United States Geological Survey
Link to: U.S. Geological Survey Groundwater Information
NGWMN Contact: Climate Response Network Contact:
Jason Fine Rod Caldwell
jmfine@usgs.gov caldwell@usgs.gov
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) is a water-level and water-quality data provider to the National Groundwater Monitoring Network (NGWMN). USGS partners with Water Science Centers throughout the U.S. to provide data from selected wells to NGWMN through the USGS National Water Information System (NWIS) database. Data at the Water Science Centers are collected for a wide variety of purposes with funding from Federal, USGS Cooperative Matching Program Funds, State, Tribal, and local agencies. The USGS served as one of the Pilot projects for the NGWMN.
USGS NGWMN Pilot Report; New Jersey WSC
Sites from the USGS are generally provided through one of three sources: Sites funded by Cooperative Matching Program funds, water-quality sites that are part of the NAWQA Decadal Groundwater Network, and the Climate Response Network.
Cooperative Matching Program sites
USGS Cooperative Matching Funds (CMF) support joint projects with our State, regional, tribal, and local partners to provide reliable, impartial, and timely information needed by these partners to understand and manage the Nation's water resources. CMF is combined with funds from over 1,500 partners for projects that monitor and assess water resources in every state, protectorate, and territory of the U.S. The flexibility of CMF allows USGS and its partners to respond to significant or emerging water issues in a timely manner; sometimes this results in local issues being raised to the regional or national level. Because consistent USGS national protocols are used to monitor and assess water resources, water data are directly comparable at the regional and national scale and water issues in a specific location, watershed, or aquifer can be compared to those in other geographic regions and across different time periods. Such comparisons allow for large-scale synthesis and problem-solving across state lines, in regional watersheds or aquifers, and nationally. CMF are also used to develop innovative approaches for monitoring, modeling, managing, and delivering water data and science to our partners, while also providing information that protects human lives and property, promotes healthy ecosystems, and supports sustainable economic development.
Water Science Centers selected and classified both water-level and water-quality sites from CRN projects for the NGWMN. The site selection and classification may vary among USGS Water Science Centers. The data collection methods and data management requirements will be the same for all USGS data.
Cooperative Matching Funds partner agencies are eligible to apply for limited funding under the NGWMN Cooperative Agreements to enhance NGWMN sites. These agencies are allowed to apply for work under Objectives 3-6 of the Funding Opportunity (3; Site Information Gap Filling, 4; Site Maintenance, 5: Well Drilling, and 6: Purchase equipment to support continuous water-level data collection). Final Reports for these projects are listed below.
Maryland Geological Survey
Project to do site-information gap filling and well maintenance. Gap filling will include an update to land-surface elevations at all wells through a GPS survey. They will also be updating lithologic and well construction data for all wells from paper well-completion reports. Well Maintenance activities will include repairing well heads at 21 wells and, doing borehole camera surveys to identity problems at selected wells, and slug testing of 42 wells.
Project is to perform well maintenance activities at NGWMN Sites. This work includes a borehole camera survey to assess 42 wells and slug testing to set baseline conditions at 28 wells.
Project is to perform well maintenance activities at NGWMN Sites. This work includes updating site elevations using GPS data at 4 wells and conduct well integrity testing at 19 wells.
Project is to perform well maintenance activities at NGWMN Sites. This work includes borehole camera surveys and depth measurements at 6 wells and well integrity testing at 12 wells.
Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation
Project to replace 39 existing steel cased shallow monitoring wells in the NGWMN. Wells selected for replacement were determined by a multi-agency work group that prioritized well replacement work.
Project is to update lithologic information and upgrade sites to continuous monitoring.
FY2022
Project is to upgrade 30 sites to continuous monitoring.
Massachusetts, Cape Cod Commission
Project to do well maintenance, and drill wells. They will be doing well maintenance activities at 25 wells which will include specific capacity testing, video logs, and well redevelopment, where needed. They will be drilling 5 new wells to fill gaps in the NGWMN.
Missouri Department of Natural Resources
The Missouri DNR maintains the water-level recorders at the sites and collectes the water-level data. The data is sent via satellite telemetry to the USGS and, though a Cooperative Matching Funds project, the data is reviewed and served to the public and the NGWMN via NWISWEB. So although the sites on the map indicate that the data are from the USGS, the data are collected throught a partnership between the Missouri DNR and the USGS.
Project focuses on site-information gap filling. This involves field visits to all NGWMN wells to survey the sites and establishing benchmarks. Site information will also be updated by searching agency records and providing historic water-quality data for selected wells and well construction information on all available NGWMN sites to the USGS for entry into USGS databases that serve the NGWMN data portal.
Project to do well maintenance and well drilling work. Well Maintenance work involves performing slug tests on 48 wells to determine connection to the aquifer. Two new wells will be drilled to fill gaps in the NGWMN coverage in Ohio.
Project to perform well maintenance activities at 10 wells. Maintenance activities include pumping 9 existing monitoring wells to verify connection to the aquifer and reconstructing an existing well.
Project is to remove an obstruction from an existing NGWMN well.
Project is to do well maintenance at 4 wells and repair one other well and to replace 13 dataloggers and 5 pressure transducers.
FY2022
Project is to add 13 new wells to the NGWMN, review existing data to fill data gaps at 81 wells, perform downhole video inspections at 16 wells, and do well-integrity testing at four wells.
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
Project is to drill three replacement wells for the water-quality monitoring network to resolve well performance issues.
Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Project to do well maintenance and well drilling work. Well maintenance work involves performing slug tests on 48 wells to determine connection to the aquifer. Two new wells will be drilled to fill gaps in the NGWMN coverage in Ohio.
Project to do well maintenance work, which involves performing slug tests on 60 existing observation wells to determine connection to the aquifer.
Project to do well maintenance work, which involves performing slug tests on 60 existing observation wells to determine connection to the aquifer.
FY2023
Project to do well maintenance work, which involves conducting downhole camera and gamma ray logging for lithologic determinations on 17 wells and well integrity testing on 25 wells.
Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey
Project to do well-maintenance and well drilling activities to support the NGWMN. Well maintenance involves installation of a new shelter at 1 well and redevelopment of three other wells. The redevelopment of the wells will be followed by slug-testing to confirm the well connection to the aquifer. Well drilling will be done to replace an existing NGWMN site
NAWQA Decadal Groundwater Network
Groundwater-quality monitoring data collected many regions of the United States have been synthesized into a national assessment of groundwater-quality trends. Between 1991 and 2010, NAWQA completed assessments groundwater-quality in Principal Aquifers across much of the United States. The assessments characterized groundwater in both deep public-supply wells and shallower domestic (private) wells. Many of those wells have been resampled on a near-decadal timeframe to determine if groundwater quality has changed over time. To date 1,718 wells in 73 well networks-20-30 randomly selected wells designed to examine groundwater quality in a region- have been resampled on a near-decadal time period. The National Water Quality Program will continue to resample wells periodically to build on our understanding of long-term trends in groundwater quality.
An interactive web tool maps these decadal changes in groundwater quality. Using the web tool, users can easily visualize changes in both inorganic and organic constituent concentrations in groundwater, including chloride, nitrate, several pesticides, and some drinking-water disinfection byproducts. The website also includes a description of the methods used to evaluate changes in groundwater quality and a link to the complete set of data.
In order to assign NGWMN subnetwork categories, the Decadal network assignments for each constituent were used. All of the wells in the NAWQA network were assigned the same NGWMN subnetwork classification. If any constituent had a large increase for a comparison periods, the classification for the period was set to 'Documented Change'. If more than three constituents had a small increase, the classification for the period was set to 'Documented Change'. If the classification for any period was set to 'Documented Change', then the overall classification for the Network is set to 'Documented Change', otherwise the classification is set to 'Suspected Change'. None of the networks were classified in the 'Background' subnetwork.
USGS Climate Response Network
The USGS maintains a network of wells to monitor the effects of droughts and other climate variability on groundwater levels. The network consists of about 250 wells monitored that are fully funded by the USGS Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program. These wells are equipped with satellite telemetry to provide realtime data. The CRN is also supplemented by funded wells in some States monitored from State, Local, Regional, and Tribal partners with USGS Cooperative Matching Funds, or with funded wells from other Federal partners.The water-level changes in the Climate Response Network should primarily reflect climatic variability and not human influences. The climate variations of interest are those that affect recharge on monthly and longer time scales; not barometric or tidal influences. Observation wells should satisfy the following criteria:
-Open to a single, known hydrogeologic unit
-Known well construction that allows good water-level measurements
-Located in unconfined aquifers or near-surface confined aquifers that respond to climatic fluctuations
-Minimally affected by pumpage and likely to remain so
-Essentially unaffected by irrigation, canals, and other potential sources of artificial recharge
-Long-term accessibility
-Well has never gone dry (not susceptible to going dry
Wells in the Climate Response Network, therefore, will generally be designated as Background wells in the Trend Network. A fact sheet on the Climate Response Network is available here.
Site Selection and Classification
USGS Cooperative Matching Funds sites
Site Selection
USGS Water Science Centers selected sites from their monitoring networks that met the requirements for the NGWMN as specified in the NGWMN Framework Report. Guidance on site selection was also provided in the form of NGWMN Tip Sheets on water-level and water-quality site selection.
Site Classification
USGS Water Science Centers classified the selected sites into both Subnetworks and Monitoring Categories for the NGWMN as specified in the NGWMN Framework Report. Guidance on site classification was also provided in the form of NGWMN Tip Sheets on water-level and water-quality site selection.
NAWQA Decadal Sites
The changes in concentration across a decade, or near-decadal period were used to evaluate the magnitude of change. For inorganic constituents, if the median of all differences in concentrations was greater than 5 percent of the benchmark, the change was considered large. If the change was less than or equal to 5 percent of the benchmark, then the change was considered to be small. For organic compounds, if the median of all differences in concentrations was greater than 1 percent of the benchmark, the change was considered large, and if the change was less than or equal to 1percent of the benchmark, then the change was considered to be small. This approach provides a way to distinguish very small but statistically significant changes from changes that are of a larger magnitude.In order to assign NGWMN subnetwork categories, the Decadal network assignments for each constituent were used. All of the wells in the NAWQA network were assigned the same NGWMN subnetwork classification. If any constituent had a large increase for a comparison periods, the classification for the period was set to 'Documented Change'. If more than three constituents had a small increase, the classification for the period was set to 'Documented Change'. If the classification for any period was set to 'Documented Change', then the overall classification for the Network is set to 'Documented Change', otherwise the classification is set to 'Suspected Change'. None of the networks were classified in the 'Background' subnetwork.
Climate Response Network Sites
All Federally funded CRN wells are included in the NGWMN. Some CRN wells that are supported through Cooperative Matching Funds projects are also included in the NGWMN.
Because Climate Response Network wells should be located in unconfined aquifers that respond to climatic fluctuations, should be minimally affected by withdrawals, and should be unaffected by irrigation, canals, and other potential sources of artificial recharge, all CRN wells are designated as Background wells in the Trend Network.
Data Collection Techniques
USGS collects data according to the Groundwater Technical Procedures.
USGS Office of Groundwater Technical Memorandums related to Groundwater Data Collection:
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- gw2016.01 Water Mission Area Policy on Accepting Furnished Records [70KB PDF]
- gw2015.03 Policy for Quality Assurance Checks of Steel and Electric Groundwater Level Measurement Tapes [195KB PDF]
- gw11.02 Recommended groundwater field procedures for the U.S. Geological Survey
- gw06.02 Policy and Archive Guidance for Ground-Water Data Collection using Handheld Computers
Water-Quality:
- Water-quality methods & techniques
- National Water-Quality Assessment Program groundwater data-collection protocols and procedures:
Data Management
USGS manages data according procedures found in the following links:
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- gw2017.02 Procedures for Identifying and Documenting Revisions to USGS Water Data [103KB PDF]
- gw2017.01 Clarification of Water Mission Area Policy on Continuous Records Processing of Time Series Data: Categorization of Groundwater, Surface Water, and Water-Quality Sites/Records [261KB PDF]
- gw2016.01 Water Mission Area Policy on Accepting Furnished Records [70KB PDF]
- gw2015.03 Policy for Quality Assurance Checks of Steel and Electric Groundwater Level Measurement Tapes [195KB PDF]
- gw15.01 Update of Policies on Storage, Review, and Publication of Discrete Groundwater-Level Data
- gw12.03 Update of Policy on Review and Publication of Discrete Water Data
- gw12.02 Policy for the release of continuous water-temperature data recorded from secondary sensors at streamgages and wells
- gw12.01 Policy for evaluation of well integrity for water-level measurements - initial application to CBR network wells and test phase for all wells
- gw11.02 Recommended groundwater field procedures for the U.S. Geological Survey
- gw06.02 Policy and Archive Guidance for Ground-Water Data Collection using Handheld Computers
- gw06.01 Storage of Water-Level Data for Ground Water
- gw98.02 Data Elements for Ground-Water Sites
- gw93.03 Interim Policy Memorandum about Storing Data in the National Water Information System
- gw92.06 General Policy for the Use of the Ground Water Site Inventory System