Groundwater Program

Conducting a seismic refraction survey to image the subsurface at Bryce Canyon National Park.

NPS/NICOLE O'SHEA

Background

The Groundwater Program was established within the Water Resources Division in 2023 due to the increasingly common requests for groundwater-related guidance and technical assistance throughout the National Park Service. Based on the principles of groundwater security and sustainability, the Groundwater Program works to protect groundwater resources and groundwater-dependent ecosystems, as well as ensure reliable groundwater supplies for park operations and visitor use.

NPS groundwater security and sustainability relies on the availability of adequate quantity and quality of groundwater to meet park water demands, a resilient water supply infrastructure, and defendable legal entitlement to water resources. Increasing visitation and water demand, coupled with an ongoing shift from surface water sources to groundwater for potable water supplies, aging water infrastructure, and the effects of drought and climate change have resulted in the need to balance development and use of groundwater with the requirements of dependent ecosystems to ensure secure and sustainable resources.

Roaring Spring, located below the North Rim of Grand Canyon, supplies the entire park with potable water.

NPS / STEVEN RICE

Groundwater Program Services

The Groundwater Program provides groundwater-specific support, services, and technical assistance to resource professionals, planners, and decision-makers in parks, regions, and other Directorates in the Washington Support Office.

Program staff have expertise in sustainable groundwater management and development, hydrogeologic investigations, protection of springs and groundwater-dependent ecosystems, water rights support, and more. They contribute to NPS efforts by planning for, advocating for, and utilizing sustainable groundwater management practices servicewide and working alongside park staff to provide clear, effective, and science-backed information to address groundwater issues unique to their park’s natural and cultural resources.

Examples of Groundwater Program Assistance include but are not limited to:

• Groundwater resource evaluations

• Hydrogeologic investigations

• Groundwater well siting, design review, and construction oversight

• Aquifer testing and parameter estimation

• Water quality testing and geochemical analysis

• Wellhead protection evaluations and vulnerability assessments

• Spring restoration

• Cave and karst issues

• Water right evaluation of proposed development

• Policy guidance and development support

• Water use metering and reporting guidance
  
  Contact the Groundwater Program