HowTo – Site characterization for groundwater [60%]

Priority: high
Updating: evolving as we begin to interpret analytical results

This HowTo describes how we will create confidential and anonymized hydrogeologic characterizations for categorical and long term monitoring sites. There is a separate characterization process for lake sites because they are dominated by surface water transport.

The categorical sites will have much more attention, detail, and recordkeeping than single-site characterizations.

Change log:

When	Who	Comment
2021 08 ??	Sp17	First version placeholder.
2021 09 04	Sp17	Add change log. Begin fleshing out toward QAPP inclusion.
2021 09 13	Sp17	This should be an early one, in prep for pilot site visits. More fleshing out today.
2021 09 23	Sp17	More flesh. Factor in DEC Well Completion Reports.
2021 09 29	Sp17	More flesh toward having a reviewable version to accompany the QAPP outline.
2021 10 01	Sp17	Reformatted for export in DOCX
2023 06 21	Sp17	Minor updates. Converted to Markdown.

Related HowTos:

1. Objectives

Document estimated hydrogeologic conditions, especially horizontal groundwater flow directions and strata that can impede vertical flow.
Identify existing potential monitoring points.
Link spatial positions of onsite pesticide use to candidate monitoring points.
Document known and possible upgradient pesticide use.
Select monitoring points including specifying new monitor well locations.
Prepare an approval package of anonymized maps for DEC.
- To limit the labor required to create a redacted version, we prefer that DEC delegate to Cornell the site selection, based on agreed principles and tracking of progress toward 24 sites using various metrics. See Framework for Categorical Sites.
Document data sources for the site.

Note that the categorical sites will each yield just 24-30 samples over their project lifetime, thus there will not be too much time invested in documenting individual site characterizations. This HowTo primarily sketches a wish list to avoid leaving out anything important and to be consistent across sites.

We accept a low degree of data quality (sketched maps are OK) because of the small budget per site.

2. Categorical sites

2.1 Background site specific data prior to interview/walkaround with owners

DEC statewide well registry. Use a FOIA request to DEC Water to obtain the full driller reports for wells in vicinity: any that could be worth sampling and any that could provide local strata insight.
- Resource for these: Beth Guidetti: FOIL system (scroll about halfway down the page). Just state that you need water well completion reports and list the DEC well numbers.
- Select wells that are adjacent to the subject site.
- In practice the 1-3 week turnaround time for obtaining driller reports has been slower than the pace of discussion progress with most owners, thus we use these reports as a later supplement only. (We can use the mapped depths to groundwater and total well depth immediately, from the public GIS file.)
Our digital map collection, zoomed to the site. Eventually we make a separate QGIS map file for each categorical site, zoomed to the vicinity of the site. We can add site-specific data such as county LIDAR, property tax maps.
Do literature scans for USGS aquifer reports and NYS Geological Association annual meeting tour reports (useful index).

2.2 Data from site walkthroughs with owners

2.3 Details of mapping

We will make a QGIS subset map for each of the categorical sites. This starts from one of the three sub-upstate maps containing all counties in a vertical strip, west, central, or east. Make a copy of one of these starter maps in the Box: DEC/maps/individual folder. Delete SSURGO soil surveys from peripheral counties, leaving a core in case we want to zoom out to see the site in wider soil context, for example how representative its soils are of the wider area.

Add a QGIS point layer to the candidate site mapset for potential monitoring locations, eventually to show the final locations. (This is one QGIS file across all categorical sites.)

Start this map before the interview/walk visit.

The site maps are confidential between Cornell and the site owner.

2.4 Details of time series data and other tabular data

When the owner allows, we will make a table of pesticide use by product, rate, application month, which part of site covered. Cover the last few years, and have a projected year if possible. Perhaps we will examine the same record they keep for DEC. This could be structured for linking with a map to display active ingredient usage in proximity to different wells. Generally this is the most intrusive aspect of our relationship with the owner so we take it slowly, and do not ask for this early.

The project’s tabular database will hold field data measured during sampling. Transcribe this from the paper field logbook shortly after returning from a trip.

2.5 New well installation

The walkthrough will include scouting for places that would be helpful to install monitor wells. We will refine this after the walkthrough. Any monitor well sites will be proposed with specifications for installation.

2.6 Redacted approval report to DEC [if required]

Prepare a censored site and environs map in QGIS. Take care not to leave the site guessable. Soil and surficial geology names are OK because few are limited to a single county. Highway route numbers, road names, hamlet names, river names, lake names need to be redacted. Shapes of rivers and lakes are OK to include.

This will be prepared in QGIS then pasted into MS Word, and possibly exported as PDF.

2.7 Data storage

Paper documents: scan them.

Maps in QGIS.

Tabular data in database, or spreadsheets.

Store digital files in Box.

3. Long Term Sites

We will not prepare individual maps with sampling points for long term sites. The tracking spreadsheet has provision for a remark about the location of the well within the site.