Since April 2016, the Monsanto well — part of the Sparta Aquifer, one of Union County’s drinking water sources — has risen nearly 16 feet, partially due to El Dorado Chemical’s transition from groundwater to river water usage for industry processes, an official said.
Sherrel Johnson, grants administrator for the Union County Water Conservation Board, has been tracking the county’s groundwater levels since 2004 and confirmed that the Monsanto well has risen the most out of all the wells in the county at the most recent quarterly meeting on April 19.
Located near El Dorado Chemical, the former site of a Monsanto agro-chemical plant, the well was drilled in 1947, again in 1999, and again in 2011. In 2012, the well was shut down for testing, to see if it had retained its “permeability and transmissivity,” Johnson said.
And it had.
Additionally, an explosion at the El Dorado Chemical plant allowed the site to expand, which doubled their water usage, Johnson said. To counter this, the company began transitioning more from well water to river water for industry needs.
“Early last year, [El Dorado Chemical] stopped pumping as much Sparta water in their one Sparta well,” Johnson said, adding later. “Now they’re no longer pumping Sparta water.”
In 2004, industries like El Dorado Chemical, Lion Oil, and Great Lakes central plant began switching over to river water, and since then the Monsanto well has risen over 90 feet as of April 2017, according to the Union County Water Conservation Board. Now, El Dorado Chemical has switched its industry usage completely to river water.
“We came off the last water well about a month ago,” said Greg Withrow, plant manager for El Dorado Chemical. “We’re fully on river water now and that’s our intent, to stay on that from here on out.”
Before Fall 2004, the Sparta Aquifer was Union County’s sole source of drinking and industrial water, which became a problem for citizens and industries in the county, according to the water conservation board.
In the mid-1990s, groundwater levels in and around Union County were declining as much as seven feet per year, Johnson said. Around this time, the water conservation board formed to prevent further depletion, with the mission statement in mind: to conserve, protect, and maintain the Sparta Aquifer as a continuing source of high quality, potable water for current and future consumers.
“That remarkable recovery of the well, called Monsanto, was a testament both to the farsightedness of Mr. Withrow and the El Dorado Chemical Company,” said Robert Reynolds, volunteer advisor and former president of the Union County Water Conservation Board. “They have demonstrated that we are fortunate to have a resilient aquifer.”
The water alternative that industries have been using is lightly treated Ouachita River water that travels through 23 miles of pipeline. As of late, Lion Oil, El Dorado Chemical and Great Lakes use this water source, instead of ground water, which has been a testament to how industry leaders can come together in times of crisis, Johnson said.
“You don’t hear anyone else in the country talking about ground water levels rising,” she said. “You hear them talking about groundwater levels declining, and what they’re going to do about it.”
Nathan Owens may be reached at 870-862-6611 or at [email protected]. Follow Nathan on Facebook or Twitter at nowensednt.