MONITORING THE TRINITY AQUIFER IN MCLENNAN COUNTY, TEXAS: AN ASSESSMENT AND STRATEGY FOR THE STGCD

Groundwater is an important water source in the State of Texas. Understanding groundwater trends is helpful to groundwater management and conservation efforts. A major responsibility of Groundwater Conservation Districts (GCDs) in Texas is to monitor aquifer levels. Many GCDs have measured designated monitor wells annually, quarterly, or monthly to study seasonal or multi-year trends. Technological advances now allow districts to capture much more data on aquifer levels that may reveal aquifer responses to natural or human events. However, the density of the more detailed data makes interpretation difficult when trying to relate cause and effect. Few groundwater trends of the Trinity Aquifer in McLennan County, Texas, have been studied in great detail using this denser data set. This study will provide an assessment and strategy for the Southern Trinity Groundwater Conservation District to improve data collection methods and interpretations. Correlating aquifer responses to meteorological and production data may allow the Southern Trinity Groundwater Conservation District to determine the cause and effect of groundwater patterns in Hensell and Hosston monitor wells that can lead to better groundwater management in McLennan County, Texas.