Well-integrity survey (Phase II) of abandoned homestead water wells in the High Plains aquifer, former Pantex Ordance Plant and Texas Tech Research Farm near Amarillo, Texas, 1995

Abstract

This report describes the methods used and the results obtained during a field search for abandoned homestead sites and water wells at the former Pantex Ordnance Plant and Texas Tech Research Farm (Pantex site) near Amarillo, Texas. The search was the second phase of a three-phase well-integrity survey at the Pantex site proposed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The methods used to locate the abandoned homestead sites and find water wells consisted of navigating to each site using a global positioning system instrument, conducting initial cesiummagnetometer sweeps at the homestead sites and marking the locations of the magnetic anomalies indicative of metal well casings, establishing mapping grids and conducting magnetometer mapping surveys around the locations of anomalies, and excavating to identify the sources of the anomalies. The existence of abandoned homestead sites was confirmed by remains of foundations and (or) wells at 13 of 18 locations. The existence of abandoned homestead sites was indicated by broken glass and pottery and miscellaneous debris at 3 of the 18 locations. No evidence of past homestead existence was found at 2 of the 18 locations. Eight water wells were found at seven of the abandoned homestead sites. Three of the eight wells are accessible to steel tape measurement—two are accessible to more than 297 feet below land surface and one is accessible to 277.8 feet below land surface. Of the five wells not accessible to steel tape measurement, three are closed at the surface and two are blocked by debris at 12 and 3 feet below land surface, respectively. Water levels were not detected in any well that was accessible by steel tape.