In March and April, two new monitor wells were installed inside the Jacob’s Well Groundwater Management Zone to better document groundwater conditions and aquifer dynamics. These are no ordinary wells. The Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District, Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District, and Hays County collaborated with the Watershed Association and Hays County Jacob’s Well Natural Area to install these wells.
The multiport monitor well on the Watershed Association’s Colemans Canyon Preserve has 9 independent zones to measure conditions in individual formations of the Middle and Lower Trinity Aquifers.
The Multiport Monitor Well is located on the Watershed Association's Colemans Canyon Preserve, updip from Jacob's Well.
This well is about 540' deep and allows monitoring access to the Middle and Lower Trinity Aquifers.
Geophysical, caliper, and video logs document formation depths and thicknesses.
The well logs inform the well construction. Each rock layer has unique geophysical signatures.
Depth and thickness inform where packers and sampling ports will be placed.
The Westbay Multiport system uses inflatable packers (light green) to create independent zones.
Hydrogeologists interpret the well logs to optimize well construction for monitoring.
Each connection is pressure tested before installation.
There are 9 zones. One in the Hosston, one in the Sligo, one in the Hammett, two in the Cow Creek, two in the Hensel, and two in the Lower Glen Rose. Click to view video explanation.
The dual completion monitor well at the Jacob’s Well Natural Area has two drop pipes that allow access to continuously measure water levels in two Middle Trinity Aquifer formations–the Lower Glen Rose and the Cow Creek.
Have you heard the news of the new Watershed Center?
