Groundwater Monitoring

Mission: Examine historical groundwater records to quantify surface water-groundwater interactions relevant to water quality and deploy automated groundwater sensers for real-time monitoring of processes occurring at timescales ranging from hours to decades.   

John McDaris teaching undergraduate students at the University of Minnesota how to collect water samples and install an automated  groundwater senser.

Access to clean water is critical to all communities. Groundwater supplies 40% of the drinking water in the U.S. (75% in Minnesota) and ~60% of irrigated agriculture in the U.S. (90% in Minnesota).  In general, we use groundwater at a rate faster than it can be recharged. Thus, monitoring and preserving the quantity and quality of water in our aquifers is essential for the long term stability of our communities.   

I am particularly interested in interactions between anthropogenic activity at the surface and underlying aquifer systems. My research employs a two-pronged approach. We use historical groundwater monitoring records to look for trends in water quality and to understand the movement of contaminants, such as chloride, between various aquifers within the context of local hydrogeology. We also deploy low-cost, automated groundwater sensors for real-time groundwater monitoring. These sensors provide detailed information about dynamic processes acting on timescales ranging from hours to years.

This research is a natural outgrowth of my short career as a hydrogeologist at Montgomery Watson (acquired by Stantec in 2016). I am certified as a Professional Geologist (PG) in the state of Minnesota.              

Funding for this research has been provided by

Related Publications & Presentations


McDaris, J., Feinberg, J.M., Levine, J., and Runkel, A.C., 2023. Establishing Specific Conductance-Chloride Relationships for Quaternary and Bedrock Aquifers in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area, Minnesota, United States. Earth Science, Systems and Society. https://doi.org/10.3389/esss.2023.10084

McDaris, J., Feinberg, J.M., Runkel, A.C., Levine, J., Kasahara, S., and Alexander Jr., E.C., 2022. Documentation and Prediction of Increasing Groundwater Chloride in the Twin Cities, Minnesota, Groundwater, 60(6), 837-850. https://doi.org/10.1111/gwat.13227

McDaris, J., Feinberg, J.M., 2023. Monitoring chloride concentrations from road salt with continuous specific conductance measurements in the context of a multi-aquifer, urban groundwater system, Abstract NS31A-0609 presented at the 2023 Annual Meeting of the American Geophysical Union, San Francisco, CA 11-15 Dec. 

McDaris, J.R., Feinberg, J.M., 2022. Using Specific Conductance Telemetry to Monitor Groundwater Chloride in Real Time. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol 54, No. 5, 2022. doi: 10.1130/abs/2022AM-380453

McDaris, J.R., Feinberg, J.M., Fisher, B.A., Levine, J., Runkel, A., 2021. Real-time monitoring of groundwater quality using in-situ measurements of specific conductance. Abstract NS25B-0428 presented at 2021 Fall Meeting, AGU, New Orleans, LA, 13-17 Dec.

McDaris, J.R., and Feinberg, J., 2020. Using real-time electrical conductivity measurements to understand chloride in groundwater. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 52, No. 5, ISSN 0016-7592