A strategy for collecting ground-water data and developing a ground-water model of the Missouri River alluvial aquifer, Woodbury and Monona Counties, Iowa

A ground-water-flow model and plan for obtaining supporting data are proposed for a part of the Missouri River alluvial aquifer in Woodbury and Monona Counties, Iowa. The proposed model and the use of the principle of superposition will aid in the interpretation of the relation between ground water and surface water in the study area, particularly the effect of lowered river stages on water levels in the alluvial aquifer. Information on the geometry, hydraulic characteristics, and water levels in the alluvial aquifer needs to be collected for use in the model and for model calibration. A plan to obtain hydrologic and geologic information by use of exploratory test-well drilling is proposed. Also proposed is a monitoring network to obtain information on the spatial and temporal variability of water levels within the study area.