Pope SWCD monitors 19 observation wells located throughout the County for the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The DNR monitors additional wells or has automated measurement equipment installed at additional sites throughout Pope County. The Observation Well Program began in Minnesota in 1942 through a cooperative program between DNR and the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The results are used to measure the fluctuation of the water table in the counties’ irrigated sand plains. Pope SWCD has participated in this program since 1980.
To retrieve monitoring information as well as descriptions and water level data go to: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/waters/cgm/index.html.There are approximately 667 observation wells statewide with many having continuous data loggers in place. There are more than 2,125 total observation wells in Minnesota. In 2020 about 30% of the observation wells had been instrumented with data loggers.