The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is charged with managing water — an important job in Yuma, where irrigation is key to the area’s agriculture industry.
The Bureau of Reclamation Yuma office recently performed airborne time-domain electromagnetic surveys to better understand the region’s groundwater. These surveys measured the groundwater through electromagnetic resonance, 350 meters beneath the surface.
The goal of the survey was to determine the quality, quantity and location of the “Yuma Mound,” a mass of Yuma groundwater.
The electromagnetic instrument is a large metal hexagon hung from a helicopter. Carrie Scott of the bureau’s Yuma Area Office said this method has been used in the oil industry but only recently was used for groundwater surveys.
“Electromagnetic resistance changes as it hits different materials," Scott said. "So where you have a change in resistance — that would either be indicative of a change of material like a clay or a sand or it can also indicate water.”
The Bureau of Reclamation will use the survey results to more effectively reduce and manage Yuma area groundwater.