U.S. Geological Survey

National Water-Quality Assessment Program

Ground-Water Data-Collection Protocols and Procedures for the National Water-Quality Assessment Program: Selection, Installation, and Documentation of Wells, and Collection of Related Data

U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 95-398

CONTENTS

• Overview of National Water-Quality Assessment Program
  
• Purpose and scope
  
• Acknowledgments
  

• Well selection
  
  • Well-selection criteria
    
  • Well inventory
    
• Well installation
  
  • Preparation
    
  • Well drilling
    
  • Well completion
    
  • Well development
    
  • Documentation
    
• Measurement of water levels and collection of additional hydrogeologic and geologic data
  
  • Water levels
    
  • Additional hydrogeologic and geologic data
    

ILLUSTRATIONS

1. Example of a well-inventory form for the National Water-Quality Assessment Program
   
2. Form for agreement to use an abandoned test hole or well
   
3. Sample of Form 9-1483 (Aug. 1994), "Agreement for Installation, Maintenance and Use of a Test Hole and/or Observation Well on Private or _______ Property"
   
4. Sketch showing general design of a monitoring well in unconsolidated deposits for National Water-Quality Assessment Program Land-Use and Flowpath Studies
   
5. Sketch showing examples of monitoring-well designs in semiconsolidated deposits and in rock
   
6. Sketch showing examples of three well-cluster designs
   
7. Example of a well-information check list for the National Water-Quality Assessment Program
   
8. Examples of forms used to record well-drilling, -construction, and -completion information, and to diagram well construction
   
9. Example of a form to summarize development of a well
   
10. Examples of well-location and site-sketch maps and information related to site conditions and restrictions
    
11. Land-use and land-cover field sheet for the 1991 Study Units, National Water-Quality Assessment Program
    
12. Example of a form to record water-level data in a well
    

TABLES

1. Components and attributes of the National Water-Quality Assessment Program ground-water sampling design
   
2. Summary of current (1995) required, recommended, and optional water-quality constituents to be measured in the three National Water-Quality Assessment Program ground-water components of the Occurrence and Distribution Assessment
   
3. Selection, design, and documentation criteria for wells used in National Water-Quality Assessment Program Study-Unit Surveys, Land-Use Studies, and Flowpath Studies
   
4. Advantages and disadvantages of high-capacity and low-capacity water-supply wells for water-quality studies
   
5. Relative leaching or sorption/desorption of casing and screen materials for indicated water-quality constituent classes
   
6. Some general characteristics of materials used for well casing and screens
   
7. Six-step procedure for decontamination of well-installation equipment and materials
   
8. Factors to consider when selecting a drilling method
   
9. Summary matrix of relations between drilling criteria and drilling methods
   
10. Characteristics of bentonite and cement as annular seals
11. Information required for creation of files and storage of water- quality-related data in U.S. Geological Survey data bases within the National Water Information System-I
    
12. Summary matrix of relative quality of aquifer property measured or estimated using different sample-collection methods
    
13. Summary matrix of potential applications of borehole-geophysical logs commonly used in ground-water investigation