Field hydrologists at the Arizona Department of Water Resources have begun an intensive effort to measure groundwater levels in the northwestern state.

The watershed ‘clearing’, as these intensive campaigns are known, includes the Hualapai Basin, an area recently formed into the ‘No Irrigation Extension Area’ or INA.

Hualapai Basin sweep Start in late February and will continue until the end of April. Over the next two months or so, ADWR field service staff will make a significant effort to measure water levels in wells in the Northwest Basin planning area. A survey of wells in this area was last conducted in the spring of 2018.

The data collected is analyzed and used to obtain a comprehensive overview of groundwater conditions and is used to support scientific and water management planning efforts. In particular, data use includes:

• Water level trend analysis
• groundwater modeling
• Water level change map
• Hydrological report
• Planning and managing water resources.

The Northwest Basin Planning Area is located in the northwestern part of the state and consists of Detrital, Hualapai (Hualapai INA), Meadview, and the Sacramento Valley Groundwater Basin. The Planned Area is located within Mojave County and the City of Kingman is the largest community in the Planned Area.

Frequently asked questions about ADWR’s “watershed sweep”

Which ADWR division will be dispatched to conduct minesweeping of the basin?

Departmental field service staff who are part of the Department of Hydrology are responsible for data collection. These data are derived from measuring well water levels, collecting water quality samples, measuring emissions from pumped wells, and conducting well inventories. Field Service Basic Data Unit staff conduct basin sweeps to measure water levels in all accessible wells within a particular basin or sub-basin.

Details of this unit here.

Why are we doing a sweep here? And why now?

Watershed cleaning will be conducted on a rotating basis throughout the state, with priority given to Active Management Areas (AMAs), Irrigated Non-Extended Areas (INA), and other watersheds based on ADWR data collection needs. In December, the ADWR Director designated the Hualapai Gorge Groundwater Basin as his INA. That decision is currently on appeal.

What does ADWR do with the data?

The department uses information from watershed surveys to produce water level maps to support scientific, planning and management studies of watershed aquifer systems. Collected data are also useful for hydrological studies such as groundwater modeling and water balance development.

The department produces invaluable “Hydrology Map Series” reports and “Water Level Change” reports that show groundwater conditions across the state.

What if the well owner doesn’t want ADWR to measure the depth of the well?

Participation and cooperation in the department’s watershed research is entirely voluntary.

Information gleaned from watershed surveys has proven valuable to property owners and renters as well as state and local water planners.

Can well owners and lessees see the data?

All data collected is Groundwater site inventory (GWSI) Database at azwater.gov – Data Center. In addition, the data are compiled and presented in reports and maps available in ADWR’s Hydrology eLibrary located here.