USGS discuss initial results of Mojave River Basin groundwater study

Dec. 1, 2008
For Immediate Release

Pdf version of press release

Contact:
Jim Nickles, USGS 916/278-3016

Public invited to Dec. 10 meeting in Apple Valley, CA.

Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) will discuss their initial findings from a comprehensive study of untreated well water in the Mojave River Basin at a public meeting next week in Apple Valley, Calif.

The meeting, conducted by the State Water Resources Control Board and the USGS, will be from 10 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, Dec.10, at the Mojave Water Agency, 22450 Headquarters Drive, Apple Valley, CA. The presentation will be part of the regular meeting of the Mojave Water Agency’s Technical Advisory Committee.

Directions, an agenda and other information are available at the State Water Board’s Web site.

The Water Board’s Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program is collaborating with the USGS and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories (LLNL) to conduct the Priority Basin Project. The project monitors and assesses groundwater in California based on groundwater use. The main goals of GAMA are to improve comprehensive statewide groundwater monitoring and to increase the availability of groundwater quality information to the public.

With the voluntary cooperation of local water agencies and well owners, USGS is testing groundwater in California over a 10-year period.

For this study, USGS scientists sampled about 45 public-supply wells plus an additional 14 non-public supply wells in the groundwater basins of El Mirage Valley and the Upper, Middle and Lower Mojave River Valley in San Bernardino County.

At the meeting, the USGS will give an overview of the preliminary results. A full report on the sampling data is expected to be published in April.

The GAMA Priority Basin Project 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 for public systems is typically treated or mixed to maintain water quality before consumers receive it.

More information on the GAMA program from the State Water Board and the USGS.

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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.

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