Monitoring Groundwater Levels and Maintaining Databases
Virginia Eastern Shore aquifer groundwater monitoring network
The USGS and Virginia Department of Environmental Quality form cooperative partnership to provide historic and real-time access to groundwater monitoring data.
Long-term measurement of groundwater levels throughout the Virginia Eastern Shore aquifer system continues to be an important aspect of understanding spatial and temporal changes in groundwater resources. Well maintenance and data collection and management are accomplished cooperatively by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and USGS.
In cooperation with USGS, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality currently measures groundwater levels in 66 wells in Accomack and Northampton Counties of Virginia. Measurements include near real-time water levels, collected at intervals of an hour or less, and field measurements of water levels, collected at intervals of weeks to months.
Thousands of historical measurements at these and other wells also have been recorded. All water-level measurements are maintained in USGS databases and are available to the public through the National Water Information System.
Two web tools are available for exploring the Virginia Eastern Shore groundwater well monitoring networks and accessing data:
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The National Water Information System site mapper shows active and inactive groundwater monitoring wells and provides access to data.
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The Virginia Eastern Shore groundwater level mapper shows the locations of real-time groundwater monitoring wells and provides access to data.
