Walla Walla Well Location Project
That’s why Ecology partnered with Oregon Water Resources Department and the US Geological Survey (USGS) on a cooperative groundwater study within the basin. This information will help us develop an updated, comprehensive understanding of the Walla Walla basin groundwater system.
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What is the well location project?
Many older wells did not include location information on the well driller’s report. To help us modernize our records, Ecology is working with landowners to locate wells associated with water rights in the basin. Your participation will help increase understanding of how the different aquifers are being used, and which aquifer your well is using.
What happens during the visit?
A scientist from Ecology or Oregon Water Resources Department will make an appointment to come to your property and locate your well. They will use a handheld GPS receiver to confirm the location of your well. They will also check to see if your well has a well tag with a unique well ID number, which allows you to easily find your well records online. If your well has an access port, they will also use an electronic tape to measure the depth to water in your well.
Any information staff collect will be shared with you directly.
Sign up to help us with the well location project.
Why is groundwater important?
Groundwater is water that exists underground in saturated zones beneath the land surface. According to the USGS, groundwater is the source of about 40 percent of water used for public supplies and about 39 percent of water used for agriculture in the United States.
The groundwater in our area tends to recharge very slowly, so it’s important for us to understand how much is being withdrawn each year.
About the Walla Walla Watershed Strategy
The Walla Walla Watershed Strategy is an effort to improve streamflows and water supplies in the Walla Walla River basin over the next 30 years.
Together with the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the state of Oregon and stakeholders on both sides of the state border, the initiative answers the decades-long challenge of meeting the basin's growing water needs for today, tomorrow and beyond.
As the strategy evolves, the goal remains to improve streamflows and water supplies in the Walla Walla watershed. It will do this by focusing on:
- Floodplains, critical species, habitat, and water quality
- Water supply, streamflows, and groundwater
- Land use and flood control
- Quality of life
- Monitoring and metering