Hand-dug Well at Cordell Hull Birthplace State Park, Tennessee

Recently USGS hydrologists installed equipment to measure changes in groundwater levels over time at this well in Cordell Hull Birthplace State Park in Tennessee. While new groundwater wells used for household water supplies in the United States are now usually installed using modern drilling equipment, this old well was originally dug by hand. Scientists will use the groundwater data collected to decide if this well should be added to the statewide groundwater monitoring network, as part of a collaboration between the USGS Lower Mississippi-Gulf Water Science Center and the Tennessee Division of Water Resources. Data from groundwater wells in the existing USGS network are available to the public through the USGS National Water Information System web site.