Members of the Kansas Geological Survey will be in western Kansas next week to measure groundwater levels.

The work is part of the survey’s efforts to track changes in the depth of the region’s aquifers.

The University of Kansas said in a news release Tuesday that crews will work near Colby on Tuesday, Goodland on Wednesday, Syracuse on Thursday and Liberal on Friday. Several counties will be surveyed.

About 1,400 wells in 47 western and central Kansas counties are monitored each year. The data is used by landowners, state and federal agencies, local groundwater management districts, private entities and the general public.

Brownie Wilson, KGS water-data manager, says the research helps determine how the aquifers are changing over time and how water levels are affected by climate and pumping.