WATER. .............................................. 37
Wilcox Group ........................... ................................. 37
Carrizo Sand ..................................................................... 38
Queen City Sand ................................................................... 38
Sparta Sand. ..................................................................... 38
Other Formations ................................................................. 39
SurfaceWater ..... ....... ........................................................ 39
TEMPERATURE OF GROUNDWATER 39
OIL ANDGAS FIELDS ," , ,.. .. ... 39
Locations 39
Surface Casing. ................................................................... 39
PluggingofAbandoned Test Holesand Wells 40
DisposalofSaltWater .............................................................. 40
PUMPAGEAND WATER LEVELS INWELLS. .............................................. 42
Pumpage ".......................... ................ 42
Water Levels in Wells. .............................................................. 43
RESULTSOF PUMPING TESTS. .......... ............................... ................ 43
SpecificCapacitiesofWells ........................................................ .. 45
CoefficientsofTransmissibility, Permeability, and Storage. ................................. 45
INTERFERENCE BETWEEN WELLSAND LONG-TERM DRAWDOWNSOF WATER LEVELS. ....... 58
POSSIBLE BRACKISH WATER ENCROACHMENT 60
AVAILABILITYOF GROUND WATER. ................ ................................... 61
Yieldsof Individual Wells. .............................................. ............ 61
Wilcox Group 61
Carrizo Sand 61
Queen City Sand ............................ 64
SpartaSand ................................................................. 64
iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS (Cont'd.)
Page
IndividualWell-Field Yields ".............. 64
Wilcox Group ."" .. "" .. "." "........................... 64
Carrizo Sand ".. " " " "........... 68
Queen City Sand ,,.,.,,.. , ,,.,,.,.,. , ,.......... ....... 68
Sparta Sand , , ,.,, , ,.......... 68
Total AvailabilityofGround WaterWithin Anderson, Cherokee,
Freestone, and Henderson Counties .......................... ........................ 68
Wilcox Group...•................., ,................ 68
Carrizo Sand. ............................. ............. ... ..................... 72
Queen City Sand ..... ................................. ........................ . 72
SpartaSand ,...... .. ........................ 72
InterrelationshipBetweenGroundWaterand SurfaceWater ... "............. ........... 72
MORE FAVORABLE AREAS FOR GROUND·WATER DEVELOPMENT."........................ 72
Wilcox Group "........................ 72
Carrizo Sand " ,........ 74
Queen City Sand " ,............... 74
Sparta Sand "........................ 74
TEST DRILLING "........................ 74
OBSERVATIONPROGRAM ... ,.................................. ........................ 77
PRINCIPALCONCLUSIONSAND RECOMMENDATIONS ,........................ 78
BIBLIOGRAPHY ,. ........................ 79
TABLES
1. Well Numbers Used by Chenault (1937), Cromack (1936),and
Lyle (1936) and Corresponding Numbers Used inThis Report 8
2. Stratigraphic UnitsandTheirWater-Bearing Properties. ............. ........................ 25
3. ThicknessesofStratigraphic Units ". 27
4. SpecificCapacitiesofWells ................................................... ....... 46
5. Resultsof Pumping Tests "........................... 54
6. Estimated Total AmountofGround Water Available in Anderson,
Cherokee, Freestone, and Henderson Counties. ................. ........................ 71
v
TABLE OF CONTENTS (Cont'd.)
Page
7. RecordsofWells, Springs,and Test Holes in Anderson County. .............................. 82
8. RecordsofWells, Springs, and Test Holes inCherokee County. .............................. 102
9. RecordsofWellsand Test Holesin FreestoneCounty 126
10. RecordsofWells, Springs,and Test Holesin Henderson County. ............................. 144
11. Drillers' Logsof RepresentativeWellsin Anderson County. ................................. 170
12. Drillers' Logsof RepresentativeWells in Cherokee County .................................. 175
13. Drillers' Logsof RepresentativeWells in Freestone County 182
14. Drillers' Logsof RepresentativeWells in Henderson County ..................... ............ 189
15. ResultsofChemical AnalysesofWater FromWellsand Springsin
Anderson County. .............................................................. 194
16. ResultsofChemical AnalysesofWater FromWellsand Springsin
Cherokee County .. ... .. ........................................................ 205
17. ResultsofChemical AnalysesofWater From Wells in
FreestoneCounty. .................................... .......................... 223
18. ResultsofChemical AnalysesofWater From Wellsand Springs in
Henderson County .................................. ............................ 236
FIGURES
1. Location of Anderson, Cherokee, Freestone, and
Henderson Counties. ................................................... ......... 4
2. Temperature and Precipitation 6
3. Well-NumberingSystem 7
4. DiagrammaticSketch Showing Rechargeand Drawdown
in Typical Artesian Sand 34
5. Surface-Water Flow Measurements. ........... .......... .............................. 35
6. Construction of Production Well. ..................................................... 36
7. Temperature ofGround Water 40
8. LocationsofOil and Gas Fields 41
9. PumpageofGroundWaterfor PublicSupplyand
Industrial Purposes. ............................................................. 43
10. Areal Distribution of MajorPumpageofGround Water in 1969 .............................. 44
11. ExampleofPumpingTest. .......................................................... 45
12. ResultsofPumpingTests 59
vi
TABLE OF CONTENTS (Con1'd.)
Page
13. Computed Drawdown ofWater LevelsCaused by Pumping 60
14. Estimated Maximum Individual Well Yields-Wilcox Group 62
15. Estimated Maximum IndividualWell Yields-CarrizoSand. ................................. 63
16. Estimated Maximum IndividualWell Yields-Queen CitySand. .............................. 65
17. Estimated Maximum Individual Well Yields, Well-Field Yields,
and Area More FavorableforDevelopment-Sparta Sand. ................................ 66
18. Estimated Individual Well-Field Yields-Wilcox Group. .................................... 67
19. Estimated Individual Well-Field Yields-Carrizo Sand. ....................... .............. 69
20. Estimated Individual Well-Field Yields-Queen City Sand. .................... .............. 70
21. More Favorable Area for Development-WilcoxGroup. .................................... 73
22. More Favorable Areas for Development-Carrizo Sand ..................................... 75
23. More Favorable Area for Development-Queen City Sand 76
24. Sketch Showing Procedure for WaterSampling From Test Hole. ............................. 77
25. LocationsofWells in Anderson County 251
26. LocationsofWells in Cherokee County 253
27. LocationsofWells in FreestoneCounty 255
28. LocationsofWells in Henderson County 257
29. Geologic Map ................................................... 259
30. GeologicSection A-A' "............... ................................... 261
31. GeologicSection B-B' .............................................................. 263
32. Geologic Section C-C' ................................................ .............. 265
33. GeologicSection D-D' ,......................... 267
34. GeologicSection E-E' .................. ............................................ 269
35. GeologicSection F-F' and G-G' 271
36. GeologicSection H-H' .............................................................. 273
37. GeologicSection I-I' ..................................... .......................... 275
38. Depth and AltitudeofTopofWilcox Groupin Anderson County 277
39. Depth and AltitudeofTopofWilcox Groupin Cherokee County 279
40. Depth and AltitudeofTopofWilcox Group in Freestone County 281
vii
TABLE OF CONTENTS (Cont'd.)
Page
41. Depth and AltitudeofTopofWilcox Group in Henderson County 283
42. SandThickness in Wilcox Group in Anderson County 285
43. SandThickness in Wilcox Group in Cherokee County 287
44. SandThickness in Wilcox Group in FreestoneCounty 289
45. Sand Thickness in Wilcox Group in Henderson County 291
46. Depth and AltitudeofTopofCarrizoSand in Anderson County 293
47. Depthand Altitudeof TopofCarrizo Sand in Cherokee County 295
48. Depth and AltitudeofTopofCarrizo Sand in FreestoneCounty. ..... ................ ....... 297
49. Depth and AltitudeofTopofCarrizo Sand in Henderson Coun~y 299
50. ThicknessofCarrizo Sand in Anderson County 301
51. ThicknessofCarrizo Sand in Cherokee County 303
52. Thicknessof Carrizo Sand in Freestone County 305
53. ThicknessofCarrizo Sand in Henderson County 307
54. Generalized CharacterofCarrizo Sand 309
55. Depth of Baseand ThicknessofQueen CitySand in Anderson County 311
56. Depth of Baseand ThicknessofQueen City Sand in Cherokee County 313
57. Depth of Baseand ThicknessofQueen CitySand in Henderson County 315
58. Depth and AltitudeofTopofSpartaSand andThickness
of SpartaSand in Cherokee County. .................. ....... ........... ..... ....... 317
59. Dissolved-SolidsContentofWater FromWells in
Anderson County. ........ ..... ......... ... .. ....................... ... .. ..... .. 319
60. Dissolved-SolidsContentofWater From Wells in
Cherokee County .. ............ .. ..... ....................... ... .. ... .. ....... .. 321
61. Dissolved-SolidsContentofWater From Alluvium,
Queen City Sand, Reklaw Formation,Carrizo
Sand,and MidwayGroup in FreestoneCounty 323
62. Dissolved-SolidsContentofWater From Wilcox Group
in Freestone County. ........ ................. ................... ........ . ... .. .. 325
63. Dissolved-SolidsContentofWater FromWells in
Henderson County ............. .. ... .. ......... ..... .......... .. ................ 327
64. AltitudesofWater Levels in Wells in Anderson County, 1970 329
65. AltitudesofWater Levels in Wells in Cherokee County, 1970-1971 331
66. AltitudesofWater Levelsin Wells in FreestoneCounty, 1970 333
67. AltitudesofWater Levels in Wells in Henderson County, 1970............................... 335
viii
GROUND-WATER CONDITIONS IN
ANDERSON, CHEROKEE, FREESTONE,
AND HENDERSON COUNTIES, TEXAS
ABSTRACT
Anderson, Cherokee, Freestone, and Henderson Fresh water exists in the Carrizo Sand throughout
Counties are in the rolling hills and forests of East Texas. the area of its occurrence in the four-county area. The
The total population of the four counties in 1970 was water has less mineralization northwest of the Mount
slightly more than 97,000. The largest cities include Enterprise fault zone. Yields of individual wells range up
Palestine, Jacksonville, and Athens. to 700 gallons per minute. Estimated pumpage from the
Carrizo was 5.5 million gallons per day in 1969. The
The geologic units which constitute the principal estimated potential yield of the Carrizo to wells is 35
aquifers are the Wilcox Group, Carrizo Sand, Queen City million gallons per day. The estimated maximum yield
Sand, and Sparta Sand. The Wilcox and the Carrizo are of an individual well ranges up to 1,500 gallons per
much more important than the Queen City and the minute, and the estimated maximum yield of an
Sparta. Nearly all the municipal and industrial individual well field ranges up to ten million gallons per
ground-water supplies are from either Wilcox or Carrizo day. The largest well-field yield is available in
wet Is. southeastern Cherokee County, but development of
large quantities in this locality would reduce the-yield of
Recharge is received by the aquifers from existing well fields in the Nacogdoches-Lufkin area to
precipitation and streamflow on the outcrops. The the east.
aquifers are full to overflowing and most of the recharge
is rejected as evapotranspiration and seepage in the Fresh water occurs in the Queen City Sand over a
stream valleys. For each aquifer the principa! controlling large area in the central part of the four-county area.
factor in the amount of water which can be obtained Because of its shallow and widespread extent, the Queen
from wells is the ability of the aquifer to transmit water City contains the most readily available ground-water
from its recharge area to points of withdrawal. supplies over a large area, especially for rural domestic
and livestock use. Only about one million gallons per
Fresh water exists in the Wilcox Group over a wide day was pumped from the Queen City in 1969. The
area, extending from its outcrop in the western part of estimated potential yield from wells is eight million
the four-county area essentially to a line trending gallons per day. The estimated maximum yield of an
northeast-southwest passing through southern Anderson individual well ranges up to 400 gallons per minute and
and central Cherokee Counties. The maximum depth of the estimated yield of an individual well field ranges up
occurrence of fresh water in the Wilcox is in excess of to 1.5 million gallons per day.
2,000 feet in south-central Anderson County. Yields of
individual wells range from a few gallons per minute to The Sparta Sand has a small potential, mostly in
nearly 1,200 gallons per minute, depending upon southern Cherokee County. In 1969 the pumpage from
location and type of construction. Total estimated the Sparta was about 0.2 million gallons per day. The
pumpage from Wilcox wells in 1969 was 5.5 million estimated potential yield to wells is one million gallons
gallons per day. The estimated total supply available per day. Depending upon location, the estimated
from Wilcox wells is 48 million gallons per day. This maximum yield of an individual well ranges up to 500
estimate is based on the assumption that there will be no gallons per minute, and the estimated maximum yield of
interference as a result of increased pumping outside the an individual well field ranges up to one million gallons
four-county area. The estimated maximum yield of an per day.
individual well ranges up to 1,500 gallons per minute,
and the estimated maximum yield of an individual well No evidence has been found of any serious,
field ranges up to 12 million gallons per day, depending widespread contamination of ground water from oil field
on location. brines. Encroachment of brackish water toward centers