Navigating this site can be done by done by clicking on links as well as clicking on images. From the home page, a well can be located using one of three methods:
When viewing the results for a particular well, the results for other wells can be reached by going back to the main map or the index by permit number or owner name. A link to these pages appear at the bottom of each page.
It is also possible to get to other wells by clicking on the map showing the well location. The well location are shown as a large black symbol, while other wells are shown as smaller black symbols.
Links to the wells with the next and previous well permit numbers are also shown at the bottom of each page and can be used to traverse all the wells.
The area covered by the applicant's model is described here.
The wells listed on this site are only those wells considered by the Applicant. The data were extracted from the State Engineer's well permit records. The name shown in these records may be the name of a previous owner if the record has not been updated.
If a well is not listed in the State Engineer's well permit records, or the well was excluded from summary that the Applicant requested from the State Engineer's office or the Applicant culled the well from the data produced by the State Engineer's Office, the well would not appear here.
It should be emphasized that wells considered by the Applicant for potential impacts are limited to those shown on this site. Of those, only a subset was used during the calibration of the model.
Calibration is the process during which a ground water model (or any model) is used to predict historical results such as water level measurements. Model parameters such as the hydraulic conductivity of the soil are adjusted during this process with the aim of matching historical observations. If the model accurately predicts what happened in the past, there is the hope that it will be able to predict what will happen in the future.
In the Applicant's model, three calibration steps were performed. The Applicant calls these the Quasi-Steady State Calibration, the Transient-1 Calibration and the Transient-2 Calibration.
Steady State in general refers to a condition in models wherein a simulated system is presumed to be in equilibrium. When a system is in equilibrium, there are no changes to it over time. Conservation of mass requires that for a system to be in equilibrium, inflows must match outflows exactly. Quasi-Steady State is a loose term coined by the Applicant to mean almost but not quite Steady State.
In the Applicant's model, Quasi-Steady State refers to a period prior to 1960 when the South Park Groundwater System is assumed to be in equilibrium. The Applicant assumes that the rainfall, irrigation, stream flows, etc. that were present during this period are averages for the period 1950 to 1975.
The predicted water level for each well from 1950 to 1960 is shown as a purple line at the value predicted by the Quasi-Steady State model.
Transient in general refers to a condition in models where the model predicts changes over time. In a transient calibration run, the model must match observed quantities at different times.
In the Applicant's model, Transient-1 refers to a specific model run covering two decades, 1960-1969 and 1970-1979. Within each decade the Applicant assumes that the average rainfall, irrigation, stream flows, etc. that were estimated for that decade will occur for the duration of the decade. In reality, such quantities would vary from year to year, month to month or even day to day.
The predicted water level for each well from 1960 to 1979 as predicted by the Transient-1 model is shown as a purple line.
Transient in general refers to a condition in models where the model predicts changes over time. In a transient calibration run, the model must match observed quantities at different times.
In the Applicant's model, Transient-2 refers to a specific model run covering seventeen years from 1980 to 1996. Within each year the Applicant assumes that the average rainfall, irrigation, stream flows, etc. that were estimated for that year will occur throughout the year. In reality, such quantities would vary from month to month or even day to day.
The predicted water level for each well from 1980 to 1996 as predicted by the Transient-2 model is shown as a purple line.
The NOCUP simulation is a specific model run by the Applicant. It is intended to simulate conditions that would occur without the Applicant's project for 94 years into the future (1996 to 2090). The NOCUP simulation does contain some features of the Applicant's project such as the North Branch Collection System.
The simulation specifies rainfall, irrigation, stream flows, etc. on a month by month basis and predicts water levels on a daily or shorter basis.
The predicted water level from each well from 1996 to 2090 as predicted by the NOCUP model is shown as a blue line.
The SPCUP simulation is a specific model run by the Applicant. It is intended to simulate conditions that would occur with the Applicant's project for 94 years into the future (1996 to 2090). The SPCUP simulation differs from the NOCUP simulation in that, amonth other things, it inculdes pumping from the Applicant's project. The Applicant claims that impacts of the proposed project can be determined by comparing the NOCUP and SPCUP simulations.
The simulation specifies rainfall, irrigation, stream flows, etc. on a month by month basis and predicts water levels on a daily or shorter basis.
The predicted water level from each well from 1996 to 2090 as predicted by the SPCUP model is shown as a red line.
The State Engineer's Well Permit records contain a static water level for each well. This is the water level measured in the well when the well was constructed. The date and water level measured as a depth to water are contained in the Sate Engineer's records.
Groundwater models predict water levels as an elevation above sea level. The applicant therefore estimated the ground surface elevation for the well and calculated the water level in the well by subtracting the depth to water from the ground surface elevation.
Note that the depth to water is measured from the ground surface elevation at the well. The figures also show the ground surface used in the model. It is called the ET Ground Surface since it represents where evapotranspiration occurs in the model. This value applies to a 1000 foot squared grid cell (about 23 acres) and differs from the ground surface elevation value at the well.
The measured water level from each well is shown as a green symbol on a vertical green line.