Ground-Water and Surface-Water Hydrology of Camp Barkeley, Taylor County, Texas

Ground-water and surface-water investigations were conducted on Camp Barkeley, Taylor County, Texas, to provide the Texas Army National Guard with information needed to preserve environmental quality and resources while planning and conducting training and preparedness activities. Spatial information such as surface geology, watersheds, elevation data, floodplains, well locations, and water levels were converted to digital files and submitted to the Texas Army National Guard Geographic Information System office at Camp Mabry, Austin, Texas, for future use in managing the training facility. Similar investigations were conducted on Camps Bowie, Mabry, Maxey, and Swift, and Fort Wolters. Results of those studies are presented separately. Previous reports and public data files were examined to obtain background information on the camp and surrounding area. These data guided our more focused studies on the training facility. Ground-water studies included locating existing wells on and near the camp; installing new wells as needed for ground-water characterization; testing and sampling selected wells; determining ground-water levels, chemical compositions, and aquifer hydraulic properties; and developing a conceptual model of ground-water flow. Surface-water studies delineated watersheds and mapped floodplains. Alluvium along streams and the Antlers Formation are the principal aquifers in the Camp Barkeley area. Approximately 42 percent of all wells listed by the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) in Taylor County produce from alluvium. Depths to water in existing wells vary both within and between formations, suggesting that the ground-water system is not well integrated. Groundwater compositions recorded in TWDB files show most samples to be fresh waters. A conceptual ground-water flow model resulting from this study indicates that local recharge most likely occurs through interconnected vertical fractures. Much of the water that infiltrates on topographically high parts of Camp Barkeley probably discharges at the edges of the mesas, with only minor discharge, if any, to deeper aquifers. The training facility resides in the Clear Fork River Basin. No significant permanent streams exist on the camp. Surface runoff flows to various first-order tributaries and creeks and ultimately to Lake Fort Phantom Hill, Clear Fork Brazos River, and the Brazos River. No significant 100-year floodplains exist on Camp Barkeley; however, severe rainfalls can produce heavy sheetflow and runoff that can quickly but temporarily fill arroyos and cause severe erosion.