Conserving Resources

Conservation districts are looking for better ways to monitor and manage water resources, which are affected by naturally occurring cycles of drought, rising populations, and increasing demands from bioenergy and industrial sectors. The U.S. Drought Monitor suggests a risk management approach to drought management that emphasizes improved monitoring and planning. Water conservation districts are taking steps to reduce the impacts of drought through better preparedness, data collection, prediction, risk management, and improved response to drought emergencies.

To continuously monitor groundwater levels, In-Situ^® Inc. offers Level TROLL^® instruments for every application and budget. To support increased frequency of data collection during a drought, monitoring wells can be outfitted with TROLL^® Link telemetry systems, which save time and decrease fuel and labor costs.

“During the past two droughts, we’ve collected a lot of water level data using Level TROLL^® 500 instruments placed throughout the District. Due to the accuracy and precision of the Level TROLL instruments, we have been able to more closely correlate data from Barton Springs to water levels in the Lovelady monitor well.” – Brian B. Hunt, P.G. at the Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District (BSEACD) in Central Texas

“With continuous monitoring of water levels throughout the District and implementation of a drought trigger policy, the District minimizes the undesired results of groundwater exploitation. The enactment of conservation measures and reduction of pumping under conditional permits will minimize adverse impacts to water supply wells and to the endangered salamanders.” – Brian Smith Ph.D., P.G. at the BSEACD

Application Note: Drought Notification System in Texas Monitors Groundwater Levels and Spring Flow to Trigger Action (pdf)

Article: Smothers' Efforts Pay Off for Local Well Monitoring by Dave Pasley, The Boerne Star, March 19, 2009