April 6, 2005

Since 2000, Michigan water well drilling contractors have filed and viewed water well and pump records electronically thanks to an innovative Internet Web site maintained by the Department of Environmental Quality and the Department of Information Technology. Nearly 50 percent of the 25,000 to 35,000 records submitted annually are completed online using this state-of-the-art program called Wellogic. Wellogic provides time and cost saving advantages for the well drilling industry and others who rely on well construction data.

“Wellogic provides 24-hour access to an extensive database of state well information, and once you get used to entering logs, is a great time-saver!" says Bryan Brewer of Central Wells and Pumps in Muskegon.

Wellogic also benefits Michigan’s citizens by giving decision-makers better access to information needed for groundwater resource management and public health protection efforts. Currently, well log data is being used to complete an intensive project to map Michigan’s drinking water aquifers that is scheduled to be completed this summer.

Wellogic also provides the benefits of an improvement in well construction data quality, ease of retrieving information, and the elimination of paper record handling and storage. In addition to the development of Wellogic, the DEQ completed a project to digitally scan approximately 1,000,000 well records dated from the early 1960s through 1999. These records are available to the public through the DEQ’s Web site at http://www.deq.state.mi.us/well-logs.

“I am extremely pleased with Wellogic’s success,” said DEQ Director Steven E. Chester. “It is an example of how modern information technology can streamline data management, enhance data quality, reduce costs, and improve access to water well construction records.”

Editor’s note: DEQ news releases are available on the department’s Internet home page at www.michigan.gov/deq.

Revised April 6, 2005 by Pat Watson