Ground Water Level Data
Hydrographs, well descriptions and water level data are available for each well in the Observation Well Database.
Retrieving and using the data:
General Information
- Water level information can be retrieved via two methods: one based upon selecting an obwell from a list, the other based upon specifying a location of interest.
- A drop-down list shows each obwell in the database, listed in numerical order. The list indicates the well number, well name, aquifer monitored and the MN Unique Well Number.
- Obwells may be selected by location: specify UTM or Lat/Long coordinates, specify Township/Range/Section or point to a location on a map. Well selected will be the one closest to specified point; in the case of T/R/S, it will be closest to center of section.
- Information retrieval provides a hydrograph, well details and water level data.
- The obwell number comprises a two-digit county code and a sequentially assigned three-digit number.
- Measured water levels are reported as depth, in feet, below the land surface. The number reported is actually the negative of the depth - when plotted, these negative values describe ground water rise and fall in proper perspective.
- Water levels measured in "dry" or "flowing" wells are plotted and reported as 999.99 and -999.99 respectively. Encountering these fairly rare occurrences will produce hydrographs which, because of scale, appear almost flat. Capturing the data, eliminating the extreme values, and plotting again with a graphics or spreadsheet program will produce useable charts.
Instructions for Use
If you know the Obwell number of the well for which you are seeking data, select that well from the drop down list. For each well in the database, the list shows the obwell number, the aquifer, and the unique number. After a well has been selected, press "Click here to get observation well data".
A hydrograph and pertinent well construction details will be shown, and below that, the specific water level readings for that obwell will be displayed if the "Show tabular data" checkbox was checked on. (See below for methods to copy, print and save this information.)
If you know the general area for which you are seeking information, but do not know the Obwell number, click on "Click here to set to well nearest location chosen from a map".
- When the state map appears, you may find obwells by either:
- Typing the X/Yutm, the lat/long, or the township/range/section into the appropriate box on the right of this screen.
OR -
Pointing to a spot on the map and clicking the left mouse button:
- Map reforms, centered around a target indicating the point clicked; target can be moved at any time, by clicking, and map will recenter.
- "zoom in" button will appear at right.
- Zoom in three or more times and message will indicate "Wait - map forming"; obwells will appear on reformed map as purple dots with magenta labels (NOTE: Netscape does not allow zooming to this level; must use Internet Explorer).
- Click on the well of interest.
- Typing the X/Yutm, the lat/long, or the township/range/section into the appropriate box on the right of this screen.
- Once the exact location, if known, or the well location, using the map pointer, has been entered, press the "done/return" button at the bottom of the screen.
- The original window reappears with the nearest or clicked well indicated in the selection bar. For that well, the obwell number, the aquifer, and the unique number are shown. After well has been selected, press "Click here to get observation well data".
A hydrograph and pertinent well construction details will be shown, and below that, the specific water level readings for that obwell will be displayed if the "Show tabular data" checkbox was checked on. (See below for methods to copy, print and save this information.)
To save the data or the obwell descriptive text:
- Highlight the desired text, right click, select "Copy".
- Open a word processing program (WordPerfect, Word, WordPad, for instance), right click on the blank page, select "Paste" and, text becomes part of the document.
- Save the document as a "Text" file.
Water level readings saved in the above manner as text files can be easily opened and formatted with most spreadsheet programs. This allows custom creation of hydrographs.
