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2021 ANNUAL GROUNDWATER MONITORING REPORT <br /> TEICHERT AGGREGATES AND GRANITE CONSTRUCTION <br /> VERNALIS AREA <br /> The presence of the observed nitrate concentrations is likely related to both the historical agricultural <br /> land use in the area prior to the commencement of aggregate mining by Teichert Aggregates and also <br /> continuing farming practices.This includes the nitrate concentration increases in the Brown's#1 well. <br /> Metal concentrations(i.e., copper, iron, and zinc) in shallow groundwater samples(i.e.,from the Hall <br /> and Faulkner wells)are typically low and frequently below their respective reporting limits. Iron and zinc <br /> detections are more frequent at the Faulkner well than at the Hall well. <br /> In the deep wells Tracy#1 and#3, metal concentrations are typically low and frequently below their <br /> respective reporting limits. Metal concentrations (i.e., particularly iron and manganese) are more <br /> frequently detected and more variable in the other deep wells (i.e., Brown's New, Brown's#1, Granite <br /> #3, and Granite#5). <br /> Total coliform bacteria have been nondetect from the Hall and Faulkner domestic wells with few <br /> exceptions. Most recently,total coliform bacteria were detected at the reporting limit of 1.1 MPN/100 <br /> mL in the August 2008 sample retrieved from the Hall well. Fecal coliform organisms were nondetect. <br /> The sporadic presence of coliform bacteria can be due to sample contamination at the time of <br /> collection,the introduction of coliform bacteria to the well structure during well and pump maintenance <br /> work, or the detachment of bacterial biofilm from the well structure in combination with naturally <br /> occurring coliform organisms. <br /> 5 SUMMARY <br /> Quarterly groundwater level and quality monitoring of two identified aquifer zones (a shallow and a <br /> deep zone)commenced in 1994 and mining of the Vernalis Central area commenced in 1998. Water <br /> level data, collected semi-annually from 1960 through 2020 by the California Department of Water <br /> Resources,are also available for one shallow zone well. <br /> Groundwater levels in the shallow wells have declined to the lowest levels since the period of record <br /> began in 1994. Groundwater elevation contour maps indicate relatively steady shallow groundwater <br /> flow in southeasterly to easterly directions over the period of record. Groundwater levels observed in <br /> the deep wells are typically lower than in the shallow zone and exhibit greater seasonal and annual <br /> fluctuation than groundwater levels in the shallow wells due to increased aquifer confinement and <br /> pumping stresses. In the early 2000's,groundwater levels in the deep zone noticeably declined, likely in <br /> response to reported increased pumping stress and overall dry conditions. In the mid 2000's,substantial <br /> recovery of groundwater levels occurred, however,seasonally high-water levels remained below those <br /> observed in the mid to late 1990s.Since 2013,groundwater levels have approximately declined an <br /> average of 70 feet. <br /> The groundwater quality record documents stable conditions in both the shallow and deep aquifer <br /> zones.Shallow groundwater is generally of Ca-Na/HCO3-CI or Na-Ca/HCO3-CI type and deep <br /> groundwater is of Ca-Na/HCO3-SO4 or Ca-Na/SO4-HCO3 type.The overall content of soluble minerals is <br /> LUHDORFF&SCALMANINI <br /> CONSULTING ENGINEERS 8 <br />