SMALLMOUTH HUNTER

  We all are dependent on water that we pump out of local aquifers.  As growth in the community happens, and water demands increase, it becomes increasingly important to understand how these underground water sources function in response to our needs. Understanding how these aquifers are replenished to supply the water we consume is one of many key points we are striving to understand better.

The efforts so far have yielded some very interesting results and are already providing some new insights on what lies below the ground surface in stunning detail. The ISGS recently provided a report to the County with some excellent graphics that show how these details are being put into a 3-dimensional perspective. You can see this report and an accompanying poster that shares an early portrayal of what will become a completely interactive geologic map viewable in 3-dimensions. Use the link below to access the Boone County Water Resources webpage and scroll down to the March 9th 2026 progress report. We were also given a poster that lays out a fascinating explanation of the work being done and some great examples of the findings. This poster is also available on the water resources webpage. 

This summer’s work will be completed by a field crew leader and two undergraduate students who will collect more ground-based geophysical surveys in areas across the county.  The work will focus on areas where subsurface geologic features have been identified by the helicopter-based Time-Domain Electromagnetics or HTEM geophysical survey that was completed last year.  The field work also includes drilling 1 or 2 test holes to provide more information that will fine-tune the accuracy of the geophysical information already in hand.  ​​​