Monday, April 29, 2013
Michelle Sutherland, P.E., Daniel B. Stephens & Associates, Inc.
Stefan K. Schuster, P.G., Daniel B. Stephens & Associates, Inc.
In the five Texas counties of Bailey, Castro, Deaf Smith, Lamb, and Parmer, groundwater is supplied predominantly from the Ogallala Aquifer under unconfined (water table) conditions, with groundwater flow predominantly from west to east. In order to evaluate the change in water storage prior to 1950 to 2010, the High Plains Underground Water Conservation District, in cooperation with the City of Lubbock, Deaf Smith County Electric Cooperative, Lamb County Electric Cooperative, Golden Spread Electric Cooperative, and Xcel Corporation, hired Daniel B. Stephens & Associates Inc. (DBS&A) in January 2011 to construct a three-dimensional hydrostratigraphic model and conduct a volumetric analysis of the Ogallala Aquifer for the five counties (study area). The stratigraphy and structure of the Ogallala Aquifer in the study area were evaluated using data obtained from high-graded existing driller’s reports. A total of 2,753 wells were used to help delineate the subsurface geology in the study area. This delineation included assigning material type codes to each geologic material interval described in the driller's logs. Water volumetric calculations were made based on an indicator kriging analysis of the material type codes, estimated specific yields for each material type, and historical water level measurements. The study determined that estimated water volume in storage in the five-county area has decreased from 101 million acre-feet prior to 1950 to 39.2 million acre-feet in 2010.
| Michelle Sutherland, P.E.
, Daniel B. Stephens & Associates, Inc.
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Michelle Sutherland, P.E., is a Staff Engineer/Project Manager at DBS&A. She has a B.S.E. degree in civil and environmental engineering and an M.S.E. degree in environmental engineering. She specializes in the application of modeling software to characterize geology and groundwater resources and the evaluation of remediation alternatives at contaminated sites. She has conducted regional and local spatial analyses of groundwater availability and has managed geodatabase projects that compile data from numerous sources. She is proficient in ESRI ArcGIS, Spatial Analyst Extension, 3-D Analyst Extension, Groundwater Vistas, and MVS and has trained others in the use of these applications.
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| Stefan K. Schuster, P.G.
, Daniel B. Stephens & Associates, Inc.
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Stefan Schuster, PG, is a Senior Hydrogeologist with Daniel B. Stephens & Associates. He has M.S. degrees in geological science and community and regional planning and a B.S. degree in geophysics. Schuster has more than 17 years of experience working on diverse water resource planning projects throughout Texas, including regional and statewide water supply planning, water use demographics, water law issues, water supply evaluations, water rights analyses, strategy and alternatives development, and availability modeling of watersheds. Schuster also has extensive experience in surface water and groundwater availability modeling, water quality analyses, policy development and implementation, GIS, water rights, and public involvement.
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