| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | CONTACT: Bob Church |
| June 24, 2004 | (406) 444-5400
TTY (406) 444-4687 |
State Continues to Seek Farm Sites for Groundwater Monitoring
HELENA, Mont. — The Montana Department of Agriculture, in conjunction with the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology, continues to seek cooperators for expansion of the state's monitoring well network to maintain the quality of groundwater in agricultural areas.
The monitoring program provides data on the status of Montana's groundwater, and can provide early detection of groundwater impairment that could impact rural sources of domestic and livestock drinking water.
The Montana Department of Agriculture currently has 16 monitoring wells in place and is in the process of installing 8 more wells identified during this project. The department seeks possible locations to install an additional four wells, with particular interest in the following counties: Flathead, Gallatin, Prairie, Ravalli, Richland and Treasure.
The department is looking for cooperative producers and landowners who are located in close proximity to agricultural cropland, preferably irrigated crops in an area with a shallow water table.
The department is seeking to establish and use monitoring wells over a 10-year period of time and would like a long-term commitment from landowners. The department will remove the well at the end of the monitoring period, or turn it over to the landowner for personal use.
For more information about the project, contact Bob Church, groundwater specialist at the Montana Department of Agriculture, or Jeff Paddock at (406) 444-3730 or by email at agr@mt.gov. Or, contact James Rose at the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology at (406) 496-4795.
