Chemical Quality of Surface Waters in the Brazos River Basin in Texas
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Chemical Quality of Surface Waters in the Brazos River Basin in Texas GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 1779-K Prepared in cooperation with the Brazos River Authority and the Texas Water Commission Chemical Quality of ^rface Waters in the razos River Basin in Texas ?URDGE IRELAN and H. B. MENDIETA rraUBUTIONS TO THE HYDROLOGY OF THE UNITED STATES 30LOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 1779-K repared in cooperation with the razos River Authority and the ex as Water Commission ITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1964 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR STEWART L. UDALL, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Thomas B. Nolan, Director For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402 CONTENTS Page Glossary_______________________________________________________ v Abstract__ __________________________________________________ Kl Introduction______________________________________________________ 2 Purpose and scope____-_-__-__________-___---_---_-----_.___-__ 2 The problem______________________ ..._____..__________ 2 Previous investigations..--.-----_______________________________ 3 Classification of quality of water. ________________________________ 4 Sources of information.________________________________________ 5 Physical and geological features of the Brazos River basin.__._._____._. 6 Factors affecting quality of surface water____________________________ 8 Solubility of rock minerals_________________-_-___-------___-___- 9 Dilution by storm runoff______________________________________ 11 Inflow of oil-field brines_______________-___-_-__-----_-_---__-__ 12 Inflow of irrigation waste water_____________________--_-____-___ 12 Inflow of municipal and industrial wastes.________________________ 13 Quality-of-water records________________-_____----_---___._-_------- 14 Stream records_________________---____-_---------_--_-__-____- 14 Lake records_____-_______-___-___________________----________. 15 Miscellaneous records__________________________________________ 15 Quality of water in basin subdivisions or stream reaches._______________ 16 The High Plains..________________________________ 16 Area underlain by Triassic rocks_______________________________ 17 Area underlain by Permian rocks___________________-_-_-________ 18 Double Mountain Fork Brazos River___________________________ 18 Salt Fork Brazos River_____________________________________ 18 Brazos River above the Clear Fork___________-_---------___-_-_. 19 Clear Fork Brazos River_____________________________ 20 Brazos River at South Bend_______-_-_____--------__-----_---_- 21 Salt Creek__________________.__________________ 21 Brazos River at Possum Kingdom Dam__________________________ 22 Brazos River at Whitney Dam_____________________-__--________ 23 Bosque River_________________________________________________ 24 Brazos River at Waco..___________-_------____---_-_---_---_-_- 24 Little River..______________________________.___.__ 24 Navasota River_________________ __._______-_--____-_________- 25 Yegua Creek.._____________._________-_-_-_-__--_-_-______ 26 Brazos River at Richmond____________________________________ 26 Brazos River below Richmond._________________________________ 27 Saltloads_.______________________________________________ 27 Reservoir stratification.______________.______-_--___________--_-_-_- 30 Cumulative-frequency analysis.__________-___-_--_______-__--___-__- 33 General principles._____________-_____________-_-_-----_------- 34 Station analysis.______________________________________________ 36 Conclusions.. _____________________________________________________ 40 Selected references..____________________-___-_-_____-_-_--__---_-__ 41 Basic data.__-___-_____--______________-__-____-___-_-----_-_-_-_- 43 in IV CONTENTS ILLUSTRATIONS [Plates are in pocket] PLATE 1. Map of Texas showing the location of river basins and the physiographic sections of the Brazos River basin. 2. Map of Texas showing the location of river basins and the principal geologic divisions of the Brazos River basin. 3. Map of the Brazos River basin, Texas, showing sampling stations and dissolved-solids content. 4. Relation of conductance, reservoir contents, and discharge at Possum Kingdom Dam, April to July, 1957. Page FIGURE 1. Schematic diagrams showing chloride concentration in Lake Whitney...______________________________ K32 2. Cumulative frequency curve for dissolved-solids concentrations, Hubbard Creek near Breckenridge, Oct. 1, 1955-Sept. 30, 1959___________________________________________ 35 TABLES Page TABLE 1. Miscellaneous chemical analyses of water of lower Brazos River, October 1933-November 1934______________ K45 2. Summary of chemical analyses of streams in the Brazos River basin, 1906-07, 1941-59_._-_.___________________ 46 3. Miscellaneous chemical analyses of lakes in the Brazos River basin._______________________________________________ 62 4. Yearly discharges, and weighted-average concentrations and mean daily loads of chlorides, sulfates, and dissolved solids for periods of record at selected points in the Brazos River basin________________________________________________ 65 5. Duration table of dissolved-solids content for 15 stations in the Brazos River basin._____-__-_-__----_-----------___ 68 GLOSSARY Quality of water, in its broadest meaning, refers to all properties of water that may affect water's use. Suspended sediment, temperature, kinds and counts of bacteria, and dissolved organic and inorganic compounds are all included in a comprehensive definition of quality of water. In Brazos River basin, high concentrations of dissolved inorganic salts have restricted use of avail able water. No other factors included in broad definition are known to have resulted in serious basinwide problems. Hence, quality of water in this report refers to dissolved chemical constituents and physical properties, such as conductance and hardness. Problems related to sediment and to organic or bacterial pollution are not considered. Cubic foot per second (cfs), the rate of discharge of a stream whose channel is 1 square foot in cross-sectional area and whose average velocity is 1 foot per second. Acre-foot, the quantity of water required to cover an acre of land surface to depth of 1 foot; equivalent to> 43,560 cubic feet of water. Part per million (ppm), a unit weight of constituent per million unit weights of water. Equivalent per million (epm), a unit of chemical combining weight of constit uent per million unit weights of water. Computed by dividing concentra tion of chemical constituent, in parts per million, by chemical combining weight of constituent. Percent sodium, computed by dividing equivalents per million of sodium by sum of equivalents per million of cations (calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium) and multiplying quotient by 100. Dissolved solids, approximate quantity of dissolved mineral matter in water. Quantity of dissolved solids usually determined by evaporating a given volume of water, drying residue at 180° C, and weighing dried residue. For some analyses, quantity reported was obtained by a summation of in dividual constituents shown in analysis, where bicarbonate was included as carbonate. Salts, general term used in this report to denote any of the numerous chemical compounds dissolved in water; "common salt" means sodium chloride. Discharge-weighted average, approximate composition of water that would be found on a reservoir containing all water passing a given station during the year after thorough mixing in the reservoir. Discharge-weighted average computed by multiplying discharges for sampling periods by concentrations of individual constituents for corresponding periods and dividing sum of products by sum of discharges. Water year, term used by U.S. Geological Survey for period from October 1 to September 30 of the succeeding year. Water year 1952, for example, is period from October 1,1951 to September 30,1952. v VI GLOSSARY Cumulative-frequency curve, a curve prepared for dissolved-solids concentra tion by arranging dissolved-solids values of individual samples in order of magnitude and dividing them according to percentages of time during which specific values are equaled or exceeded. This type of curve also referred to as a duration curve. Specific conductance of water, a measure of water's ability to conduct an elec tric current. Expressed as micromhos per centimeter at 25° C. Varies with concentration and degree of ionization of different minerals in solu tion and with temperature of water. Furnishes rough measure of dissolved- solids content of water but does not give any indication of relative quan tities of constituents in solution. Pollution, as used in this report, defines conditions in which dissolved-mineral concentration of water exceeds acceptable limits for a particular use. Artificial pollution refers to conditions which have been manmade; natural pollution refers to conditions that man did not create, such as brine inflow from natural salt deposits. CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE HYDROLOGY OF THE UNITED STATES CHEMICAL QUALITY OF SURFACE WATERS IN THE BRAZOS RIVER BASIN IN TEXAS By BURDGE IEELAN and H. B. MENDIETA ABSTRACT The Brazos River basin, which makes up 15 percent of the land area of Texas, extends from the High Plains, where altitudes reach 4,200 feet and the average precipitation ranges from 15 to 20 inches a year, to the Gulf of Mexico where the annual rainfall is 45-^50 inches. Large reservoirs have been built in the Brazos River basin, but the use of