NEW MEXICO BUREAU OF GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES

REGIONAL GROUNDWATER LEVEL MONITORING NETWORK

Award Number: G18AC00073Term of award: September 15, 2018 to September 14, 2019

Date: November 7, 2019

Angela Lucero, HydrogeologistKitty Pokorny, Hydrogeologic Lab Associate

Jake Ross, Research Scientist

Primary contact: Stacy Timmons, Hydrogeologist, Program Manager(575) 835-6951

stacy.timmons@nmt.edu

New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources

A Research Division of New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

Socorro, NM 87801(575) 835 5490

Fax (575) 835 6333www.geoinfo.nmt.edu

MAJOR GOALS 2018–2019

To support persistent data services as an existing data provider for the National Groundwater Monitoring Network (NGWMN).

PROJECT SUMMARY

New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources (NMBGMR) was awarded Grant No. G18AC00073 to support persistent data service, the period of work is between September 15, 2018 and September 14, 2019. Work included selecting additional sites for inclusion, maintain-ing existing NGWMN sites, and establishing the database link between our Aquifer Mapping Program (AMP) database and the NGWMN database.

WORK DONE TO SUPPORT THE NGWMN AS A DATA PROVIDER

For the year 2018–2019, our team focused on Objective 2; supporting persistent data service. Our team consists of a staff hydrogeologist, data manager, data reviewer, and program manager. With USGS funds, the hydrogeologist and data manager worked with our in-house AMP data-base to keep the NGWMN sites up to date. The data reviewer executed QA/QC procedures on all data and the project manager helped review all data and determined any additional well site se-lections. Their time was supported by the NMBGMR cost share fund. This team structure proved effective in maintaining a high quality standard of data submitted to the NGWMN.

We added 5 new sites (2018-2019 wells, Figure 1) within the Rio Grande alluvial aquifer to the monitoring network this year. We chose to focus our efforts on the Rio Grande alluvial aquifer because of growing dependence on groundwater near the Rio Grande in response to decreased surface water availability. Multiple wells at various depths throughout the Rio Grande alluvial aquifer are necessary since the aquifer is made up of many compartmentalized sub-basins within the Rio Grande Rift. The sites added this year now hold 5 years of data collection (Table 1). We evaluated each well and classified them into sub-networks; and we compiled all available field data and verified the data quality. Information about existing sites (2017-2018 wells, Figure 1) was updated by taking current GPS readings using modern technology (Table 1) thereby recon-ciling some missing elements in our current Network. The addition of these new sites helped fill some of the spatial, temporal, and vertical data gaps in New Mexico.

The NMBGMR team continued to work closely with the USGS NM Water Science Center in Albuquerque and the NM Office of the State Engineer. Together, we identified sites that overlap with existing monitoring efforts so as to avoid duplicating submissions to the NGWMN. Work-ing with these federal and state entities ensures we ultimately achieve representative water level monitoring coverage throughout the state.

N E W M E X I C O B U R E A U O F G E O L O G Y A N D M I N E R A L R E S O U R C E S

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Figure 1. Principle aquifers and NMBGMR sites selected for inclusion in the NGWMN in 2018–2019 (blue).

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A Q U I F E R M A P P I N G P R O G R A M

As with our inaugural year (2017-2018), a variety of data collection and database maintenance tasks were performed. Field work was done to collect manual measurements using a steel tape. Field sheets and notebooks were copied or scanned upon return to the office; hard copies are stored in locked file drawers by the data manager. Within two weeks, quality checks were performed and then the data was entered into the AMP database. All well locations, well con-struction information, and manual water level data are maintained in the AMP database and the data fields are aligned with those in the NGWMN database. We also established a reliable data-base link between the AMP database and the NGWMN database. All efforts to provide data to the NGWMN complement the NMBGMR mission to provide water level data to the public.

Point ID National aquifer

Subnetwork Surveillance or trend

Missing elements Year added

EB-220 Rio Grande Suspected/ Anticipated changes Trend None 2018–2019

SA-0009 Rio Grande Background Trend Screen interval and material, casing depth and material, lithology. 2018–2019

SA-0034 Rio Grande Background Trend Screen interval and material, casing depth and material, lithology. 2018–2019

SA-0076 Rio Grande Background Trend Screen interval and material, casing depth and material, lithology. 2018–2019

TB-0071 Rio Grande Suspected/ Anticipated changes Trend Screen interval and material, casing

depth and material, lithology. 2018–2019

MG-030 Other Known changes Surveillance None 2017–2018

MG-038 Other Known changes Trend Screen interval and material, casing depth and material, lithology. 2017–2018

QU-004 Rio Grande Background Trend None 2017–2018

QU-100 Rio Grande Background Trend None 2017–2018

TB-0029 Rio Grande Suspected/ Anticipated changes Trend Screen interval and material, casing

depth and material, lithology. 2017–2018

TB-0084 Rio Grande Suspected/ Anticipated changes Trend None 2017–2018

TB-0203 Rio Grande Background Trend Screen interval and material, casing depth and material, lithology. 2017–2018

TV-157 Rio Grande Suspected/ Anticipated changes Trend Screen interval and material, casing

depth and material. 2017–2018

TV-196 Rio Grande Suspected/ Anticipated changes Trend None 2017–2018

SM-0049 Other Background Trend Screen interval and material, casing depth and material, lithology. 2017–2018

SM-0246 Other Background Trend None 2017–2018

Table 1: Wells selected for the NGWMN with subnetwork and category designations and missing elements.

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UPDATES MADE TO WEB SERVICES

The database link between the AMP and NGWMN databases enables relevant data tables to relate directly to the NGWMN tables. This information smoothly relates to the data requirements in the NGWMN database. Three full-time staff were dedicated to providing support for core IT infrastructure. IT staff worked with the AMP team on the NGWMN thanks to financial support provided by the USGS.

PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED IN SERVING DATA TO THE NGWMN DATA PORTAL None

NOTICE OF CHANGES IN DATABASES OR WEB SERVICES THAT WOULD IMPACT FUTURE INTEGRATION WITH DATA PORTAL

None

CONCLUSIONS

The NMBGMR is successfully connected to the USGS NGWMN, and is now showing 16 sites on the USGS website with nearly complete data. The NMBGMR will continue to grow and add new sites, as well as improve data quality at existing sites. We look forward to continuing to work with the USGS toward this important endeavor for a national coverage of groundwater monitoring.

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A Q U I F E R M A P P I N G P R O G R A M