Land-Surface Subsidence at Seabrook, Texas.
Abstract
The pumping of vast quantities of ground water to meet increasing demands for municipal supply, industrial use, and irrigation has caused significant declines in artesian heads in parts of Harris and Galveston Counties, Texas. One such area of critical land-surface subsidence is in the vicinity of Seabrook in the southeastern part of Harris County. The land surface in this area has subsided more than 3 feet (1 m) since development of ground water began, and parts of the area are subject to inundation by seawater. Driveways and streets along the waterfront are flooded regularly by normal high tides, and unusually high tides, such as those produced by Hurricane Carla in 1961, flood everything at an altitude less than about 14 feet (4 m) mean sea level. The objectives of this investigation are: to determine the amount of land-surface subsidence due to the withdrawal of subsurface fluids; to determine the rates of subsidence and the relation of subsidence to the declines in artesian heads; to predict the declines in artesian heads during the next 50 years; to predict the rate of subsidence caused by fluid withdrawals; to predict the maximum amount of subsidence to be expected during the next 50 years.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 1976
- Accession Number
- ADA035621
Entities
People
- C. W. Bonnet
- R. K. Gabrysch