B737-300 CREW HAD FUEL QUANTITY INDICATION DROP AS THE ACFT BECAME AIRBORNE. THEY RETURNED TO THE DEP STATION WITH AN UNKNOWN FUEL QUANTITY.

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FUEL EMER. WHILE DOING OUR COCKPIT SETUP FOR DEP FROM HOU; THE FUELER ENTERED THE COCKPIT TO TELL ME THAT HE HAD MADE A MISTAKE IN OUR FUEL LOAD. WE WERE RELEASED WITH 14.5 LBS; BUT HE HAD ACCIDENTALLY PUT 10.2 LBS IN #1 TANK AND 4.2 LBS IN #2 TANK. WE LOOKED AT THE FUEL GAUGES AND FMC TO VERIFY THAT HE HAD; IN FACT; 10.2 LB/4.2 LB FUEL LOAD. I TOLD HIM TO OPEN THE FUEL XFER VALVE AND WE WOULD XFER WHAT WE COULD WHILE I CALLED DISPATCH. I SET THE FUEL PANEL UP TO XFER FROM #1 TANK TO #2 TANK AND CALLED DISPATCH. WE DETERMINED THE EASIEST OPTION OF THE 3 WAS TO ADD FUEL TO #2 TANK TO WITHIN LIMITS AND DEPART. I WENT TO THE RAMP AND INSTRUCTED THE FUELER TO CLOSE THE XFER VALVE AND ADD ENOUGH FUEL TO #2 TANK TO EVEN THEM OUT. WE RE-ACCOMPLISHED THE BEFORE START ORIGINATING CHKLIST WITH A 13.0 LB FUEL LOAD; 8.5 LBS/8.5 LBS ON THE GAUGES AND 17.0 LBS ON THE FMC. NORMAL OPS TO RWY 12R. DEP WITH A L TURN TO 290 DEG HDG FOR THE IDU1. WE HAD A L XWIND ON DEP; SO I ANTICIPATED A LITTLE L AILERON REQUIREMENT; BUT WHAT I FOUND OUT WAS MUCH MORE. IMMEDIATELY AFTER DEP; IT WAS APPARENT WE HAD A FUEL IMBAL BY THE REQUIRED AILERON. WITH THE ACFT CLEANED UP AND IN A L TURN; THE #1 FORWARD FUEL LOW PRESSURE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. WE IMMEDIATELY SAW THE #2 FUEL GAUGE DROPPING RAPIDLY THROUGH 3500 LBS. WE DECLARED AN EMER AND REQUESTED A RETURN TO HOBBY. THE #1 FUEL STOPPED AT 1500 LBS; AND WE COMPLETED THE LOW FUEL OP CHKLIST. WE ACCOMPLISHED A NORMAL FLAPS 30 ILS/VISUAL APCH TO RWY 4; FOLLOWED BY A NORMAL LNDG AND TAXI TO THE GATE. NEEDLESS TO SAY; WE EXCEEDED THE 1000 LB FUEL IMBAL LIMITATION. HOWEVER; I FELT IT WAS NECESSARY; DUE TO THE PRIOR FUELING ERROR; FOLLOWED WITH THE CURRENT INDICATIONS. UPON OUR ARR AT THE GATE; MAINT PERSONNEL AND MYSELF VERIFIED THE INDICATIONS; LOAD SHEET; AND FUEL SLIP. THE FUEL SLIP SHOWED AN UPLOAD OF 11.7 LBS WITH COCKPIT AND FUEL BAY INDICATORS AGREEING. THE ACFT WAS GROUNDED BY MAINT DUE TO CONFLICTING ERRORS.