Texas Department of Water Resources:

An Inventory of High Plains-Ogallala Aquifer Area Study Records at the Texas State Archives, 1955-1983

History of the Study

The problem of a decreasing water supply from the Ogallala Aquifer for irrigation on the High Plains was addressed by the U.S. Congress in Section 193, Public Law 94-587 in 1976. In order "to promote the economic vitality of the High Plains Region," Congress directed the Secretary of Commerce to study "the depletion of the natural resources of those regions...presently utilizing the declining water resources of the Ogallala aquifer, and to develop plans, to increase water supplies in the area and...to examine the feasibility of various alternatives to provide adequate water supplies to the area." The study area was defined as those regions of Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Nebraska presently utilizing the Ogallala Aquifer and the surrounding regions which may be affected economically or hydrologically.

In October 1976, Congress authorized the study at a funding level of $6 million. The six states, with the Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration (EDA), formed the High Plains Study Council in November 1976. The purpose of the Council was to determine potential development alternatives for the High Plains; to describe the policies and actions required to carry out promising development strategies; and to evaluate the local, state and national implications of these alternative development strategies. The membership of the council was composed of a representative from the federal government and three members from each state in the study area. From Texas, the representatives were the executive director of the Texas Water Development Board, the chairman of the Water Development Board, and a member of the House of Representatives. Other participants in the study would include the general contractor, state advisory groups, and an advisory group composed of environmental, energy, and regulatory state and federal agencies.

A study design was approved by the High Plains Council in 1977 and a general contractor, the consulting firm of Camp, Dresser, and McKee, Inc., was selected in September 1978. The general contractor managed the study for the federal government and the Council and each state performed part of the work. In Texas, this primarily included the Texas Water Development Board and its successor, the Texas Department of Water Resources. The Texas Water Development Board was established in 1957 and its responsibilities have included administering state and federal financing programs for water-related projects and long-term water resources planning with associated data collecting and studies on water resources of the state. Under a 1965 reorganization, the Water Development Board assumed certain technical and planning functions formerly vested in the former Texas Water Commission and the Board of Water Engineers. In 1977, just after the High Plains Ogallala Aquifer Study had begun, the Water Development Board was consolidated into the new Department of Water Resources. The records and activities of the study were also transferred to the Department of Water Resources and the Texas portions of the study were conducted and finished under that agency's direction.

Planning funds for performing research analyses for the Texas portion of the High Plains Ogallala Aquifer Area Study were under contract between the general contractor and the Texas Department of Water Resources. Research elements included farm level research, energy production impacts, state and regional impacts, and water resources evaluation. In water resources evaluation, the Texas Department of Water Resources worked closely with the United States Geological Service (USGS) and the general contractor, describing the geologic structure, hydrology, and the groundwater and aquifer characteristics of the Ogallala and peripheral aquifers. Data collected included information on precipitation, streamflow, recharge, natural discharge, movement of groundwater, and water quality. Studies and estimates were made of the depths to water, thickness of the aquifer, well yields, and quantities of water in storage in each county of the Texas High Plains area. For data prior to 1976, the Department of Water Resources used water availability studies done by the Texas Board of Water Engineers, the Texas Water Commission, and the Texas Water Development Board. This data, along with projections of future water use, was used as input into analyses of the project. The Department of Water Resources also subcontracted with the general contractor to provide administrative support to the High Plains Study Council Liaison Committee.

The High Plains-Ogallala Aquifer Area Study was completed in March 1982. Recommendations were made to Congress and the Secretary of Commerce in January 1984.

Scope and Contents of the Records

Types of records include minutes, by-laws, resolutions, correspondence, memos, notes, studies, reports, contracts, vouchers, copies of newspaper clippings, photographs and slides, press releases, maps, charts, and audio cassette tapes. Records date from 1955 to 1983. Records are from the High Plains-Ogallala Aquifer Area Study and were produced by the High Plains Study Council, the High Plains Liaison Committee, and the various Texas state agencies that had responsibility for investigations related to groundwater, primarily the Texas Department of Water Resources. Records document the formation and policy-making activities of the High Plains Study Council, its Liaison Committee planning with state governments, and the collection and compilation of raw data on water resources by Texas water agencies. A complete set of minutes of the High Plains Study Council is present. Correspondents include the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Representatives, U.S. Department of Commerce-Economic Development Administration, county judges, the Texas Department of Water Resources, Texas Water Development Board, Texas Board of Water Engineers, and Texas Water Commission. Approximately half of the records consist of groundwater availability and water quality data.

To prepare this inventory, the described materials were cursorily reviewed to delineate series, to confirm the accuracy of contents lists, to provide an estimate of dates covered, and to determine record types.

Restrictions

Restrictions on Access

None.

Restrictions on Use

None.

Related Material

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

(Identify the item), High Plains-Ogallala Aquifer Area Study records, Texas Department of Water Resources. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

Accession Information

Accession number: 1993/217

These records were transferred to the Archives and Information Services Division of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission by the Texas Water Commission on August 5, 1993.

Processing Information

Paul Beck, September 1993

Detailed Description of the Records