DWR_3222336 - Laserfiche WebLink

0 • WATER LEVELS IN THE SOUTHERN HIGH PLAINS DESIGNATED GROUND WATER BASIN 1991 By John C. Romero 6 The purpose of this report is to furnish results of water -level measurements from monitoring wells in the Southern High Plains Designated Ground Water Basin made during spring, 1991. The project is done in cooperation with local well owners and the Southern High Plains Ground Water Management District. Funding for this project is supplied in part from well -permit fees collected r and managed by the Office of the State Engineer as a result of the passage of Senate Bill 200 during the 1987 legislative session. The number of ground water monitoring wells in the Southern High Plains has been increased from 20 in 1988 to 85 in 1991. The wells are completed in either the Ogallala, Dakota, Cheyenne, or Dockum aquifers, or some combination thereof, including the Entrada sandstone and one well completed in landslide deposits and Dockum strata. Stock, irrigation, municipal and wells not in use are represented in the tables. A cursory evaluation of wells for which there are sufficient data reveals tharfrom a pure numbers concept there is an approximate 50-50 distribution of water level declines and water level rises. Most of the declines, however, are occurring in the once heavily irrigated area southeast, east and northeast of Springfield. Most of the basin's water level rises are occurring in stock wells located in areas peripheral to current irrigated areas, and in some stock wells within once irrigated areas. The well hydrographs show that a period of significant water level decline began in the early to mid -1970's. A slow -down in irrigation practices in the late 1970's and early 1980's has resulted in reducing local water level declines and has allowed some recovery. A more detailed analysis of the r basin's water level trend will be included in future reports after sufficient data has been collected. s • • 0