Ob Wells 2008 Year in Review

Beltrami SWCD continues to monitor ground water levels in 19 observation wells scattered over the southern half of the county (for more details visit our webpage at http://www.beltramiswcd.org/ and click the "Services" tab). Changes in ground water levels reflect highly complex interactions between timing and intensity of precipitation events and the underlying geomorphology of the landscape. Consequently, great caution must be exercised in interpreting observed changes. With that said, some interesting trends are apparent and can be illustrated by considering a couple specific wells.

Well 4021 (upper figure) is near the north end of Lake Bemidji and is very closely tied to changes in lake level. Over the past five years there has a slight but consistent increase in annual minimum and maximum water levels. This is a bit puzzling given the very dry conditions in the summer of 2007 but relatively heavy rains this past fall have resulted in relatively high water levels. What we see for lake levels next spring will of course depend heavily on this winter's snow cover.

Well 4022 (lower figure) is located in an area of Eckles Township where high ground levels plagued residents in the late 1990s. Ground water levels in this area fell by roughly six feet from 2001 to 2004 but have been trending consistently upward for the past four years. Depending on winter snow melt and the intensity of spring rains, flooded basements could once again become a concern in coming years.