BRACS Documents

The links below provide access to our BRACS-related publications.

Legislative Reports

Reports due the the Legislature in even numbered years are included in the biennial desalination report. Reports due to the Legislature in odd numbered years are located below.

Study Reports

Except where noted, all of the information provided is believed to be accurate and reliable; however, TWDB assumes no responsibility for any errors. Further, TWDB assumes no responsibility for the use of the information provided. PLEASE NOTE that users of these data are responsible for checking the accuracy, completeness, currency and/or suitability of all information themselves. TWDB makes no guarantees or warranties as to the accuracy, completeness, currency, or suitability of the information provided via the BRACS Database. TWDB specifically disclaims any and all liability for any claims or damages that may result from providing BRACS data or the information it contains.

Brackish Groundwater in the Hill Country Trinity Aquifer and Trinity Group Formations, TexasSeptember 2022 | Mark C. Robinson, P.G., Alysa K. Suydam, P.G., Evan D. Strickland, P.G., and Azzah AlKurdi, TWDB

Brackish Groundwater in Aquifers of the Upper Coastal Plain, Central Texas December 2020 | John E. Meyer, P.G., Andrea D. Croskrey, P.G., Alysa K. Suydam, P.G., and Nathaniel van Oort, TWDB

The report presents information on the brackish groundwater resources of aquifers in the Upper Coastal Plain Central. Within the study area, the Wilcox Group contains 112 million acre-feet of in-place brackish groundwater with additional significant brackish water in mixed classes (classes containing a mixture of two or more salinities in areas that cannot be easily subdivided horizontally and/or vertically). The Carrizo Sand contains more than 57 million acre-feet of in-place brackish groundwater with additional significant brackish water in mixed classes. The Queen City Sand contains more than 20 million acre-feet of in-place brackish groundwater with additional significant brackish water in mixed classes. The Sparta Sand contains more than 6 million acre-feet of in-place brackish groundwater. The Yegua Formation contains more than 42 million acre-feet of in-place brackish groundwater with additional significant brackish water in mixed classes.

Identification of Potential Brackish Groundwater Production Areas for the Northern Trinity Aquifer, Texas December 2019 | Mark Robinson, P.G., TWDB and Neil E. Deeds, Ph.D., P.E., Daniel M. Lupton, P.G., INTERA, Inc.

The report presents information on the brackish groundwater resources of the Northern Trinity Aquifer and the brackish groundwater production zones designated by the TWDB. Evaluation of the entire aquifer within the study area indicates an estimated total volume of groundwater in-place is approximately 2,061 million acre-feet, which includes 471 million acre-feet is fresh, 486 million acre-feet is slightly saline 703 million acre-feet is moderately saline, and 399 million acre-feet is very saline.

Brackish Groundwater Production Zone Recommendations for the Blossom Aquifer, Texas December 2019 | Alan G. Andrews, P.G. and Andrea Croskrey, P.G., TWDB

The report presents information on the brackish groundwater resources of the Blossom Aquifer and the brackish groundwater production zones designated by the TWDB. These three brackish groundwater production zones include slightly and moderately saline inplace groundwater with an estimated total volume of 780,000 acre-feet. Potential production of brackish groundwater from recommended zones at a rate of 100 acre-feet per year over a 30- and 50-year period was modeled and determined not to have a significant impact to fresh water or existing uses. Evaluation of the entire aquifer within the study area indicates approximately 10 million acre-feet of total in-place groundwater.

Brackish Groundwater Production Zone Recommendations for the Nacatoch Aquifer, Texas December 2019 | Andrea Croskrey, P.G., Alysa Suydam GIT, Mark Robinson, P.G., and John E. Meyer, P.G., TWDB

The report presents information on the brackish groundwater resources of the Nacatoch Aquifer and the brackish groundwater production zones designated by the TWDB. These five brackish groundwater production zones contain predominantly moderately saline groundwater with an estimated total volume of 1.8 million acre-feet. Potential production of brackish groundwater from recommended zones at a rate of 165 to 400 acre-feet per year over a 30- and 50-year period was modeled and determined not to have a significant impact to fresh water or existing uses. Evaluation of the entire aquifer within the study area indicates an estimated total volume of 18 million acre-feet of groundwater, which includes 2.1 million acre-feet of fresh, 2.0 million acre-feet of slightly saline, 3.7 million acre-feet of moderately saline, and 8.2 million acre-feet very saline. The remaining 2.0 million acre-feet are in “mixed” classes where a unique salinity class could not be assigned.

Brackish Groundwater in the Lipan Aquifer Area, Texas January 2018 | Mark C. Robinson, P.G., Matthew L. Webb, Jean Broce Perez, and Alan G. Andrews, P.G., TWDB

The report presents information on the brackish groundwater resources of the Lipan Aquifer in west central Texas, within the majority of Tom Green County and parts of Coke, Concho, Glasscock, Irion, Runnels, Schleicher, and Sterling counties. The study area contains approximately 0.17 million acre-feet of slightly saline groundwater, 4.44 million acre-feet of slightly saline groundwater, and 1.61 million acre-feet of moderately saline groundwater.

Brackish Groundwater in the Gulf Coast Aquifer, Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas September 2014 | John E. Meyer, P.G., Andrea Croskrey, Matthew R. Wise, P.G., and Sanjeev Kalaswad, Ph.D., P.G., TWDB

The report presents information on the brackish groundwater resources of the Gulf Coast Aquifer in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas, within Cameron, Hidalgo, Willacy, and eastern Starr counties. The study area contains approximately 40 million acre-feet of slightly saline groundwater, 112 million acre-feet of moderately saline groundwater, and 123 million acre-feet of very saline groundwater.

Queen City and Sparta Aquifers, Atascosa and McMullen Counties, Texas: Structure and Brackish Groundwater May 2014 | Matthew R. Wise, TWDB

The report presents information on the Queen City and Sparta aquifers within Atascosa and McMullen counties. The Sparta Aquifer contains approximately 8,880,000 acre-feet of brackish groundwater and the Queen City Aquifer holds approximately 49,380,000 acre-feet of brackish groundwater in the project area.

Pecos Valley Aquifer, West Texas: Structure and Brackish Groundwater September 2011 | John E. Meyer, Matthew R. Wise, and Sanjeev Kalaswad, TWDB

The report presents information on the geological structure of the Pecos Valley Aquifer and underlying geological units in West Texas and on the characteristics of the Pecos Valley Aquifer. The study estimates that 85 million acre-feet of brackish groundwater is present in the Pecos Valley Aquifer. Although brackish water is present almost everywhere, it appears to be more prevalent in the central and western parts of the aquifer. These are also areas where the saturated thickness of the aquifer is the greatest.

Contract Reports

Core Testing for Hill Country Trinity Aquifer September 2021 | Allan R. Standen, P.G.; and Sean C. Murphy; Allan R. Standen, LLC

The project conducted by Allan R. Standen, LLC described, tested, and analyzed 102 core plugs from the Hill Country portion of the Trinity Aquifer for aquifer properties including porosity, permeability, and cementation factor.


Brackish Groundwater Comingling August 2021 | Van A. Kelley, P.G.; Steven C. Young, Ph.D., P.G.,P.E.; Clark Griffith, P.G.; Daniel M. Lupton, P.G.; and James B. Pinkard, P.G.; INTERA, Inc.

The project conducted by INTERA, Inc. studied the comingling of groundwaters with different salinities in Texas, examined what groundwater degradation means, and explored which aquifers are more at risk for comingling related degradation.


Seismic Interpretation August 2021 | Cody H. Draper, G.I.T.; Thomas E Ewing, Ph.D.; and Daniel M. Lupton, P.G.; INTERA, Inc.

The project conducted by INTERA, Inc. assessed the availability, limitations, and usefulness of existing seismic data in mapping brackish aquifers and prepared a resource document with findings.


Drilling and Logging the Ideal Exploratory Brackish Groundwater Well August 2021 | Andrew Donnelly, P.G.; Marvin Glotfelty, P.G.; Russell Perry, P.G.; Mike Jacobs, P.G.; Elizabeth Bastien; and T. Neil Blandford, P.G.; Daniel B. Stephens & Associates, Inc.

The project conducted by Daniel B Stephens & Associates, Inc. prepared a resource document that details how to drill and log an ideal exploratory brackish groundwater well.


Numeric Well Log Simulations and Core Testing for the Edwards-Trinity (Plateau) Aquifer August 2021 | Carlos Torres-Verdín, Zoya Heidari, Reynaldo Casanova, Almostafa Alhadi, and Camilo Gelvez; University of Texas at Austin

The project conducted by researchers at the University of Texas at Austin tested and analyzed 24 core samples to obtain brackish aquifer properties including porosity, permeability, and nuclear magnetic resonance. Additionally, they performed numerical simulations on geophysical well logs to estimate rock and fluid properties including salinity.


Upper Coastal Plain East Aquifer Data Entry for the Brackish Resources Aquifer Characterization System Database June 2021 | Vincent A. Clause, GISP; Ann D. Hoadley-Leist, P.G.; Allan R. Standen, P.G.; and Chase W. Peacock; Allan R. Standen, LLC

The project conducted by Allan R. Standen, LLC assessed 19,163 digital well log images, processed them into the BRACS database or identified duplicate data, and wrote a report detailing processes and findings.


Identification of Potential Brackish Groundwater Production Areas - Blossom Aquifer July 2017 | Kristie Laughlin, P.G. and James Beach, P.G., LBG-Guyton Associates

The project conducted by LBG-Guyton Associates delineated groundwater salinity zones in the Blossom Aquifer, calculated volumes of those waters, and identified potential brackish groundwater production areas. The project produced an interpretation of top and bottom salinity zones surfaces in three dimensions and simple groundwater model of potential production areas.


Identification of Potential Brackish Groundwater Production Areas - Nacatoch Aquifer July 2017 | Kristie Laughlin, P.G., Lou Fleischhauer, P.G., Matthew Wise, P.G., Scott Hamlin, Ph.D., P.G., Damayayanti Banerji, Ph.D., James Beach, P.G., LBG-Guyton Associates

The project conducted by LBG-Guyton Associates delineated groundwater salinity zones in the Nacatoch Aquifer, calculated volumes of those waters, and identified potential brackish groundwater production areas. The project produced an interpretation of top and bottom salinity zones surfaces in three dimensions and simple groundwater model of potential production areas.


Identification of Potential Brackish Groundwater Production Areas - Gulf Coast Aquifer September 2016 | Steve C. Young, Ph.D., P.G., P.E., Marius Jigmond, Neil Deeds, Ph.D., P.E., Joan Blainey, Ph.D., P.G., INTERA, Inc.

The project conducted by INTERA, Inc. delineated groundwater salinity zones in the Gulf Coast Aquifer, calculated volumes of those waters, and identified potential brackish groundwater production areas. The project produced an interpretation of top and bottom salinity zones surfaces in three dimensions and simple groundwater model of potential production areas.


Brackish Groundwater in the Blaine Aquifer System September 2016 | Steven T. Finch, P.G., Allan R. Standen, P.G., T. Neil Blandford, P.G., Daniel B. Stephens & Associates, Inc.

The project conducted by Daniel B. Stevens & Associates, Inc. characterized the geology of the Blaine Aquifer system, delineated groundwater salinity zones, calculated the volumes of those waters, identified potential brackish groundwater production areas, and estimated 30- and 50-year production volumes without causing significant impact to water quality or water quantity in the area. The Blaine aquifer is a prominent water source for domestic and industrial uses.

Identification of Potential Brackish Groundwater Production Areas - Rustler Aquifer September 2016 | Daniel Lupton, P.G., Van Kelley, P.G., Joan Blainey, Ph.D., P.G., INTERA, Inc.

The project conducted by INTERA, Inc.delineates groundwater salinity zones in the Rustler Aquifer, calculates the volumes of those waters, and identifies potential brackish groundwater production areas. The project estimates that the Rustler Aquifer contains 18.5 million acre-feet of groundwater of which 88,000 acre-feet is fresh water, 10 million acre-feet is slightly saline water, 8 million acre-feet is moderately saline water, and 373,000 acre-feet is very saline water. Five potential brackish groundwater production areas and six exclusion zones were identified. A sensitivity analysis using 11 hypothetical well fields and a range of parameter values resulted in modeled drawdown tables for each potential production area. Additionally, new well logs and stratigraphic interpretations allowed for the division of the aquifer into three water bearing units and a sensitivity analysis on logging parameters provided a set of 26 key wells for calculating water quality in the Rustler Aquifer.

Assessment of Groundwater Modeling Approaches for Brackish Aquifers November 2011 | Neil E. Deeds, Ph.D., P.E. and Toya L. Jones, P.G., INTERA, Inc.

The study conducted by INTERA provides guidance for selecting appropriate groundwater codes for simulating brackish aquifers, including variable density effects. With the help of a literature review and a high-level analysis of the hydrogeologic features of the brackish water aquifers in Texas, a spreadsheet-based decision matrix was developed to inform the selection procedure of a groundwater modeling code. With the background information provided in this work, and the straightforward code ranking approach, a modeler should be able to make an informed decision about choosing a code for brackish water resources problems.

Aquifer Code Selection Tool (to accompany the Assessment of Groundwater Modeling Approaches for Brackish Aquifers report), Zipped MS Excel 2007 (137 KB)


Aquifers of Texas Bibliography to Support the Brackish Resources Aquifer Characterization System (BRACS) Program November 2011 | Steve Young, Ph.D., P.E., P.G. and Bridget Ronayne, INTERA, Inc.

To support the BRACS program, INTERA assembled a bibliography for the major and minor aquifers of Texas. Approximately 7,800 references were compiled from existing bibliographies developed for the Groundwater Availability Model (GAM) Program and other relevant literature published in journals, books, conference proceedings, government agency reports, theses and dissertations, journals, scientific magazines, and abstracts. The bibliography includes references to works on geology, geophysics, geochemistry, hydrology, and other pertinent topics that are relevant to the goals of BRACS. The bibliography was developed in EndNote® and as a Microsoft Access database.

Database: Aquifers of Texas Bibliography, Zipped MS Access 2007 (1.6 MB, Last updated: November 1, 2011)

Presentations

2022

An update on brackish groundwater mapping in Texas
Alysa K. Suydam, P.G., TWDB | Multi State Salinity Coalition 2022 Summit, Las Vegas, Nevada, February 23-25, 2022

Study Results: Delineating Areas Designated or Used for Class II Well Wastewater Injectate
Juan P. Acevedo, TWDB | Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts Winter Business Meeting, Austin, Texas, February 8, 2022

2021

Brackish groundwater in the Hill Country Trinity Aquifer, Texas
Mark C. Robinson, P.G., TWDB | 2021 GeoGulf Convention, Austin, Texas, October 29, 2021

Estimating groundwater salinity using the Alger-Harrison method in the Hill Country Trinity Aquifer, Texas
Alysa K. Suydam, P.G., TWDB | 2021 GeoGulf Convention, Austin, Texas, October 29, 2021

Mapping Brackish Groundwater in Aquifers of the Upper Coastal Plains, Central Texas
Evan Strickland, P.G., TWDB | South Texas Geological Society, San Antonio, Texas, October 13, 2021

Edwards-Trinity Plateau Brackish Groundwater Study
Juan Acevedo, TWDB | West Texas Geological Society Fall Symposium, Midland, Texas, September 22, 2021

2020

Spatial distribution of the quality and quantity of brackish groundwater in five aquifers in the central portion of the Upper Coastal Plains of Texas
Alysa Suydam, GIT, TWDB | Geological Society of America, Forth Worth, Texas, March 9, 2020

Brackish Groundwater Characterization (BRACS)
Alysa Suydam, GIT, TWDB | Texas Ground Water Association Annual Convention, Austin, Texas, January 22, 2020

2019

Mapping Brackish Groundwater in Aquifers of the Upper Coastal Plains, Central Texas
Andrea Croskrey, P.G., TWDB | Austin Geological Society Meeting, Austin, Texas, November 4, 2019

Utilizing resistivity logs and the Rwa Method to map salinity zones in the Eocene Queen City Aquier, Central Texas (16.3 MB)
Andrea Croskrey, P.G., TWDB | 2019 Geological Society Association South-Central/North Central/ Rocky Mountain Section Meeting, Manhattan, Kansas, March 25, 2019

2018

Brackish groundwater resources of the Northern Trinity Aquifer, Texas (12.6 MB)
Mark Robinson, P.G., TWDB | Annual Convention Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies, Shreveport, Louisiana, October 2, 2018

Lower Dockum river channel across Andrews, Martin, and Howard counties, Texas (27.2 MB)
Mark Robinson, P.G., TWDB | West Texas Geological Society Fall Symposium, Midland, Texas, September 26, 2018

Brackish Groundwater Characterization System (1.74 MB)
Andrea Croskrey, P.G., TWDB | Texas Ground Water Association Annual Convention & Trade Show, San Marcos, Texas, January 24, 2018

2017

Lipan Aquifer Brackish Groundwater Study
Mark Robinson, P.G., TWDB | West Texas Geological Society 2017 Fall Symposium, Midland, Texas, September 26, 2017

Lipan Aquifer Brackish Groundwater Study, 4.75 MB
Mark Robinson, P.G., TWDB | South Central Water Research Interest Group, Austin, Texas, June 2, 2017

Initial Data-mining and Literature Review Summary for Mapping Brackish Groundwater in the Edwards-Trinity Plateau, 18.9 MB
Andrea Croskrey, P.G., TWDB | South Central Water Research Interest Group, Austin, Texas, June 2, 2017

Mapping Brackish Aquifers: Future Water Resources, 22.65 MB
Andrea Croskrey, P.G., TWDB | National Groundwater Association, Denever, Colorado, March 20, 2017

Brackish Resources Aquifer Characterization System (BRACS) for Texas Groundwater, 7.97 MB
Andrea Croskrey, P.G., TWDB | Geological Society Association South-Central Section Meeting, San Antonio, Texas, March 13, 2017

Innovative Water Technologies Programs, 19.4 MB
Alan Andrews, P.G., TWDB | Center for Inland Conference 2017, Houston, Texas, March 3, 2017

Brackish Resources Aquifer Characterization System (BRACS), 27.4 MB
Mark Robinson, P.G., TWDB | Texas Groundwater Association Annual Convention & Trade Show, San Marcos, Texas, January 25, 2017

2016

Leading National Efforts in Mapping Brackish Aquifers, 4.1 MB
Nathaniel van Oort, TWDB | Texas Desal Conference, Austin, Texas, September 26, 2016

Update on House Bill 30 Studies, 0.6 MB
Andrea Croskrey, P.G., TWDB | 2016 Texas Groundwater Summit, San Marcos, Texas, August 25, 2016

Texas' Brackish Resources Aquifer Characterization System, 14.4 MB
Andrea Croskrey, P.G., TWDB | 2016 American Association of Petroleum Geologists Southwest Section Convention, Abilene, Texas, April 11-12, 2016

2015

Techniques for Mapping and Characterizing Brackish Aquifers through the Mining of Existing Geophysical Data, 25.3 MB
Andrea Croskrey, P.G., TWDB | National Groundwater Association Groundwater Summit, San Marcos, Texas, March 17, 2015

2014

Brackish Groundwater in the Gulf Coast Aquifer, Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas, 16.2 MB
John Meyer, P.G., TWDB | Rio Grande Regional Water Planning meeting, Weslaco, Texas, December 10, 2014

Brackish Groundwater in the Gulf Coast Aquifer, Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas, 17.2 MB
John Meyer, P.G., TWDB | 3rd Rio Grande Valley Water Awareness Summit, Wesalco, Texas, December 5, 2014

Brackish Groundwater in the Gulf Coast Aquifer, Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas, 19.5 MB
John Meyer, P.G., TWDB | Rio Grand Regiona Water Authority, Wesalco, Texas, December 3, 2014

Brackish Groundwater Characterization, 6.2 MB
John Meyer, P.G., TWDB | Texas Desal Conference, Austin, Texas, September 12, 2014

Queen City and Sparta aquifers in Atascosa and McMullen Counties, Texas, 7.1 MB
Matthew Wise, P.G., TWDB | Evergreen Groundwater Conservation District, Pleasanton, Texas, August 19, 2014

Brackish Groundwater in the Gulf Coast Aquifer, Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas, 5.5 MB
John Meyer, P.G., TWDB | Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts, Austin, Texas, August 27, 2014

Brackish Groundwater in the Gulf Coast Aquifer, Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas, 19.4 MB
Sanjeev Kalaswad, Ph.D., P.G. and John Meyer, P.G., TWDB | Rio Grande Regional Water Authority, Wesalco, Texas, July 2, 2014

Brackish Groundwater Characterization, 12.8 MB
John Meyer, P.G., TWDB | Texas Aquifer Conference, Austin, Texas, June 2, 2014

Brackish Groundwater Characterization, 8.9 MB
John Meyer, P.G., TWDB | Texas Water Summit, Austin, Texas, May 19, 2014

Role of BRACS in the State Water Plan, 4.5 MB
Matthew Wise, P.G., TWDB | Texas A&M American Water Resources Association, College Station, Texas, February 20, 2014

Geologic Characterization for the Corpus Christi Aquifer Storage and Recovery Conservation District, 10.4 MB
John Meyer, P.G., TWDB | Corpus Christi Aquifer Storage and Recovery Conservation District, Corpus Christi, Texas, January 24, 2014

2013

Brackish Groundwater Characterization Southern Midland Basin Proposal West Texas, 6.9 MB
John Meyer, P.G., TWDB | Conference, Midland, Texas, September 11, 2013

Brackish Groundwater Characterization, 13.0 MB
John Meyer, P.G., TWDB | Texas Alliance Groundwater Districts, Austin, Texas, May 30, 2013

Water Desalination in Texas, 31.8 MB
Jorge Arroyo, P.E., TWDB | Independent Water and Sewer Companies of Texas, Inc., City, Texas, May 10, 2013

Brackish Groundwater Characterization Carrizo-Wilcox and overlying aquifers Central Texas, 9.4MB
John Meyer, P.G., TWDB | Conference, City, Texas, May 6, 2013

2012

Geologic Characterization of the Corpus Christi Aquifer Storage and Recovery Conservation District, 8.0 MB
John Meyer, P.G., TWDB | Corpus Christi Aquifer Storage and Recovery Conservation District, Corpus Christi, Texas, July 12, 2012

Brackish Groundwater Characterization, 4.4 MB
Matthew Wise, P.G., TWDB | Permian Basin Environmental Regulatory Seminar, Midland, Texas, May 31, 2012

TWDB's Integrated Approach to Brackish Groundwater Desalination, 1.7 MB
Matthew Wise, P.G., TWDB | National Groundwater Association Conference on Emerging Issues in Groundwater, San Antonio, Texas, February 27, 2012

Geologic Characterization of the Corpus Christi Aquifer Storage and Recovery Conservation District, 8.0 MB
John Meyer, P.G., TWDB | Groundwater Protection Council, Austin, Texas, January 24, 2012

2011

Brackish Resources Aquifer Characterization System, 8.2 MB
John Meyer, P.G., TWDB | San Antonio Water System, San Antonio, Texas, December 13, 2011

Brackish Resources Aquifer Characterization System, 6.9 MB
John Meyer, P.G., TWDB | Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Austin, Texas, August 2, 2011

BRACS: Mapping and Characterizing Texas' Brackish Aquifers, 2.1 MB
John Meyer, P.G., TWDB | Ground Water Summit and Ground Water Protection Council Meeting, Baltimore, Maryland, May 4, 2011

Brackish Resources Aquifer Characterization System, 7.5 MB
John Meyer, P.G., TWDB | Austin Geological Society, Austin, Texas, April 4, 2011

Brackish Groundwater Desalination in Texas, 2.8 MB
Kevin Ward., TWDB | Multi-State Salinity Coalition Summit, San Antonio, Texas, February 17, 2011

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