Links to Additional Information About Groundwater in Washington State

Washington Department of Ecology

Washington State Water Supply Bulletins
Many of the reports in the Washington State Water Supply Bulletin series are devoted to describing the geology and groundwater resources of the state. Scanned PDF versions of bulletins devoted specifically to groundwater topics are found on the Geology and Groundwater Resources page of this site.

Online Abstracts from the Biennial Symposium on the Hydrogeology of Washington State - 1995-2007.
Abstracts from posters and talks are currently available online as PDF files for Symposia 1 through 6.

Well Log Search
Ecology's Water Resources Program supports a web-based search tool for well logs on file with the state.

Dept. of Ecology Water Quality Program Groundwater Information
Access to policies and regulations related to groundwater and water quality.

Dept. of Ecology Water Resources Program
Access to policies and regulations related to groundwater and water quantity.

Dept. of Ecology EIM
Access to groundwater data that has been entered into the Dept. of Ecology’s Environmental Information Management (EIM) System database.

Washington State Interagency Ground Water Committee
Website for the Washington State Interagency Ground Water Committee (IGWC), which includes representatives from state, local, and federal agencies who regularly meet to communicate ideas about improving groundwater protection.

Report on the Occurrence of Methyl Tertiary-Butyl Ether (MTBE) in Groundwater at Leaking Underground Storage Tank Sites in Washington
This report describes the results of a Department of Ecology study conducted in 2000 where groundwater samples were collected from 70 LUST sites across western Washington and analyzed for MTBE.

Dept. of Ecology publications pertaining to groundwater
A table list of agency publications pertaining to groundwater. Many of these publications were generated by the Environmental Assessment Program's groundwater team.

Chapter 173-200 WAC: Water quality standards for groundwater in the State of Washington
This website presents the state regulations for groundwater quality. Specific water quality criteria for groundwater are presented in State of Washington Groundwater Quality Criteria.

Washington State Department of Health Drinking Water Program
Many of the public water supply systems in the state derive their water from groundwater wells. Visit this page to learn more about the state’s programs that oversee water quality from these systems. Don’t forget to also visit the Drinking Water Program Data page for access to source information about these wells.

Washington Division of Geology and Earth Resources (WDGER) Publications
Access to information about the WA Dept. of Natural Resources geology-related publications, including an up-to-date listing of geologic reports and maps. Many of these publications are available on-line.

WDGER Digital Bibliography
A searchable bibliography of geologic reports published about Washington State.

WDGER Geologic Map Index
A complete, geo-referenced index of geologic and geophysical mapping of Washington.

WDGER Washington State Geologic Information Portal
The Washington State Geological Information Portal provides geological maps, data, and related information through the internet using interactive geographic information system technology

State of Washington Water Research Center (SWWRC) Groundwater Report List
Based in Pullman, WA, the SWWRC assembles research on a wide variety of water resource topics, including groundwater issues. Search the Center's online publication list for groundwater or hydrogeochemistry reports in PDF format. The SWWRC has also held several conferences focused on water resources in the Northwest - see conference proceedings for Groundwater Under the Pacific Northwest - Integrating Research, Policy, and Education, Stevenson, WA, Nov. 2-3, 2005, and Water in the Pacific Northwest - Moving Science into Policy and Action, Stevenson, WA, November 7-8, 2007.

Dept. of Licensing Geologist/Hydrogeologist Licensing Program
Since 2001, professionals conducting groundwater work in Washington State must hold a valid license as a geologist, with a specialty license in hydrogeology (or work for someone who does).

U.S. Geological Survey - Water Resources of Washington State
The USGS is involved in a wide variety of groundwater investigations across Washington. To search the USGS on-line report bibliography for Washington, go to USGS on-line Bibliography search. Alternatively, you can search by project topic, or project location, by visiting the USGS Water Science Center Projects and Studies page.

USGS NWISWeb Data for Washington
High quality historic data for groundwater in Washington is the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Water Information System (NWIS) web site.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 10 Ground Water Protection Unit
Access to information regarding the USEPA’s regional groundwater protection activities.

Spokane Valley-Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer Study
The USGS is leading a study of one of Washington’s major aquifer systems, in cooperation with the Washington Department of Ecology (Contact: Guy Gregory, ggre461@ecy.wa.gov; 509-329-3509), the Idaho Department of Water Resources, the City of Spokane, and others. Visit this home page for more information about this important study.

If you have any suggestions about additional resources to add to this page, please contact: Charles Pitz (chpi461@ecy.wa.gov).