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RED RIVER BASIN o Upper Red River Basin (above Denison Dam) (::: ~ W N t-" The drainage of most of the tributaries of the Red River extends into the High Plains but this e.rea is largely non-contributing. Springs occurring at many points immediately below the high plains escarpment yield water suitable for public water supplies. In that portion of the drainage of the Red River located in outcrops of the Triassic and Permian Rocks, many of the streams become highly mineralized with chlorides or sulfates or both. For the most part, records in the upper Red River basin are inade~uate and as water ~uality changes in short distances, many additional records are needed. Public water supplies in the Red River basin are taken both from surface and ground water sources. Surface, supplies are often inade~uate because of erratic stream flows. Surface and ground waters are both excessively hard and softening is necessary in many instances. The available analyses show that the waters in the upper Red River basin differ widely in chemical composition. The headwater streams, at many times, are rather highly mineralized. In most ca~es, the predominant constituents are calcium salfate, but the rivers are often high in chlorides due to the seepage from underlying salt beds or salt outcrops. .' Studies now in progress h~ve shown that Prairie Dog Town Fork near Brice is rather highly mineralized even during moderate floods. Salt seeps occur for many miles in the river bed. Mulberry Creek which flows into Prairie Dog Town Fork near Brice is much less mineralized and contains more gypsum than salt. Records available on the Pease River indicate that water of that stream is ~uestionable for irrigation, but more systematic analyses are needed. Water of the Wichita River impounded at Lake Kemp contains more dissolved salts than usually recommended but i~ being used for the irrigation of about 20,000 acres n'!ar Wichita Falls. Water from the Pease and Wichita Rivers is not suitable for public water supplies. The City of Wichita Falls has built a new reservoir on the Little Wichita River which has proved very satisfactory as a source of a public water supply. In Oklahoma, the waters of the North Fork impounded at the Lugart reservoir has been found to be favorable for irrigation. Available records indicate that water of similar ~uality would probably be impounded in reservoirs on Salt Fork. '.~. Apparently the water in the Red River decreases in mineral concentration as it passes downstream due to the inflow of water of better ~uality from smaller streams; however, there is some indication of artificial pollution on these smaller streams. There is very little information available on the biological ~uality of the streams in this area, although some work has been done on Lake Texoma. $-15