Science activity

In 1997, 28 rice wells were installed by the USGS. Since then, several of the wells have been destroyed or replaced and new wells have been installed to complement the original wells. Currently, 24 wells are active and used for water level monitoring and groundwater quality sampling. After two full network sampling events, the USGS used five network wells for trend monitoring as part of the USGS National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Cycle II groundwater monitoring activities (from 2004 to 2014). Under the current monitoring program, now in Cycle III (2014 to 2024), water level monitoring is conducted bi-annually. In 2017, water quality monitoring will include the full network of active wells