UTAH’S CONTRIBUTION TO THE USGS NATIONAL GROUND-WATER MONITORING NETWORK

The Utah Geological Survey (UGS) has been involved with the National Ground-Water Monitoring Network (NGWMN) for six years. The UGS was selected as one of the pilot agencies to participate in the NGWMN in 2014 and has been supported thereafter through funding by the USGS. We have also collaborated with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 8 Laboratory, who provided chemistry analysis for the project. Nine UGS groundwater staff sample a network of over 100 wells and springs, some of which had prior history of monitoring, to participate in the project. With continued analytical support by Region 8 lab, we have been able to collect (and augment) groundwater quality samples for the Utah Water-Quality Network. We are currently funded to maintain our network and the flow of data to the NGWMN.

The UGS data on the NGWMN Portal are from a widespread and comprehensive monitoring network of wells and springs. Most of the water samples have been analyzed for anions, cations, nitrate, ammonia, and stable isotopes. All samples have field parameter data for each year (specific conductance, temperature, and pH). The primary goal for the UGS is to document water-quality changes over time by sampling annually. Additional goals are to document water resources in a well-administered and maintained database and integrate our state-level data with a national-level database.

The priority of our network is to characterize the water quality of key aquifers in Utah. To ensure high accessibility, most of the wells in our network are regularly pumped and privately owned. We chose wells with enough aquifer information to ensure they are representative of the aquifer of interest. In addition to water quality, the UGS provides water-level data from our Snake Valley Water-Level Monitoring Network to the NGWMN Portal. These sites are dedicated wells used for monitoring trans-boundary water-level conditions between Nevada and Utah. Both states have already made use of data from this network to mediate issues on groundwater. We have collected hourly water levels in these wells since 2008. We maintain cooperation with the USGS to continue a data connection between our network and the NGWMN Portal. (https://cida.usgs.gov/ngwmn/index.jsp)