The National Center Ground Water Observation Wells
During the fall of 1976, two wells were constructed on the National Center grounds solely for the purposes of demonstration and instruction. These observation wells can be used to monitor ground water levels, but they are not used for water supply. Well 1, the well nearest the road, is 165 feet deep, and Well 2, located in a shelter, is 205 feet deep. The steel-pipe casing in both wells ends 35 feet below the surface, where each well then becomes an open hole through the rocks.
The National Center rests on two distinct rock types: very old rocks changed by temperature and pressure (Precambrian schists), and old rocks formed by sediment accumulation in water (Triassic sandstone and conglomerate). Both of the wells are in the Triassic rocks.
Water levels range 8 to 12 feet below the land surface, and much of the water comes from fractures in the sandstone rock. These wells could provide 1 to 5 gallons of water per minute, water that is of good quality and suitable for most purposes.
