Groundwater Monitoring Experts – but are we?

January 6, 2014

Of course we are but the point of this blog is to try and put to rest ‘groundwater monitoring’ or is it ‘ground-water’? Or even ‘ground water’ and that’s before we get into ‘monitoring’; ‘sampling’ or ‘testing’!  Put the two together, add in the variable of whether capital letters is appropriate or not and in what context and, all of a sudden, mathematically the statistics of what exactly we are experts in becomes more confused!

It is very true to say we offer environmental equipment to sample groundwater in monitoring wells. This is significant because the quality of ground water is an issue of national concern and monitoring wells are one of the more important tools for evaluating the quality of ground water, defining contamination plumes and establishing the integrity of hazardous material management facilities.

With any groundwater sampling project the goal is usually to obtain samples that can then be analysed.  The sampling methods, equipment you use and sample preservation techniques you can employ are many and numerous and each has its own merits and disadvantages.  Here we are simply looking at the terminology because for us – this is vital!

Guidelines exist; indeed our own Environment Agency has produced a Science Report SC020093: Guidance on the design and installation of groundwater quality monitoring points. This 99 page document covers the design, construction and installation of groundwater quality monitoring points (GQMP) to help improve the quality of monitoring data by ensuring that representative groundwater samples are collected. It explains the need to set monitoring objectives, whether these are strategic, defensive or investigative. The design and budget for a monitoring project are explained plus the actual construction process of the monitoring wells, including the necessary documentation; the sequence of construction; and borehole development (the process of returning the conditions around the GQMP to as close to those prior to drilling) and full post-construction activities other than groundwater sampling including:

• maintenance, which involves routine activities to maintain the performance of the GQMP. Correctly installed GQMPs should not, in general, need much maintenance
• rehabilitation, involving both major and occasional work to restore the performance of the GQMP
• decommissioning, to ensure that the GQMP does not become a pathway for contaminant migration.

The guidelines include a four page Glossary and abbreviations but, for us, the keywords in or around groundwater are: Borehole design, Groundwater sampling, Groundwater monitoring, Groundwater quality – so we can safely say Van Walt Ltd are experts and we have the equipment you need for every stage of the installation of groundwater quality monitoring points, collecting samples (whether using traditional, low flow or no purge collection techniques), onsite monitoring of groundwater level and temperature with options of collecting and analysing data onsite or remotely via telemetry options.

Visit www.vanwalt.com to learn more about our groundwater expertise.