THE UNDERGROUND WATER SUPPLY OF TEXAS. 



BY ROBERT J. BROWN. 



r I ^EXAS is a country peculiar to itself in the char- 

 I acter of its climate, and particularly is it pecul- 

 iar in regard to the natural irrigation of its soil. 



It is doubtful if there is another country in the 

 world with less humidity in the atmosphere, with less 

 frequent rains and yet with a soil so fertile and so well 

 watered by nature. Hundreds of rivers flow through 

 the State, and many rise from the ground, sparkle 

 down the valleys for a few, or for many miles, and dis- 

 appear without finding an outlet either into any 

 neighboring stream or into the sea. Rivers which 

 spring full grown from the bosom of the earth are not 

 uncommon here, and to have them sink from sight as 

 suddenly and as completely "as if swallowed up by 

 the earth" would seem a natural exit after so impetu- 

 ous an entry upon the scene. 



PECULIAR TEXAS STREAMS. 



A glance at any good map of Texas will show a 

 number of these strange rivers, which rise as other 

 rivers do, but never find an outlet. It takes but a 

 moment's thought to show that where these streams 

 thus sink into the earth, they must continue their 

 course under the surface, and in many instances seem- 

 ingly detached streams are but continuations of 

 others which have sunk from sight in higher 

 ground, perhaps scores of miles away. Such in truth 

 is the case, and scientific investigation has developed 

 the fact that many portions of the State have at vary- 

 ing depths, vast systems of underground rivers, inter- 

 lacing into a network which forms a natural water 

 supply unequaled and practically inexhaustible. 



There are immense tracts of country in Texas which 

 are veritable deserts because of lack of water, but 

 millions of acres of this same desert land will be re- 

 claimed through the means of these underground 

 rivers. The soil of Texas stands drouth better than 

 that of any other State in the Union, a fact which 

 some explain on the theory that a continuous system 

 of almost insensible sub-irrigation exists on account 

 of the large underlying streams of water. 



WIIAT THESE RIVERS WILL DO. 



A magazine of the nature of THE IRRIGATION.AGE, 

 so thoroughly covering this interesting field, cannot 

 fail to find much of importance to its readers in the 

 peculiarities of the Texas water supply. They have 

 already been informed of the possibilities of reclaim- 

 ing the millions of acres now burning beneath the 

 semi-tropic sun of Trans- Pecos, Tex., and the project 

 now under discussion, looking to the construction of 

 storage reservoirs in that locality by the State. In re- 



gard to the utilization of the underground waters of 

 the State, however, and the progress which has been 

 already made in that direction there yet remains a rich 

 field for their information. 



It is a well known fact that the fountain-head must 

 be higher than the mouth of the well, or no artesian 

 well can be expected to flow. At first glance it would 

 seem that Texas is indeed a most unfortunate State. 

 Large tracts of land, bewildering in their extent, are 

 found so utterly devoid of all apparent water supply, 

 that even the known richness of the parched soil and 

 the undoubted presence of valuable mineral deposits 

 seem but a mockery, by the impossibility of utilizing 

 them under existing conditions, but investigation has 

 shown that nature has not by any means been so un- 

 kind as would seem. The State geologist, in his dis- 

 cussion of the water conditions of Texas, divides the 

 State into three divisions called " The Gulf Slope," 

 "The Central Basin" and the "Western Mountain Sys- 

 tem." 



THE GULF SLOPE. 



In many respects the first named division is similar 

 in character to that of neighboring States on the east, 

 but with that resemblance, it retains the Texas pecul- 

 iarity of dry climate and underground water supply. 

 It was at one time, for the most part, all embraced 

 within the bed of that vast pre-historic ocean, which 

 time has seen so diminished in dimensions, and which 

 we now call the Gulf of Mexico. The deposits re- 

 ceived from that ocean gave to the section not only a 

 rich soil, but a series of geologic formations most 

 favorable for the natural underground storage of water 

 and the easy utilization of the supply. These facts 

 are already demonstrated by the existence of success- 

 ful wells in hundreds of places in the district. 



The conditions for successful artesian wells are 

 excellent. Large surfaces naturally disposed for 

 catching the heavy periodical rainfalls, and the nec- 

 essary formations for carrying them to lower lying 

 land and delivering them at the surface in response 

 to the demand of intelligence and science. The wells 

 of Austin, San Antonio, Waco, Dallas and Ft. Worth 

 are included in this district. 



THE CENTRAL BASIN. 



The "Central Basin" region shows a gradual slope 

 toward the west and is bordered on the north by the 

 Wichita mountains in the Indian Territory and on the 

 west by the Guadaloupe Mountains, in El Paso County, 

 while in its western embrace is found a section of the 

 "Staked Plain," a portion of that old time horror of 

 the west, "The Great American Desert." There is 



