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United States Office of Office of Solid Waste EPA/540/S-951504 Environmental Protection Research and and Emergency April 9996 Agency Development Response � ..EPA Ground Water Issue ,i LOW-FLOW (MINIMAL DRAWDOWNS GROUND-WATER SAMPLING PROCEDURES by Robert W. Puls' and Michael J. Barcelona2 Background units were identified and sampled in keeping with that objective. These were highly productive aquifers that The Regional Superfund Ground Water Forum is a supplied drinking water via private wells or through public group of ground-water scientists, representing EPA's water supply systems. Gradually,with the increasing aware- Regional Superfund Offices, organized to exchange ness of subsurface pollution of these water resources,the information related to ground-water remediation at Superfund understanding of complex hydrogeochemical processes sites. One of the major concerns of the Forum is the which govern the fate and transport of contaminants in the sampling of ground water to support site assessment and subsurface increased. This increase in understanding was remedial performance monitoring objectives. This paper is also due to advances in a number of scientific disciplines and intended to provide background information on the improvements in tools used for site characterization and development of low-flow sampling procedures and its ground-water sampling. Ground-water quality investigations application under a variety of hydrogeologic settings. It is where pollution was detected initially borrowed ideas, hoped that the paper will support the production of standard methods, and materials for site characterization from the operating procedures for use by EPA Regional personnel and water supply field and water analysis from public health other environmental professionals engaged in ground-water practices. This included the materials and manner in which sampling. monitoring wells were installed and the way in which water was brought to the surface,treated, preserved and analyzed. For further information contact: Robert Puls,405-436-8543, The prevailing conceptual ideas included convenient generali- Subsurface Remediation and Protection Division,NRMRL, zations of ground-water resources in terms of large and Ada,Oklahoma. relatively homogeneous hydrologic units. With time it became apparent that conventional water supply generalizations of homogeneitydid not adequately represent field data regard- L Introduction ing pollution of these subsurface resources. The important role of heterogeneity became increasingly clear not only in The methods and objectives of ground-water geologic terms, but also in terms of complex physical, sampling to assess water quality have evolved over time. Initially the emphasis was on the assessment of water quality 'National Risk Management Research Laboratory, U.S.EPA of aquifers as sources of drinking water. Large water-bearing 2Unlversity of Michigan �\LpTICIIV . Tky Superfund Technology Support Center for s� ?= Ground Water Technology lnnovaiton OfficQ o ech wlogy �; 'Offoe of Sglid Waste and t mergenay i moo„ National Risk Management Research Laboratory Response,:UB EPA;Washington DC Subsurface Protection and Remediation Division ' A , Robert S.Kerr Environmental Research Center Walter W I<ovalcck,,!r Ph D r ire �1'r)[Axx 10'N Ada,Oklahoma or �