Answer:
No. In
ground-water work the USGS puts a lot of effort in
measuring the water levels in observation wells. Since
water levels in aquifers can change (for a variety of
reasons) we need to keep accurate records of these
changes, and what factors affect them. Water levels in
wells can definitely be affected by water withdrawals
nearby -- and sometimes far away.
One way to keep a record of the water levels in a well is
to place a float at the end of a wire and lower it into a
well. The float will go up and down as the water in the
well goes up and down. The other end of the wire is
attached to a machine that has a pen-like instrument
attached, and the pen point moves up and down according to
the action of the float. A roll of paper slowly rolls past
the pen, so a record of water level is plotted
continuously on the paper. Sometimes we don't use paper --
we just log the changes straight into computer memory.
