Scientists launching Colorado River groundwater study

Project will sample raw well water; public invited to informational meeting September 26

Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) next week will present their plans to study untreated well water from California groundwater basins near the Colorado River.

The meeting, conducted by the State Water Resources Control Board and the USGS, is set for Wednesday, September 26th from 1 to 3 pm in the City of Blythe’s multi-purpose room, 235 N. Broadway, Blythe, Calif. A map, agenda and other information are available at the State Water Board’s Web site.

The State Water Board’s Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program is partnering with the USGS and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories (LLNL) to sample drinking water wells in 35 groundwater basin “study units” throughout California. The USGS California Water Science Center is the project lead for the GAMA Statewide Basin Assessments.

Beginning Oct. 1, the USGS will sample drinking water wells in groundwater basins in the Yuma Valley, Palo Verde Valley, Palo Verde Mesa and Needles Valley. The sampling will be finished by the end of December, and a report on the data is expected to be available in about a year.

The GAMA Statewide Basin Assessment is designed to characterize water quality in groundwater basins. GAMA does not evaluate the quality of water delivered to consumers. After withdrawal from the ground, water is typically treated or mixed to maintain water quality before consumers receive it.

With the cooperation of local water agencies, the non-regulatory GAMA program is testing well water in every major groundwater basin in California over a 10-year period. The goal of GAMA is to improve statewide groundwater monitoring and facilitate the availability of information about groundwater quality to the public.

USGS provides science for a changing world.

The U.S. Geological Survey's California Water Science Center operates project offices in Sacramento and San Diego where more than 130 scientists bring a broad range of disciplines to modern water-management issues. The center also has nine field offices where scientists and technicians gather hydrologic data on California's surface-water and ground-water resources.