COLUMBUS — The Ohio Department of Natural Resources is adding at least 10 new wells to the statewide Ohio Groundwater Observation Well Network that will enhance opportunities for long-term monitoring of important groundwater levels in northwestern Ohio.
Located throughout Williams, Defiance and Fulton counties, the new observation wells will help the ODNR Division of Geological Survey track water levels in the area while advancing understanding of the groundwater inventory in northwestern Ohio. The first well was drilled in September in Holiday City, Williams County and extends approximately 200 feet deep into the sand-and-gravel aquifer.
The observation wells were funded by Ohio H.B. 33 as a one-time priority project through the Ohio Department of Development to estimate the storage capacity and maximum annual yield of the aquifers north of the Maumee River in northwestern Ohio.
Pumping testing and geophysical surveys will be conducted once each well is fully drilled. In addition, the Division of Geological Survey will drill temporary wells to conduct testing to characterize the distribution and movement of groundwater in the aquifer in each location. Data from the new wells will be available after the testing is complete. The new data will help improve forthcoming versions of an updated statewide aquifer yield map and inform future hydrogeologic modeling in the region.
Final observation well installation will be completed in early 2025 and aquifer testing will occur in spring 2025. To learn more about groundwater, explore the online Ohio Groundwater Observation Well Network interactive map at ohiodnr.gov/groundwater.
