WELCOME BACKGROUND WATERSHED PLANNING UPDATE GROUNDWATER USE IN THE MADISON UNDERSTANDING GROUNDWATER CONDITIONS NEXT STEPS QUESTION & ANSWER
A QUICK REVIEW WHAT IS OUR GOAL? LEAD THE COMMUNITY IN A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT TO DEVELOP LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS TO OUR CURRENT, AND FUTURE, WATER RESOURCE CONCERNS. • IDENTIFY WATER RESOURCE CONCERNS. • IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES • DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT MANAGEMENT PRACTICES OR RESTORATION EFFORTS TO REACH OUR DESIRED CONDITIONS
A QUICK REVIEW • WHAT ARE THE STEPS? 1. IDENTIFYING WATER RESOURCE VULNERABILITIES & CONCERNS EDUCATIONAL GATHERING WATERSHED MEETINGS DATA REPORT 2. PRIORITIZING CONCERNS 3. DEVELOPING MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES 4. DEVELOP A WORKING DOCUMENT 5. IMPLEMENT MANAGEMENT AND RESTORATION ACTIVITIES
WHY GROUNDWATER? SUMMARY OF FEEDBACK RELATED TO GROUNDWATER: • A GENERAL NEED FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT GROUNDWATER (E.G., AVAILABILITY, USES, MANAGEMENT PRACTICES, GROUNDWATER LEVEL TRENDS, ETC.). • NEED TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE GROUNDWATER AND SURFACE WATER RELATIONSHIP IN THE MADISON AND HOW THAT AFFECTS WATER SUPPLY AND WATER QUALITY. • CONCERNS ABOUT INCREASED DEVELOPMENT IMPACTING GROUNDWATER WITH AN EXPANDING NUMBER OF WELLS AND SEPTIC SYSTEMS.
OBJECTIVES FOR THIS MEETING • PRESENT RESEARCH GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT • CURRENT USES, WATER SUPPLY TRENDS, WATER QUALITY CONDITIONS, FUTURE DEMANDS • DISCUSS HOW TO INTEGRATE GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT INTO WATERSHED IMPROVEMENT EFFORTS
DID YOU KNOW? Groundwater provides for 95% of domestic water needs in rural Montana The average household uses about 200 gallons of water per day for indoor use Outdoor watering consists of about 55% of total domestic water use Typical livestock water requirements Cattle (non-dairy): 10-15 gallons/day Horse: 10 gallons/day Sheep: 2 gallons/day Montana law allows for wells to be exempt from permitting if withdrawals are less then 35 gallons per minute , and not exceeding a volume of more than 10 acre/feet per year. Kentucky Bluegrass lawns can require up to 2.5 inches of irrigation water per week during summer Irrigation for alfalfa fields vary from 0.5 — 2 inches of water per week
DISTRIBUTION OF EARTH’S WATER OF THE FRESHWATER ON EARTH: 68% - Icecaps and Glaciers 30% - Groundwater ~1% - Surface Water
GROUNDWATER CLAIMS IN THE MADISON Groundwater Claims by Type of Use Groundwater Withdrawals (gpm) 60000 DOMESTIC 50000 4% STOCK LAWN AND GARDEN 40000 6% gallons per minute 3% COMMERCIAL IRRIGATION 30000 FISH AND WILDLIFE 11% MUNICIPAL 20000 50% INDUSTRIAL INSTITUTIONAL 10000 MINING 23% RECREATION 0 GEOTHERMAL OTHER FIRE PROTECTION
GROUNDWATER WELLS IN THE MADISON
GROUNDWATER WELLS IN THE MADISON Wells Completed Anually in the Madison Watershed Observed and Forecasted Development in Madison County (1905-2025) 140 120 100 Number of Homes 80 wells/yr 60 40 20 0 1900 1906 1910 1919 1924 1930 1934 1938 1943 1947 1951 1955 1959 1963 1967 1971 1975 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015
WATER QUALITY WHY DOES WATER QUALITY MATTER? Groundwater Claims by Type of Use DOMESTIC STOCK 4% LAWN AND GARDEN 6% 3% COMMERCIAL IRRIGATION FISH AND WILDLIFE 11% 50% MUNICIPAL INDUSTRIAL INSTITUTIONAL 23% MINING RECREATION GEOTHERMAL OTHER
GROUNDWATER QUALITY – SEPTIC SYSTEMS • Water and sewage from toilets, drains, and sinks are backing up into the home. • Bathtubs, showers, and sinks drain very slowly. • Gurgling sounds in the plumbing system. • Standing water or damp spots near the septic tank or drainfield. • Bad odors around the septic tank or drainfield. • Bright green, spongy lush grass over the septic tank or drainfield, even during dry weather. • Algal blooms in nearby ponds or lakes. • High levels of nitrates or coliform bacteria in water wells.
GROUNDWATER QUALITY - ARSENIC
GROUNDWATER QUALITY – WELL TESTING Problem or Concern Symptoms Water Test to Recommended Tests: Nitrates, Bacteria, Total Dissolved Solids, Arsenic Consider Appearance Frothy, foamy Detergents Appearance Black flakes Manganese Appearance Brown, yellow, or Iron reddish Odor or taste Rotten egg Hydrogen sulfide Odor or taste Metallic pH, iron, zinc, copper, lead Odor or taste Salty Total dissolved solids, chloride, sodium, sulfates Odor or taste Septic, musty, or Coliform bacteria, earthy iron Odor or taste Soapy Surfactants, detergents
GROUNDWATER CONDITIONS IN THE MADISON WELCOME FROM MONTANA BUREAU OF MINES AND GEOLOGY MIKE RICHTER GINETTE ABDO
Groundwater Conditions in the Upper Madison Valley Ground Water Assessment Program Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology Mike Richter and John LaFave
Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology a department of Montana Tech • Established in 1919 to provide reliable and unbiased earth science information • Non regulatory, applied research – Geologic Mapping – Earthquake Studies – Economic Geology – Environmental Assessment – Groundwater – Assessment and Investigations • Ground Water Information Center - GWIC Montana Groundwater Assessment Program
Tabacco Root Mtns Upper Madison Valley Ennis Lake Ennis • Basic Hydrogeology of the valley • What are aquifer types? • Where are the wells? • Where are the MBMG long-term monitoring sites? • Graphs of water levels over time showing recharge patterns, response to climate and pumping • Ground water / Surface water relationship • Water quality: TDS, Nitrate, Arsenic Gravelly Range Hebgen Lake Montana Groundwater Assessment Program
Basic Geology Intermontane Basin - valley ‘down dropped’ - mountains uplifted -2 main aquifer types 1) Basin-Fill (valley) - sand and gravel – silt and clay - 1,000’s feet thick - Abundant water - Shallow: connected to streams & wetlands - Deep: maybe confined or ‘artesian’ Schematic geologic cross-section 2) Bedrock (mountains) - mostly fractured metamorphic rocks - Low storage – low yields - Developed along valley margins Montana Groundwater Assessment Program
Groundwater Development Wells - 1993 Montana Groundwater Assessment Program
Groundwater Development • Most development: • Domestic wells NW valley margin Wells - 2016 ~2,200 Well use Montana Groundwater Assessment Program
Groundwater Development • Most development by domestic wells NW valley margin Wells - 2016 ~2,200 ? Withdrawals ~3 Mgal/day Although Domestic wells are the most numerous, Public Water Supply wells and Irrigation wells account for the largest withdrawals (pumping amounts) USGS data for Madison Co. Montana Groundwater Assessment Program
Groundwater Development Wells - 2016 ~2,200 ? Montana Groundwater Assessment Program
Groundwater Development Wells - 2016 ~2,200 ? Montana Groundwater Assessment Program
Groundwater Development Wells - 2016 ~2,200 ? Montana Groundwater Assessment Program
Groundwater Monitoring 16 sites, long-term records GWIC Mapper http://mbmggwic.mtech.edu/ Montana Groundwater Assessment Program
Groundwater Monitoring Importance of long-term monitoring • Declining trend ? 1998 2005 Montana Groundwater Assessment Program
Groundwater Monitoring Importance of long-term monitoring • Natural cycle, climate response 1993 2017 Montana Groundwater Assessment Program
Groundwater Monitoring upper upper Madison • Basin fill and Bedrock graphs show response to climate / precipitation Montana Groundwater Assessment Program
Groundwater Monitoring Cameron Bench • Upward gradient, deep well water level 10 ft higher than shallow well • High August through October • Low April / early May • Recharge from ditches, snowmelt, streams, and large rain events • Madison river gains water from the basin fill aquifer in this area • High well yields (GPM) 2 ft TD = 457 ft 6 ft Montana Groundwater Assessment Program
Bedrock dam or pinch Odell spring creek MBMG Varney wells Madison Range Streams Irrigation ditches Madison River
Odell Spring Creek
Groundwater Monitoring Fractured Bedrock • Large seasonal fluctuations: High in May, low in October • Recharged by Snowmelt • Sensitive to climate and development (pumping) • Vulnerable to contamination • Low well yields (GPM) 120 ft 2017 2002 2006 Montana Groundwater Assessment Program
Bedrock Well 128327
Bedrock Well 128327
Groundwater Monitoring Bench north of Ennis • Downward gradient, deep well water level 20 ft lower than shallow well • High in winter, low in May • Recharge from ditches, snowmelt, large precipitation events, Madison river gorging / flooding • Madison river may be losing water into the deep basin fill aquifer in this area • High well yields (GPM) TD = 446 ft Montana Groundwater Assessment Program
Groundwater Quality Total Dissolved Solids • Most wells less than 500 ppm TDS • Good Quality Water, but hard TDS mg/L < 250 250 - 500 > 500 Montana Groundwater Assessment Program
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