Agenda 03-15-22; 12-3 - Information Item - Memorandum – Update - Groundwater Observation Well Network

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1 Department of Environment, Agriculture, Parrs &R.ecreation MEMORANDUM TO: Board of Orange County Commissioners CC: Bonnie Hammersley, County Manager FROM: David Stancil, Environment, Agriculture, Parks and Recreation Director Wesley Poole, Water Resources Coordinator DATE: February 25, 2022 RE: Update - Groundwater Observation Well Network The purpose of this memorandum is to provide an update on the progress and activities of Orange County's Groundwater Observation Well Network. This network is known informally as the Orange Well Net (OWN) and was created in 2005 to monitor local groundwater conditions from several different types of subsurface conditions. OWN is designed to provide important information regarding the quantity of groundwater available to the citizens of the County, especially during times of drought. Background Groundwater is the sole source of water for approximately 40 percent of the residents of Orange County. The County has a history of proactive measures regarding the investigation and protection of surface water and groundwater resources. From 1992- 2001, the County's Water Resources Initiative engaged in three examinations of local groundwater resources and conditions with the U.S. Geological Survey. In May 2005, the Initiative proposed the creation of OWN in Orange County to continue the work of the previous decade of groundwater research, and provide a long-term database and network for the collection of information on local groundwater quality and quantity. The goals of the network include the collection of groundwater level data from a combination of bedrock and regolith wells spread across the nine main types of generalized bedrock geology present in the County. Regolith wells, which exist in the layer of Orange County Department of Environment, Agriculture, Parks & Recreation PO Box 8181 Hillsborough, NC 27278 Phone: (919) 245-2510 Fax: (919) 644-3351