Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

Contact: Jennifer Groebner, 651-296-7706 Toll-free: 1-800-657-3864 St. Paul, Minn. - Have you ever stood in your backyard and thought about the world that's moving beneath you? Just yards below the surface, ground water is constantly and slowly moving through tiny pathways around grains of sediment or through small openings in rock, finally flowing into streams and lakes. The water just below the surface plays a pivotal role in the metro area because 500,000 homes use ground water for drinking. Staff members at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) have given ground water a lot of thought, but they want to know more. Starting March 1, the MPCA and other government organizations will begin a study to get a better picture of the Twin Cities metropolitan area water supply and what it means for the future. The study, coordinated by the Metropolitan Council, is part of a "synoptic study," which is an effort to capture water-level data from more than 600 wells in a very short time. The study will aid the Metropolitan Council's groundwater modeling efforts and help to determine the best ways to sustainably manage the region's water supplies. The study will also help the MPCA determine what impact groundwater is having on Minnesota's lakes and streams. "Water level measurements are critical for calibrating groundwater models, and for determining whether lakes and rivers gain or lose water from groundwater," said Mindy Erickson, Ph.D., MPCA research scientist. "The study will also help MPCA better understand how contaminants travel through groundwater and how to more effectively protect and improve water quality." The 2008 aquifer study will rely heavily on data collected from private wells, which far outnumber public wells in the region, according to the Metropolitan Council. Of the wells being measured, 300 have had water levels checked before. An additional 300 wells have been selected to fill in areas without past measurement events. Results of the study should be available next December. Regional water levels were last measured in 1995. The data gathered in this study will help researchers understand impacts from changes in climate patterns, water demand and historical water management practices. The data will be used to evaluate the current resource and to help understand groundwater system changes during the past 50 to 100 years. Study goals include determining how water levels vary because of seasonal demand, as well as better understanding how groundwater level changes impact streams and lakes. Data collection will span just a few days. Measurements will take place in March and August to provide "snapshots in time" for both spring and summer conditions. The project will examine the region's three primary groundwater supply aquifers: the Prairie-du-Chien-Jordan, Franconia-Ironton-Galesville and Mt Simon-Hinckley. The study is jointly funded by the Metropolitan Council, the United States Geological Survey Water Science Center in Minnesota, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the MPCA.