C2-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 29, 2001 Managing Your Well During Drought Bryan R. Swistock Penn State Extension Associate William E. Sharpe Professor Of Forest Hydrology Paul D. Robillard Professor Of Agricultural Engineering In recent years, frequent droughts have caused severe water shortages in parts of Pennsylvania. Droughts can be especially stressful for the one million rural homeowners who rely on private wells for their water supply. These individual wells tap groundwater aquifers that cannot easily be seen or moni tored. The invisible nature of groundwater leads to an uneasy feeling among homeowners rely ing on wells that their water supply could dry up without warning during a drought. This article explains this typi cal variation of water in wells and gives some hints on estimat ing groundwater levels near your well and managing your water during drought. Normal Cycle Of Groundwater Levels The water level in a ground water well will fluctuate natu rally during the year. Groundwater levels tend to be highest during March and April in response to winter snowmelt and spring rainfall. The movement of rain and snowmelt into groundwater is known as “recharge.” Ground water levels usually begin to fall in May and continue to decline during the summer. Groundwa ter recharge is limited during late spring and summer because trees and other plants use the available water to grow. Natural groundwater levels usually reach their lowest point in late September or October. In late fall, after trees and plants have stopped growing, and before snow begins to fall, groundwater levels may rise in response to rainfall and re charge. Groundwater recharge persists through the fall until cold temperatures produce snowfall and frozen soil that limit the ability of water to infil trate into the ground. Groundwater levels during winter may be stable or fall slightly until spring snowmelt and rainstorms start the annual cycle again. Given this natural cycle of groundwater, most problems with wells tend to DPI Elects Dr. Engster President For 2002 SALISBURY, Md. Dcl marva Poultry Industry, Inc. (DPI) has elected Dr. Henry M. “Hank” Engster of Perdue Farms Inc. to lead the organiza tion in 2002. During his one year term as DPI president, Dr. Engster will represent approximately 3,000 members including poultry growers, allied businesses, local businesses, poultry companies and employees of Delmarva’s four poultry companies. He will serve a one-year term in 2002. A nutritionist by training, Engster serves as Perdue’s Vice President of Technical Services. Since joining Perdue in 1989, Dr. Engster has been active with DPI, serving as a committee chairman, a member of the board of directors, and most re cently as DPI first vice presi dent. “I am excited to be president occur in late summer or early fall when groundwater levels naturally reach their lowest levels. Natural Fluctuation Of Groundwater Levels Fluctuation tends to be most pronounced in shallow wells. As a result, shallow wells are usu ally more susceptible to drought than deeper wells. Shallow, hand-dug wells, for example, are often the first wells to dry up during drought. Al though deeper wells may be slower to suffer from drought conditions, they may also take longer to recover after a drought has occurred. Land Use Changes Affect Susceptibility Of Well To Drought? Dramatic changes have oc curred to the landscape in many rural areas of Pennsylvania. In creasing development and rural population growth will likely continue in the future. Existing rural residents often worry that these changes may create com petition for groundwater that might increase the susceptibility of their well to drought. It is un likely that small numbers of new homes will cause significant changes in groundwater levels. However, more dramatic changes in land use that tap large amounts of groundwater or prevent recharge from occur ring over a wide area could make existing wells more sus ceptible to drought. This is espe cially true in areas where mining is occurring or where large paved areas prevent rainfall and snowmelt from recharging groundwater. Monitoring Groundwater Levels? Direct determination of the groundwater level in your well is difficult and usually requires the use of a water level meter. These meters are comprised of an elec trical probe attached to the end of a measuring tape. The probe is lowered into the well until a display or light indicates that it has reached water. The depth to water is then read directly from the measuring tape. These in struments generally cost $3OO or more depending on the antici pated length of tape needed. There are other, less direct, but more practical methods to determine the status of your well water supply. In recent years, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has developed a Web- of an organization that has earned a national and interna tional reputation as an industry leader,” Engster said. “In the coming months, we will inten sify our efforts to keep the poul- try industry strong and work to assure that the positive story about our industry is widely known.” Other priorities in clude government relations pro grams and improving DPI member services. Joining Engster in their ca pacities as volunteer DPI offi cers in the coming year are First Vice President, Douglas W. Green, a poultry grower and farmer near Princess Anne, Maryland; Second Vice Presi dent, Joseph E. Chisholm Sr., a Pocomoke City, Maryland-area poultry grower and banker; and Immediate Past President R. Ken Sterling of Salisbury, an animal health specialist with Phibro Animal Health. based system to access water levels from a group of monitor ing wells in Pennsylvania. The USGS measures 67 wells in nearly every county of the state. They have developed a web page that allows viewers to access water levels over the past two years from 40 of these wells. In addition to the actual water level, different shaded areas are provided to illustrate the normal conditions as well as drought watch, warning, and emergency water levels. This information, although not specific to your well, will allow you to observe the general trend in groundwa ter levels in your area. The Web page for this system is http:// pa.water.usgs.gov/durplots/ well—duration.html Once you access this page, choose the well nearest to your house and select the “30-day graph” to view the up-to-date groundwater conditions in your area. The graphs are color coded to easily show when a particular well is experiencing drought conditions and the severity of the conditions. You can also view up-to-date groundwater levels and other in formation for all 67 monitoring wells, including the water levels over the past seven days, at the following USGS Website: http;// water.usgs.gov/pa/nwis/ current?typegw You may also be able to learn more about your local ground water conditions by contacting local well drillers and neighbors. Well drillers are continually drilling new wells and, there fore, may have knowledge of groundwater levels near your well. They may also have in stalled new submersible pumps in nearby wells that would allow them to document the existing groundwater level. Similar dis cussions with neighbors that have had new pumps installed Lancaster Farming ✓Check Out Our Web site www.lancasterfarming.com or had new wells drilled may provide valuable information about the groundwater level. How Can I Conserve Water? Water conservation measures become critical during times of drought. Homeowners relying on private wells should begin to conserve water as soon as drought conditions occur. Water use within the home can be sig nificantly reduced through changes in habits and by install ing water-saving devices. In emergency situations, changes in water use habits can provide quick reductions in water use. For more information on ways to save water around the home, consult the Penn State Cooperative Extension publica tion entitled “22 Ways To Save Water In An Emergency” and “A Guide to Designing A Com munity Water Conservation Program.” These publications are available free-of-charge from your local cooperative ex tension office or can be ordered from the College of Agricultural Sciences, Publication Distribu tion Center at (814) 865-6713. Additional information about permanent reductions in water use through installation of water-saving devices, such as low-flush toilets and front loading washers, is available at the following U.S. Environmen tal Protection Webpage: http:// www.epa.gov/seahome/ watcon.html. What Can I Do If My Well Runs Dry? There are a number of reasons why a well may quit producing water. The most frequent cause is a malfunctioning or worn-out submersible pump. Other elec trical problems, such as a mal functioning electrical switch at the pressure tank, may also cause a loss of water. Pressure tanks also need to be replaced from time to time. Water quality problems, like iron bacteria and sediment, may also clog the well and severely restrict water flow from the well. A well driller or competent plumber should be consulted to determine the exact cause of the problem. Other Helpful Web Addresses Consult these Webpages to learn more about drought, water supply, and private water system management. • U.S. Environmental Protec tion Agency http://www.epa.gov • Publications on water qual ity, private wells, and water con servation. The Penn State Water Quality Extension web page http://wqext.psu.edu • Fact sheets and other publi cations and resources related to private water systems and septic system management. • The Pennsylvania Depart ment of Environmental Protec tion Drought Information Center http:// www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/ subject/hotopics/drought/ • Drought statistics, regula tions, news updates, and water conservation ideas. Pennsylva nia Water Watch http:// pasc.met.psu.edu/PA Climatoiogist/PAH2O/ PAH2o.html • Maps and other graphics of the drought status in Pennsylva nia. The Middle Atlantic River Forecasting Center http:// crab.met.psu.edu/ • Graphs and tables of pre cipitation, stream flow, and other drought indicators. U.S. Geological Survey http:// wwwpah2o.er.usgs.gov/ • Many publications access to stream flow and groundwater data for Pennsyl vania.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers