Altitude and configuration of the 1980 water table in the High Plains regional aquifer, northwestern Oklahoma

Abstract

The High Plains aquifer in Oklahoma is part of a regional aquifer system extending from South Dakota on the north through Wyoming, Colorado Nebraska Kansas, and Oklahoma to Texas and New Mexico on the south (index map) . The principal aquifer, the Ogallala Formation of Tertiary age, is hydraulically connected with other unconsolidated . deposits, principally of Quaternary age . Alluvium and terrace deposits in hydrologic continuity with the Qgallala are included in the High Plains aquifer in Oklahoma. Parts of the underlying bedrock also are hydraulically connected with the Ogallala. The High Plains aquifer in Oklahoma has been eroded on the west, exposing underlying rocks of Cretaceous age, and on the east, exposing rocks of Permian age. During 1978, the U.S. Geological Survey began a 5-year study of the High Plains regional aquifer system to provide hydrologic information for evaluation of the effects of long-term development of the aquifer and to develop computer models for prediction of aquifer response to alternative changes in ground-water management (Weeks, 1978). This report is one of a series presenting hydrologic information of the High Plains aquifer in Oklahoma. The altitude and configuration of the water table are shown for the eastern area, consisting of Harper, Ellis, Woodward, Dewey, and Roger Mills Counties (sheet 1), and for the Panhandle area, consisting of Cimarron, Texas, and Beaver Counties (sheet 2). Water levels were measured in January, February, and March 1980 by the Oklahoma Water Resources Board.