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Measuring Groundwater Levels
Steel tapes
are still available from several manufactures but none
of these tapes has the raised numbers and markings along its entire length, which made these tapes so
easy to chalk.
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Smooth tapes
are available from several different manufactures such as Lufkin,
Peerless, Western, Keson, etc. and can be ordered from Forestry
Supplies or Ben Meadows. Recommend the tape with a nominal
thickness of 0.016" or more to resist bending.
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One option is
to let the last ten feet or so of your tape rust, which should allow
the chalk to adhere better to the surface.
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Another
option is to rough up the back side of the tape with steel wool,
sandpaper or a metal file, so again, you are providing a rougher surface
so the chalk will adhere better.
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Fiberglass
tapes are being used by some
Districts as an alternative to steel tapes and their comments are listed
below on ways to modify these tapes for measuring groundwater levels.
The disadvantage of fiberglass tapes is that they can stretch over time,
but their low cost allows for easy replacement.
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Dan Smith of Middle
Republican NRD: We are
currently using Chicago Fiberglass tapes and they are listed in the
current Forestry Suppliers Inc. catalog. We have
used Lufkin tapes in the past, but they changed to such a slick
surface that we couldn't chalk them. Keson tapes are also to
smooth. In our experience you must use a yellow tape. For
some reason its hard to find the water cut on a white tape.
We also use a duck decoy weight. This is a
flat strip of lead about 1/2 inch wide and 6 inches long. They
weigh from 4 to 8 ounces. This helps keep the tape from adhering
to the sides of a wet casing and they don't get hung up on the
flanges of an irrigation well. We take the hook off the end of
the tape, fold it and use a pop rivet to make a hole to wire the
weight to the tape. Copper wire of course. We retie the
weight every day or the wire will break. We usually carry
two tapes. That way if one gets oily we can let it soak in a jug
of solvent. A tape usually lasts 2 or 3 seasons before the
numbers start to wear off or it gets torn. |
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Richard Holloway of
Tri-Basin NRD: I
have also used fiberglass tapes in the past, but found out that especially
in the spring, when there is a lot of condensation on the casing, that the
tape likes to adhere & stick to the casing. |
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Dan Clement of Central Platte NRD:
We do use steel tapes but would
like to find some over 300ft. and also stock-up on the shorter ones.
Our fiberglass tapes are Lufkin and we order them from Ben Meadows
Company (1-800-241-6401) or Keson from Forestry Suppliers,
Inc.(1-800-647-5368).
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