Observer Staff

10/2/2003 12:00:00 AM

Submitted by Water Resource Specialist Sally Kniffen:

"Well" it's summer time again and along with warm temperatures and outdoor fun, it's also a point in the year when ground water resources are at peak demand.

Conservation efforts are encouraged by Union Township officials, who have instituted outside watering restrictions due to the low percentage of rainfall and increased water demands throughout the township.

Heavy rainfall and cool temperatures will eventually allow for continued watering, but the state-wide precipitation deficit-both rainfall and snowfall-has been in effect for about four years. This lack of precipitation is causing several counties' groundwater levels to drop. The results may be as severe as a well going "dry" where the water diminished to a trickle.

Groundwater is a hidden resource for many. Essentially, a well is a pipe drilled down to an aquifer which supplies water either by mechanical means-a motorized pump-or, rarely, by natural means-an "Artesian" or flowing well.

Groundwater is stored in aquifers that act as underground lake-type reservoirs. Various locations around the state have visibly low river and lake levels, especially the Great Lakes. Imagine the equivalent drop in groundwater 100 feet below the surface. Lower levels are not a big problem for those located two miles out in Saginaw Bay, but wells located near the shoreline probably no longer contain water.

Saginaw and Monroe counties, as well as several others in Michigan, face the water deficit problem. The aquifers in this area are not deep or uniform, and are not easily recharged as they are two miles out in the bay. Efforts are being made to avoid this scenario in Chippewa Township, specifically around the reservation.

In 2001, dry summer conditions helped Tribal Council realize the importance of protecting the Tribes' groundwater. They hired a water resource specialist with a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency, for the Environmental Office to monitor, protect and conserve the natural resource.

The Tribe has also provided 2 percent funding to Chippewa Township for a hydrogeological study to be performed by United States Geological Survey. The study, which will use data collected by a groundwater recorder, will be completed in the next 11 months. Once the data has been analyzed, a full report will be delivered to the Tribal Council.

For information on the water deficit, visit www.water.usgs.gov/Midroughtwatch.php.