Current Land Subsidence and Groundwater Level Changes in the Houston Metropolitan Area (2005–2012)
Publication: Journal of Surveying Engineering
Volume 141, Issue 4
Abstract
This article summarizes land subsidence and groundwater level changes that have occurred in the Houston metropolitan area during an eight-year period (2005–2012). The Chicot and Evangeline aquifers are the major aquifers that underlie the Houston metropolitan area. Subsidence measurements from 95 permanent global positioning system (GPS) stations and 11 borehole extensometers, as well as groundwater level measurements from 170 wells screened in the Chicot aquifer and 320 wells screened in the Evangeline aquifer, were investigated. The Evangeline aquifer is currently the primary source of municipal, agricultural, and industrial water for urban and rural areas in the western and northern regions of the Houston area. Global positioning system and extensometer observations indicate that the overall subsidence rate in the Houston area has been decreasing since 2005. This decrease is a result of groundwater withdrawal regulations enforced by the Harris–Galveston Subsidence District, the Fort Bend Subsidence District, and other local agencies. Currently, subsidence in downtown Houston and in the southeastern region of the Houston metropolitan area has nearly ceased (). Slight land rebound has been observed at several GPS and extensometer sites along the Houston Ship Channel area since 2005. However, subsidence is occurring at a rate as rapid as 2.5 cm/year in the western and northern regions of the Houston metropolitan area. This study indicates that the local preconsolidation heads, the groundwater levels of the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers before human pumping of groundwater began, were approximately 30–40 m below the land surface. Presently, the water level of the Chicot is close to the preconsolidation head throughout most parts of the Houston metropolitan area. However, the Evangeline water level is approximately 70 m below the preconsolidation head in the northern region and 50 m below the preconsolidation head in the western region. The land subsidence rate is decreasing in the areas where the water level is rising, but is still below the preconsolidation head. Some such areas include Addicks and Jersey Village. The rate of land subsidence is steady in the areas that groundwater head is declining and below the preconsolidation head, such as in The Woodlands area. It will take a long period of time (e.g., ) for the current groundwater level to rise to the preconsolidation level in the northern and western regions of the study area and for subsidence to cease. In general, groundwater and aquifer systems respond slowly to human actions. Therefore, a long-term perspective is needed to manage groundwater resources and control land subsidence.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank the USGS and the HGSD for providing groundwater, extensometer, and GPS data to the public. This study was supported by a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER award EAR-1229278, an NSF MRI award EAR-1242383, and an NSF TUES award DUE-1243582.
References
Abidin, H. Z., Andreas, H., Gumilar, I., Fukuda, Y., Pohan, Y. E., and Deguchi, T. (2011). “Land subsidence of Jakarta (Indonesia) and its relation with urban development.” Nat. Hazards, 59(3), 1753–1771.
American Association of Petroleum Geologists. (2011). Salt tectonism of the U.S. gulf coast basin (CD-ROM), GIS-UDRIL (Geographic Information System-Upstream Digital Reference Information Library).
Ashworth, J. B., and Hopkins, J. (1995). “Aquifers of Texas.” Rep. No. 345, Texas Water Development Board, Austin, TX. 〈https://www.twdb.state.tx.us/publications/reports/numbered_reports/doc/R345/R345Complete.pdf〉 (Dec. 1, 2014).
Baker, E. T. (1979). “Stratigraphic and hydrogeologic framework of part of the coastal plain of Texas.” Rep. No. 236, Texas Dept. of Water Resources, Austin, TX. 〈https://www.twdb.state.tx.us/publications/reports/numbered_reports/doc/R236/R236.pdf〉 (Dec. 1, 2014).
Bawden, G., Johnson, M., Kasmarek, M., Brandt, J., and Middleton, C. S. (2012). “Investigation of land subsidence in the Houston-Galveston region of Texas by using the global positioning system and interferometric synthetic aperture radar, 1993–2000.” USGS Scientific Investigation Rep. No. 2012-5211, USGS, Reston, VA.
BCGCD (Brazoria County Groundwater Conservation District). (2012). “Groundwater management plan, December 13, 2012.” 〈http://www.bcgroundwater.org/images/bcg/documents/BCGCD_Groundwater_Management_Plan_2012 1213.pdf〉 (Dec. 1, 2014).
Bertiger, W., et al. (2010). “Single receiver phase ambiguity resolution with GPS data.” J. Geod., 84(5), 327–337.
Carruth, R., Pool, D., and Anderson, C. (2007). “Land subsidence and aquifer system compaction in the Tucson active management area, south-central Arizona 1987–2005.” Scientific Investigations Rep. 2007-5190, USGS, Reston, VA.
Casagrande, A. (1936). “The determination of the pre-consolidation load and its practical significance.” Proc. 1st Int. Conf. on Soil Mech. Found. Engrg., A. Casagrande, P. C. Rutledge, and J. D. Watson, eds., 3, 60–64.
Chen, C. T., Hu, J. C., Lu, C. Y., Lee, J. C., and Chan, Y. C. (2007). “Thirty-year land elevation change from subsidence to uplift following the termination of groundwater pumping and its geological implications in the metropolitan Taipei Basin, Northern Taiwan.” Eng. Geol., 95(1–2), 30–47.
Coplin, L., and Galloway, D. (1999). “Land subsidence in the United States. Houston Galveston, Texas: Managing coastal subsidence.” Geol. Surv. Circ., 1182, 35–48.
Dixon, T., et al. (2006). “Space geodesy: Subsidence and flooding in New Orleans.” Nature, 441, 587–588.
Dokka, R. (2006). “Modern-day tectonic subsidence in coastal Louisiana.” Geology, 34(4), 281–284.
Dokka, R., Sella, G., and Dixon, T. (2006). “Tectonic control of subsidence and southward displacement of southeast Louisiana with respect to stable North America.” Geophys. Res. Lett., 33(23), L23308.
Engelkemeir, R., Khan, S., and Burke, K. (2010). “Surface deformation in Houston, Texas using GPS.” Tectonophysics, 490(1–2), 47–54.
ESRI (Environmental Systems Research Institute). (2012). “ArcGIS online world topographic map final updates for 2012.” 〈http://blogs.esri.com/esri/arcgis/2012/12/28/arcgis-online-world-topographic-map-final-2012-updates/〉 (March 25, 2015).
Firuzabadi, D., and King, R. (2011). “GPS precision as a function of session duration and reference frame using multi-point software.” GPS Solut., 16(2), 191–196.
Gabrysch, R. (1984a). “Ground-water withdrawals and land-surface subsidence in the Houston-Galveston region.” Rep. No. 287, Texas Dept. of Water Resources, Austin, TX.
Gabrysch, R. (1984b). “Subsidence in the Houston-Galveston region, Texas, U.S.A.” Guidebook to studies of land subsidence due to ground-water withdrawal, J. F. Poland, ed., UNESCO, Paris, 253–262.
Gabrysch, R., and Bonnet, C. (1975). “Land-surface subsidence in the Houston-Galveston region.” Texas Rep. 189, Texas Water Development Board, Austin, TX.
Galloway, D., Jones, D., and Ingebritsen, S. (1999). “Land subsidence in the United States.” USGS Circular 1182, USGS, Reston, VA.
Ge, M., Gendt, G., Rothacher, M., Shi, C., and Liu, J. (2008). “Resolution of GPS carrier-phase ambiguities in precise point positioning (PPP) with daily observations.” J. Geod., 82(7), 389–399.
Geng, J., Meng, X., Dodson, A., and Teferle, F. (2010). “Integer ambiguity resolution in precise point positioning: Method comparison.” J. Geod., 84(9), 569–581.
GIPSY-OASIS (GNSS-Inferred Positioning System and Orbit Analysis Simulation Software) [Computer Software]. Pasadena, CA, JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory).
HGSD (Harris-Galveston Subsidence District). (1999). “Harris-Galveston subsidence district regulatory plan. Adopted April 14, 1999, amended September 12, 2001 and June 9, 2010.” 〈http://www.hgsubsidence.org/assets/pdfdocuments/HGRegPlan.pdf〉 (Dec. 1, 2014).
HGSD (Harris-Galveston Subsidence District). (2013a). “Harris-Galveston subsidence district regulatory plan. Adopted January 9, 2013; amended May 8, 2013.” 〈http://hgsubsidence.org/wpcontent/uploads/2013/07/HGSD-2013-Regulatory-Plan-with-Amendment.pdf〉 (Dec. 1, 2014).
HGSD (Harris-Galveston Subsidence District). (2013b). “Regional groundwater update project final report.” 〈http://hgsubsidence.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Regional_Groundwater_Update_Project-Report-62013.pdf〉 (Dec. 1, 2014).
HGSD (Harris-Galveston Subsidence District). (2013c). “The subsidence district 2013 annual groundwater report.” 〈http://hgsubsidence.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/HG-GW-Report-2013-Final.pdf〉 (Dec. 1, 2014).
Hoffmann, J., Zebker, H., Galloway, D., and Amelung, F. (2001). “Seasonal subsidence and rebound in Las Vegas valley, Nevada, observed by synthetic aperture radar interferometry.” Water Resour. Res., 37(6), 1551–1566.
Holzer, T. L., and Bluntzer, R. L. (1984). “Land subsidence near oil and gas fields, Houston, Texas.” Groundwater, 22(4), 450–459.
Johnson, M., Ramage, J., and Kasmarek, M. (2011). Water-level altitudes 2011 and water-level changes in the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper aquifers and compaction 1973–2010 in the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers, Houston–Galveston region, Texas, USGS Sci. Invest. Map 3174, USGS, Reston, VA.
Kasmarek, M., Gabrysch, R., and Johnson, M. (2009). Estimated land-surface subsidence in Harris County, Texas, 1915–17 to 2001, USGS Sci. Invest. Map 3097, USGS, Reston, VA.
Kasmarek, M., Johnson, M., and Ramage, J. (2013). Water-level altitudes 2013 and water-level changes in the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper aquifers and compaction 1973–2012 in the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers, Houston-Galveston region, Texas, USGS Sci. Invest. Map 3263, USGS, Reston, VA.
Khan, S. D., Huang, Z., and Karacy, A. (2014). “Study of ground subsidence in northwest Harris county using GPS, LiDAR, and InSAR techniques.” Nat. Hazards, 73(3), 1143–1173.
Krijnen, H., and de Heus, H. (1995). “Application of GPS with sub-centimeter accuracy for subsidence monitoring.” Land subsidence, Barends, F., Brouwer, F., and Schröder, F., eds., Balkema, Rotterdam, Netherlands, 333–343.
Laurichesse, D., Mercier, F., Berthias, J., Broca, P., and Cerri, L. (2009). “Integer ambiguity resolution on undifferenced GPS phase measurements and its application to PPP and satellite precise orbit determination, navigation.” J. Inst. Navig., 56(2), 135–149.
LSGCD (Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District). (2003). “Groundwater management plan, adopted October 14, 2003.” 〈http://lonestargcd.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/031014-Final-Adopted-Management-Plan-BS.pdf〉 (Dec. 1, 2014).
Mousavi, S., El Naggar, M., and Shamsai, A. (2000). “Application of GPS to evaluate land subsidence in Iran.” Proc., of the Sixth Int. Symp. on Land Subsidence, Ravenna, Italy, 2, 107–112.
NGS (National Geodetic Survey). (2004). “Continuously operating reference station (CORS).” 〈http://geodesy.noaa.gov/CORS〉 (Dec. 1, 2014).
Noble, J. E., Bush, P. W., Kasmarek, M. C., and Barbie, D. L. (1996). “Estimated depth to water table and estimated rate of recharge in outcrops of the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers near Houston, Texas.” USGS Water-Resources Investigations Rep. 96-4018, USGS, Reston, VA. 〈http://pubs.usgs.gov/wri/wri96-4018/pdf/wri96-4018.pdf〉 (Apr. 21, 2015).
NRC (National Research Council). (1991). Mitigating losses from land subsidence in the United States, Panel on Land Subsidence, Committee on Ground Failure Hazards Mitigation Research, Division of Natural Hazard Mitigation, National Academy Press, Washington, DC.
Osmanoglu, B., Dixon, T., Wdowinski, S., Cabral-Cano, E., and Jiang, Y. (2011). “Mexico City subsidence observed with PS-InSAR.” Int. J. Appl. Earth Obs., 13(1), 1–12.
Pearland Economic Development Corporation. (2014). “Pearland demographic overview.” 〈http://www.pearlandedc.com〉 (Dec. 1, 2014).
Poland, J. F., and Davis, G. H. (1969). “Land subsidence due to withdrawal of fluids.” Eng. Geol., 2, 187–269.
Poland, J. F., Yamamoto, S., and Working Group. (1984). “Field measurement of deformation.” Guidebook to studies of land subsidence due to ground-water withdrawal, J. F. Poland, ed., UNESCO, Paris, 17–35.
Pratt, W., and Johnson, D. (1926). “Local subsidence of the Goose Creek oil field.” J. Geol., 34(7), 577–590.
San Jacinto River Authority. (2014). “SJRA’s GRP water line construction information.” 〈http://www.sanjacintoriverauthority.com/woodlands〉 (Dec. 1, 2014).
Sato, P., Abe, K., and Ootaki, O. (2003). “GPS-measured land subsidence in Ojiya city, Niigata prefecture, Japan.” Eng. Geol., 67(3–4), 379–390.
Schmidt, D. A., and Burgmann, R. (2003). “Time-dependent land uplift and subsidence in the Santa Clara valley, California, from a large interferometric synthetic aperture radar data set.” J. Geophys. Res., 108(B9), 2416.
Shah, S., and Lanning-Rush, J. (2005). Principal faults in the Houston, Texas, metropolitan area, USGS Sci. Invest. Map 2874, USGS, Reston, VA.
Terzaghi, C. (1925). “Principles of soil mechanics.” Eng. News-Record, 95(20), 796–800.
TxDOT (Texas DOT). (2014). “Texas Department of Transportation global positioning system.” 〈http://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/division/information-technology/gps.html〉 (Dec. 1, 2014).
UNAVCO (University NAVSTAR Consortium). (2014). “UNAVCO data archive interface.” 〈http://facility.unavco.org/data/dai2/app/dai2.html〉 (Dec. 1, 2014).
USGS. (2014). “USGS groundwater watch.” 〈http://groundwaterwatch.usgs.gov〉 (Dec. 1, 2014).
Wang, G. (2011). “GPS landslide monitoring: Single base vs. network solutions; a case study based on the Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands permanent GPS network.” J. Geod. Sci., 1(3), 191–203.
Wang, G. (2013). “Millimeter-accuracy GPS landslide monitoring using precise point positioning with single receiver phase ambiguity resolution: A case study in Puerto Rico.” J. Geod. Sci., 3(1), 22–31.
Wang, G., and Soler, T. (2013). “Using OPUS for measuring vertical displacements in Houston, TX.” J. Surv. Eng., 126–134.
Wang, G., Yu, J., Ortega, J., Saenz, G., Burrough, T., and Neill, R. (2013). “A stable reference frame for ground deformation study in the Houston metropolitan area, Texas.” J. Geod. Sci., 3(3), 188–202.
Wang, G.-Q., and Soler, T. (2014). “Measuring land subsidence using GPS: Ellipsoid height vs. orthometric height.” J. Surv. Eng., 05014004.
Wang, G.-Q., Yu, J., Kearns, T. J., and Ortega, J. (2014). “Assessing the accuracy of long-term subsidence derived from borehole extensometer data using GPS observations: Case study in Houston, Texas.” J. Surv. Eng., 05014001.
Wessel, P., Smith, W. H. F., Scharroo, R., Luis, J. F., and Wobbe, F. (2013). “Generic mapping tools: Improved version released.” EOS Trans., 94(45), 409–410.
Winslow, A. G., and Doyel, W. W. (1954). “Land-surface subsidence and its relation to the withdrawal of ground water in the Houston–Galveston region.” Texas: Econ. Geol., 40(4), 413–422.
Yu, J., Wang, G., Kearns, T. J., and Yang, L. (2014). “Is there deep-seated subsidence in the Houston-Galveston area?” Int. J. Geophys., 2014(2014), 942834.
Zilkoski, D. B., et al. (2003). “The Harris-Galveston coastal subsidence district/National Geodetic Survey automated global positioning system subsidence monitoring project.” Proc., U.S. Geological Survey Subsidence Interest Group Conf., USGS OpenFile Rep. 03-308, USGS, Reston, VA, 13–28.
Zumberge, J., Heflin, M., Jefferson D., Watkins, M., and Webb, F. (1997). “Precise point positioning for the efficient and robust analysis of GPS data from large networks.” J. Geophys. Res., 102(B3), 5005–5017.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Surveying Engineering
Volume 141 • Issue 4 • November 2015
Copyright
© 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Mar 1, 2014
Accepted: Mar 18, 2015
Published online: Jun 6, 2015
Published in print: Nov 1, 2015
Discussion open until: Nov 6, 2015
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.