Frequent monitoring of water wells is critical, especially in arid and semi-arid regions such as New Mexico. The Cooperative Extension Service at New Mexico State University has published a video, “Monitoring Well Water in New Mexico,” to aid well owners in the state, including farmers, ranchers and homeowners, who rely on well water.
The video can be viewed at https://arid.nmsu.edu/well-testing.html and was a collaboration between the Extension Animal Sciences and Natural Resources Department and Innovative Media Research and Extension Department in NMSU’s College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences.
“Regular monitoring of wells allows producers and homeowners to be proactive and make informed management decisions regarding their well water use and adapt to changing conditions driven by drought and climate change,” said Rossana Sallenave, Extension aquatic ecology specialist.
The video offers information about measuring depth of water in wells, collecting water samples for laboratory testing and keeping records. Testing water quality and quantity can help agricultural producers and homeowners make informed decisions about their wells and underlying aquifers.
The New Mexico Environment Department and New Mexico Department of Health will offer free private well water quality testing in Las Cruces from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Nov. 20 at the Farmers and Crafts Market of Las Cruces, 221 N. Main St. For more information, call 505-827-2900 or visit https://www.env.nm.gov/events-calendar/?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D156231528.
The video was created as part of United State Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture funded project “Participatory approaches to Agroecosystem Resilience in Times of Drought (ARID),” which supports ranchers, farmers, land managers and scientists working together on drought planning and response and supporting agricultural resilience strategies.