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Located at San Antonio Petroleum Club 8620 N. New Braunfels, 7th Floor 11:30am to 1:00pm

The Middle Trinity Aquifer of Hays County: New Data, New Models, and New Management

Brian B. Hunt, P.G. and Brian A. Smith, Ph.D., P.G.

Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District

 

Introduction

The Middle Trinity Aquifer is an important water supply of central Texas and provides baseflows to streams via springs that sustain ecosystems and ultimately recharges the Edwards Aquifer. Increased demand for groundwater in central Hays County is prompting studies to evaluate the availability and sustainability of groundwater in the Middle Trinity Aquifers of central Texas.  Previous conceptual models in Hays County and current numerical models of the Middle Trinity are inadequate to address these key issues. Texas law provides groundwater conservation districts (GCD) as the only regulatory mechanisms to avoid negative impacts from the effects of high rates of pumping. However, the challenge for a GCD is to allow sustainable use of groundwater in a complex hydrogeologic system with Texas’ legal frameworks such as the Rule of Capture and other legal precedents.

This talk will describe our new conceptual model of the Middle Trinity Aquifer by focusing on two key areas that highlight the contrasting complex hydrogeology and issues related to pumping and their negative effects. The talk will conclude with some of the new management strategies of a GCD that could be implemented to address the effects of pumping.

Bio

Brian Hunt is a Senior Hydrogeologist and has worked for the Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District since 2001.  Brian graduated from UT Austin with a B.S. and M.Sc. (2000). Brian is licensed as a Professional Geoscientist in the State of Texas and is a past president and active member of the Austin Geological Society.

Brian Smith has been the Aquifer Science Team Leader and Principal Hydrogeologist at the Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District since 2001. At the District, he has guided the science program to support policy makers in management of the aquifers within the District. Prior to working at the District, he worked for private consulting companies doing contaminant hydrogeology. Brian Smith has a Bachelor’s degree from Rice University in Houston and a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin, He is licensed as a Professional Geologist in the state of Texas

When
November 14th, 2018 11:30 AM through  1:00 PM
Location
8620 N. New Braunfels
7th Floor
San Antonio, TX 78217
United States
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Event Fee(s)
STGS Meeting Fee
Member Fee $30.00
Non-Member Fee $35.00
Pay at Door $0.00
Student Fee $30.00