California farmers looking for real-time well management, including depth-to-water measurements have a new tool in their box.

Passage of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act by the California Legislature in 2014 led to the need for growers to monitor wells as local districts must develop groundwater management plans by 2020.

Well Watch 700 by eno scientific was one of the 10-top new products displayed earlier this year at the World Ag Expo in Tulare, Calif. The device uses low-frequency sound waves to measure depth-to-water and can be easily adapted to existing wells.

Rachel Bean, sales manager for eno scientific, maker of the Well Watch 700, says the technology has its place in agricultural and municipal settings, and can even be installed on wells containing caustic water, oil or pressurized gas. It has been commercially available for over six months, and was in testing for about a year prior to that.

Information from the device is stored locally and can be reviewed remotely. No software is needed as information can be directly downloaded to a .csv file.

“We tried to make it as simple as possible,” Bean said.

Users can set alarms to sound when well depth reaches a specified level. It includes a data-logger that records water depths to an SD card. The device can be run from electricity provided at the pump or by solar panel.

For more information on the device, visit eno scientific online.