Groundwater sampling underway in Carver and McLeod counties

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News Releases
Groundwater sampling underway in Carver and McLeod counties
(Released August 17, 2010)


Water samples from wells in Carver and McLeod counties will be collected over the next two months to get information on groundwater chemistry. Hydrogeologists from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will collect about 90 water samples from each county.
 
The data are being collected for the Carver County Geologic Atlas and the McLeod County Geologic Atlas, a cooperative effort involving staff from the Minnesota Geological Survey, DNR Waters Division, and Carver and McLeod counties. Samples will also be tested to learn how long the water has been underground.

DNR staff will be contacting Carver and McLeod county residents to request permission for well sampling, which involves collecting a water sample and measuring the depth to water in each well. The selection of wells for sampling will be based on geology, location, well depth and well construction. Water sampled will come from wells drawing water from aquifers at varying depths. Owners of wells sampled will receive a report of the laboratory results for their well.

Preserving the long-term quality of the region’s surface and groundwater resources requires that policy makers have access to accurate information based on sound scientific principles. A county geologic atlas is a valuable tool used by county planners, resource managers, and other local government staff when making general planning, land use management, and water resource protection decisions.

The Minnesota Geological Survey has already published Part A of the atlases, which illustrate details of each county’s geology. In 2012, DNR Waters will publish the groundwater portion of the atlases (Part B). The current plan for the Part B reports will include four plates that include maps and descriptions of the hydrogeology, cross sections illustrating groundwater conditions, and the pollution sensitivity of groundwater in the county.

The DNR county geologic atlas program is funded in part by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources.

For more information, contact Jan Falteisek, DNR Waters county geologic atlas program supervisor, at 651-259-5665, or Todd Petersen, project hydrogeologist, at 651-259-5698.