In Reply Refer to:
Mail Stop 412 February 2, 2006
Office of Water Quality Technical Memorandum No. 2006.01
Office of Ground Water Technical Memorandum No. 2006.01
SUBJECT: Storage of Water-Level Data for Ground Water
This memorandum specifies and clarifies U.S Geological Survey (USGS) requirements for the storage of water-level data collected at wells. The requirements apply to all USGS-related National, regional, and local programs and projects that measure water levels in wells. Projects for which water-level data are collected include studies for which data on water quality, aquifer chemistry, and microbiology might be a primary focus.
STORAGE REQUIREMENTS FOR WATER-LEVEL DATA
All ground-water-level data must be stored in NWIS (Brunett and others, 1997, p. 13), as specified below.
1. All time-series (continuous) ground-water levels that can be stored in the NWIS Automated Data Processing System (ADAPS) must be stored in that database.
· ADAPS currently does not accept data collected more frequently than once per second, up to a total of 2881 values per day. Some data sets may exceed this threshold and thus are excluded from this requirement. An example is aquifer-test data. Water levels collected for aquifer tests may be stored outside of NWIS, but must be stored in digital form in the aquifer test archive described in Office of Ground Water Technical Memorandum 94.02.
· The tape-down measurement made to calibrate a continuous recorder storing time-series water-level data is to be entered into the NWIS Ground-Water Site Inventory (GWSI).
· Beginning with NWIS version 4.5, the discrete water-level data residing in GWSI can be brought into the HYDRA program as a reference data set for quality assuring the continuous water-level data. The policy on editing unit-value data using HYDRA is described in Office of Ground Water Technical Memorandum No. 2005.03.
2. All discrete measurements of ground-water levels collected as part of water-quality as well as ground-water data-collection activities must be stored in GWSI.
· Discrete ground-water-level data collected as part of water-quality projects and programs must be entered onto paper or electronic field forms and into GWSI (USGS National Field Manual for the Collection of Water-Quality Data (NFM), Chapters 1.3, 4.2, and 6.0.3). The water-quality field form “Ground-Water Quality Notes” has been modified to provide the information and codes needed for entry of required data into GWSI. The field form can be accessed at http://water.usgs.gov/owq/FieldManual/; under “Announcements.” Click on “Water-quality field forms for USGS use.”
· Water-quality personnel also enter their ground-water-level data into QWDATA in order to expedite analysis of their water-quality data within the context of the hydrologic system.
· Those collecting and managing water-level data are responsible for ensuring that the data entered onto field forms and into the GWSI and QWDATA subsystems of NWIS are correct and consistent.
FUTURE PLANS
The Offices of Ground Water and Water Quality are unified in their goal to avoid duplication of data entry and inconsistency within NWIS subsystems. For example, with version 4.1 of NWIS, water-quality field measurements (pH, dissolved oxygen, etc.) that previously were stored in GWSI were moved electronically into QWDATA. Although a timetable has not been set, the Offices are determined to continue working toward a single-entry system for water-level data.
REFERENCES
Brunett, J.O., Barber, N.L., Burns, A.W, Fogelman, R.P., Gillies, D.C., Lidwin, R.A., and Mack, T.J., 1997, A quality-assurance plan for district ground-water activities of the U.S. Geological Survey: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 97-11, accessed December 14, 2005, at http://water.usgs.gov/ogw/pubs/OFR9711/.
Office of Ground Water Technical Memorandum No. 1994.02, Guidance for the preparation, approval, and archiving of aquifer-test results, 1994, accessed December 14, 2005, at http://water.usgs.gov/admin/memo/GW/gw94.02.html.
Office of Ground Water Technical Memorandum No. 2005.03, Use of the Program HYDRA to Estimate or Modify Unit Values in ADAPS, 2005, accessed December 14, 2005, at http://water.usgs.gov/admin/memo/GW/gw05.03.html.
Wilde, F.D., 2005, Ground Water, Section 1.3 of Chapter 1 (version 1.2, dated 8/2005) in National Field Manual for the Collection of Water-Quality Data, accessed December 14, 2005, at http://water.usgs.gov/owq/FieldManual/chapter1/Ch1_contents.html.
Wilde, F.D., Schertz, T.L., and Radtke, D.B., 1999, Quality-Control Samples, Section 4.3 of Chapter 4 (dated 9/1999) in National Field Manual for the Collection of Water-Quality Data, accessed December 14, 2005, at http://water.usgs.gov/owq/FieldManual/chapter4/html/Ch4_contents.html.
Wilde, F.D., and Radtke, D.B., 2005, Ground Water, Section 6.0.3 of Chapter 6 (version 1.2, dated 8/2005) in National Field Manual for the Collection of Water-Quality Data, accessed December 14, 2005, at http://water.usgs.gov/owq/FieldManual/Chapter6/6.0_contents.html
Timothy L. Miller William M. Alley
Chief, Office of Water Quality Chief, Office of Ground Water
This memorandum does not supercede any other technical memorandum.
Distribution: All WRD Employees
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