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Eno Confluence Property Hydrograph: <br />G 45F1 eater levels <br />587.5 <br />587 i i ._ ~ ti - - _-- <br />586.5 ... ~.... . - ...... ~. _: .. f .,.. ............ <br />m 586 -e-~--~-~-- __~~__ ~----,----( --1--_ _ „__, <br />r ,,n <br />585.5 .. ..._~.. ~ .... SA~ -i -.. ... ... ~ ..~... __:. .. ~ _......_. <br />= 585 a <br />o ~ c~ <br />v 584.5 ,.- "`~....., , .._~-..... <br />m a------ ~ ( <br />0 584 ..._ ...... ~...- .. ... ._ 9 .. _,Ak.. <br />m 583.5 ~ _ V ft" <br />583 ...... L.. ....._ ..........._. _. ;....... -.... ...... ~ _+~•y,~~y~~I51}~..+,t.-~.. .... _.......... <br />[ € <br />582.5 <br />03110 04110 85110 8630 0710 08110 B9~1B 10110 1110 12110 0111 0231 03111 0411 <br />Data Summary <br />Groundwater levels consistently decreased in all six observation wells throughout the 2010 <br />growing season (April through October). Specifically, the Blackwood Farm observation well ex- <br />perienced agroundwater level decrease of nearly ten feet from April through October 2010. <br />The groundwater level in the Millhouse Road well fell nearly seven feet during the same time <br />interval. The Rocky Ridge observation well experienced a decrease of fifteen feet between <br />April and November 2010. The groundwater level in the Eubanks Road well decreased ap- <br />proximately ten feet from April through October 2010. The observation well located in southern <br />Orange County on Ray Road experienced a decrease in groundwater level of twelve feet from <br />May 2010 through March 2011. Finally, the groundwater level in the Eno Confluence well de- <br />creased nearly five feet from April through late September 2010. <br />The collected data also shows that as of late March 2011, only a minor increase in groundwater <br />levels has occurred in five of the six bedrock wells since Fall 2010. The groundwater level in <br />the Ray Road well has continued to decline through the end of the current data- record in early <br />March 2011. <br />Discussion <br />Typically, groundwater levels decrease during the months of the growing season, due to a re- <br />duction in groundwater recharge. Groundwater recharge is reduced in part due to increased <br />evaporation as a result of higher ambient temperatures. Another important factor is the in- <br />creased use of water by plants during the growing season (transpiration). These factors typi- <br />cally result in significantly lower groundwater levels during the summer months in North Caro- <br />lina and elsewhere in the Northern Hemisphere. The non-growing season, November through <br />March, is the period during which significant groundwater recharge typically occurs. Ground- <br />water recharge takes place when precipitation infiltrates into the ground and reaches the water <br />table, rather than runoff, evaporate, or get used by plant life. This infiltration increases the <br />amount of groundwater held in storage, raising groundwater levels in the regolith (upper) aqui- <br />ferand then the underlying bedrock aquifer. Typically this recharge is then available for use <br />during the subsequent growing season. Periods of drought or dry weather can of course re- <br />duce recharge which could then impact the amount of groundwater available during the grow- <br />ing season. <br />6 <br />