Headlines scream about water conditions in the west on a regular basis, but what can we actually find out about it?

Trying to get information on groundwater trends can be a real exercise in patience, dealing with dead ends and "I dunno" answers...even when people are sincerely trying to help, the information can be mind-boggling for someone not familiar with the data.  For people who aren't professionals in the field of water, it can be difficult, if not impossible to decipher.

As of January 1, the U.S. Geological Survey has provided an interactive map for the public to access on the web!  Man, has this made it so much simpler and easier than I even dreamed of!

Working with scientists and researchers from the University of Arizona, the USGS map uses records from as far back as 1919 and is linked to a database of around 6,000 well records statewide, showing water increases or decreases since 1997 in an easy to use graphic format.  USGS Arizona Water Conditions

A complimentary tool to the USGS Map is Arizona Wells, a site provided to foster information exchange, by a group based at the U of A:  Sustainability of semi-Arid Hydrology and Riparian Areas (SAHRA).  Much of the same data used by the USGS site is also incorporated in the SAHRA map, but with a different set of features such as locating wells within a specific distance from a particular address.  Arizona Wells

By June, SAHRA hopes to have data from the state Department of Environmental Quality to show water quality on the map also.