GEOHYDROLOGY OF THE OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE, BEAVER, CIMARRON, AND TEXAS COUNTIES By D. l. Hart Jr., G. l. Hoffman, and R. L. Goemaat U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Water Resources Investigation 25 -75 Prepared in cooperation with OKLAHOMA WATER RESOURCES BOARD April 1976 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Thomas Kleppe, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY v. E. McKelvey, Director For additional information write to~ U.S. Geological Survey Water Resources Division 201 N. W. 3rd Street, Room 621 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73102 ii CONTENTS Pa,;e No. Factors to convert English units to metric units ..•..................... v Ab s t raet .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. I' of '" " " of .. .. ••• .. of " •, '" 7 I ntroduc t ion. ......•....•............................................... 8 Purpose and scope of investigation 8 Location and general features of the area.••..........•............ 8 Previous investigations .•.......................................... 10 Well-numbering system.•...............................•............ 10 Acknowledgments. .......•......................................... .. 13 Geology. ....•.•....................................................... .. 13 ~ Regional geology ill .. II II II oil II oil It It It "" oil 13 Geologic units and their water-bearing properties 16 Permian System...•.......................•.................... 16 Permian red beds undifferentiated...............•........ 16 Triassic System..•.•.........•...........•.................... 16 Dockt.JIn Group ~ 4 ~ #' ., of ,. '" ., # of ,. ,. .. ". 16 Jurassic System 4 III 17 Exeter Sandstone. ......•.•........................ .... .. 17 Morrison Formation....................................... 18 Cretaceous System...•.•....................................... 18 Purgatoire Formation ....•.........•.•...........•........ 18 ~ Dakota Sandstone It ,. .,. til ,. , .,. " II' 19 ~ Co larad 0 Group #" • _ 4 4 rI #< ,. .. • 20 Tertiary and Quaternary Systems ..•....•..•.......•...•........ 21 Ogallala Formation .....•.......•.•..........•....•....... 21 BasaIt. ..••..•••..•....•.........••.................... .. 22 Alluvium and terrace deposits ....••.............•........ 22 Dune sand .,., ,. " 23 ~ Hydrology #< " ." •••••••• 0# • #" .. .. .. .. • .. .. • .. .. .. • .. .. .. .. •• .. • .. .. •• • • .. • .. •• 23 The ground-water system.•..••....•.•.........•..................... 23 Hydrologic properties of water-bearing materials 23 Aquifer tests and analyses ..............•.............•....... 24 Specific capacity tests .......•....•....•.........•.••........ 25 Water levels"" .- "" 4' " " ,. 29 History of water leveIs. ....•••...••........•.......... .. 29 Ground-water withdrawals ..........••...........•......... 32 Ground-water recharge.................................... 35 Availability of ground yater.....................•...•........ 36 Reservoir storage and storage change ..•........••••...... 36 Quantities available .•..••............................... 39 Declining well yields ........•.•........•................ 42 Chemical quality of ground water......•.•.••..........••...... 41 Ou t look for the future.................................................. 50 Selected references 51 Aquifer-test data and analyses .....................................•.... 54 2N-14E-23CBB2 .••••••••.•••..•.....•..........••••.•.••.•••.•....... 54 2N-7E-26ACCl .. ". " ., .. '" III' ,. " ,. , " " II" 'It 'II It , It II' .. 54 ~ ~ 2N -15E-15BM! .p " oil 4. 57 2N-23E-21CBDl •••.....•••••.•.....•.•.•.•.••••••••••.............•.. 57 3N-15E-21BBCI ••••••••••••••••••..•..••.•••••••••••.••••.•.••••••••• 57 iii I LLUS TRA1;'1 ONS Plates in pocket Page No. 1. Geologic section of the Oklahoma Panhandle 2. Subcrop map of rocks underlying the Ogallala Formation in the Oklahoma Panhandle 3. Geologic map of the Oklahoma Panhandle 4. Thickness of Ogallala aquifer in the Oklahoma Panhandle 5. Map showing depth to water below land surface, January 1972, Oklahoma Panhandle 6. Water-level contour map, January 1972, Oklahoma Panhandle 7. Map showing location of selected wells in the Oklahoma Panhandle 8. Map showing saturated thickness of the Ogallala aqUifer, January 1972, Oklahoma Panhandle 9. Map showing water-level change in the Oklahoma Panhandle 10. Map showing potential well yield, January 1972, Oklahoma Panhandle Figure 1. Index map showing location of the Oklahoma Panhandle••••••••••• 9 2. Diagram shOWing well-numbering system•••••••••••••••••••••••••. 11 3. Regional map showing relative positions of some of the principal tectonic features ••...•••••••. ~ ••••••••..••...•....•. 12 4. Graph showing drawdown of water level and specific capacity of the pumping well 2N-14E-23CBBl plotted against time since pumping started.•........••......••••.••••.•..•.......... 28 5. Hydrograph showing water levels in wells, Beaver and Texas Counties III •• ill ,., III l1li .. ". " 4' " • " " 30 6. Hydrograph showing vater levels i~ wells, Cimmaron County.•..•• 31 7-15 graphs showing 7. Number of wells in Panhandle Counties •••••••••••.•••••••••••••• 33 8. Estimated pumpage for odd-numbered years 7 1965-71•....••••..••• 34 ~. Relation of Fercent recllction in maximum well yield and percent reduction in head " 4' •" .. ,. •• " "'" " l1li .a ,., ,.. 42 10. Drawdown of water level in observation well 2N-14E-23CBB2 plotted against time since pumping started......•.•..•••.....•• 55 11. Drawdown of water level in observation well 2N-7E-26AACl plotted against time since pumping started.•••.••.••...•.••••.• 56 12. Drawdown of water level in observation well 2N-15E-15BAAl plotted agains time since pumping started...•••....•••..••.••.• 58 13. Residual drawdown in well 2N-23E-21CBDI plotted against time since pumping started divided by time since pumping stopped•••••.....••..................••........•....... S9 14. Residual drawdown in well 3N-15E-21BBCl plotted against time since pmnping started divided by time since pumping 3topped•••...•...••••••.••••••.••...••........••...•..•60 15. Residual dravdown in well 2N-15E-6cCCl plotted against time since pumping strated divided by time since ~ p'Wnping stopped.. 1' III 1'. 1' ,. "'III' 11" 62 iv TABLES Page No. 1. Generalized section of geologic formations and their water-bearing characteristics ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 14 2. Summary of aquifer tests of the Ogallala aquifer••••••••• facing page 24 3. Summary of specific capacity tests••••••••••••.•••••••••.••••••••••• 26 4. Summary of storage characteristics in the Ogallala aquifer " " 37 S. Analyses of water from selected wells in the Oklahoma Panhandle ••••• 44 6. Source and significance ·of dissolved-mineral constituents and properties of water l1li " III ,a. ,a. III 48 FACTORS TO CONVERT ENGLISH UNITS TO METRIC UNITS English units used in this report may be converted to metric units by the following conversion factors: English Multiply by Metric inches (in) 25.4 millimetres (mm) feet (ft) .3048 metres (m) miles (mi) 1.609 2 kilometres (km) 2 square feet (ft ) .0929 square metres (m ) acres .004047 square kilometres (km2) square miles (mi2) 2.590 square kilometres (km2) acre-feet (acre-ft) 1,233 cubic metres (mJ ) gallons per minute (gal/min) .06309 litres per second (l/s) gallons per minute per foot .207 litres per second per metre [(gal/min) / f~ [(l/s) 1m] feet per mile (ft/mi) .1894 metres per kilometre (m/km) v GEOHYDROLOGY OF THE OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE. BEAVER, CIMARRON, AND TEXAS COUNTIES by D. L. Hart, Jr., G. L. Hoffman, and R. L. Goemaat ABSTRACT The Ogallala aquifer, which consists of semiconso1idated clay, sand, and gravel, is the principal source of ground water in the Oklahoma Panhandle. This aquifer commonly yields 500 to 1.000 gallons per minute (32 to 63 litres per second) and may yield as much as 2,500 gallons per minute (158 litres per second). Based on an estimated average storage coefficient of 0.1, the quantity of water stored in the ogallala aquifer was computed at approximately 50 million acre-feet (6.17 x 1010 cubic metres). Local overdevelopment of this water resource has resulted in water-level declines of more than 40 feet (12 metres) from 1966 to 1972 in some areas of concen­ trated well development. The amount of ground water in storage has been reduced about 2 percent during this period. Aquifer tests indicate that transmissivity ranges from 500 to 11,800 feet squared per day (46 to 1,100 metres squared per day), the storage coefficient ranges from 0.002 to 0.11, and hydraulic conductivity ranges from 2.1 to 55 feet per day (0.6 to 16.8 metres per day). In addition to these tests, 802 specific-capacity tests were used to extend transmissivity data. Recharge to the Ogallala aquifer is primarily from precipitation and may be as much as 1 inch (25 millimetres) per year in areas where catchment and percolation are most favorable. Discharge is primarily from pumping and a small amount of natural discharge. Aquifers of limited importance are the Dakota Sandstone and the Cheyenne Sandstone Member of the Purgatoire Formation which provide water to irriga­ tion wells in the southwestern part of Cimarron County. Irrigation wells generally are completed jointly in these aquifers and yields of 300 to 500 gallons per minute (19 to 32 litres per second) are common. Water levels in these aquifers have not shown the pronounced declines that have occurred in the Ogallala aquifer. Permian red beds provide only small quantities of water to domestic and stock wells. Water in the Ogallala aquifer, Dakota Sandstone, and Cheyenne Sandstone Member generally has a dissolved-solids concentration