Hydro Techs Perform Well Integrity Test

On September 19th, 2017 staff from the USGS NM WSC Albuquerque and Las Cruces offices visited a Climate Response Network (CRN) well just on the east side of the Organ Mountains outside of Las Cruces to receive training on integrity testing groundwater wells. What is integrity testing? Integrity testing involves adding a slug of clean water to a well and measuring how fast the water comes up then falls to its initial level in the well. The results of the test indicate if a well is open to the aquifer or if the well is plugged, collapsed, or otherwise not functioning properly. 

Wells in the CRN network ( https://groundwaterwatch.usgs.gov/Net/OGWNetwork.asp?ncd=crn ) are used to monitor the effects of droughts and other climate variability on groundwater levels.