Groundwater Information

Groundwater Basics

• Texas Groundwater Protection Committee (TGPC) Groundwater Facts & References (January 2020, PDF)
• TGPC Texas Aquifer Rock Types Demonstration (July 2021, MP4)
• Groundwater Foundation Groundwater Basics
• US Geological Survey Groundwater Information Pages

Groundwater Management

Groundwater issues are often about water quality, water quantity or both. State agencies such as the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality (TCEQ), the Railroad Commission of Texas, and others have regulatory responsibilities for activities relating to groundwater quality protection. The TCEQ is the state's primary environmental regulatory agency. State law authorizes the TCEQ to establish the level of water quality to be maintained, and to control sources of pollutants that may affect the quality of water in the state, including groundwater.

However, state law does not provide the TCEQ or any other state agency the authority to manage or regulate groundwater pumpage and use, which affect groundwater quantity. Groundwater conservation districts are units of local government with the authority to regulate the spacing and production of water wells and are the state's preferred method for the management of groundwater resources. For more on groundwater management, see TGPC's Management of Groundwater.

Groundwater Classification

The Texas Groundwater Protection Committee and its member agencies recognize that groundwater classification is an important tool to be used in the implementation of the groundwater policy contained in Section 26.401 of the Texas Water Code. Through classification, the groundwaters in the state can be categorized and protection or restoration measures can then be specified by member agencies according to the quality and present or potential use of the groundwater.

This classification system is intended to be implemented by member agencies as integral part of their groundwater quality programs. In addition to its response setting function, the classification system can also serve as a common basis among the various programs to foster consistency. It can also be used as a mapping tool to delineate specific areas in need of more detailed groundwater quality management. Towards this end, the committee recognizes the important contributions of all agencies that compile such data and supports the continuing efforts to enhance the statewide database.

Groundwater in Texas

Maps

• Texas Water Development Boards's (TWDB) Texas Aquifer Maps

Statewide Water Well Databases

• Information about the state's five online water well databases can be found on the TGPC's Water Wells webpage.

Reports

• TCEQ's Surface Water Quality Monitoring (see the current Texas Integrated Report for the current Groundwater Assessment)
• TGPC's Joint Groundwater Monitoring and Contamination Report (see the TGPC Publications webpage for the current version)
• TWDB has Groundwater Reports for each county.
• State Water Plan
• Regional Water Planning
• TWDB's Groundwater Data Viewer
• Texas Water Commission (now TCEQ) Report 89-01 Ground Water Quality of Texas - An Overview of Natural and Man-Affected Conditions (1989)
• UT-Bureau of Economic Geology Groundwater-Surface Water Interactions in Texas (2005)
• UT-Bureau of Economic Geology Evaluation of Arsenic Contamination in Texas - Final Report (2005)
• UT-Bureau of Economic Geology Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer Study - Final Contract Report (2011)
• UT-Bureau of Economic Geology Evaluation of Groundwater Nitrate Contamination in Major Aquifers in Texas - Final Contract Report (2016)
• UT-Bureau of Economic Geology Evaluation of Groundwater Nitrate Contamination in Public Water Systems and Major and Minor Aquifers in Texas - Final Contract Report (2017)
• UT-Bureau of Economic Geology Assessment of Arsenic in Groundwater and Water Supply Systems in Texas - Final Contract Report (2018)
• UT-Bureau of Economic Geology Update on Groundwater Arsenic Levels in Major and Minor Aquifers in Texas - Final Contract Report (2019)
• UT-Bureau of Economic Geology Assessment of Fluoride in Groundwater and Public Water Supply Systems in Texas - Final Contract Report (2020)
• UT-Bureau of Economic Geology Assessment of Fluoride in Groundwater and Public Water Supply Systems in Texas - Final Contract Report (2021)
• UT-Bureau of Economic Geology Assessment of Nitrate in Groundwater and Public Water Supply Systems in Texas - Final Contract Report (2022)
• UT-Bureau of Economic Geology Updated Assessment of Nitrate in Groundwater and Public Water Supply Systems in Texas - Final Contract Report (2023)

White Papers

• Influences of Natural and Man-Made Sources of Contamination on Water Quality Trends in the Seymour Aquifer: A 2007 Status Report
• Research into the Characterization of Brackish Water and Disposal of Desalination Reject Water in Saline Aquifers and Depleted Oil and Gas Reservoirs

Monitoring and Data

• TGPC's Joint Groundwater Monitoring and Contamination Report (see the TGPC Publications webpage for the current version)
• TWDB's Groundwater Data Viewer
• TWDB's Groundwater Data
• TWRI's Seymour Aquifer Water Quality Improvement Project
• National Water Quality Monitoring Council
• National Ground-Water Monitoring Network

US Geological Survey Data

• Real-Time Data for Texas: Ground Water, organized by county
• USGS Groundwater Programs in Texas
• National Water Quality Assessment Data Warehouse

Presentations

• TCEQ's Urban Pesticide Monitoring - 2008

Agricultural Resources

• EPA's Agricultural Management Practices for Water Quality Protection
• USDA's AgResearch Magazine

Resources for Small Communities

• The Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program for Rural Texas helps small communities acquire water and wastewater infrastructure.
• National Small Flows Clearinghouse helps small communities with wastewater issues
• Texas Rural Water Association
• USGS Publication - Groundwater and the Rural Homeowner

National Groundwater Awareness Week in Texas

• March 13 - 17, 2006 (PDF)
• March 11 - 17, 2007 (PDF)
• March 9 - 15, 2008 (PDF)
• March 8 - 14, 2009 (PDF)
• March 7 - 13, 2010 (PDF)
• March 6 - 12, 2011 (PDF)
• March 11 - 17, 2012 (PDF)
• March 10 - 16, 2013 (PDF)
• March 9 - 15, 2014 (PDF)
• March 8 - 14, 2015 (PDF)
• March 6 - 12, 2016 (PDF)
• March 5 - 11, 2017 (PDF)
  • 2017 Flyer (PDF)
• March 11 - 17, 2018 (PDF)
• March 10 - 19, 2019 (PDF)
  • 2019 Flyer (PDF)
• March 8 - 14, 2020 (PDF)
• March 7 - 13, 2021 (PDF)
  • 2021 Flyer (PDF)
• March 6 - 12, 2022 (PDF)
• March 5 - 11, 2023 (PDF)
• March 10 - 16, 2024 (PDF)
  • 2024 Flyer (PDF)

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Groundwater White Papers

• White Papers

Groundwater Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)