Groundwater Hydrogeolgy and Hydrochemistry of Karst Springs in the Eastern Peninsula of Fort Hood Military Installation

The eastern peninsula of Fort Hood Military Installation is underlain by a complex karst spring network. These springs are a primary water source in a protected habitat for endangered songbirds, which has only recently begun to be fully investigated. These Fredericksburg Group springs express both epigenetic and hypogenetic karst signatures. The study area is part of a paleo reef trend, a hydraulically disconnected segment of the northern section of the Edwards Aquifer. This study utilized standard ion index values, repeated measures, and principal component analyses on the chemical profiles of six perennial springs to classify spring water sources and their chemical composition. Spring water quality was found to be within acceptable limits for TCEQ regulated analytes, with the exception of total dissolved solids. Of the springs sampled the chemical profiles of springs to the north were epigenetic in composition and those to the south expressed more hypogenetic influences