O'Donnell & Associates, Inc.: Management

The management of groundwater resources is not just the maintenance and repair of your system's infrastructure. Rather, it includes the practice of obtaining and evaluating key information on your source of supply over time. One key component of water resource management is the collection of water level measurements from wells. Water level measurements are the basic indicator of the status (health) of the aquifer supplying the well. Does your system have a formal management "effort" to acquire this most basic of data?

OAI developed a cost effective and efficient program to address this aspect of groundwater resource management. What began with a four aquifer/seven well water level monitoring program in 2004, grew to become a ten aquifer/37+ well program for seven public water systems across southwest Alabama, see tabs at the top of this page for examples. The data collected is used to monitor each well's effect on the water supply stored in the aquifer. This data provides critical information on whether or not the aquifers can support additional wells.

As a sysmtem manager or Board president, ask yourself this question: Can the aquifer(s) currently supplying your well(s) safely support another well? If you have proof positive it can, you don't need to budget for a test well at a cost of $60,000+ in your next well project. If you don't know, the lack of an answer may end up costing your system a bundle financially and months of time to boot. Contact OAI today to implement a cost efficient groundwater level monitoring program.