Water Resources Center Archives
Water Well Information
NGWA Well Owner Page Information on installing and maintaining a water well from the National Ground Water Association.
Gary C. Tanko Well Drilling A good summary of the process of locating, drilling, and completing a domestic water well, by a driller in the Sierra Nevada foothills of California.
Considering using a dowser or water witch to locate your water well? The following sources of information are recommended:
Associates
Jensen Van Lienden Associates -- Berkeley Geotechnical Engineers. Jeff Van Lienden 510 658-9111
Proud Data Service (PDS) -- Berkeley Reliable, state-of-the-art source for AutoCAD drawings and maps, graphics, and data management for the earth sciences, engineering, and litigation. Chris Proud 510 486-0453
State Regulatory Agencies
State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) The State Board is the primary agency responsible for writing water resource regulations in California. Most enforcement of the regulations, with the exception of water rights issues, is delegated to the nine Regional Water Quality Control Boards (RWQCBs).
California Department of Water Resources (DWR) Major responsibilities of the DWR are to: 1) Prepare and update the California Water Plan; 2) Manage the State Water Project; 3) Protect and restore the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, 4) Regulate dams, provide flood protection, and providing flood advisory information; 5) Educate the public about the importance of water and its proper use; and 6) Serve local water needs by providing technical assistance; cooperating with local agencies on water resources investigations; supporting watershed and river restoration programs; encouraging water conservation; exploring conjunctive use of ground and surface water; facilitating voluntary water transfers; and, when needed, operating a State drought water bank.
Professional Organizations
Groundwater Resources Association of California (GRA) GRA is the local/state professional organization for groundwater professionals. Visit the GRA web site for local meeting schedules (San Francisco Bay Area meetings are held bimonthly in Oakland), current state legislative updates, technical short course announcements, annual conference information, Hydrovisions journal online, and employment opportunities.
California Groundwater Association (CGA) CGA is the local/state professional organization for water well drilling and pump contractors, and other groundwater professionals. Get referrals to qualified contractors for well construction, maintenance, or rehabilitation.
Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) The public water agency and non-public water supplier members of ACWA are responsible for almost all of the water delivered in California. Its primary mission is "to assist its members in promoting the development, management and reasonable beneficial use of good quality water at the lowest practical cost in an environmentally balanced manner."
National Ground Water Association (NGWA) NGWA is the national professional organization for both groundwater scientists and engineers and water well drilling and pump contractors. This site has an extensive short course schedule as well as federal legislative updates.
Precipitation Data Sources
The NCDC, WRCC, and CDEC are primarily compilers and distributers of data. Other sources include cooperative stations, observers, and special interest compilers of data.