Marble Falls Aquiferinteractive map

Summary

The Marble Falls Aquifer, a minor aquifer, occurs in several separated outcrops along the northern and eastern flanks of the Llano Uplift region of Central Texas. The subsurface extent of the aquifer is unknown. Groundwater occurs in fractures, solution cavities, and channels in the limestone of the Marble Falls Formation of the Bend Group. The aquifer is highly permeable in places, as indicated by wells that yield as much as 2,000 gallons per minute. Maximum thickness of the formation is 600 feet. Where underlying beds are thin or absent, the Marble Falls Aquifer may be hydraulically connected to the Ellenburger−San Saba Aquifer. Numerous large springs issue from the aquifer and provide a significant part of the base flow to the San Saba River in McCulloch and San Saba counties and to the Colorado River in San Saba and Lampasas counties.

Because the limestone beds composing this aquifer are relatively shallow, the aquifer is susceptible to pollution by surface uses and activities. For example, some wells in Blanco County have produced water with high nitrate concentrations. In the subsurface, groundwater becomes highly mineralized; however, the water produced from this aquifer is suitable for most purposes and generally contains less than 1,000 milligrams per liter of total dissolved solids.

Water from the aquifer is used for municipal, agricultural, and industrial uses, and no significant water level declines have occurred in wells measured by the TWDB.

Reports