Farm Horizons
•
Aug. 8, 2016
•
Page 19
Groundwater sampling planned for Meeker Co.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will
collect and analyze water samples from about 90 wells
in Meeker County this fall. The data are being collected
for the county’s geologic atlas, an effort involving the
Minnesota Geological Survey and the DNR’s Ecological and Water Resources Division.
DNR staff will contact county residents to request
permission for well sampling, which involves collecting a water sample and measuring the depth to water in
each well. Tests will profile the general chemical characteristics of area groundwater, and will also show approximately how long the water has been underground.
Geology, location, well depth, and well construction will
determine the selection of wells for sampling. Owners of
sampled wells will receive a report of the laboratory results for their well.
Preserving the long-term quality of the region’s surface
water and groundwater requires that policy makers have
access to accurate information based on sound scientific
principles. A county geologic atlas is a valuable tool for
county planners, resource managers, and other local government staff when making general planning, land use
management, and water resource protection decisions.
The Minnesota Geological Survey has already published Part A of the atlas, which illustrates details of
each county’s geology. In 2018, the DNR will publish
the groundwater portion of the atlas (Part B). The Part
B reports will include maps and descriptions of the distribution and movement of groundwater, cross sections
illustrating groundwater conditions, and the pollution
sensitivity of groundwater in the county.
The DNR County Geologic Atlas program is funded,
in part, by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the LegislativeCitizen Commission on Minnesota Resources. Funding
also comes from the Clean Water Fund, which receives
a portion of the sales tax revenue from the Clean Water,
Land and Legacy Amendment approved by voters in November 2008.
A full description of this DNR program and status
reports for atlas products is available at www.dnr.state.
mn.us/waters/groundwater_section/mapping/index.html.
For information, contact: Randy Bradt, DNR hydrogeologist, (651) 259-5728, [email protected]; or Paul
Putzier, DNR county geologic atlas program supervisor,
(651) 259-5692, [email protected]. n