The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) has published a characterization of geospatial distribution of brackish groundwater in the Woodbine Aquifer. The final report, Report 392, includes a four page summary as well as GIS files, which are now available on the BRACS Woodbine study webpage.
A BRACS aquifer study does the following:
- uses all available public sources for data mining,
- interprets stratigraphy and lithology,
- maps net sand distribution,
- calculates total dissolved solids concentrations from geophysical logs,
- maps salinity zones, and
- calculates in-place storage volumes.
Findings from the study include:
- The in-place total brackish storage volume is the sum of 72.7 and 47.7 million acre-feet of slightly saline and moderately saline groundwater, respectively.
- Slightly saline groundwater encompasses parts of fourteen counties and covers the largest lateral extent of the five salinity classes within the study area. Localized pockets of slightly saline groundwater are present within the outcrop region where freshwater would be expected.
- Moderately saline groundwater occupies a narrow band west and north of the Mexia-Talco Fault Zone across parts of 13 counties in the study area. Moving down-dip approaching the fault zone, salinity increases rapidly from very saline to brine.
The full report can be found here.
