Wellntel systems at the Badger Rock Center are tracking groundwater and water in storage on the south side of Madison, Wisconsin. Data from the systems help neighbors, gardeners, teachers, students, and facility managers to see connections between rainfall, rainfall collection, pumping for irrigation, and groundwater levels in the shallow aquifer underlying the school, its gardens, and the neighborhood.
Recently, representatives from Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources visited the center. For the meeting, Wellntel scientists completed and shared analyses of data from Wellntel and USGS sources, comparing precipitation and surface water records with groundwater information gathered at Badger Rock Center’s hand-pumped groundwater well, demonstrating the link between rainfall and changes in groundwater level in the shallow aquifer:
… and a clear connection between surface water levels at nearby Lake Monona* and groundwater levels at the Badger Rock Center:
In addition to offering these insights as a Wellntel Sentinel site, the Badger Rock Center has plans to become a hub for a Community Groundwater Network (CGN) in and around Dane County.
The CGN will help Dane County farmers and residents understand resource availability and lower operating risk and cost, in addition to providing key, previously unavailable groundwater facts to support smart water management in the economically and ecologically vital Yahara Basin. Look here for additional announcements and information about that CGN as they become available.
*Two Wellntel systems at the Badger Rock Center are one mile from the south west shore of Lake Monona. One measures groundwater level in the shallow aquifer, the other measures rainwater captured on the site and stored.
