This text explores the natural history of Texas and more than 2900 springs in 183 Texas counties. It also includes an in-depth discussion of the general characteristics of springs - their physical and prehistoric settings, their historical significance, and their associated flora and fauna.

The first look at the prehistory of Texas by 16 professional archaeologist.

Focusing specifically on the management of karst environments, this volume draws together the world’s leading karst experts to provide a vital source for the study and management of this unique physical setting. Although karst landscapes cover 12% of the Earth’s terrain and provide 25% of the world’s drinking water, the resource management of karst environments has only previously received indirect attention. Through a comprehensive approach, Karst Management focuses on engineering issues associated with surface karst such as quarries, dams, and agriculture, subsurface topics such as the management of groundwater, show caves, cave biota, and geo-archaeology projects. Chapters that focus on karst as an integrated system look at IUCN World Heritage sites, national parks, policy and regulation, measuring systematic disturbance, information management, and public environmental education. The text incorporates the most up-to-date research from leading karst scientists. This volume provides important perspectives for university students, educators, geoengineers, resource managers, and planners who are interested in or work with this unique physical landscape.

Illustrates events in Texas history and geography through 64 maps and brief essays.

Achieving a sustainable, reliable drinking water supply has emerged in recent years as an increasingly important goal, not only in the United States but also worldwide. This is being driven by population growth, increasing water demands, declining groundwater levels, contamination of water sources, greater awareness of adverse environmental impacts, concern regarding the potential impacts of global warming, and many other factors. Among the many methods that are being applied to achieve this goal, managed aquifer recharge is proving to be viable and cost-effective. Recent advances in the science of aquifer recharge, including the geochemistry, microbiology, and hydraulics, provide a strong foundation for the successful implementation of aquifer recharge projects. However, to achieve success, it is necessary to understand the lessons learned, taking advantage of good ideas that worked and not repeating the ideas that did not work. The overall goal of this project was to identify technical variables that result in successful design, operation, and maintenance of sustainable underground storage (SUS) facilities. The key objectives of the project were to increase the available knowledge base of SUS facilities throughout the United States, survey a variety underground storage facilities, identify and evaluate sites where SUS performance failed to meet objectives, address the use of SUS to reduce the vulnerability of water facilities, and create an easy-to-use, practical guidance document and outreach program to distribute research findings. The final report discusses surface and well recharge methods and includes a concise summary of the most important lessons learned from the 22 operating and failed recharge sites that were visited. It also includes a proposed analytical approach that may be applied for water utilities to reduce their vulnerability to service interruption and thereby enhance their system reliability. The appendix includes case studies for the 18 operating and four failed SUS facilities that were visited as part of this project. These are presented on a CD, providing useful perspectives regarding how different water utility systems have approached the need for SUS.