Monthly Ground Water Testing

On March 16th, we collected the sixth round of ground water measurements for the Critical Area Resources Plan. To see the level of the wells visit USGS's Ground Water Monitoring website for Adams County.

This month we had two wells that were overflowing. In the image, the water is flowing over top of the casing and down the side. I put my hand along the well and you can see the water running off my hand.

Want to Volunteer?



Photo of one of the project staff gages.

A great way to get involved in the development of the Critical Area Resource Plan for the Marsh and Rock creek watersheds is to volunteer to collect data. 

Volunteers are needed to record water level readings on two staff gages, one on Marsh Creek and one on Rock Creek.  Ideally, water readings would be taken weekly, however, any additional data collected is an asset to the project.

Volunteers are also needed to collect precipitation data.  This involves installing a rain gage and taking readings to record daily amounts of precipitation.

If you are interested in volunteering to read the staff gage(s) and/or collect precipitation data, please send an email.

Watershed Issues

Problems identified in the Department of Environmental Protection's verification study for the Marsh and Rock Creek watersheds include water demand exceeding supply under certain conditions.  Water quality impairments in both watersheds and proposed interbasin transfers were also a concern.  In addition, anecdotal evidence of streams going dry and  proposed future commercial and residential developments indicate that these problems are not going to get better unless action is taken. 

Concerns about water resources issues were also voiced at the project's public kick-off meeting on September 21, 2010.  Issues raised at the meeting include:

• Growth and development
• Water retention within the watersheds
• Open loop geothermal systems and the effects on other local wells
• Interbasin transfer issues
• Seasonal water shortages
• Chesapeake Bay issues

The following is a list of questions to understand what water resource issues affect you and/or your organization.  You can respond to these questions by posting a comment on this blog or by submitting an email. 

1. Are there additional water resource issues in the Marsh and Rock creek watersheds, other than those listed above?  If so, what are they?
2. On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the most important and 1 being the least important), how important are each of these issues to you?
3. For each problem, do you feel it's getting better, worse, or remaining constant?
4. What do you feel are ways to address each of these problems?