Current Land Subsidence and Groundwater Level Changes in the Houston Metropolitan Area (2005–2012)

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 (