ASTM International

Standard Practice for Minimum Set of Data Elements to Identify a Ground-Water Site
 N D5254/D5254M

Annotation

This practice covers what information should be obtained for any individual ground-water site, also known as monitoring location or sampling station. As used in this practice, a site is meant to be a single point, not a geographic area or property. A ground-water site is defined as any source, location, or sampling station capable of producing water or hydrologic data from a natural stratum from below the surface of the earth. A source or facility can include a well, spring or seep, and drain or tunnel (nearly horizontal in orientation). Other sources, such as excavations, driven devices, bore holes, ponds, lakes, and sinkholes, that can be shown to be hydraulically connected to the ground water, are appropriate for the use intended (see 6.4.2.3).

NOTE 1—There are many additional data elements that may be necessary to identify a site, but are not included in the minimum set of data elements. An agency or company may require additional data elements as a part of their minimum set.

This practice includes those data elements that will distinguish a site as to its geographical location on the surface of the earth, political regimes, source identifiers, and individual site characteristics. These elements apply to all ground-water sites. Each category of site, such as a well or spring, may individually require additional data elements to be complete. Many of the suggested components and representative codes for coded data elements are those established by the Water Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey and used in the National Water Information Systems computerized data base (1).2

NOTE 2—The data elements presented in this practice do not uniquely imply a computer data base, but rather the minimum set of ground-water data elements that should be collected for entry into any type of permanent file.