A cooperative effort by the Blackfeet Water Department, the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology, and the U.S. Geological Survey has resulted in the drilling and instrumentation of a nested pair of new groundwater observation wells on the Blackfeet Reservation of northwest Montana. These wells are included in the USGS’s National Ground-Water Monitoring Network.
The USGS Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center is currently working with the Blackfeet Water Department to conduct a hydrologic assessment of the Blackfeet Reservation in order to make informed water management decisions as the Blackfeet Nation moves forward with implementation of the Blackfeet Water Rights Compact. The Blackfeet Water Department proposes to cooperate with the USGS in 2023 to begin working towards a long-term goal of conducting a comprehensive assessment of groundwater resources of the Blackfeet Reservation. These new observation wells are considered a first step in the large-scale assessment of the Blackfeet Nation’s groundwater resources.
The nested pair of wells are both completed in Cretaceous bedrock of the Two Medicine Formation and includes a shallow (40.9 feet deep) and a deep (221.5 ft deep) well. The shallow well (USGS 484047112353301) has now been included in the USGS’s National Climate Response Network designed to monitor the effects of droughts and other climate variability on the Nation’s groundwater levels. These wells are also located about 600 feet from a USGS gaging station on Cut Bank Creek (USGS 06098800). Together, these surface-water and groundwater monitoring stations can be used to monitor:
- changes in streamflow.
- groundwater storage and recharge.
- effects of long-term and seasonal climate variability on the water resources.
Click here to learn more about the Hydrologic Assessment of the Blackfeet Reservation, Montana.
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Hydrologic Assessment of the Blackfeet Reservation, Montana
- Overview
A cooperative effort by the Blackfeet Water Department, the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology, and the U.S. Geological Survey has resulted in the drilling and instrumentation of a nested pair of new groundwater observation wells on the Blackfeet Reservation of northwest Montana. These wells are included in the USGS’s National Ground-Water Monitoring Network.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Blackfeet Water Department cooperator showcasing the new monitoring well. The USGS Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center is currently working with the Blackfeet Water Department to conduct a hydrologic assessment of the Blackfeet Reservation in order to make informed water management decisions as the Blackfeet Nation moves forward with implementation of the Blackfeet Water Rights Compact. The Blackfeet Water Department proposes to cooperate with the USGS in 2023 to begin working towards a long-term goal of conducting a comprehensive assessment of groundwater resources of the Blackfeet Reservation. These new observation wells are considered a first step in the large-scale assessment of the Blackfeet Nation’s groundwater resources.
The nested pair of wells are both completed in Cretaceous bedrock of the Two Medicine Formation and includes a shallow (40.9 feet deep) and a deep (221.5 ft deep) well. The shallow well (USGS 484047112353301) has now been included in the USGS’s National Climate Response Network designed to monitor the effects of droughts and other climate variability on the Nation’s groundwater levels. These wells are also located about 600 feet from a USGS gaging station on Cut Bank Creek (USGS 06098800). Together, these surface-water and groundwater monitoring stations can be used to monitor:
- changes in streamflow.
- groundwater storage and recharge.
- effects of long-term and seasonal climate variability on the water resources.
Click here to learn more about the Hydrologic Assessment of the Blackfeet Reservation, Montana.
- Science
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Hydrologic Assessment of the Blackfeet Reservation, Montana
The Blackfeet Nation seeks an increased scientific understanding of the water resources within the Blackfeet Reservation of northwestern Montana. Hydrologic information is needed in order to make informed water management decisions as the Blackfeet Nation moves forward with implementation of the Blackfeet Water Rights Compact as new water-use projects are initiated and as the Blackfeet Irrigation... - Multimedia
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