Monitoring wells are an essential tool for tracking groundwater levels and water quality over time, as well as conducting studies to better understand how an aquifer functions. Dedicated monitoring wells are non-pumping wells that are intended for monitoring ambient aquifer conditions over time. These wells provide valuable data, with their hydrographs providing temporal records of aquifer water levels, free from the effects of short-term water level drops due to pumping within the well borehole. In early 2024, Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District (BSEACD) drilled two dedicated scientific monitoring wells in Austin, TX. One is located in Garrison Municipal Park just south of the intersection of Menchaca Road and Stassney Lane, and is a standard monitoring well with open-hole completion. The other is located just south of Barton Springs Municipal pool and is a multiport well with 15 discreet monitoring zones distributed through the vertical thickness of the aquifer (Figure 1). Funding for the project came from a combination of OneOK Inc., as part of a 2013 agreement between BSEACD and OneOK Inc. (formerly Magellan Pipeline Company, L.P.) to monitor the Barton Springs Segment of the Edwards Aquifer for petroleum hydrocarbons, the City of Austin Conservation Fund, and both monetary and in-kind contributions from BSEACD (District). Completion of these dedicated monitoring wells fills key gaps in available Edwards Aquifer monitoring locations and opens up a variety of new opportunities for study to improve our understanding of the Aquifer. This data report presents data collected during well drilling operations and preliminary water level and water quality data collected from the wells in the months after well completion. Additional datasets that were too large to include in this report are available for digital download on the District website.
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