A Community-Driven Approach to Monitoring and Resilience
Round Valley is a remote, groundwater-dependent basin in northeastern Mendocino County. Surrounded by mountains and home to the town of Covelo and the Round Valley Indian Reservation, this valley relies entirely on local groundwater for drinking water, irrigation, and ecological needs.
To better understand and protect this critical resource, the Round Valley County Water District undertook the Groundwater Vulnerability Monitoring Assessment Project from 2023 to 2025, funded through the Urban and Multibenefit Drought Relief initiative by the California Department of Water Resources.
Building Our Groundwater Knowledge
In this project, the Water District implemented a major expansion of groundwater monitoring and data collection:
- 11 new monitoring wells installed, which, combined with 4 existing monitoring wells, constitute a comprehensive network of 15 monitoring wells spanning the basin.
- All well locations precisely surveyed for elevation and mapped in GIS.
- Transducers installed in every well, recording depth-to-water and temperature every hour.
- A new weather station centrally located in Covelo tracks local rainfall.
- All data is integrated into an online GIS-based analysis system, providing RVCWD and the general public with a sophisticated portrait of ongoing groundwater conditions and trends in Round Valley. Click here to launch the system dashboard.
This infrastructure gives our community real-time insight into how drought, rain, and local pumping affect groundwater conditions.
What We’re Learning
The new data, alongside legacy records from long-monitored wells, help us understand seasonal and long-term changes. For example:
- Water levels often rebound after wet winters, but respond quickly to drought.
- Some areas show signs of arsenic or industrial contamination from past land use.
- Flowing artesian wells in the east and central valley need better pressure management.
A Plan for the Future
This work supports the Water District’s mission:
“Collaborating with Round Valley landowners, Tribes, residents and agencies in protecting and restoring groundwater and streams for the safety and wellbeing of the valley’s people, wildlife, and ecology.”
The findings in our 2025 Drought Vulnerability and Adaptation Report will guide future planning, public outreach, and emergency coordination. The complete report is available below.
Stay Informed
We encourage residents, landowners, and Tribal partners to stay involved. For updates, data access, or questions about drought preparedness, contact the district or attend a monthly board meeting.