WorldWide Drilling Resource

Environmental Monitoring by Thomas Kwader, Ph.D., P.G. When Does Pumping Exceed Safe Yield? Many areas of the United States are pumping groundwater at rates exceeding the average annual rate of groundwater recharge. If that trend continues for extended periods of time, the average water level in these aquifers will continue to de- cline and not rebound during “off-season” or during periods of lower pumping rates. Declining water levels will require “old” wells to have their pumps set lower in the aquifer, or even require the wells to be drilled to deeper depths and have larger pumps installed. As demands upon groundwater increase due to popula- tion growth, increased irrigation, industrial use, or extended periods of “lower than normal” precipitation, large “circular” cones of water level depression will grow in size extending to areas where there may be very little pumping occurring. Streams and rivers will begin to flow less and ponds and lake levels may fall to all-time low levels, or even dry up. These are all signs the demand on groundwater has exceeded the “safe yield” of the aquifer to supply water needs to the area. There are places in the U.S. where these areas extend hundreds of square miles where the water levels have declined tens to hundreds of feet. Can this trend be reversed, and water levels stabilize or even recover? The short answer is yes, but rarely, and it is rarely seen. To reverse these trends, rainfall must increase significantly for many years and pumping rates decline to rates back when water levels were stable. Conservation of water, especially by large consumers of groundwater, can often make a huge difference. Reuse of water, using water two or more times before discharging to waste, can also help stem the decline of groundwater levels. Irrigation is often a huge consumer; however, there have been many new innovative technologies to reduce the amount of water needed to irrigate crops which focus on getting more water to the plant roots and decreasing losses to evaporation. Most groundwater supplies are finite and can be overutilized. It is recommended to conserve and save water before the water declines reach serious levels. Tom Tom Kwader may be contacted via e-mail to michele@ worldwidedrillingresource.com .* & 3 ,* )!/( .% )&- ''*) %4! !%#$. 5 2 5 5 2 5 5 2 5 5 2 5 '' . )&- ,! 6-. (+! "*, +-% '' . )&- ,! -$*+ +,%(! *) !2.!,%*, /-.*( + %). 0 %' '! $! %).!,%*, %- '%)! 1%.$ ) ++,*0! !+*23 %".%)# '/#- ) ( )$*'! %) '/ ! "*, - '!- ) ",!%#$. 111 ,! */- $! .!,- *( 6 *2 !-. *'/( % 25 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® JANUARY 2016 Thank you for making 2015 a great year. WWDR wishes everyone in the drilling industry a safe, prosperous, and wonder- ful New year! Let us know if we may assist in marketing your products and services, or share your story with the world! We look forward to helping you reach your goals in 2016... (850) 547-0102 www.worldwidedrillingresource.com