Abstract: Identifying Underutilized Ground Water Resources in the Coastal Bend Region of Texas

DODSON, KAREN
Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission, Corpus Christi, TX

Water supply planning in the twelve-county "Coastal Bend" region of Texas has focused on surface water sources, especially, the Choke Canyon/Lake Corpus Christi reservoir system operated by the City of Corpus Christi. Long term growth in water demand in the Coastal Bend region will require the development of additional dependable water supplies. Water from Lake Texana in Jackson County, northeast of the Coastal Bend region, will be conveyed to the Corpus Christi regional water supply system via the Texana Pipeline. This pipeline bisects Refugio County, creating opportunities for integrating ground water resources in the Gulf Coast aquifer under Refugio County into the regional water supply system.

This study uses a numerical ground water model, MODFLOW (McDonald and Harbaugh, 1988) to simulate the effects of ground water withdrawals on aquifer conditions in Refugio County. Model results show that at least 30,000 acre-ft per year of ground water could be withdrawn from the Lissie/Goliad Sand in Refugio County without causing serious water quality problems or excessive drawdown. This amount of ground water is on the order of ten times greater than the predicted longterm water demands in Refugio County.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90932©1998 GCAGS/GCS-SEPM Meeting, Corpus Christi, Texas