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State hydrogeologist summarizes Park County groundwater: most wells in basin-fill aquifers; irrigation contributes recharge
Summary
A Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology hydrologist briefed the Park County Planning Board on county groundwater types, well use, seasonal recharge and water-quality patterns, plus where to find the bureau's data online.
Sarah Edinburg, a hydrogeologist with the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology, told the Park County Planning Board on Feb. 20 that most local water users rely on shallow basin-fill aquifers and that snowpack and irrigation strongly influence groundwater levels.
Edinburg summarized countywide hydrogeology, well counts and water-quality measurements and demonstrated the bureau's Groundwater Information Center database. She emphasized that most wells in Park County are completed in basin-fill aquifers and described differences between unconfined (water-table) and confined (artesian) systems.
The presentation gave the board a technical foundation for later questions about proposed subdivisions and river-related planning. Edinburg said the bureau's county-by-county groundwater characterization work is intended to support local planning and project-level investigations and that her team makes its data publicly available online.
Edinburg said Park…
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