Part 1 of the Edwards Genius quiz will test your advanced knowledge of Edwards Aquifer facts and help get you ready for the Grand Master Quiz.
1.
The Edwards Aquifer cleanses water through natural processes that include:
a) dilution
b) settling
c) biological activity
d) all of the above
2.
Because rainwater is a weak acid, it dissolves minerals from Edwards limestone. Deep in the formation, where the water has been in contact with the rock for a long time, it becomes saline and undrinkable. "Saline" water contains dissolved solids in a concentration of more than about _______ parts per million (ppm).
a) 10
b) 100
c) 1,000
d) 1,000,000
3.
In 1896, geologists R. T. Hill and T. W. Vaughan:
a) accurately described how the Aquifer collects and transmits water
b) disproved the idea that the water source was the Rocky Mountains
c) predicted the existence of a large artesian zone
d) recognized that wells would impact springflows
e) all of the above
4.
The all-time recorded high at the J-17 index well is:
a) way up there
b) 703.3' above mean sea level on June 14, 1992
c) over 1,000
d) no one knows
5.
The all-time recorded low at the J-17 index well is:
a) way down there
b) 612.5' above mean sea level on August 17, 1956
c) less than 50'
d) no one knows
6.
The J-17 index well level is really a measure of:
a) how much pressure the water is under
b) the elevation to which water rises in the well
c) both a and b are true
7.
The best estimate of how much water is in the Edwards is:
a) between 25 and 55 million acre-feet
b) over 280 million acre-feet
c) about 700 rock-feet
d) less than 20
8.
Currently, no treatment other than chlorination is required before Edwards water is distributed to users. If the Edwards were to become polluted and conventional treatment became necessary, the cost would be a very, very big number. Whatever that number is, that is the value of the treatment which the Aquifer is currently:
a) providing to us for free
b) charging on Visa
c) leaving on the table
d) launching into space
9.
There is a thin strip of land south and southeast of the recharge zone from San Antonio to Austin where limestones that overlie the Edwards are faulted and fractured and have caves and sinkholes, so it is possible that surface water can still go into the Edwards limestone below. This zone was established to regulate petroleum storage tanks, so there are places where the boundaries follow particular streets or railroad lines. This is called the:
a) Transition Zone
b) Overlie Zone
c) Railroad Zone
d) PST Zone
10.
At Barton Springs, dye-tracer studies have found that several underground flow paths lead to the Springs and that the four Springs do not all receive water from the same flow paths. Underground flow velocities toward the Springs are highly variable and can be quite rapid, up to six miles per day. Swimmers notice that waters can become quite cloudy and turbid after rain events.
