The Ohio Department of Natural Resources is adding at least 10 new wells to the statewide Ohio Groundwater Observation Well Network. The new wells will enhance opportunities for long-term monitoring of important groundwater levels in northwestern Ohio.
Located throughout Williams, Defiance, and Fulton counties, the new observation wells will help the ODNR Division of Geological Survey track water levels in the area while advancing understanding of the groundwater inventory in northwestern Ohio. The first well as part of the project was drilled in September in Holiday City, Williams County, and extends approximately 200 feet deep into the sand-and-gravel aquifer.
“It is of the utmost importance that we continue to study Ohio’s groundwater, and these wells will provide us with much needed data,” said ODNR Director Mary Mertz. “Learning more about the potential of Ohio’s natural resources will provide more insight into the wise use of water in our state.”
The observation wells were funded by Ohio H.B. 33 as a one-time priority project through the Ohio Department of Development to estimate the storage capacity and maximum annual yield of the aquifers north of the Maumee River in northwestern Ohio.
“The addition of these new wells will serve as an integral component of an already existing rich network that spans across Northwest Ohio,” said State Representative Jim Hoops, Ohio House District 81. “The work that the Division of Geological Survey has done thus far serves as a robust model for land stewardship that I hope other states will soon emulate.”
Pumping testing and geophysical surveys will be conducted once each well is fully drilled. In addition, the Division of Geological Survey will drill temporary wells to conduct testing to characterize the distribution and movement of groundwater in the aquifer in each location. Data from the new wells will be available after the testing is complete. The new data will help improve forthcoming versions of an updated statewide aquifer yield map and inform future hydrogeologic modeling in the region.
Final observation well installation will be completed in early 2025 and aquifer testing will occur in spring 2025. Click here to explore the online Ohio Groundwater Observation Well Network interactive map.