Understanding how much water is in our groundwater basin requires citizens and scientist alike to take ground water level measurements from wells at as many strategic locations throughout the Sonoma County as we can. That’s why the Petaluma Valley GSA is using the recent Department of Water Resources SGMA Implementation grant funds to prioritize filling data gaps throughout Petaluma Valley basin through our voluntary Groundwater Level Monitoring program.
The goal of addressing data gaps in our Petaluma Valley basin is to deepen our understanding of the groundwater system. Groundwater is still very challenging to manage because – simply put – we can’t see it like we can rivers and lakes. It is difficult to fully capture how much water exists and how it moves underground. However, we do have wells – which can be thought of as windows into the aquifer – and provide a key opportunity to collect direct information about our groundwater system.
To kickoff the project, GSA staff formed a groundwater monitoring subcommittee to identify prime locations within the Petaluma Valley to fill data gaps, review available well construction information, outline approaches to monitoring wells and establish protocols for data reporting and sharing. The subcommittee is comprised of representatives from the Sonoma County GSA Advisory Committees, along with staff from Permit Sonoma, Resource Conservation Districts, Sebastopol Water Information Group, and the Sonoma Ecology Center.
The LEVEL UP! Voluntary Well Monitoring program is designed to support participating well owners on both residential and agricultural parcels to measure their groundwater levels in their well only two times a year, in spring and fall. Participants will learn how water depth changes over the year and how the groundwater aquifer beneath their property responds to winter rain recharge and use during summer dry months. The GSAs have identified key data gap areas for more targeted outreach and technical support, but any well owner in the basin is welcome to participate in the program with the DIY tools and instructions available.
Interested in joining the Voluntary Well Monitoring Program? Click this link!