What feeds the Edwards Aquifer?

What feeds the Edwards Aquifer?

The Aquifer is divided into three main zones: the contributing zone, the recharge zone, and the artesian zone. Runoff from the land surface and water table springs then both feed streams that flow over relatively impermeable limestones until they reach the recharge zone.

Is Edwards Aquifer ground water?

The Edwards Aquifer is a unique groundwater system and one of the most prolific artesian aquifers in the world. For over two centuries, San Antonio and many other cities in the surrounding region were able to grow and prosper without developing surface water or other water resources because of the Edwards Aquifer.

How the Edwards Aquifer works?

It’s actually made of complex layers of limestone, with small cracks, crevices and sinkholes that filter the water as it passes through. Approximately 1,250 square miles of Edwards Limestone is exposed at the ground surface and composes the Recharge Zone where water enters the Aquifer.

How is the Edwards Aquifer replenished?

Two of those regions—the recharge and contributing zones—replenish the aquifer through rainwater, which seeps through fissures, cracks and sinkholes in the porous limestone that dominates the region. …

How is water obtained from an aquifer?

Water in aquifers is brought to the surface naturally through a spring or can be discharged into lakes and streams. Groundwater can also be extracted through a well drilled into the aquifer. A well is a pipe in the ground that fills with groundwater. This water can be brought to the surface by a pump.

Where is the Edwards Aquifer located in Texas?

South Texas
The Edwards Aquifer is an artesian aquifer located in Central/South Texas. From the western-most reaches of our region in Uvalde County to points east in Hays County and many places in between, the Edwards Aquifer is the natural water resource that supports approximately 2 million people.

What is the largest aquifer in Texas?

The Ogallala Aquifer is the largest aquifer in the United States and is a major aquifer of Texas underlying much of the High Plains region.

When was the Edwards Aquifer created?

1994
This is why the Barton Springs portion of the Aquifer was not included in the jurisdiction of the Edwards Aquifer Authority when that agency was created in 1994….

Metal	Current Maximum Contaminant Level (ug/L)	Typical Range of Concentrations for the Freshwater Edwards Aquifer (ug/L)
Beryllium (Be)	4	BMDL – 1.0

Where is the Trinity aquifer located?

North Texas
The Trinity Aquifer consists of basal Cretaceous-age Trinity Group formations extending through 61 counties from the Red River in North Texas to the Hill Country of Central Texas. The aquifer is comprised of the Twin Mountains, Glen Rose, Paluxy, Hosston, and Hensell formations.

How is water discharged from the Edwards Aquifer?

Water from the Edwards Aquifer is discharged in two ways: it is either pumped from wells (well discharge) or it leaves as stream outflow (spring discharge). The Edwards Aquifer Authority (EAA) and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) have monitored annual well and spring discharges since 1934.

Where is the artesian zone of the Edwards Aquifer?

The artesian zone, where water springs from wells naturally due to the higher elevation of the recharge zone, extends 10–20 miles (16–32 km) south on the west end to only a few miles south on the east end. Across the eastern half of the aquifer, the recharge and artesian zones occupy common area.

Where does Cibolo Creek flow into the Edwards Aquifer?

Cibolo Creek forms the border between Bexar and Comal counties and often contributes all of its flow to Edwards recharge. Francis T. Bryan (1849) provided one of the earliest descriptions of what happens to streams that cross the recharge zone:

Which is the most prolific artesian aquifer in the world?

Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. The Edwards Aquifer is one of the most prolific artesian aquifers in the world.