Expanded History of the Texas Water Science Center
The USGS water presence in Texas began in 1898 with measurements at 08158000 Colorado River at Austin, Texas. The Texas Water Science Center was founded in 1915 as the Texas District in Austin, Texas, and has now grown to nine offices located in Austin, Corpus Christi, El Paso, Fort Worth, Houston, Lubbock, San Angelo, San Antonio, and Wichita Falls.
Before the Survey
'Exploration surveys of the American west, such as John Wesley Powell’s excursion through the Grand Canyon in 1869, illustrated the need for scientific information about America’s natural resources. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) was established by Congress in 1879 for “the classification of the public lands, and examination of the geological structures, mineral resources, and products of the national domain”. Shortly thereafter, USGS began conducting studies of geologic, mineral and water resources, and land topography in Texas and across the United States and territories. USGS continues much of that work today.
Systematic topographic mapping forms the foundation for much of the work of the USGS. Some of the oldest topographic maps in Texas (Bastrop, Taylor, San Saba, mapped at 1:125,000 scale) were completed in 1885 and can be found at The National Map: Historical Topographic Map Collection. New and historical topographic maps can be found at USGS topoView.
The first systematic geologic studies in Texas occurred about the same time. Robert Thomas (R.T.) Hill, known as the Father of Texas Geology, worked for USGS and published the first compendium of geologic information for Texas. A few notable contributions from R.T. Hill include the first description of physiographic provinces of Texas; identification and naming of the Balcones Fault Zone in Central Texas; geologic exploration of the Big Bend region of the Rio Grande; and studies of the Cretaceous geologic units in and near Texas.
Early History
John Wesley Powell recognized the need for identifying and quantifying water resources in anticipation of westward expansion and development. Systematic studies by USGS of water resources also began shortly after the agency was formed. As a result of interest in stream measurements in Texas rivers, University of Texas Civil Engineering Professor Thomas Ulvan (T.U.) Taylor was hired in 1898 to be the first USGS resident hydrographer in Texas. T.U. Taylor was in charge of USGS Texas streamgaging activities from 1898 to about 1912.
Irrigation and water rights issues were among local, state, national, and international interests along the Rio Grande and illustrated the need for reliable water data. Established in 1889, a site at Rio Grande at El Paso, Texas (USGS station ID 08364000) was one of the earliest continuously operated streamgage stations in Texas. Shortly after being established, the El Paso station was transferred from USGS to the newly created International Boundary and Water Commission. The longest continuously operated USGS streamgage station at Colorado River at Austin, Texas (08158000) also was established in 1889.
The ability to continuously measure streamflow was new in the early history of streamflow data collection in Texas. One new streamgage in Texas was described: “So strong was public interest in stream gaging that, on the establishment of one station, T.U. Taylor was escorted to the site by a large contingent of citizens (although perhaps lacking the proverbial brass band) who watched with awe the process of measurement. When told that the meter used was an electric one, their faith in its accuracy was unbounded because the term “electric” signified marvelous qualities.” (A History of the Water Resources Branch, U.S. Geological Survey) Recent flooding (2015-2017) in Texas indicate that USGS streamgaging activities can still attract significant public interest.
USGS also conducted early studies of groundwater resources in Texas. Professor Charles Sumner Slichter, University of Wisconsin mathematician, developed methods for measuring rate of flow of groundwater and was hired by USGS to apply some of the earliest quantitative techniques to USGS groundwater studies. C.S. Slichter applied these methods to evaluate underground flow of the Rio Grande valley in the vicinity of El Paso, TX. USGS also hired Charles Newton Gould, University of Oklahoma geology instructor, to investigate the geology and underground water resources located west of Indian Territory and east of the Rocky Mountains, which included the Texas panhandle region. The results of C.N. Gould’s studies later contributed to the oil boom of the 1920s in the Texas panhandle region. TU Taylor also conducted an early groundwater study the Texas coastal plain, among his other studies.
Firm Beginning
USGS Texas Water Science Center has been cooperating with other federal, state, and local partners in monitoring Texas water resources for more than a century. In 1913, the Texas Board of Water Engineers was formed in response to increased irrigation development. One of the duties of the Board included “…to make, or cause to be made, measurements and calculations of the flow of streams from which water may be appropriated …commencing such work in those streams most used for irrigation or other beneficial uses.” An early TBWE report stated “The Board hopes to be able to arrange for cooperative work in stream measurements with the Hydrographic Division of the United States Geological Survey…” In 1915, cooperation was arranged on the basis of a State allotment of $8000 for the first year to the USGS’s $4000. The work was to be supervised by USGS, using engineers of both organizations.
In the same year, the USGS Texas District Office (now Texas Water Science Center) opened a permanent office in Austin. The first USGS District Engineer was Glenn A. Gray. At that time, 18 streamgages were being maintained. A few years later, in acknowledging the flashy nature of some streams and the large size of the state, G.A. Gray foretold: “The importance of stream-flow data in Texas will warrant the installation of several hundred stations….” Today (2018), USGS operates more than 850 real-time (continuously monitored) sites that include streams (627 sites), lakes (161), canals and estuaries (11), groundwater and extensometer wells (45), springs (10), and atmospheric (18) locations. Of the streamflow sites, 19 "centennial" streamgages have operated mostly continuously for more than 100 years.
Although technology has changed much in more than a century, streamflow and other water resources data are needed for many purposes such as: flood forecasts; interstate agreements, compacts, court decrees and other legal obligations; water supply; long-term forecasts; water quality assessments; reservoir operations; infrastructure planning; instream flow requirements; floodplain mapping and planning; tide monitoring and predictions; and recreational purposes.
Texas Water Science Center Directors
- Glenn A. Gray District Engineer, 1915-1918
- Clarence E. Ellsworth District Engineer, 1918-1953
- Trigg Twichell District Engineer; title changed to District Chief, 1953-70
- Dale Yost District Chief, 1971-80
- Bill Boning District Chief, 1980 - 1989
- Bob Burchett District Chief, 1989 - 1996
- Rich Hawkinson District Chief, 1996 - 2001
- Jess Weaver District Chief, 2001 - 2004
- Bob Joseph District Chief; title changed to Center Director, 2004 - 2017
- Tim Raines, Center Director, 2017 - present
REFERENCES
USGS History -
Follansbee, Robert, 1994, A History of the Water Resources Branch, U.S. Geological Survey: Volume I, From Predecessor Surveys to June 30, 1919: U.S. Geological Survey unnumbered report, 303 p.
Rabbitt, M.C., 1989, The United States Geological Survey: 1879-1989: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1050, 52 p.
Topography -
The National Map: More than 130 Years of Topographic Mapping
Evans, R.T., and Frye, H.M., 2009, History of the topographic branch (division): U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1341, 196 p.
Geology -
Hill, R.T. 1887. The present condition of knowledge of the geology of Texas. United States Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, Bulletin 45, 95 pp.
Hill, R.T. 1900. Topographic atlas of the United States: Physical geography of the Texas region. United States Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, Folio 3, 12 pp.
Hill, R.T. 1901. Geography and geology of the Black and Grand prairies, Texas with detailed descriptions of the Cretaceous formations and special reference to artesian waters. Twenty-First Annual Report of the United States Geological Survey to the Secretary of the Interior, 1899-1900, Part VII - Texas, 666 pp.
Hill, R.T. and Vaughan, T.W. 1902. Austin folio, Texas. United States Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, Geological Atlas of the United States, Folio 76.
Alexander, Nancy 1976. Father of Texas Geology: Robert T. Hill. Dallas: Southern Methodist University Press, 317 pp.
Wikipedia: Robert T. Hill; Accessed June 12, 2018 at URL https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_T._Hill.
The Handbook of Texas Online: Hill, Robert Thomas; Accessed June 12, 2018 at URL https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fhi26.
Water -
Gould, Charles Newton, 1906, The geology and water resources of the eastern portion of the Panhandle of Texas, U.S. Geological Survey Water Supply 154.
Gould, Charles Newton, 1907, The geology and water resources of the western portion of the Panhandle of Texas, U.S. Geological Survey Water Supply Paper 191.
Gould, Charles N., 1959, Covered Wagon Geologist, Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press.
Slichter, Charles Sumner, 1905, Observations on the ground waters of Rio Grande Valley, U.S. Geological Survey Water Supply Paper 141.
Taylor, T.U., 1904, The water powers of Texas, U.S. Geological Survey Water Supply Paper 105
Taylor, T.U., 1902, Irrigation systems of Texas, U.S. Geological Survey Water Supply Paper 71
Taylor, T.U., 1907, Underground waters of the Coastal Plain of Texas, U.S. Geological Survey Water Supply Paper 190.
Taylor, T.U. and Lamb, William Alfred, 1907, Surface water supply of western Gulf of Mexico and Rio Grande drainages, 1906, U.S. Geological Survey Water Supply Paper 210.
T. U. Taylor Papers, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin. Vertical Files, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin.
The Handbook of Texas Online: Gould, Charles Newton; Accessed June 12, 2018 at URL https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fgo37
The Handbook of Texas Online: Taylor, Thomas Ulvan; Accessed June 12, 2018 at URL https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fta27
The USGS water presence in Texas began in 1898 with measurements at 08158000 Colorado River at Austin, Texas. The Texas Water Science Center was founded in 1915 as the Texas District in Austin, Texas, and has now grown to nine offices located in Austin, Corpus Christi, El Paso, Fort Worth, Houston, Lubbock, San Angelo, San Antonio, and Wichita Falls.
Before the Survey
'Exploration surveys of the American west, such as John Wesley Powell’s excursion through the Grand Canyon in 1869, illustrated the need for scientific information about America’s natural resources. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) was established by Congress in 1879 for “the classification of the public lands, and examination of the geological structures, mineral resources, and products of the national domain”. Shortly thereafter, USGS began conducting studies of geologic, mineral and water resources, and land topography in Texas and across the United States and territories. USGS continues much of that work today.
Systematic topographic mapping forms the foundation for much of the work of the USGS. Some of the oldest topographic maps in Texas (Bastrop, Taylor, San Saba, mapped at 1:125,000 scale) were completed in 1885 and can be found at The National Map: Historical Topographic Map Collection. New and historical topographic maps can be found at USGS topoView.
The first systematic geologic studies in Texas occurred about the same time. Robert Thomas (R.T.) Hill, known as the Father of Texas Geology, worked for USGS and published the first compendium of geologic information for Texas. A few notable contributions from R.T. Hill include the first description of physiographic provinces of Texas; identification and naming of the Balcones Fault Zone in Central Texas; geologic exploration of the Big Bend region of the Rio Grande; and studies of the Cretaceous geologic units in and near Texas.
Early History
John Wesley Powell recognized the need for identifying and quantifying water resources in anticipation of westward expansion and development. Systematic studies by USGS of water resources also began shortly after the agency was formed. As a result of interest in stream measurements in Texas rivers, University of Texas Civil Engineering Professor Thomas Ulvan (T.U.) Taylor was hired in 1898 to be the first USGS resident hydrographer in Texas. T.U. Taylor was in charge of USGS Texas streamgaging activities from 1898 to about 1912.
Irrigation and water rights issues were among local, state, national, and international interests along the Rio Grande and illustrated the need for reliable water data. Established in 1889, a site at Rio Grande at El Paso, Texas (USGS station ID 08364000) was one of the earliest continuously operated streamgage stations in Texas. Shortly after being established, the El Paso station was transferred from USGS to the newly created International Boundary and Water Commission. The longest continuously operated USGS streamgage station at Colorado River at Austin, Texas (08158000) also was established in 1889.
The ability to continuously measure streamflow was new in the early history of streamflow data collection in Texas. One new streamgage in Texas was described: “So strong was public interest in stream gaging that, on the establishment of one station, T.U. Taylor was escorted to the site by a large contingent of citizens (although perhaps lacking the proverbial brass band) who watched with awe the process of measurement. When told that the meter used was an electric one, their faith in its accuracy was unbounded because the term “electric” signified marvelous qualities.” (A History of the Water Resources Branch, U.S. Geological Survey) Recent flooding (2015-2017) in Texas indicate that USGS streamgaging activities can still attract significant public interest.
USGS also conducted early studies of groundwater resources in Texas. Professor Charles Sumner Slichter, University of Wisconsin mathematician, developed methods for measuring rate of flow of groundwater and was hired by USGS to apply some of the earliest quantitative techniques to USGS groundwater studies. C.S. Slichter applied these methods to evaluate underground flow of the Rio Grande valley in the vicinity of El Paso, TX. USGS also hired Charles Newton Gould, University of Oklahoma geology instructor, to investigate the geology and underground water resources located west of Indian Territory and east of the Rocky Mountains, which included the Texas panhandle region. The results of C.N. Gould’s studies later contributed to the oil boom of the 1920s in the Texas panhandle region. TU Taylor also conducted an early groundwater study the Texas coastal plain, among his other studies.
Firm Beginning
USGS Texas Water Science Center has been cooperating with other federal, state, and local partners in monitoring Texas water resources for more than a century. In 1913, the Texas Board of Water Engineers was formed in response to increased irrigation development. One of the duties of the Board included “…to make, or cause to be made, measurements and calculations of the flow of streams from which water may be appropriated …commencing such work in those streams most used for irrigation or other beneficial uses.” An early TBWE report stated “The Board hopes to be able to arrange for cooperative work in stream measurements with the Hydrographic Division of the United States Geological Survey…” In 1915, cooperation was arranged on the basis of a State allotment of $8000 for the first year to the USGS’s $4000. The work was to be supervised by USGS, using engineers of both organizations.
In the same year, the USGS Texas District Office (now Texas Water Science Center) opened a permanent office in Austin. The first USGS District Engineer was Glenn A. Gray. At that time, 18 streamgages were being maintained. A few years later, in acknowledging the flashy nature of some streams and the large size of the state, G.A. Gray foretold: “The importance of stream-flow data in Texas will warrant the installation of several hundred stations….” Today (2018), USGS operates more than 850 real-time (continuously monitored) sites that include streams (627 sites), lakes (161), canals and estuaries (11), groundwater and extensometer wells (45), springs (10), and atmospheric (18) locations. Of the streamflow sites, 19 "centennial" streamgages have operated mostly continuously for more than 100 years.
Although technology has changed much in more than a century, streamflow and other water resources data are needed for many purposes such as: flood forecasts; interstate agreements, compacts, court decrees and other legal obligations; water supply; long-term forecasts; water quality assessments; reservoir operations; infrastructure planning; instream flow requirements; floodplain mapping and planning; tide monitoring and predictions; and recreational purposes.
Texas Water Science Center Directors
- Glenn A. Gray District Engineer, 1915-1918
- Clarence E. Ellsworth District Engineer, 1918-1953
- Trigg Twichell District Engineer; title changed to District Chief, 1953-70
- Dale Yost District Chief, 1971-80
- Bill Boning District Chief, 1980 - 1989
- Bob Burchett District Chief, 1989 - 1996
- Rich Hawkinson District Chief, 1996 - 2001
- Jess Weaver District Chief, 2001 - 2004
- Bob Joseph District Chief; title changed to Center Director, 2004 - 2017
- Tim Raines, Center Director, 2017 - present
REFERENCES
USGS History -
Follansbee, Robert, 1994, A History of the Water Resources Branch, U.S. Geological Survey: Volume I, From Predecessor Surveys to June 30, 1919: U.S. Geological Survey unnumbered report, 303 p.
Rabbitt, M.C., 1989, The United States Geological Survey: 1879-1989: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1050, 52 p.
Topography -
The National Map: More than 130 Years of Topographic Mapping
Evans, R.T., and Frye, H.M., 2009, History of the topographic branch (division): U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1341, 196 p.
Geology -
Hill, R.T. 1887. The present condition of knowledge of the geology of Texas. United States Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, Bulletin 45, 95 pp.
Hill, R.T. 1900. Topographic atlas of the United States: Physical geography of the Texas region. United States Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, Folio 3, 12 pp.
Hill, R.T. 1901. Geography and geology of the Black and Grand prairies, Texas with detailed descriptions of the Cretaceous formations and special reference to artesian waters. Twenty-First Annual Report of the United States Geological Survey to the Secretary of the Interior, 1899-1900, Part VII - Texas, 666 pp.
Hill, R.T. and Vaughan, T.W. 1902. Austin folio, Texas. United States Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, Geological Atlas of the United States, Folio 76.
Alexander, Nancy 1976. Father of Texas Geology: Robert T. Hill. Dallas: Southern Methodist University Press, 317 pp.
Wikipedia: Robert T. Hill; Accessed June 12, 2018 at URL https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_T._Hill.
The Handbook of Texas Online: Hill, Robert Thomas; Accessed June 12, 2018 at URL https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fhi26.
Water -
Gould, Charles Newton, 1906, The geology and water resources of the eastern portion of the Panhandle of Texas, U.S. Geological Survey Water Supply 154.
Gould, Charles Newton, 1907, The geology and water resources of the western portion of the Panhandle of Texas, U.S. Geological Survey Water Supply Paper 191.
Gould, Charles N., 1959, Covered Wagon Geologist, Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press.
Slichter, Charles Sumner, 1905, Observations on the ground waters of Rio Grande Valley, U.S. Geological Survey Water Supply Paper 141.
Taylor, T.U., 1904, The water powers of Texas, U.S. Geological Survey Water Supply Paper 105
Taylor, T.U., 1902, Irrigation systems of Texas, U.S. Geological Survey Water Supply Paper 71
Taylor, T.U., 1907, Underground waters of the Coastal Plain of Texas, U.S. Geological Survey Water Supply Paper 190.
Taylor, T.U. and Lamb, William Alfred, 1907, Surface water supply of western Gulf of Mexico and Rio Grande drainages, 1906, U.S. Geological Survey Water Supply Paper 210.
T. U. Taylor Papers, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin. Vertical Files, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin.
The Handbook of Texas Online: Gould, Charles Newton; Accessed June 12, 2018 at URL https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fgo37
The Handbook of Texas Online: Taylor, Thomas Ulvan; Accessed June 12, 2018 at URL https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fta27