Advisory Committee on Water Information Subcommittee on Ground Water

1. Advisory Committee on Water InformationSubcommittee on Ground Water Presented at the ACWI Meeting February 20-21, 2008

2. National Ground Water Monitoring Network Panel Members: Bob Schreiber – Moderator Bill Cunningham – Inventory Work Group Bob Schreiber – Ground Water Design Work Group John Jansen – Field Practices Work Group Chuck Job – Data Standards/Management Work Group

3. Outline • SOGW Overview • Work Group Reports • Inventory • Framework Design • Field Practices • Data Standards/Management • Next steps • Feedback

5. Benefits of National Network Natural and Man-Made Drivers: • Drought • Climate change • Population increases • Eco-habitat loss • Energy development • Agricultural demand

6. Network Benefits, continued • Important questions being asked on: • Resource sustainability • Water quality trends / constraints • Difficulties answering: • Very few nationwide programs • Variety of State/Regional networks • Significant data gaps • No nationwide directives

7. History of SOGW • Jan. 2006: Suggested formation of ACWI ground water subgroup • May 2006: Discussed at NWQMC • Aug. 2006: Formed Ad Hoc Steering Committee (SC) • Sept. 2006: Began drafting Terms of Reference • Jan. 2007: ACWI approved SOGW

8. SOGW Purpose The overall goal of the SOGW is to develop and encourage implementation of a nationwide, long-term ground-water quantity and quality monitoring framework that would provide information necessary for the planning, management, and development of ground water supplies to meet current and future water needs, and ecosystem requirements.

9. SOGW Scope This national framework for ground water monitoring and collaboration will be developed to assist in assessments of the quantity of U.S. ground water reserves, as constrained by ground water quality. The SOGW will also consider ground water quality monitoring in order to help determine water quality related constraints on supply and use, and for helping assess potential ecological impacts caused by changes in ground water quantity and quality.

10. ACWI GROUPS National Water Quality Monitoring Council National Liaison Committee for NAWQA ٭Subcommittee on Spatial Water Data Subcommittee on Hydrology Subcommittee on Sedimentation Work Groups Methods and Data Comparability Board Sustainable Water Resources Roundtable Work Groups NewSubcommittee on Ground Water Work Groups Work Groups Work Groups Work Groups * Also reports to Federal Geographic Data Committee

11. SOGW Organizations

12. Work Groups Subcommittee on Ground Water (13) Bob Schreiber, ACWI – ASCE Bill Cunningham, USGS Executive Secretary Chris Reimer, NGWA GW Monitoring Inventory Work Group (14) Bill Cunningham, USGS Mike Wireman, USEPA Emery Cleaves, AASG GW Data Standards and Data Management Work Group (13) Chuck Job, USEPA Scott Andres, DE Geological Survey GW Field Practices Work Group (10) Rod Sheets, USGSMike Nickolaus, GWPC GW Monitoring Design Work Group (21) Bob Schreiber, ACWI- ASCE Kevin Frederick WY DEQ Quality Quantity Quality Quantity ENN

14. Subcommittee and Work Group Membership* Federal 14 State/local 26 Academia 4 Private sector 26 Total 70 *As of 01/30/08

15. Inventory Work Group Goal: Develop picture of current ground-water level and ground-water quality monitoring • Research is largely completed • Analysis is underway

16. State Ground-Water Monitoring Networks Joint effort completed by: • AASG • GWPC • ICWP • NGWA Level – information from 43 states Quality – information from 48 states.

17. Federal Ground-Water Monitoring Networks • Evaluation of National or Regional networks operated by federal agencies • USGS, US EPA, Park Service, Forest Service, ARS and others • Combine with State information for overall picture of monitoring

18. Preliminary Results • Statewide and Regional Water Quality Networks • Statewide and Regional Water Level Networks

19. Summary of State Water Quality Networks Design Basis

20. Summary of State Water Quality Networks Network Management

21. Ground-Water Level Networks

22. Wells in a Statewide or Regional Water-Level Network Measured at Least Annually

24. Summary: Inventory Work Group • Large amount of ground water level and quality data are being collected • Some states with little or no program. These are initial “data gaps”. • Data are collected by many different agencies for many different purposes. Often not the same agency for water levels and water quality. • Additional work is needed by the Inventory WG to: • Coordinate inventory among State responses and Federal monitoring programs • Gather necessary metadata • Use metadata and Design Framework to evaluate data gaps

25. Ground Water Monitoring Design Work Group Goal - Develop draft design • Identifying questions • Researching designs • Defining important discriminators

26. Design • Network of (statewide) Networks • Specific questions at statewide scale • “Aggregated upwards” to regional and national scales • States - local questions Can aggregate these to address unique statewide questions

27. Questions Addressed • Level I – Required • State to regional and national scales • Level II – Encouraged • Additional resources from states • State to regional and national scales • Local to statewide scale • Local scale

28. Example Level I Questions • Baseline conditions • Changing conditions • Drought impacts • Impacts of over-pumping • GW suitable for human consumption • Major GW problems

30. Design • What is monitored? • What indicators?

31. Field Practices Work Group Goal – data collection to ensure data comparability across the network • Two focus areas: • Ground water quantity (levels) • Ground water quality (sample collection)

32. Field Practices Work Group – Water Levels • Key considerations: • Training • Pre-collection review and preparation • On-site preparation • Water-level collection and data recording

33. Field Practices Work Group – Water Quality • Key considerations: • Pre-collection review and preparation • On-site preparation • Sample collection, preservation, handling, and transport • Data recording • QA/QC

34. Field Practices Work Group • Level and quality combined in one field practices document -- Based on ASTM, USEPA, USGS and other published standards • Draft document is ready for inclusion. • Collaborative effort -- Group co-chairs Mike Nickolaus, GWPC and Rod Sheets, USGS

35. Data Standards & Data Management Work Group Charge Goal - Recommend methods to archive and access ground water data on a national scale • Review related products and activities • Address consistency of data management • Identify data retrieval approaches

36. Major Data Models and Standards • Primarily Water Level and Quality Data • USGS’s NWIS • USEPA’s WQX • EDSC’s approved data standards • ASTM standards D 5409 & D 5410 • Primarily Locational Data • FGDC NSDI • ASTM standards D 5254 & D 5408 • ISO Standard 19139

37. DSDM Work Group Draft Conclusions • Issues needing resolution • Multiple classifications of hydrostratigraphy • A “core set” of data elements

38. DSDM Work Group Draft Conclusions • Recommendations • Multiple data models or standards • Use data translation tools

39. Next Steps: • March 2008 – Resolve outstanding issues at SOGW meeting • May 2008 – Receive feedback at Monitoring Conference • Summer/fall – Request ACWI approval of draft recommendations

40. Examples of Key Questions SOGW Working Through: • What are the principal challenges to participation by federal and state agencies? • How to incorporate existing data collection efforts? • What are the core or minimum requirements for comparability? • How to provide flexibility for advancements in science and technology? • What ongoing functions are needed to establish, operate and maintain such a network?

41. Feedback • Tomorrow - roundtable on: • Moving forward • Lessons learned by others • Coordination w/ ACWI subgroups • Anytime - Informal discussions

42. Thank you!! Subcommittee On Ground Water c/o National Ground Water Association 601 Dempsey Rd Westerville OH 43081 800.551.7379 creimer@ngwa.org