Quality of surface waters in the Colorado River basin, Texas, 1966-72 water years
No abstract available.
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Geology topics
Leon S. Hughes
Publications and source records attributed to Leon S. Hughes.
Reconnaissance of the chemical quality of surface waters of the Neches River basin, Texas
The kinds and quantities of minerals dissolved in the surface water of the Neches River basin result from such environmental factors as geology, streamflow patterns and characteristics, and industrial influences. As a result of high rainfall in the basin, much of the readily soluble material has been leached from the surface rocks and soils. Consequently, the water in the streams is usually low in concentrations of dissolved minerals and meets the U.S. Public Health Service drinking-water standards. In most streams the concentration of dissolved solids is less than 250 ppm (parts per million). The Neches River drains an area of about 10,000 square miles in eastern Texas. From its source in southeast Van Zandt County the river flows in a general southeasterly direction and empties into Sabine Lake, an arm of the Gulf of Mexico. In the basin the climate ranges from moist subhumid to humid, and the average annual rainfall ranges from 46 inches is the northwest to more than 52 inches in the southeast. Annual runoff from the basin has averaged 11 inches; however, runoff rates vary widely from year to year. The yearly mean discharge of the Neches River at Evadale has ranged from 994 to 12,720 cubic feet per second. The rocks exposed in the Neches River basin are of the Quaternary and Tertiary Systems and range in age from Eocene to Recent. Throughout most of the basin the geologic formations dip generally south and southeast toward the gulf coast. The rate of dip is greater than that of the land surface; and as a result, the older formations crop out to the north of the younger formations. Water from the outcrop areas of the Wilcox Group and from the older formations of the Claiborne Group generally has dissolved-solids concentrations ranging from 100 to 250 ppm; water from the younger formations has concentrations less than 100 ppm. The northern half of the basin has soft water, with less than 60 ppm hardness. The southern half of .the basin has very soft water, usually with less than 30 ppm hardness. The chloride concentrations are less than 20 ppm in surface water in the southern half of the basin and usually range from 20 to 100 ppm in the northern half of the basin. Concentrations greater than 100 ppm are found only where pollution is occurring. The Neches River basin has an abundance of surface water, but uneven distribution of runoff makes storage projects necessary to provide dependable water supplies. The principal existing reservoirs, with the exception of Striker Creek Reservoir, contain water of excellent quality. Chemical-quality data for the Striker Creek drainage area indicate that its streams are affected by .the disposal of brines associated with oil production. Sam Rayburn Reservoir began impounding water in 1965. The water impounded should prove of acceptable quality for most uses, but municipal and industrial wastes released into the Angelina River near Lufkin may have a degrading effect on the quality of the water, especially during extended periods of low flows. Water available for storage at the many potential reservoir sites will be of good quality; but, if the proposed salt-water barrier is to impound acceptable water, the disposal of oilfield brine into Pine Island Bayou should be discontinued.
Water Supply Paper↗
Reconnaissance of the chemical quality of surface waters of the Sabine River Basin, Texas and Louisiana
The Sabine River basin has an abundant supply .of surface water of excellent quality. The basin area of 9,700 square miles receives an average of about 48 inches of rainfall per year, of which about 13 inches flows to the Gulf of Mexico. Variations in the chemical quality of the surface waters in the Sabine River basin are caused principally by areal differences in geology and runoff; but industrial influences, particularly the disposal of oil-field brines, affect the quality in limited areas. Water having the least dissolved solids is found in the lower part of the basin, where rainfall is greatest. Water having higher values of hardness are found in the area of Cretaceous limestone, chalk, and marl in the northwestern part of the basin. Chloride concentrations are generally low except where streams are polluted by oil-field brines and localized natural saline inflow. Existing reservoirs in the basin contain water of excellent quality, and water to be stored in proposed reservoirs should be excellent.
Water Supply Paper↗
Natural sources of salinity in the Brazos River, Texas with particular reference to the Croton and salt Croton Creek basins
The average daily load of the Brazos River at Possum Kingdom Reservoir is about 2,800 tons of dissolved solids, of which 1,000 tons is chloride. More than 85 percent of the chloride load is contributed by the Salt Fork Brazos River, and more than 50 percent of the chloride load of the Brazos River originates from salt springs and seeps in Croton and Salt Crotdn Creeks, which are tributaries of Salt Fork Brazos River. The rest of the chloride is contributed from many small sources. The average daily chloride load of Croton Creek is 70 tons, much of which is carried during periods of flood runoff. The average daily chloride load of Salt Croton Creek is about 480 tons. Of this total, 330 tons is contributed by the base flow, which ranges from 0.5 to 2 cubic feet per second. The principal areas of salt springs and seeps in the Croton Creek basin are Hot Springs and Short Croton Salt Flats in northeastern Kent County. In the Salt Croton Creek basin, saline water is discharged in Dove Creek Salt Flat, Dove Creek near Dove Creek Salt Flat, and three small salt flats on Haystack Creek, all in southwestern King County and northwestern Stonewall County. Salt springs and seeps discharge from the rocks of the Whitehorse Group undifferentiated in the Croton Creek basin, and from the upper part of the Dog Creek Shale of the Pease River Group in the Salt Croton Creek basin. Both groups are of Permian age. The water that is discharged by springs and seeps in the Croton Creek basin is derived from the infiltration of precipitation and seepage from streams in the Duck Creek basin. The source of the water that discharges in the Salt Croton basin is not known. The salt load contributed to the Brazos River by the springs and seeps can be reduced, although the volume of salt water for disposal probably cannot be reduced or eliminated. Collecting and disposing of the base flow of Salt Croton Creek would reduce the salt load of the Brazos River by 30 percent; disposal of the total flow of Salt Croton Creek would reduce the salt load by 45 percent. The salt water may be disposed of by impounding it in reservoirs for evaporation or by injecting it underground through oil wells, oil tests, or wells drilled for saltwater disposal. Sediments in which the salt water possibly could be injected underlie the. Dove Creek Salt Flats at depths of less than 7,000 feet.
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