Snow blocked most test well readings

The United States Geological Survey was unable to test 10 of the Island’s 13 wells in February because of snow cover. Those that were tested showed mixed results.

Numbers released by Water Advisory Committee member Ken Pysher revealed that the Big Ram well was 16 percent above its February average. A test well in Shorewood was at its February average, but the test well in Shelter Island Heights was at 6 percent below its average for the month.

Last year, the February reading at the Big Ram monitoring well was down by almost 12 percent and in 2013 by almost 50 percent. That same well in January this year was up by less than 1 percent.

In Shorewood, up by 0.72 percent that is its average February reading was down from the January 2015 reading that had it at 1.82 percent. But in February 2014, Shorewood had been down by 4.3 percent and the previous February, down by 19.3 percent.

As for the Shelter Island Heights monitoring well, while it was down by 5.9 percent from its average February reading, it was better than February 2014, when it was down by 8.9 percent and a lot better than February 2013, when it was down by slightly more than 15 percent.