Nevada's groundwater level trends in the right direction

Reno, nev. (Kolo) – The Department of Water Resources in Nevada measures the depth of the groundwater in irrigation and warehouses in various regions of the state. Water resource agencies lead the Nevada water initiative until March.

“The main purpose for measuring groundwater levels is to effectively manage the groundwater resources in the state of Nevada,” said Kip Allander, hydrogeologist Nevada Division of Water Resources.

Water security remains a top priority, while several agencies lead the Nevada water initiative to provide state-of-the-art tools and data to ensure a sustainable future.

Specialists release the measuring tape and a metal probe deep into a water well until the probe reaches water in the groundwater conductor. “You pull it back to make sure the connection is good, but you can hear the beep again. So this is 33.95 feet below the land surface. That is our water depth here, ”said Lauren Bartels, a specialist for water resources.

Say specialists

“For someone who depends on the groundwater systems and the groundwater supply, this means that things are currently okay,” added all. “This is a good thing, but of course we also look at the long -term trends.”

Each measurement is part of a data acquisition that supports public security and information.

“It is really like a health inspection of the groundwater conductor system. If we measure the water level from year to year and look at the trends, we look at long -term health. If we do this, we make an assessment and if there are problems with water levels, declines and long-term trends, we have to take more from active management attitude. We will work with local communities and local water consumers to create a plan, ”said Allander.

The plan would describe in detail if users would have to restrict water consumption or find better ways to manage it.

This data acquisition is part of the annual efforts to assess and monitor the groundwater level in Nevada. While some of the measuring wells are new, others have been measured every year and provides extensive data to long -term changes in groundwater levels. The measurements collected by these annual “well” gathered critical public information to analyze trends and support groundwater management.

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