WELCOME BACKGROUND WATERSHED PLANNING UPDATE GROUNDWATER USE IN - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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
• 2. PRIORITIZING CONCERNS
• 3. DEVELOPING MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES
• 4. DEVELOP A WORKING DOCUMENT
• 5. IMPLEMENT MANAGEMENT AND RESTORATION ACTIVITIES

EDUCATIONAL MEETINGS GATHERING DATA WATERSHED REPORT

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

50% 23% 11% 6% 4% 3%

Groundwater Claims by Type of Use

DOMESTIC STOCK LAWN AND GARDEN COMMERCIAL IRRIGATION FISH AND WILDLIFE MUNICIPAL INDUSTRIAL INSTITUTIONAL MINING RECREATION GEOTHERMAL OTHER FIRE PROTECTION 10000 20000 30000 40000 50000 60000 gallons per minute

Groundwater Withdrawals (gpm)

GROUNDWATER WELLS IN THE MADISON

GROUNDWATER WELLS IN THE MADISON

Number of Homes

Observed and Forecasted Development in Madison County (1905-2025)

20 40 60 80 100 120 140 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 wells/yr

Wells Completed Anually in the Madison Watershed

WATER QUALITY

WHY DOES WATER QUALITY MATTER?

50% 23% 11% 6% 4% 3%

Groundwater Claims by Type of Use

DOMESTIC STOCK LAWN AND GARDEN COMMERCIAL IRRIGATION FISH AND WILDLIFE MUNICIPAL INDUSTRIAL INSTITUTIONAL 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 Consider Appearance Frothy, foamy Detergents Appearance Black flakes Manganese Appearance Brown, yellow, or reddish Iron 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 earthy Coliform bacteria, iron Odor or taste Soapy Surfactants, detergents

Recommended Tests: Nitrates, Bacteria, Total Dissolved Solids, Arsenic

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

Upper Madison Valley

Montana Groundwater Assessment Program

Ennis

Tabacco Root Mtns Gravelly Range

Ennis Lake Hebgen Lake

• 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

Schematic geologic cross-section

Basic Geology

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’

Intermontane Basin

• valley ‘down dropped’ - mountains uplifted
• 2 main aquifer types

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

Wells - 2016

~2,200

Groundwater Development

Montana Groundwater Assessment Program

Well use

• Most development:
• Domestic wells NW valley margin

Wells - 2016

~2,200

Groundwater Development

Montana Groundwater Assessment Program

?

Withdrawals ~3 Mgal/day

• Most development by domestic

wells NW valley margin

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.

Wells - 2016

~2,200

Groundwater Development

Montana Groundwater Assessment Program

?

Wells - 2016

~2,200

Groundwater Development

Montana Groundwater Assessment Program

?

Wells - 2016

~2,200

Groundwater Development

Montana Groundwater Assessment Program

?

Montana Groundwater Assessment Program

Groundwater Monitoring

http://mbmggwic.mtech.edu/

GWIC Mapper

16 sites, long-term records

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

2 ft 6 ft

• 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)

TD = 457 ft

Odell spring creek MBMG Varney wells Irrigation ditches Madison Range Streams Madison River Bedrock dam or pinch

Odell Spring Creek

Montana Groundwater Assessment Program

• 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

Groundwater Monitoring Fractured Bedrock

2002 2017 2006

Bedrock Well 128327

Bedrock Well 128327

Montana Groundwater Assessment Program

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

Groundwater Quality

TDS mg/L

< 250 250 - 500 > 500

Total Dissolved Solids

• Most wells less than 500 ppm TDS
• Good Quality Water, but hard

Montana Groundwater Assessment Program

As ug/L

< 5.0 5.0 – 10.0 > 10.0

Groundwater Quality

Arsenic

• Elevated in places - Sources:
• Yellowstone National Park – Madison River
• Local Geothermal water

Montana Groundwater Assessment Program

Groundwater Quality

Nitrate

NO3 mg/L

< 2.0 2.0 – 7.0

• Concentrations low overall
• Few above 2mg/L ‘background’ from

developed bedrock aquifers

Montana Groundwater Assessment Program

Conclusions

2 types of aquifers in the Upper Madison Valley are very different Basin fill (sand, gravel, cobbles)

• Connected to surface water
• High well yields (GPM)
• Recharged by ditches, streams,

snowmelt, and precipitation

• Good water quality except for Arsenic

Fractured Bedrock (valley margins)

• Lower well yields (GPM)
• Recharged by snowmelt, streams,

and precipitation

• Large seasonal water level fluctuation
• Vulnerable to contamination
• Vulnerable to over pumping

Ground water / surface water

• Streams and ditches are an

important recharge source for groundwater

• Madison river may change from

gaining to losing as it flows down the valley, more research is needed

Ground-Water Information Center (GWIC):

http://mbmggwic.mtech.edu/

Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology:

http://www.mbmg.mtech.edu/

Mike Richter 581-2948 mrichter@mtech.edu

Questions?

Montana Groundwater Assessment Program

Ground Water Investigation Program (GWIP)

Understanding impacts and lack of impacts, both are equally important Provide information so aquifers can be managed, Not just used

Addresses specific groundwater questions across Montana

 Competition for water resources; Answer locally identified questions, crucial for water management;  Focused, intensive studies in a structured, widely accepted program

Completed projects Begin 2016-2017 Active projects In review

GWIP Project Areas

GWIP adds to Montana’s capability to deal with complex water resource issues

Types of issues:

• stream depletion from pumping wells
• effects of changing land use on water resources
• the impacts of irrigation practices on groundwater

surface water

• evaluating mitigation success and offset plans in closed basins.

Dillon area Flathead Valley Four Corners North Hills, Helena Scratch Gravel Hills Big Sky Clear Lake Belgrade/Manhattan Upper Jefferson Boulder River Florence Stevensville Hamilton Powder River Lolo Creek Ennis Virginia City Sidney

Ennis Area Groundwater Investigation

Ennis Lake

Groundwater availability to support residential development Informed land use decisions Importance of geology

Planning Department

Timeframe

3 year project Workplan development Summer 2017 Data Collection Summer 2017 – Fall 2018 Report 2019 Project Manager - Andy Bobst abobst@mtech.edu or 406-496-4409

GROUNDWATER CONCERNS

• NOT ENOUGH DATA
• INCREASED DEMANDS
• CHANGES IN SUPPLY
• IMPACTS TO WATER QUALITY
• CHANGES IN SURFACE WATER MANAGEMENT

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

WHAT ARE YOUR CONCERNS? HOW CAN WE ADDRESS THOSE?

WHAT SPECIFIC CONCERNS AND/OR CHALLENGES DO WE FACE WITH GROUNDWATER? WHAT ARE SOME STRATEGIES OR OPPORTUNITIES FOR ADDRESSING THOSE CHALLENGES?