Preliminary results from a study of the connections between groundwater and surface streams in the Skagit basin are available on the Web.

The data taken from 118 wells isn’t surprising. Underground water levels from Bay View to Lake McMurray decrease in the dry summer months and increase in the winter. The U.S. Geological Survey had the cooperation of farmers and other well owners to conduct this initial phase of its Skagit groundwater model, due to be completed by Sept. 30.

The well data is available on an interactive map at http://wa.water.usgs.gov/projects/skagit/hydrographs.htm.

One of the goals of the USGS study is to understand how withdrawals from wells affect low-flow streams. The focus is on four basins likely to experience additional development: Fisher Creek, Carpenter Creek, Nookachamps Creek and the East Fork Nookachamps.

The Skagit River and its tributaries fall under a state instream flow rule that limits the number of wells that can be drilled in a basin. If the USGS study shows that wells drilled in certain basins have little or no effect on stream flows, more businesses and homes might be allowed in those basins, said Gary Stoyka, who manages the study for the Skagit County Public Works Department.

“It would mean that potentially more development could happen beyond what the reservations allow, but ultimately the amount of development is controlled by zoning,” Stoyka said.

The $826,000 study is funded by the USGS, Skagit County, the Skagit Public Utility District, the state Department of Ecology and the Department of Natural Resources.