A meeting will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 12, in Michelsen Hall in the Noel Fine Art Center on the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point campus about the Little Plover River Groundwater Model and Optimization Study.

The U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Wisconsin-Extension and Wisconsin National History Survey began the study of the Little Plover River in Portage County in January 2014 to develop a computer modeling program to help guide protection of groundwater throughout the state. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) requested the study and also began collecting information relating to groundwater and surface waters in the Central Sands region, which is the No. 1 user of groundwater in Wisconsin.

The key investigators also worked closely with a technical resource team composed of hydrogeologists representing the Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Growers Association, the Central Sands Water Action Coalition, the River Alliance of Wisconsin and the village of Plover, as well as others.

The Little Plover River is considered one of the most studied rivers in the United States, and a tremendous amount of information has been compiled. However, the river has a recent history of reduced flow during the summer when municipal and irrigation wells are in use and was named one of the most endangered rivers in the United States by the American Rivers environmental group.

The Little Plover River is part of the Central Sands, which, consists of deposits of sand and gravel that were left by melting glaciers at the end of the last ice age. Those deposits form an aquifer that can store or transmit water underground. The sandy soils drain quickly, so stream flows and lake water levels are significantly influenced by groundwater levels and use.

Water is a necessity for life. Hopefully, the study will reveal information and the necessary steps to take to maintain a consistent supply for the future. If the water used isn’t replenished, what will the area be in the future?

– Gene Kemmeter