Did you know that DGS has maintained a network of wells that are used for groundwater level and quality observations since the 1960s? As of January 2020, more than 100 wells in 13 different aquifers used for water supply are monitored regularly by DGS staff members Tom Smith, Steve McCreary, Rachel McQuiggan, Scott Andres, Changming He, and Tom McKenna. Most of these wells are equipped with automated pressure and temperature sensors that record data every 15 minutes. A small number of wells are equipped with automated conductivity sensors to help track if saltwater problems are developing. Monitoring methods are adapted from protocols from the US Geological Survey, US Environmental Protection Agency, programs in other states, and our own experience.

As of December 2019, our data resource holds more than 418,000 records of manually measured water levels and daily average water levels derived from sensor data. As of December 2019, our data resource holds more than 418,000 records of manually measured water levels and daily average water levels derived from sensor data. Self-service access to these data and statistical products is available from https://www.dgs.udel.edu/water-resources. In addition, DGS provides data to the National Ground Water Monitoring Network (www.cida.usgs.gov/ngwmn) a network of over 30 state and regionally operated groundwater monitoring programs.

DGS stores nearly 23 million water level records that were collected by the automated pressure sensors. We are adding over 1 million new records to this dataset every year. More than 5 million groundwater temperature and 2 million salinity records are in our water quality dataset. These 15-minute water level and water quality records are available by contacting the DGS offices.