Proactive Groundwater Monitoring at the West Tennessee Megasite

Hydro studies seek to protect groundwater resources, while recognizing long-term protection of the region’s water resources

"The Megasite," home to BlueOval City and spanning 4,000 acres south of Stanton in West Tennessee, serves as a prime example of a proactive approach to monitoring and protecting groundwater resources. The site's scale and location raised concerns about the sustainability and vulnerability of local resources, particularly groundwater.

Ongoing collaborations, led by Rodrigo Villalpando-Vizcaino with the Center for Applied Earth Science and Engineering Research (CAESER), in partnership with The Megasite Authority of West Tennessee (MAWT), have led to multi-year investigations aimed at understanding, monitoring, and safeguarding the Memphis aquifer. These efforts have now surpassed $700,000 in funding, driven by the principle of proactiveness and going beyond regulatory requirements.

One of the key milestones in this research was the installation of a groundwater monitoring network last year, which includes eight monitoring wells, each approximately 250 feet deep. Six of these wells were drilled using advanced sonic technology, enhancing the understanding of the region’s hydrogeology and allowing researchers to track water quality and trends over time. This system serves as an early-warning system, helping to detect changes and environmental stressors.

Sediment samples collected during the drilling process are being preserved for future hydraulic properties analyses at the Mississippi Embayment Research Center (MERC) under CAESER, and groundwater monitoring efforts are well underway. These efforts are establishing critical baselines and deepening our understanding of the region.

Additionally, The Megasite is located within the Memphis aquifer recharge area where the protective clay layer is either thin or absent. One of the central questions this research aims to address, using a multi-technique approach, is the state of confinement of the aquifer in this area. This is crucial for understanding the long-term protection of the region’s water resources.

A proactive approach is always preferable to a reactive one, especially when it comes to water resources. The more information we gather, the better equipped we will be to understand these systems, their interactions, and potential changes, enabling us to plan for the future more effectively and ensure the long-term sustainability of our water resources. Contact Villalpando-Vizcaino at rvlllpnd@memphis.edu for information on this on-going research.