U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Fact Sheet 2011–3018

March 2011 Printed on recycled paper

Water resources of the Wichita River Basin in north-central 

Texas are vital to the water users in Wichita Falls, Tex., and surrounding areas. The Wichita River Basin includes three major 

forks of the Wichita River upstream from Lake Kemp, approximately 50 miles southwest of Wichita Falls, Tex. The main stem 

of the Wichita River is formed by the confluence of the North 

Wichita River and Middle Fork Wichita River upstream from 

Truscott Brine Lake. The confluence of the South Wichita River 

with the Wichita River is northwest of Seymour, Tex. (fig. 1). 

Waters from the Wichita River Basin, which is part of the Red 

River Basin, are characterized by high concentrations of chloride and other salinity-related constituents from salt springs and 

seeps (hereinafter salt springs) in the upper reaches of the basin. 

These salt springs have their origins in the Permian Period when 

the Texas Panhandle and western Oklahoma areas were covered 

by a broad shallow sea. Over geologic time, evaporation of the 

shallow seas resulted in the formation of salt deposits, which 

today are part of the geologic formations underlying the area. 

Groundwater in these formations is characterized by high chloride concentrations from these salt deposits, and some of this 

groundwater is discharged by the salt springs into the Wichita 

River (Keller and others, 1988).

History of Chloride Control in the Wichita River 

Basin

In 1957, the U.S. Public Health Department (now the U.S. 

Department of Health and Human Services) and U.S. Army 

Corps of Engineers (USACE) investigated the sources of the 

high chloride concentrations in the Red River Basin and identified 10 major source areas of chlorides and other salinity-related 

constituents in the Red River Basin, including several headwater 

areas in the Wichita River Basin. Three of the 10 source areas 

with high chloride concentrations and other salinity-related 

constituents (salt springs), designated by USACE as areas VII, 

VIII, and X, are along the three major forks of the Wichita River 

upstream from Lake Kemp (fig. 1). The Red River Chloride 

Control Project was implemented by Congress in 1959, who 

directed the USACE to develop a plan to control the natural 

chloride discharges from the high chloride source areas (Keller 

and others, 1988).

In 1974, the Water Resources Development Act granted 

authorization and funding for the USACE to construct chloride control structures at area VIII on the South Wichita River 

(fig. 1). Completed in 1987, the chloride control structure for 

area VIII consists of an 

inflatable, 5-foot-high, 

low-flow collection dam 

installed across the stream 

to capture saline water 

at low flows (fig. 2). The 

pooled, highly saline water 

is pumped to a pipeline and 

transported 23 miles to the 

Truscott Brine Lake, where 

much of it evaporates 

(fig. 3). 

In 1991, construction of another low-flow 

collection dam began at 

area X, located on the 

Middle Fork Wichita River 

(fig. 4). The inflatable 

dam and a pump station 

facility are in place, but 

the pipeline from area X 

to Truscott Brine Lake has 

not been completed. Salt 

deposits accumulate on the 

main channel bed upstream 

from the inflatable dam, 

Chloride Control and Monitoring Program in the Wichita 

River Basin, Texas, 1996–2009

In cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Tulsa District

Chloride Control and Monitoring Program in the Wichita 

River Basin, Texas, 1996–2009

Figure 1. Location of sampling sites and salt spring areas, Wichita River Basin, Texas, 1996–2009.

Lake 

Kemp Lake Arrowhead Lake 

Kickapoo

Lake 

Diversion AREA X

AREA VIII

AREA VII

£¤281

£¤287

¤£82

£¤183

£¤277

£¤82

£¤70

£¤83

AREA VII

¦§ ̈44

MOTLEY

COUNTY COTTLE COUNTY WICHITA COUNTY

HARDEMAN COUNTY

FOARD COUNTY WILBARGER COUNTY

BAYLOR COUNTY ARCHER COUNTY KING COUNTY DICKENS

COUNTY

TEXAS

OKLAHOMA

KNOX COUNTY

TEXAS

OKLAHOMA ARKANSAS

LOUISIANA

NEW

MEXICO

LOCATION MAP

Wichita River

North Wichita River

South Willow Creek

Onion Creek

Middle F ork Wichita River

Little Wichita River

Kickapoo Creek

North 

Wichita River

River

Red

River

 Wichita Little 

Wichita Fork River

Wichita

Falls

Seymour Guthrie

Paducah

Mabelle

100°30' 99°45' 99° 98°15'

34°10'

34°

33°50'

33°40'

33°30'

0 10 20 5 15 MILES

0 10 20 5 15 KILOMETERS

EXPLANATION

#

3

Wichita River Basin

Salt spring area and salt spring area number

Approximate pipeline location

U.S. Geological Survey streamflow-gaging station

and site number—See table 1

2

1

8

7

3

##

5 # 4

6

#

# #

#

#

Base modified from U.S Geological Survey digital data

1:24,000 quadrangles Universal Transverse Mercator, 

Zone 14, North American Datum of 1983

Study area

Truscott 

Brine Lake

Benjamin

Truscott

Red River Basin
which was deflated at the time the photograph in figure 4 was 

taken. Construction of control structures at area VII has not 

been initiated. 

Description of Monitoring Program

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with 

the USACE, established a network of eight continuous monitoring sites (table 1) in October 1995 to measure streamflow, temperature, and specific conductance in the Wichita River Basin. 

Discrete samples are collected periodically at the eight streamflow-gaging stations and analyzed for chloride. The chloride 

and streamflow data were used to develop regression curves for 

computing chloride loads in the Wichita River. These data were 

used to evaluate the effectiveness of the low-flow collection 

dam in reducing the amount of chloride in the Wichita River.

Streamflow

Water surface elevations were measured every 15 minutes 

from stage sensors at each of the gaged stream sites (fig. 1). 

These values were transmitted hourly from each location 

Figure 2. Upstream view of inflated low-flow collection dam, 

South Wichita River near Guthrie, Texas.

Figure 4. Accumulation of salt deposits on the channel bed of the 

Wichita River Basin upstream from the inflatable dam on the Middle 

Fork Wichita River.

Figure 3. Truscott Brine Lake near Truscott, Texas.

Table 1. Median streamflow, median specific conductance, and chloride concentrations at U.S. Geological Survey streamflow-gaging 

stations in the Wichita River Basin, Texas, 1996–2009.

[mi2, square miles; ft3/s, cubic feet per second; μS/cm, microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius; mg/L, milligrams per liter; NA, not applicable.]

Site 

no. 

(fig. 1)

USGS station number and name

Drainage 

area 

(mi2

)

Median 

streamflow 

(ft3/s)

Median specific 

conductance 

(μS/cm)

Median chloride 

concentrations 

(mg/L)

1 07311600 North Wichita River near Paducah, Tex. 540 10.0 23,100 6,890

2 07311630 Middle Fork Wichita River near Guthrie, Tex. 50.3 4.8 12,300 3,280

3 07311700 North Wichita River near Truscott, Tex. 937 17.0 17,400 5,200

4 07311782 South Wichita River at Low Flow Dam near Guthrie, Tex. 223 1

6.6 45,700 18,740

5 07311783 South Wichita River below Low Flow Dam near Guthrie, Tex. 223 .06 2

NA 15,100

6 07311800 South Wichita River near Benjamin, Tex. 584 1.9 11,800 2,840

7 07311900 Wichita River near Seymour, Tex. 1,874 25.0 11,500 3,200

8 07312100 Wichita River near Mabelle, Tex. 2,086 3

1.6 4,880 1,120

1

 Streamflow measured at this gaging station represents diversions through pipeline to Truscott Brine Lake.

2

 Continuous records of specific conductance data are not collected.

3

 Streamflow regulated by releases from Lake Kemp.
via satellite to the USGS National Water Information System 

(NWIS). Water surface elevations were used to compute 

discharge at all locations except site 4, where diversions for 

chloride control were measured by a flow totalizer on the 

pipeline (Brent A. Vanderpol, Truscott Brine Lake Civil 

Engineer Technician, oral commun., 2011). Discrete stream 

discharge measurements were made by USGS personnel 

throughout the range in stage at each gaged site. Streamflow 

measurements and surface-water record computations were 

done by following the USGS Texas Water Science Center 

surface-water quality assurance plan and methods outlined by 

Rantz and others (1982a, b). Ratings for determining streamflow were developed from a database of measurements made at 

each location. Streamflow was computed by applying collected 

real-time stream-gage height information to discharge rating 

information. Daily mean discharge values are published in the 

USGS NWIS (U.S. Geological Survey, 2009). 

The upper reaches of the Wichita River Basin consist of 

small, perennially flowing streams less than 20 feet wide and 

1 foot deep during base flow. During base flow, the salt springs 

have a measurable effect on streamflow and water quality in 

the Wichita River Basin. For example, flow is continuous at 

site 1 near area VII during the dry summer months because of 

inflows from the springs. Compared with other sites in the study 

area, the amount of flow measured at sites 1 and 2 on the North 

and Middle Fork Wichita Rivers is disproportionately large 

compared to the size of the drainage areas gaged by these sites 

(table 1). 

Streamflow of the South Wichita River is affected by 

the control structure (low-flow collection dam). The median 

discharge at site 5, which is immediately downstream from the 

control structure, is 0.06 cubic foot per second; 6–7 cubic feet 

per second of the brackish headwaters of the South Wichita 

River are impounded and diverted to the Truscott Brine Lake 

(U.S. Geological Survey, 1983–98). The drainage area gaged 

by site 6 on the South Wichita River is 584 square miles, yet 

the median streamflow measured at site 6 is only 1.9 cubic feet 

per second (table 1). The stream is dry throughout much of the 

year at this site, which is downstream from chloride control 

structures.

Discrete Water-Quality Sampling

Discrete water-quality samples were collected every 4 to 

6 weeks at each of the streamflow-gaging stations (sites 1–8) 

(fig. 1). The samples were analyzed for major ions, nutrients, 

and trace metals at the National Water Quality Laboratory 

(NWQL) in Denver, Colo., with the exception that starting 

in May 2003, the selenium analyses were done by the USGS 

laboratory of the Geologic Discipline in Denver, Colo. Methods 

for the collection of the samples followed the procedures 

outlined in the USGS National Field Manual, chapter A4 (U.S. 

Geological Survey, variously dated). Quality-control samples, 

such as field and equipment blanks, and duplicate samples 

were collected in order to maintain quality assurance. All data 

from the discrete environmental samples, including results 

for quality-control samples, were published in NWIS (U.S. 

Geological Survey, 2009).

Boxplots (fig. 5) show the range of dissolved chloride 

concentrations for the gaged stream sites during 1996–2009. 

The secondary maximum contaminant level for chloride, 

established by the “Texas Surface Water Quality Standards” for 

surface-water bodies designated for public water-supply use, is 

300 milligrams per liter (Texas Commission on Environmental 

Quality, 2003). Median chloride concentrations were highest at 

the South Wichita River station 07311782 near area VIII, and 

lowest values were at station 07312100 (fig. 5). 

Continuous Water-Quality Monitoring

Because water quality in the Wichita River Basin can 

vary considerably, the USGS used continuous water-quality 

monitors in addition to discrete sample collection. The waterquality monitors, installed at the gaged sites in the upper 

Wichita River Basin, were equipped with sensors that measure 

specific conductance and temperature. Site 5 was the only 

gaged site in which a continuous water-quality monitor was not 

installed (table 1). Water temperature and specific conductance 

values were collected every 30 minutes and transmitted hourly 

through a satellite system to NWIS. The continuous waterquality monitors were maintained by frequent checks with 

verified standards by following guidelines and standard procedures (Wagner and others, 2006). The sensors require careful 

field observation, cleaning, and calibration. Detailed procedures 

for the computation and publication of the data are followed 

(Wagner and others, 2006). 

Specific conductance generally has an inverse correlation with discharge (fig. 6). USACE uses data collected by the 

Figure 5. Boxplots depicting chloride concentrations at sampling 

sites in the Wichita River Basin, 1996–2009.

STATION NUMBER 

07311600

07311630073117000731178207311783

073118000731190007312100

DISSOLVED CHLORIDE CONCENTRATION, IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER

30,000

25,000

20,000

15,000

10,000

5,000

0

**

*

*

oo

oo

o

o

o

o

o

o

o o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

oo

o

o

(124)

(124)

(124)

(124)

(122)

(105)

(122)

(125)

EXPLANATION 

*

Number of data points

Data value greater than 3.0 times

the interquartile range outside the box

Data value 1.5 to 3.0 times the

interquartile range outside the box

Largest data value within 1.5 times

the interquartile range above the box

75th percentile

Median (50th percentile)

25th percentile

Smallest data value within 1.5 times

the interquartile range below the box

o

(105)

Interquartile

range
USGS at the gaged sites to help determine when to deflate the 

dam at site 5. Depending on the measurements of specific conductance at site 5, the dam is often deflated by USACE during 

periods of high flow to allow runoff from storms to continue 

downstream.

Chloride Load Computations

Keller and others (1988) first used daily mean discharge 

and daily mean specific conductance concentrations to compute 

loads (the weight per unit time of a constituent material transported by, suspended in, or deposited by water) for the USGSmonitored chloride-control sites in 1968. Baldys and others 

(1995, p. 5) wrote: 

To compute loads, daily discharge and concentrations of dissolved solids and dissolved chloride at 

the streamflow-gaging stations are needed. Daily 

discharge data are available from continuous streamflow records. However, only periodic constituent 

concentration data are available [in the Wichita River 

Basin]. Because dissolved solids and dissolved chloride concentrations are highly correlated with specific 

conductance, and continuous specific conductance 

data are available for [selected] streamflow-gaging 

stations, regression equations that relate constituent 

concentrations to specific conductance can be used to 

obtain estimates of daily constituent concentrations 

from specific conductance.

Where data were sufficient to support the computation, dissolved chloride loads at each gaged site in the basin were estimated and published in the USGS Texas Water Science Center 

annual water-data reports (U.S. Geological Survey, 1983–98). 

The computation of chloride loads was done with regression 

curves and procedures developed by the USGS Texas Water 

Science Center (Freeman L. Andrews, U.S. Geological Survey, 

written commun., 2000). Chloride load data were used by the 

USACE to measure the effectiveness of the low-flow collection 

dam on the removal of chloride from the Wichita River.

References Cited

Baldys, Stanley, III, Bush, P.W., and Kidwell, C.C., 1995, 

Effects of low-flow diversions from the South Wichita River 

on downstream salinity of the South Wichita River, Lake 

Kemp, and the Wichita River, North Texas, October 1982–

September 1992: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources 

Investigations Report 95–4288, 23 p.

Keller, Jack, Rawson, Jack, Grubb, Hubert, Kramer, Jackson, 

and Sullivan, Glenn, 1988, Report on the evaluation of the 

effectiveness of operation of area VIII Red River Chloride 

Control Project: Red River Chloride Control Project Report, 

35 p.

Rantz, S.E., and others, 1982a, Measurement and computation of streamflow—Volume 1, Measurement of stage and 

discharge: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 2175, 

p. 1–284.

Rantz, S.E., and others, 1982b, Measurement and computation of streamflow—Volume 2, Computation of discharge: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 2175, 

p. 285–631.

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, 2003, 

Guidance for assessing Texas surface and finished drinking water-quality data, 2004: accessed August 11, 2008, at

http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/assets/public/compliance/monops/

water/04twqi/04_guidance.pdf.

U.S. Geological Survey, variously dated, National field manual 

for the collection of water-quality data: U.S. Geological 

Survey Techniques of Water-Resources Investigations, 

book 9, chaps. A1–A9, accessed June 2009, at http://pubs.

water.usgs.gov/twri9A.

U.S. Geological Survey, 1983–98, Water resources data, 

Texas, water years 1982–97—Volume 1: U.S. Geological 

Survey Water-Data Report TX–82–1, TX–83–1, TX–84–1, 

TX–85–1, TX–86–1, TX–87–1, TX–88–1, TX–89–1, 

TX–90–1, TX–91–1, TX–92–1, TX–93–1, TX–94–1, 

TX–95–1, TX–96–1, TX–97–1.

U.S. Geological Survey, 2009, National Water Information 

System: accessed May 2009, at http://waterdata.usgs.gov/tx/

nwis/.

Wagner, R.J., Boulger, R.W., Jr., Oblinger, C.J., and Smith, 

B.A., 2006, Guidelines and standard procedures for continuous water-quality monitors—Station operation, record 

computation, and data reporting: U.S. Geological Survey 

Techniques and Methods 1–D3, 96 p.

—M.M. Haynie, G.F. Burke, and Stanley Baldys III 

For additional information contact:

Director, Texas Water Science Center

U.S. Geological Survey

1505 Ferguson Lane

Austin, Texas 78754–4501

World Wide Web: http://tx.usgs.gov/

Publishing support provided by

Lafayette Publishing Service Center

Figure 6. Continuous specific conductance and discharge data 

at the North Wichita River near Truscott, Texas, June 1 to July 12, 

2006.

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

SPECIFIC CONDUCTANCE, IN MICROSEIMENS PER CENTIMETER AT 25 DEGREES CELSIUS

DISCHARGE, IN CUBIC FEET PER SECOND

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

-100

JUNE 2006 JULY 2006 AUGUST 2006

21 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 2 4 6 8 10 12

Specific conductance, in microseimens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius

Computed discharge from data collection platform, in cubic feet per second

EXPLANATION

07311700 North Wichita River near Truscott, Tex.