LEVEL UP! Voluntary Well Monitoring Archives - Sonoma County Groundwater Sustainability Agencies

Community-driven voluntary well monitoring program launches

This article is contributed to the GSA blog by Sonoma Resource Conservation District.

young man wearing a cap kneels next to a well pipe and measures the depth to water.

Member of the Sonoma RCD staff measuring groundwater data using an electrical sounding tape. This is a different tool than the sonic water level device available for loan.

October tends to be a busy time, with the seasons changing and squeezing in as many outdoor projects as possible before November rains. For us at the Sonoma Resource Conservation District (RCD), October also marked the launch of the first round of data collection for the LEVEL UP! Voluntary Well Monitoring Program across all three groundwater basins in Sonoma County.

As the last month before the rainy season, October is an ideal time to observe groundwater levels and compare them to data collected in April, typically considered the end of the rainy season. With the support of partners, we served as a “checkout” site for program participants who borrowed a sonic well level meter to measure their groundwater levels. It was a great chance to meet individual well owners and community leaders involved in local data collection. We were able to learn more about what motivated people to participate and had meaningful conversations about the future of groundwater in Sonoma County.

The first thing people shared was how easy to use the tool was! Will Spangler, a project manager at Gold Ridge RCD, created a helpful how-to video that gave participants the confidence to use it on their own.

Individual well-owners were enthusiastic for the program’s launch and eager to begin collecting data. When asked why he signed up, one participant shared, “I want to ensure for myself and my community that we have a healthy water supply for generations to come. The management of the program was seamless, from the orientation to the equipment rental. I’m looking forward to seeing the data produced through our collective efforts this season and learning more about how I can protect Sonoma County’s groundwater.”

“the selected technology is very easy to use”

One of the sonic water level measuring devices well owners can check out of the Sonoma RCD office.

Communities across Sonoma County were equally enthusiastic, finding the collective experience of data collection rewarding and motivating. One individual checked out the device for a weekend, dedicating his Sunday to do well-monitoring throughout his neighborhood. He shared, “the selected technology is very easy to use” and that each site only took 5-10 minutes. He even suggested highlighting this in the program outreach materials, as some of the neighbors were surprised at how simple and noninvasive the process was and how useful the data could be. The community was eager to support the effort, with several participants offering to encourage their neighbors to sign up for the program. Some even offered to be neighborhood leaders for the next round of measurements!

In talking with this group, we learned that many participants joined due to concerns about potential impacts from municipal or commercial water pumping. One individual mentioned that their well had run dry in the past, and they feared it could happen again with new construction. Many of those interested in monitoring had past experiences with dry wells or were curious to understand groundwater trends. It was a reminder of both the personal and collective benefits of understanding groundwater levels in our basins. For the community member who checked out the tool, he said, “He said, “it was a reminder of the interconnectivity of this resource. We usually think of our well as an isolated piece of infrastructure, a straw into our own property. But showing my neighbors that their wells are at the exact same level as mine is a powerful reminder that we are all tapped into a shared asset.”

“It was a reminder of the interconnectivity of this resource…showing my neighbors that their wells are at the exact same level as mine is a powerful reminder that we are all tapped into a shared asset.”

line graph showing well measurement levels In addition to running the monitoring device checkout site, we collected data at about 15 sites within the Petaluma Valley Basin, where we’ve been monitoring water levels for the past ten years. Each year, we create a hydrograph with the data to track changes in groundwater levels. You can see one of these hydrographs below!

While October was a busy month of monitoring, it provided wonderful opportunities to connect with community members and work together on gathering data on our groundwater health. We are curious to compare this data to our April findings and track progress in future years. A huge “Thank You!” to the individuals and communities participating—your efforts help us assess the health of our aquifers and work toward sustainable solutions for groundwater in Sonoma County for years to come.

For questions or more information, reach out to Maria Wnorowski, Sonoma RCD’s Community Engagement Program Manager, at mwnorowski@sonomarcd.org.

Voluntary Groundwater Level Monitoring with LEVEL UP!

Understanding how much water is in our groundwater basin requires citizens and scientist alike to take ground water level measurements from wells at as many strategic locations throughout the Sonoma County as we can. That’s why the Petaluma Valley GSA is using the recent Department of Water Resources SGMA Implementation grant funds to prioritize filling data gaps throughout Petaluma Valley basin through our voluntary Groundwater Level Monitoring program.

The goal of addressing data gaps in our Petaluma Valley basin is to deepen our understanding of the groundwater system. Groundwater is still very challenging to manage because – simply put – we can’t see it like we can rivers and lakes. It is difficult to fully capture how much water exists and how it moves underground. However, we do have wells – which can be thought of as windows into the aquifer – and provide a key opportunity to collect direct information about our groundwater system.

To kickoff the project, GSA staff formed a groundwater monitoring subcommittee to identify prime locations within the Petaluma Valley to fill data gaps, review available well construction information, outline approaches to monitoring wells and establish protocols for data reporting and sharing. The subcommittee is comprised of representatives from the Sonoma County GSA Advisory Committees, along with staff from Permit Sonoma, Resource Conservation Districts, Sebastopol Water Information Group, and the Sonoma Ecology Center.

The LEVEL UP! Voluntary Well Monitoring program is designed to support participating well owners on both residential and agricultural parcels to measure their groundwater levels in their well only two times a year, in spring and fall. Participants will learn how water depth changes over the year and how the groundwater aquifer beneath their property responds to winter rain recharge and use during summer dry months. The GSAs have identified key data gap areas for more targeted outreach and technical support, but any well owner in the basin is welcome to participate in the program with the DIY tools and instructions available.

Interested in joining the Voluntary Well Monitoring Program? Click this link!

Voluntary Groundwater Level Monitoring with LEVEL UP!

Community Alliance with Family Farmers works to support groundwater sustainability for small farmers across California

This article is reposted with permission from the Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) website.

The passage of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) in 2014 started California’s first steps toward sustainable management of our critical groundwater resources. Groundwater, the water pumped from underground wells, makes up 40-60% of California’s annual water usage, the rest coming from snowmelt and surface water. Reliable groundwater access is critical for drinking water supplies, healthy ecosystems, and the success of small farms and agricultural production around the state.

2024 marks ten years since Governor Brown signed the legislation that created SGMA and it also marks the beginning of CAFF’s SGMA and Small Farms Program. Funded by the Department of Water Resources, we are excited to be collaborating with the Water Foundation, UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR) Small Farms Network, UC Davis Law School, and Dudek Engineering on groundwater education, outreach, and technical assistance for small-scale and underserved farmers.

As detailed in the 2022 report SGMA and Underrepresented Farmers, small farms and their unique needs are often not captured in Groundwater Sustainability Plans. The challenges that small farms face include the shallow depth of their irrigation wells, lack of financial means to dig deeper wells, leased instead of owned land, and technological, language, or social barriers to accessing the Groundwater Sustainability Agencies that create local plans for groundwater.

With this new program, CAFF aims to uplift the voices of and offer direct support to small-scale, limited-resource, women-owned, beginning, and underserved farmers. CAFF is sharing this work with the UC ANR Small Farms Network. UC ANR will be covering the San Joaquin Valley with additional coverage in Santa Clara and Riverside Counties. To start, CAFF is focusing on the Sacramento Valley up to Tehama, Salinas Valley including Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo Valley, Sonoma County, and Cuyama Valley. If you are outside of these regions and need support, please reach out to CAFF so that we can include you in outreach efforts moving forward.

Alongside UC ANR, the goals of our SGMA and Small Farms Program include:

Analyzing risks, barriers, and opportunities for small and underserved farmers in local Groundwater Sustainability Plans
Mapping small farms at risk from SGMA implementation
Educating farmers on what the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act is, how it may impact their wells and groundwater access, and what changes may be coming to their region
Facilitating meetings between local Groundwater Sustainability Agencies and farmers
Supporting the development of legal resources for small and underserved farmers at UC Davis Law School, particularly for groundwater adjudication cases
Connecting underserved farmers with Dudek’s technical engineering resources for groundwater level monitoring, analysis of well interference, and more
Creating tools for Groundwater Sustainability Agencies and the Department of Water Resources to better understand the needs of small and underserved farmers

CAFF’s ongoing water work

As noted in CAFF’s 2024 Policy Platform, access to water is a key issue for California’s local food producers and is one of CAFF’s top priorities for current and future legislative cycles. In addition to the SGMA and Small Farms Program, CAFF is working with the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance on research, network building, and outreach for dry farming wine grapes. We continue to coordinate the California Agricultural Water Stewardship Initiative (CAWSI) and are excited to be updating this website and its resources in the year ahead. At the state level, CAFF remains engaged in policy advocacy for bills that impact small farms’ water access and sustainable water management.

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Pictured, above: Community Alliance with Family Farmers is reaching out to local farmers with information about sustainable groundwater. In this photo, CAFF’s local outreach coordinator Reyna Yagi discusses water with family farmers at a local grange hall.

CAFF is a California-based nonprofit dedicated to building sustainable food and farming systems through policy advocacy and on-the-ground programs that create more resilient family farms, communities, and ecosystems. Sonoma County’s three groundwater sustainability agencies are partnering with CAFF on outreach to farmers for some of the programs that were funded last year by the Groundwater Sustainability Plan Implementation grant from the California Department of Water Resources, including the Level Up! Voluntary Well Monitoring Program.

four people stand outdoors near a water tank and well on a sunny day

Neighbors helping neighbors monitor groundwater

With California’s climate swinging from extended droughts to wet years with heavy rain and flood, the measurement of groundwater levels in our aquifers can vary widely from season to season and year to year. The only way to know this information for sure is to monitor water levels on a periodic basis, keeping track of this information. While the rains seem to recover most of our shallow aquifers after rain, those gains are not always showing up, especially in the deep aquifers or areas of chronic decline.

Neighbors Helping Neighbors
Last fall, neighbors in Bennett Valley got together and decided they wanted to know more about their groundwater levels. A few of them got together to organize an October groundwater monitoring day to help one another take measurements and keep track of the readings. They raised funds to purchase a shared measurement device and got some training on best practices for well readings. They learned a lot that first time out, not just about groundwater levels but also the logistics of a volunteer community program like this.

Chris is one of the neighbors who got the ball rolling first. She was personally motivated as someone who once years ago had a well run dry on her property and had to drill a new one at a significant personal expense. Chris shared that if she is going to effectively manage the groundwater on her property, she really needs to have as much information as possible. Knowing how much water she has in the well seasonally will help her make good water management decisions in her home and in the garden, and hopefully avoid another costly problem like a well gone dry. Since neighbors are all drawing from a connected underground water source, they concurred that it helps if everyone has collective sense of the water levels, too.

In April, they set out again to take their spring measurements, this time with several additional participants after word got around. More neighbors were interested in having information about how their water levels compared to the broader picture in the basin. A team of four volunteers navigated the route and visited 21 properties on a Saturday, using a sonic measuring device to check water levels and add the data to their logs. Then they add this information to a spreadsheet twice a year, every October and April.

Voluntary Groundwater Level Monitoring Program launching this summer in preparation for fall well measurements
Our three Groundwater Sustainability Agencies are going to help others in the area get involved in groundwater level monitoring too, with a new Voluntary Groundwater Level Monitoring Program. This summer we will offer community workshops for residential and agricultural well owners to get involved in this program, gain access to the tools to take the measurements, and then upload the data to an interactive map to see how the water levels compare at a high level across the basin (with parcel level privacy protected). Chris and the Bennett Valley group have already offered to share their collected measurements to the map, and are eager for more local people to get active in protecting our groundwater resources for now and the future.

Get Involved
Watch for upcoming Voluntary Groundwater Monitoring workshops and trainings both online and in person this summer to prepare for the October monitoring time period. Sounds interesting? Sign up to get involved here sonomacountygroundwater.org/voluntary-monitoring.