Groundwater Resources
Beneath Iowa's land surface is a vast, natural storage and distribution system for groundwater, a resource that supplies over 80% of Iowans with their drinking water supplies. This resource is available through wells drilled into river valley sands and gravels, into other sand and gravel bodies buried within glacial deposits, and into the deeper limestone and sandstone strata beneath the state.
Over 35,000 sets of samples have been collected from the state's well drillers and contractors. These samples form a valuable "library" and are the basis of much of our understanding of Iowa's subsurface geologic and hydrologic setting. Over 18,000 logs prepared from these samples are available in our office or via electronic databases.
Water Supply
The Iowa Geological Survey provides information on the availability of groundwater supplies statewide. Given a specific geographic location, a water-well forecast can be prepared summarizing the available groundwater sources, the anticipated yields from existing aquifers, the quality of the water supply, the sequence of geologic materials to be encountered in drilling, and appropriate advisories on well construction or potential contamination problems. This information can be obtained by letter or office visit, over the phone, or by electronic pathways.
Click to see information on private well construction.
Water Quality
Most of the information available on the natural water quality of Iowa's groundwater concerns major chemical constituents, such as dissolved solids, hardness, and major ions such as sulfate, sodium, and iron. Over the past decade additional information has become available on water quality related to agricultural contaminants such as nitrate and pesticides (Water Quality and Agriculture). Less information is available on trace metals, radionuclides, and organic chemicals. Information on the water quality of the major aquifers can be found in many of our publications (Groundwater Resources), and individual analyses from municipal wells can also be obtained (MWSI).
Well Problems
Water wells are a fact of life for rural dwellers, municipalities, and industrial users in Iowa. With thousands of well records from across the state on file, the Geological Survey can forecast geologic and hydrologic conditions for people needing to drill a new well or needing to solve problems such as loss of yield or changes in water quality in existing wells. Problems in individual wells depend not only on the natural water quality of the aquifer, but on well siting, construction, and well history. For further information, contact the Iowa Geological Survey at 319-335-1575.
Additional advice on water quality problems can be obtained from the University of Iowa Hygienic Laboratory at 319-335-4500. They have a variety of publications on water quality and treatment. Another source is the Iowa State University Cooperative Extension Service Office (515-294-4576) which also has publications on water quality problems and their treatment.
Catalog of Water-Well Databases
The Iowa Geological Survey (IGS) maintains an extensive collection of data which can be used to evaluate water resources and environmental impacts to water resources in Iowa. As with most organizations that deal with large quantities of information, we are making the transition to electronic data management. During this transition, databases that were formerly managed as paper files are being converted to electronic files. Substantial overlaps may occur between the contents of various databases. We are working to resolve these overlaps and potential conflicts, but this is a very large, time-consuming task.