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

Protocols for well installation and documentation are included in a 1989 report written for the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Pilot Program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). These protocols were reviewed and revised to address the needs of the full-scale implementation of the NAWQA Program that began in 1991. This report, which is a collaborative effort between the National Water-Quality Assessment Program and the Office of Water Quality, is the result of that review and revision. This report describes protocols and recommended procedures for the collection of data from wells for the NAWQA Program. Protocols and procedures discussed are well selection, installation of monitoring wells, documentation, and the collection of water level and additional hydrogeologic and geologic data.