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Oregon Water Resources Department
Well Report Mapping Tool User Guide

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Understanding the Data


Wells:

The information associated with the wells are from the well reports database.

The location of the wells uses best available locations from a variety of sources. No one source provided high accuracy or is free from errors. Therefore, the location of these alternate sources have been evaluated with the location coordinates provided in the well report. If the alternate source provided evidence to be more correct, it was used and the change is indicated in the coordinate source. If the well report provided no coordinates, and the alternate source matched the township/range/section or neighboring section and seemed plausible within 100 feet, then the alternate source was used to fill in.

These alternate sources are:

  1. OWRD Groundwater sites using GPS and site visits, with a horizontal accuracy < 100
  2. OWRD Other staff that have used a GPS
  3. Exempt Use Maps, with the latitude/longitude identified by the land owner
  4. Other state agencies with verified locations < 50 ft.

These data are now in the well report database and can be downloaded from the Well Report Query website.

Medium to low quality locations are provided in a hierarchy for this mapping application and downloadable GIS dataset. This order is as follows:

  1. Well Report locations, which include higher quality alternate sources as described above
  2. OWRD Groundwater Sites using water rights point of diversions with good location information
  3. OWRD Groundwater Sites using water rights points of diversions with less accurate location accuracy
  4. Center of the Township/Range/Section Quarter-Quarter Section, as identified on the well report
  5. Center of the Township/Range/Section , as identified on the well report

This combined GIS dataset may be downloaded here. (tba)


PLSS:

Townships/Sections

The Public Land Survey System (PLSS) is a way of subdividing and describing land in the United States. All lands in the public domain are subject to subdivision by this rectangular system of surveys, which is regulated by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM).