Our Groundwater Network
Lewis & Clark County Water Quality Protection District
Water Quality Protection District
The Lewis and Clark County Water Quality Protection District (WQPD) serves the Helena valley and surrounding areas. Our mission is to preserve, protect, and improve water quality and quantity within the boundaries of the WQPD. We do this by collecting stream and groundwater data, conducting investigations and outreach on local water issues, and assisting residents to better understand and manage their water resources. Lewis and Clark County is outlined in black, and the shaded blue area is the WQPD boundary.
Groundwater Network
As part of our mission, we monitor groundwater levels and collect water quality samples throughout the WQPD.
Water Quality
While water quality samples are typically collected from wells in response to contaminant concerns, we also collect samples during special projects.
Do you have any concerns about your water? Give us a call at (406) 457 - 8584 or stop by our office!
We are currently working on developing tools to not only share these data with you, but provide a means for you to make informed decisions on the water quality. Stay tuned for more information on these tools!
Water Level Monitoring
We currently monitor the groundwater levels in 162 wells across the WQPD.
86 wells are monitored monthly.
76 wells are monitored quarterly.
These data are then shared with the public and used to develop tools so that everyone can make informed decisions about their water.
Our Partners
The WQPD receives data from homeowners as well as from our partner agencies such as the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology's (MBMG) Ground Water Information Center (Link: GWIC ). These data allow us to collect information on wells that are outside our boundaries.
Would you like to know more about a specific well?
To bring up more information about a specific well, simply click on it!
If we monitor the water level in a well you will see a graph showing the water levels over time - this is known as a hydrograph. This graph is a great way to see what is happening with a well's water level over a season or multiple years.
When you are finished interacting with the map, move your mouse off of the map to the far left side of the screen, then scroll down.
Current Groundwater Level Conditions Tool
To help identify long-term trends with groundwater levels in our wells, the WQPD has developed a tool that compares the most current measurement for a well to all previous measurements for that well. The results of these calculations show us if groundwater levels in that well are within the range of normal levels, above normal levels, or below normal levels. If wells are continuously above (higher water levels) or below (lower water levels), we can use this information to plan for flooding or water shortages.
Percentiles
To make these trend calculations more useful, we have broken the results down into percentiles.
A percentile is a way to describe how a measurement, in this case the current groundwater level, fits into a list of all the other measurements for that well. Is the current measurement the highest in the list? Is it the lowest? Is it somewhere in the middle of all the measurements?
Viewing a hydrograph (right) can visualize changes over time, but can you tell if the changes in water depth are within the normal range for the well or....is there a long-term trend that we may not see?
A percentile tells us how much of the data are less than the current measurement. If a student's test score is in the 80th percentile, it means that 80% of the class scored lower than that student. Said differently, the student scored higher than 80% of the class.
Now let's think about this in terms of your groundwater level...
What if the wells near my house are in the 75th percentile? A well measurement in the 75th percentile, means that 75% of all the measurements collected at that well are below the current measurement. Said differently, the current water level is higher than 75% of all the historic measurements. This means the current water levels in those wells are higher than the normal range of historic measurements.
Higher than normal groundwater levels could lead to flooding.
Current Groundwater Level Conditions Tool
Now that we understand that a percentile tells us if the current groundwater level is within the normal range or above/below that range, we can apply this to wells across the WQPD.
As we explain how to interact with the tool, feel free to begin interacting with the various parts.
You can also open the tool in a new tab using the small button in the top-right corner of the tool.
Map
The map can be zoomed in/out using your mouse wheel/mouse pad or the + and – buttons in the bottom-right corner of the map window (or scrolling the wheel on your mouse). Holding the left mouse button will allow you to drag the map around the screen.
If you select a well you will see a small window appear. Inside the window will be information on the latest measurement, and an indication of how this measurement relates to the normal historic levels.
Well Counters
The well counters track the total number of wells being analyzed by the WQPD at this time, and the number of wells displayed in the map. As you move around the map, the displayed wells number will change based on the number of wells visible in the map.
Wondering why we are only analyzing 64 wells out of 162? After the tool we explain the requirements that the wells must meet to be included in the calculations.
Graph
The graph shows the number of wells in each percentile. As you move around the map, the wells being graphed will correspond to which wells are visible in the map.
You can also click on a specific color bar in the graph to only show wells in that percentile range on the map!
Hint: after selecting a color bar in the graph, selecting it again will turn off that filter and bring you back to showing all of the categories.
Why are only certain wells being used to show the trend?
To help ensure any trends we find are accurate and representative, we only use wells that meet several requirements with a focus on continuous measurements over many years. Out of the 162 wells the WQPD monitors throughout the year, 64 are currently used for the analysis based on three specific criteria:
1) A measurement collected in the last year. 2) Have over 10 years of data. 3) At least two measurements collected per season for a minimum of 8 measurements per year. A season was categorized by: Winter (January - March), Spring (April - June), Summer (July -September), Fall (October - December).
As more measurements are taken by the WQPD we will add more wells to this analysis, so that we can provide more information to the residents and stakeholders of the WQPD.
Understanding Your Groundwater Level
What do I do with this information?
This tool is simply one method to help inform property owners and other stakeholders of potential water availability problems - whether that is too much water (flooding) or too little water (drought). Understanding the long-term groundwater levels in your well, or the wells near you, can help you plan for the future.
What if a well near my house is below normal?
If the current measurement is below normal, there are a couple of questions to ask yourself. What season is it? If it is the middle of summer and everyone has been irrigating, it is possible the well is below normal due to the short-term irrigation demand. If the well is below normal during spring time when we have more water from snow melt and spring rains recharging the groundwater, this could indicate a potential future problem. However, a single data point showing below normal levels could be a one-off measurement.
Do you have a plan and a budget in place in case you begin experiencing water availability problems?
As with any potential problem, the first step is to ask questions and gain information on your situation. What is the current setup of your well pump? Do you have room to lower your well pump incase the groundwater is dropping? Will you need an additional well drilled?
If the groundwater is consistently higher than normal and there is a strong potential for flooding, do you have any plans or budgets in place to combat flooding?
Weather Stations
In the summer of 2024, the WQPD invested in a real-time weather station. This instrument will help us document and understand our weather patterns as we continue to investigate water quality and water quantity issues. The first weather station was installed in the North Hills to help us track the weather patterns and soil moisture.
Approximate location of the weather station.
This weather station records:
- Precipitation
- Wind speed/direction
- Air temperature
- Relative humidity
- Soil moisture
These measurements are recorded every 30 minutes and once per hour the data are transmitted wirelessly to a server. A dashboard has been developed to help you view the data for free. You can view the dashboard below or click HERE to open the dashboard separately. The dashboard is through HOBOlink.com which is owned by the company who builds the weather station.
The dashboard defaults to showing the data over the past week, however you can change this to show only the past day or the past month. To change this setting, use the dropdown menu located in the top-left corner of the dashboard.
HOBOlink Dashboard
Want to know more about our ground water? Stay tuned for new tools we are developing! In the meantime, here are some additional resources for you!
Additional Resources
Do you have any questions, or would you like to discuss a water resource issues with our staff? Please do not hesitate to contact us at:
Our office is located at: Lewis and Clark County Public Health 1930 9th Avenue Helena, MT 59601
Jennifer McBroom, Supervisor (406) 457-8584 JMcBroom@LCCountyMT.gov
Kegan McClanahan, Hydrogeologist (406) 457-8927 KMcClanahan@LCCountyMT.gov
Here are some additional online resources:
