OutdoorMN News - Groundwater sampling planned for Kanabec County

[Rick]

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will collect and analyze water samples from about 90 wells in Kanabec County this summer and fall. 

The data are being collected for the Kanabec County Geologic Atlas, Part B (hydrogeology). The results build on the Part A (geology) information, which was produced by the Minnesota Geological Survey in 2016.

DNR staff will be contacting county residents to request permission for well sampling, which involves collecting a water sample and measuring the depth to water in each well. Tests will profile the general chemical characteristics of area groundwater and will also show about how long the water has been underground. Geology, location, well depth and well construction will determine the selection of wells for sampling. Owners of sampled wells will receive a report of the laboratory results for the water sample collected from their well.

Preserving the long-term quality of the region’s surface water and groundwater requires that policymakers have access to accurate information based on sound scientific principles. A county geologic atlas is a valuable tool for county planners, resource managers and other local government staff when making general planning, land use management, and water resource protection decisions.

The Minnesota Geological Survey has already published Part A of the atlas, which illustrates details of each county’s geology. In 2019, the DNR will publish the groundwater portion of the atlas (Part B). The Part B reports will include maps and descriptions of the distribution and movement of groundwater, cross sections illustrating groundwater conditions, and the pollution sensitivity of aquifers in the county.

The DNR County Geologic Atlas program is funded in part by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources. Funding also comes from the Clean Water Fund, which receives 33 percent of the sales tax revenue from the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment approved by voters in November 2008.

A description of this DNR program and status reports for atlas products is at: mndnr.gov/groundwatermapping.

For information, contact: John Barry, DNR hydrogeologist, 651-259-5660, [email protected]; or Paul Putzier, DNR county geologic atlas program supervisor, 651-259-5692, [email protected].

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