Susquehanna River Basin Commission

evaluation of aquifer performance/

conditions (drought levels), well 

performance, and pump performance. The 

Commission uses the data primarily during 

renewals to evaluate ongoing influences 

within the aquifer, to other users or the 

environment. The data can be invaluable to 

the Commission to investigate and evaluate 

claims of impact or influence from the 

public or other users. 

This fact sheet is the third of a series of fact sheets intended to assist project sponsors with the 

Commission’s groundwater project renewal process. Each fact sheet can be used and reviewed on 

its own, but the combination of fact sheets provide a greater understanding of the Commission’s 

renewal process. Please reference the Groundwater Project Renewal Process and the Operational 

Monitoring and Operational Testing fact sheets for additional information. 

WATER LEVEL MONITORING

Susquehanna River Basin Commission n 4423 N. Front Street n Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17110 n (717) 238-0423 n srbc.net

February 2021

BACKGROUND

The Susquehanna River Basin Commission 

(Commission) has existing regulatory 

requirements in Part 806 of the Code of 

Federal Regulations requiring approved 

projects to monitor and report operational 

data. Specifically, 18 CFR § 806.30 

prescribes requirements for water level 

monitoring, recording, and reporting. 

Additionally, projects should be maintaining 

the collected data for the duration of the 

project. These monitoring requirements for 

the collection and reporting of groundwater 

elevation data to the Commission are clearly 

outlined in all new approvals. 

BENEFITS

Water level measurements often can be a 

primary source of information about an 

aquifer’s characteristics and any influence 

posed by a groundwater withdrawal, which 

can be useful data to both the Commission 

and a project when considering long-term 

sustainability of a groundwater source. 

Collecting and maintaining a record of 

routine water level data during ongoing 

withdrawals develops a valuable resource of 

operational water level data. The data are 

beneficial to the project to provide support 

for a request to renew the withdrawal 

approval and for ongoing, near real time 

(continued on next page)

Graphed groundwater level and withdrawal data reveal that operations could result 

in exposure of minor and major water bearing zones. Water bearing zone exposure can 

lead to decreased well yield.
WATER LEVEL MONITORING

2 Susquehanna River Basin Commission

Commission staff is available to assist a 

project sponsor with an assessment of a 

project’s water level monitoring methods, 

data collection and maintenance, and water 

level data evaluation. 

The Commission strongly encourages 

projects that are not currently measuring and 

recording groundwater levels to begin or 

resume monitoring. Projects, at their request, 

may begin reporting water level data to the 

Commission to ensure the data is stored and 

available for later use. The collection of good 

operational data can supplant aquifer testing 

data, which will significantly reduce project 

costs and time demands during the renewal 

process.

Questions & Additional Information

If you have any questions please contact the 

Commission’s Manager of Project Review at 

717-238-0423.

The Commission’s guidance for a GWEMP 

includes recommendations for water level 

monitoring methodologies such as:

 Frequency of water level data collection

 Groundwater elevation calculation

 Data collection record-keeping & 

reporting

Other benefits to the project from routine 

review and identification of abnormal water 

level changes can include early detection of 

the following: 

 Well integrity/construction issues;

 Pump efficiency decreases;

 Piping failures or leaks; and

 Influence/interference from other users 

Early detection of these issues can allow 

diagnosing and addressing the issue before 

they become a significant unexpected issue 

or disruption to normal well operation.

WATER LEVEL 

MONITORING GUIDANCE

In Policy 2020-02 Guidance for the 

Preparation of a Metering Plan & a 

Groundwater Elevation Monitoring Plan for 

Water Withdrawals, Consumptive Uses, and 

Diversions, the Commission provides 

guidance for a project sponsor’s groundwater 

elevation monitoring plan (GWEMP) to 

meet the Commission’s regulatory 

requirements under 18 CFR § 806.30(a)(4). 

Routine review and 

identification of abnormal 

water level changes can include 

early detection of the following:

5 Well integrity/construction 

issues;

5 Pump efficiency decreases;

5 Piping failures or leaks; and

5 Influence/interference from 

other users