Project Contacts
Chris Konrad
(cpkonrad@usgs.gov)
(253) 552-1634

Mark Mastin
(mcmastin@usgs.gov)
(253) 552-1609

Frank Voss
(fdvoss@usgs.gov)
(253) 552-1689


934 Broadway,
Suite 300
Tacoma, WA 98402

Methow River Basin

Scientific Topics -Ground Water

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Ground water is an important resource in the Methow River Basin. Ground water sustains streamflow during dry months when there is little rain to generate runoff. Ground water moderates temperatures of streams and rivers because it is relatively cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Ground water also supplies water for domestic, agricultural, and other commercial uses.

Aquifers in the unconsolidated sediments deposited along valley bottoms provide the closest and, in all likelihood, the largest supply of ground water for streams and public use. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) inventoried and monitored nearly 400 wells throughout the valley to characterize the unconsolidated deposits and confining layers in the basin. The USGS will use lithologic information from the well drillers' logs to map the thickness of hydrogeologic units.

Periodic water-level measurements from the wells will be used to map the altitude of ground water in the basin. The hydrogeologic framework in combination with the ground-water altitudes will improve the understanding of the unconsolidated aquifers throughout the basin.