Socorro, NM
March 29, 2021
The Collaborative Groundwater Monitoring Network tracks groundwater levels across the state as part of the Aquifer Mapping Program for the Bureau of Geology. This program is actively seeking wells to fill in gaps around the state where groundwater information and trends are lacking. Working in collaboration with well owners and operators, our team uses tools for groundwater level tracking that include manual measurements with steel tapes, acoustic devices, and pressure transducers.
The field team had a site visit to train new staff on field protocols this week at a well in Socorro. Using the acoustic water level device shown here, the Aquifer Mapping Program and the well owner are able to see groundwater level trends in real time. With surface water conditions as they are in the Rio Grande valley in continued drought conditions, irrigators, like the owner of this well, will be watching closely how groundwater levels change with increased pumping of groundwater.
— Stacy Timmons, NMBGMR, Associate Director for Hydrogeology Programs