Quality-Assurance Plan for Groundwater Activities, 

U.S. Geological Survey Dakota Water Science Center

Open-File Report 2018–1103

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey
Cover. Upper left: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) hydrologic technician measuring a groundwater 

level to monitor groundwater-level changes in the Madison aquifer near Rapid City, South Dakota 

(photograph by Galen Hoogestraat, USGS). Upper center: Drilling rig used to install monitoring 

wells near Rapid City, South Dakota, to be used for sampling and monitoring groundwater-level 

changes (photograph by Joshua Valder, USGS). Upper right: USGS staff prepare to slug a well to 

assess the hydrologic connection with the aquifer and to estimate hydrologic properties for the 

aquifer at the monitoring well site in Rapid City, South Dakota (photograph by Galen Hoogestraat, 

USGS). Background: USGS groundwater hydrologist lowers a transducer into an observation well 

near Jewel Cave National Monument in South Dakota to monitor groundwater-level changes in the 

Madison aquifer (photograph by Joshua Valder, USGS).
Quality-Assurance Plan for Groundwater 

Activities, U.S. Geological Survey 

Dakota Water Science Center

By Joshua F. Valder, Janet M. Carter, Steve M. Robinson, Chris D. Laveau, and 

Joel A. Petersen

Open-File Report 2018–1103

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey
U.S. Department of the Interior

RYAN K. ZINKE, Secretary

U.S. Geological Survey

James F. Reilly II, Director

U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2018

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Although this information product, for the most part, is in the public domain, it also may contain copyrighted materials 

as noted in the text. Permission to reproduce copyrighted items must be secured from the copyright owner.

Suggested citation:

Valder, J.F., Carter, J.M., Robinson, S.M., Laveau, C.D., and Petersen, J.A., 2018, Quality-assurance plan 

for groundwater activities, U.S. Geological Survey Dakota Water Science Center: U.S. Geological Survey 

Open-File Report 2018–1103, 28 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20181103.

ISSN 2331-1258 (online)
iii

Contents

Abstract...........................................................................................................................................................1

Introduction.....................................................................................................................................................1

Organization and Responsibilities...............................................................................................................2

Management Staff................................................................................................................................2

Center Director and Deputy Directors .....................................................................................2

Center Groundwater Specialist.................................................................................................2

Center Safety Officer...................................................................................................................3

Center Groundwater Database Administrators......................................................................3

Studies Staff...........................................................................................................................................3

Center Section Leads/Studies Chiefs.......................................................................................3

Center Groundwater Project Chiefs .........................................................................................4

Data Staff................................................................................................................................................4

Center Data Chief.........................................................................................................................4

Data Program Field Office Chiefs..............................................................................................4

Studies Project Planning and Reviews ......................................................................................................5

Development of Project Proposals ....................................................................................................5

Development of Work Plans................................................................................................................5

Project Review ......................................................................................................................................6

Triennial Discipline Reviews ...............................................................................................................7

Specific Topics—Studies ....................................................................................................................7

Aquifer Tests.................................................................................................................................7

Specialized Data ..........................................................................................................................7

Training ............................................................................................................................................................8

Safety...............................................................................................................................................................8

Basic Data Collection and Data Management Plan ................................................................................8

General Responsibilities......................................................................................................................9

Data Collection......................................................................................................................................9

Documentation of Routine Technical Procedures .................................................................9

Instrumentation and Calibration................................................................................................9

Field Files for Observation Wells.............................................................................................10

Data Processing, Review, and Storage...........................................................................................11

Continuous Recording Groundwater Wells...........................................................................11

Groundwater-Level Data ..........................................................................................................12

Station Analysis..........................................................................................................................12

Manuscript and Annual Report ...............................................................................................12

Analyzed, Approved, and Audited Records...........................................................................12

Specific Topics—Data .......................................................................................................................12

Documentation of Non-Routine Activities.............................................................................12

Identification and Control of Samples Collected During Well Installation.......................13

Winterizing Pressure Head Wells ...........................................................................................13

Well Integrity Tests....................................................................................................................13

Data Analysis.......................................................................................................................................14

Publications ..................................................................................................................................................14
iv

Archiving .......................................................................................................................................................15

Summary........................................................................................................................................................15

Acknowledgments.......................................................................................................................................15

References Cited..........................................................................................................................................16

Appendix 1. Groundwater Technical Memorandums, Groundwater Technical Notes, 

Water Resources Policies, and the U.S. Geological Survey Survey Manual.......................20

Appendix 2. Groundwater Site Inventory (GWSI) Coding Forms......................................................21

Appendix 3. Documentation of Field Procedures ...............................................................................24

Field Procedures.................................................................................................................................24

Non-Recording Groundwater Wells .......................................................................................24

Continuous Recording Groundwater Wells...........................................................................24

Approval Procedures .........................................................................................................................25

Discrete Groundwater-Level Data ..........................................................................................25

Continuous Recording Groundwater Wells (AQUARIUS) ...................................................26

References Cited.................................................................................................................................26

Appendix 4. Dakota Water Science Center Groundwater Archive Plan.........................................27

Groundwater Flow and Transport Models......................................................................................27

Aquifer Tests........................................................................................................................................27

Surface Geophysics ...........................................................................................................................27

Borehole-Geophysical Logs..............................................................................................................27

National Water Information System Data.......................................................................................28

Non-NWIS Data ..................................................................................................................................28

References Cited.................................................................................................................................28

Tables

1. Dakota Water Science Center project review form elements..............................................6
v

Conversion Factors

U.S. customary units to International System of Units

Multiply By To obtain

Length

foot (ft) 0.3048 meter (m)

Supplemental Information

Water year (WY) is the 12-month period, October 1 through September 30, and is designated by 

calendar year in which it ends.

Abbreviations

CRN Climate Response Network

DOI Department of Interior

DWSC Dakota Water Science Center

FSP Fundamental Science Practices

GWQAP Groundwater Quality-Assurance Plan

GWSI Groundwater Site Inventory

HIF Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility

NWIS National Water Information System

QAP quality-assurance plan

RMS Records Management System

USGS U.S. Geological Survey

Quality-Assurance Plan for Groundwater Activities, 

U.S. Geological Survey Dakota Water Science Center

By Joshua F. Valder, Janet M. Carter, Steve M. Robinson, Chris D. Laveau, and Joel A. Petersen

Abstract

As the Nation’s principal earth-science information 

agency, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is depended upon 

to collect accurate data and produce factual and impartial 

interpretive reports. Methods for data collection and analysis that were developed by the USGS have become standard 

techniques used by numerous Federal, State, and local agencies and by private enterprises. The USGS has implemented a 

program designed to ensure that all scientific work done by or 

for USGS Water Science Centers is done in accordance with 

a quality-assurance plan. The implementation of a groundwater quality-assurance plan will enhance groundwater data 

collected by the USGS. This report is a quality-assurance plan 

for groundwater activities conducted by the USGS Dakota 

Water Science Center and is meant to complement qualityassurance plans for surface-water and water-quality activities 

and similar plans for the Dakota Water Science Center and 

general project activities throughout the USGS.

Introduction

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) performs a variety 

of groundwater data-collection programs and investigations 

to assess the status of the Nation’s groundwater resources. 

Results of these activities are used to aid the citizens of the 

United States in developing, managing, and maintaining its 

groundwater resources. As the Nation’s principal earth-science 

information agency, the USGS is depended upon to collect 

accurate data and produce factual and impartial interpretive 

reports. The USGS has developed various techniques and 

methods for field-based data collection that have become the 

standard techniques used by numerous Federal, State, and 

local agencies (Kozar and Kahle, 2013). Recently, as electronic data have become more accessible, having standard 

field methods in data collection has become increasingly 

important because the USGS data that are being collected are 

used by other scientific organizations and by the public to 

address questions of natural-resource and environmental problems. Many of these problems are addressed through an open, 

public process. As a result, the data collected by scientific 

organizations, such as the USGS, are being scrutinized for 

objective evidence, regardless of the organizations’ reputation 

and historical credibility (Kozar and Kahle, 2013).

To address these demands and expectations, the USGS 

has implemented a program designed to ensure that all 

scientific work done by or for USGS Water Science Centers is 

conducted in accordance with a quality-assurance plan (QAP). 

The USGS Office of Quality Assurance has the responsibility 

to develop, coordinate, and implement the quality-assurance 

program for groundwater activities performed by USGS 

Water Science Centers. As part of that program, the USGS has 

directed the preparation of a Groundwater Quality-Assurance 

Plan (GWQAP), which covers all groundwater activities by 

USGS Water Science Centers. Schroder and Shampine (1992) 

and Shampine and others (1992) outline the guidelines for 

preparing QAPs for individual USGS Water Science Centers 

and integrating the quality assurance into project work plans. 

Guidelines presented in this report are intended to supplement 

Schroder and Shampine (1992), Shampine and others (1992), 

and Brunett and others (1997) to provide more specific details 

related to the USGS Dakota Water Science Center’s (DWSC’s) 

groundwater activities.

As summarized in Kozar and Kahle (2013, p. 2), a QAP 

can be defined as, “a formal document that describes the 

management policies, objectives, principles, organizational 

authority, responsibilities, accountability, and implementation 

plan of a responsible organizational unit or group for ensuring 

quality in its products.” The implementation of a groundwater 

QAP will enhance the groundwater data collected by the 

USGS by providing consistency, accountability, comparability, 

traceability, and repeatability (Kozar and Kahle, 2013).

This report is a QAP for groundwater activities conducted 

by the DWSC and is meant to complement QAPs for surfacewater and water-quality activities and similar plans for the 

DWSC and general project activities throughout the USGS. 

Included within these practices are the assignment of responsibilities for implementing quality-assurance activities in the 

DWSC and establishment of review procedures needed to 

ensure the technical quality and reliability of the groundwater 

products. This report presents quality-assurance policies 

pertaining to the collection, processing, analysis, storage, 

review, and publication of groundwater data. In addition, 

policies related to organizational responsibilities, training, and 
2 Quality-Assurance Plan for Groundwater Activities, U.S. Geological Survey Dakota Water Science Center

project planning are presented. Groundwater activities include 

all tasks pertaining to data-collection programs, interpretive and research projects, and data management. Additional 

groundwater technical field procedures used by USGS technicians and hydrologists that are not described in this document 

are available in Cunningham and Schalk (2011).

Organization and Responsibilities

Although quality assurance is a personal responsibility of all employees of the USGS, ultimate quality-assurance 

responsibility within each Water Science Center lies with the 

Water Science Center Director. Clear statements of specific 

responsibilities promote an understanding of each person’s 

role in the overall process of quality assurance and can help to 

prevent errors and deficiencies that may otherwise occur. Even 

if quality-assurance responsibilities are ancillary duties for 

some employees, these functions are to be documented.

The following is a list of DWSC personnel responsible 

for implementing the GWQAP for groundwater activities.

Management

1. Center Director and Deputy Directors

2. Center Groundwater Specialist

3. Center Safety Officer

4. Center Groundwater Database Administrators

Studies

1. Center Section Leads/Studies Chiefs

2. Center Groundwater Project Chiefs

Data Section

1. Center Data Chief

2. Data Program Field Office Chiefs

Management Staff

The management staff are responsible for implementing 

the policies and procedures as requested by USGS headquarters to ensure national consistency among the data and studies, 

collection, interpretation, and publishing of information. The 

management staff include the Center Director and Deputy 

Directors, the Center Groundwater Specialist, the Center 

Safety Officer, and the Center Groundwater Database Administrators. A more detailed description of each of the roles are 

provided in this section.

Center Director and Deputy Directors

The DWSC’s Center Director and Deputy Directors are 

responsible for the following:

1. Managing and directing the DWSC program, including 

all groundwater activities.

2. Ensuring that groundwater activities in the DWSC meet 

the needs of cooperating agencies, including State and 

local agencies, the general public, and the Federal Government.

3. Ensuring that all aspects of the GWQAP are understood 

and followed by DWSC personnel.

4. Providing final resolution of any conflicts or disputes 

related to groundwater activities within the DWSC.

5. Ensuring that the DWSC staff execute the procedural 

and technical communications that come from Region 

and Headquarters.

6. Ensuring that technical reviews of all groundwater 

activities are conducted.

7. Ensuring that all publications and other technical communications released by the DWSC are accurate and in 

accord with USGS policies.

8. Ensuring that groundwater training is incorporated into 

each employee’s training plan, where appropriate.

Center Groundwater Specialist

The DWSC’s Groundwater Specialist is responsible for 

the following:

1. Maintaining current groundwater technical expertise for 

the DWSC.

2. Assisting project personnel with preparation of groundwater technical matters.

3. Participating in technical reviews of groundwater activities.

4. Reviewing groundwater-related project proposals.

5. Reviewing groundwater-related products.

6. Providing information, technical memorandums (appendix 1), and consultation to the DWSC staff on groundwater technical matters.

7. Communicating with the Center Section Leads, Center Groundwater Project staff, and Data Program Field 

Office Chiefs/Studies Chiefs on needed or required 

technical procedures.
Organization and Responsibilities 3

8. Maintaining the DWSC archive of required routine technical procedures.

9. Maintaining the geophysics, aquifer test, and model 

archives.

10. Providing technical assistance and guidance for data 

entry and network review and approval.

11. Maintaining the groundwater technical-procedure documents file.

Center Safety Officer

The DWSC’s safety officer is responsible for the 

following:

1. Reviewing proposed groundwater project’s Job Hazard 

Analysis to ensure they follow all required safety policies and programs. Ensuring that policies and guidelines 

for work activities follow recommended safety rules and 

regulations covered in the USGS Safety Manual (U.S. 

Geological Survey, 2001) and related safety publications.

2. Encouraging an attitude of safety awareness in DWSC 

employees for activities on and off the job.

3. Assisting and advising supervisory personnel in job 

safety analysis and job safety training.

4. Ensuring that required safety training is conducted on 

schedule.

5. Conducting annual safety inspections and assisting 

personnel in conducting work site inspections when 

necessary.

Center Groundwater Database Administrators

The DWSC’s groundwater Database Administrators are 

responsible for the following:

1. Managing databases to ensure data integrity, system 

security, and user accessibility.

2. Conducting adequate backup and recovery procedures 

that follow agency guidelines.

3. Maintaining the databases and correcting problems in a 

timely manner to minimize loss of data and user access 

time.

4. Uploading and downloading data from national database 

repositories at recommended intervals.

5. Overseeing system security by controlling system 

access, assigning user identification, and following 

agency guidelines on computer system security.

6. Ensuring that site files are populated for each site in the 

system and not duplicated in the database.

7. Working with the Center Groundwater Specialist and 

project staff to ensure proper documentation and timely 

data entry into the groundwater site inventory database.

8. Working with the Center Groundwater Specialist to 

ensure all project staff are properly trained in using the 

Groundwater Site Inventory (GWSI) database, such as 

site creation and data entry.

Studies Staff

The studies staff are responsible for conducting interpretive investigations in accordance with the policies and procedures implemented by the management staff to ensure that 

the highest quality products are made publicly available. The 

studies staff include the Center Section Leads/Studies Chiefs 

and the Center Groundwater Project Chiefs. A more detailed 

description of each of the roles is provided in this section.

Center Section Leads/Studies Chiefs

The DWSC’s Groundwater Section Lead is responsible 

for the following:

1. Ensuring that all aspects of this QAP are understood and 

followed by DWSC personnel.

2. Managing and directing groundwater activities assigned 

to the section and ensuring that the stated objectives are 

met in a timely manner.

3. Reviewing the work plans for groundwater programs and 

projects.

4. Keeping DWSC staff briefed on procedural and technical communications from Region and Headquarters.

5. Providing the project chief with technical and administrative support as needed.

6. Creating and periodically updating, with groundwater 

personnel in the section, a training plan for each 

employee, where appropriate.

7. Ensuring that project activities are carried out in a timely 

manner.

8. Reviewing groundwater reports under his or her direction.

9. Monitoring progress of groundwater project chiefs in 

implementing the GWQAP for their respective projects.
4 Quality-Assurance Plan for Groundwater Activities, U.S. Geological Survey Dakota Water Science Center

Center Groundwater Project Chiefs

The DWSC’s groundwater Project Chiefs are responsible 

for the following:

1. Directing and conducting the technical work of the 

project, including all phases of data collection, data 

review, data storage, data analysis, and report preparation according to appropriate procedures.

2. Communicating project plans, progress, and problems 

to supervisors by providing written progress reports at 

periodic reviews.

3. Preparing written work plans, documenting project 

activities, preparing project-specific data management 

plans (U.S. Geological Survey, 2018a), and ensuring that 

data are placed in the USGS National Water Information 

System (NWIS) database or other repository, such as 

ScienceBase, as appropriate and in accordance with Fundamental Science Practices (FSP) data management plan 

requirements (U.S. Geological Survey, 2017a), prior to 

project termination.

4. Maintaining a project file containing memoranda, personal communications, technical-procedure documents 

used, original data, and other documentation.

5. Ensuring that project activities are carried out in a timely 

manner.

6. Creating an individual development plan with supervisor 

input.

7. Archiving of project files at the completion of the 

project.

Data Staff

The data staff are responsible for collecting and publishing high quality data in a nationally systematic approach, 

implementing all policies and procedures that are required by 

the management staff to ensure that all data collected will be 

aggregated into a publicly available national database. The 

data staff include the Center Data Chief and the Data Program 

Field Office Chiefs. A more detailed description of each of the 

roles are provided in this section.

Center Data Chief

The DWSC’s Data Chief is responsible for the following:

1. Ensuring that all aspects of this QAP are understood and 

followed by DWSC personnel.

2. Managing and directing groundwater activities assigned 

to the data section and ensuring that the stated objectives 

are met in a timely manner.

3. Reviewing the work plans for groundwater programs and 

projects.

4. Keeping DWSC data section staff briefed on procedural 

and technical communications from USGS Region and 

Headquarters.

5. Providing the Data Program Field Office Chief with 

technical and administrative support as needed.

6. Creating an individual development plan for each 

employee engaged in groundwater data-collection activities, with input from Data Program Field Office Chiefs.

7. Ensuring that data section project activities are carried 

out in a timely manner.

8. Reviewing groundwater reports under his or her direction.

9. Monitoring progress of Field Office Chiefs in implementing the GWQAP for their respective projects.

Data Program Field Office Chiefs

The DWSC’s Data Program Field Office Chiefs are 

responsible for the following:

1. Directing and conducting the work of the Field Office 

including all phases of data collection, data review, data 

storage, data analysis, and providing data to the public 

according to appropriate procedures.

2. Preparing analysis of work progress and documenting 

activities for groundwater data-collection projects.

3. Communicating Field Office groundwater work plans, 

progress, and problems by providing written or oral 

reports to the Data Chief.

4. Ensuring that data collected within the section are placed 

in the USGS NWIS database.

5. Maintaining required electronic files containing analysis 

of data, accurate descriptions of sites and equipment, 

and other documentation of field- or office-related work 

efforts.

6. Archiving of groundwater data electronic or paper files 

at the completion of the project or water year.
Studies Project Planning and Reviews 5

Studies Project Planning and Reviews

The DWSC routinely conducts technical groundwater 

projects and data-collection programs. The success of these 

activities is dependent on a careful, deliberate, and systematic planning process. Quality-assurance requirements and a 

data management plan should be integrated into the project 

proposal, if one is required for the groundwater activity. 

Whether a groundwater program or project requires a separate QAP should be evaluated based on the complexity of the 

work, the needs of the DWSC or cooperator, or other criteria 

as described by Shampine and others (1992).

Development of Project Proposals

The DWSC has a policy that provides guidelines for the 

development and review of proposals. Additional guidance is 

provided in the most recent guidance from the USGS, Water 

Mission Area Memorandum 2013.01 (U.S. Geological Survey, 

2012a), which provides guidance for the development and 

review of project proposals. Mandatory elements for project 

proposals are provided within this GWQAP to guide the 

preparation and transmittal of project proposals.

All project work performed by DWSC staff should have 

a project proposal that is reviewed and approved within the 

Center, by the Director and Administrative Officer, and, if 

applicable, submitted to the National Proposal Repository for 

an additional USGS headquarters review before any work is 

performed. The development and the routing of the proposal is 

described in the following section.

Proposal authors will draft project proposals along 

a spectrum ranging from pre-proposals (informal, ideas/

concepts) to full proposals, depending on factors such as level 

of concept development, initial discussion of concepts with 

potential funding partners, and likelihood of funding. A budget 

also needs to be developed for each proposal using the DWSC 

budget spreadsheet provided by the Administrative Officer.

Once the first draft of the proposal is written, the DWSC 

proposal routing and review process starts with the proposal 

author’s supervisor. After the supervisor has provided input 

and approved the proposal, then the proposal and budget 

spreadsheet will be routed for approval to the following:

1. Center Collateral Duty Environmental Protection Coordinator

2. Center Discipline Specialist (such as the Groundwater 

Specialist) and others as appropriate (such as Report 

Specialist and Data Chief)

3. Center Safety Officer

4. Center management team (Deputy Directors, Director, 

and Administrative Officer)

Proposals should not be shared with any person outside 

the DWSC until the proposal has been vetted by the Center’s 

management team and the appropriate discipline specialist(s). 

If there are any significant changes (for example, added tasks 

or funding changes) after the proposal has been vetted, the 

proposal will undergo a second review by the management 

team and Center specialists.

Allowing sufficient time for the review process is necessary to allow adequate time for review and comment by the 

management team and Center specialists. The recommended 

timing will be to allow for 3 business days for responses 

from the management team and Center specialists. In special 

circumstances, time-sensitive deadlines may be necessary to 

receive comments from the management team/specialists. In 

these special cases, it is recommended to communicate with 

the management team and Center specialists early so that 

accommodations can be made to meet the short turnaround. 

The last step in the proposal process, prior to the investigative 

study beginning, is to submit proposals that utilize cooperative 

matching funds for interpretive work to the National Proposal 

Repository (appendix 1; Water Mission Area Memorandum 

2013.01; U.S. Geological Survey, 2012a).

Development of Work Plans

A work plan shall be developed for every groundwater 

program or project. The work plan can be a part of the 

proposal or a stand-alone document. The complexity of the 

program or project will determine the detail of the work 

plan. The project proposal may satisfy the requirement of a 

work plan where groundwater activities are routine or highly 

standardized. Typically, the work plan that is included with 

the proposal does not include all the necessary elements. The 

work plan should include, as appropriate, data-collection, 

management, and storage plans; equipment and instrumentation needs; data-analysis techniques; report or final product 

plans; cost estimates; time schedules; availability of personnel; 

training needs; and other elements, as necessary. The groundwater Project Chief is responsible for documenting work plan 

elements not included in the proposal. An element frequently 

overlooked is budgeting time and personnel needed for proper 

archiving of data and interpretations. Without appropriate 

project planning (Green, 1991) and the documentation of individual project tasks, quality objectives and project deadlines 

may not be reasonably known. Initial project/program planning can be guided by a detailed work plan; continued planning can be guided by periodic reviews.

To quality assure work plans, the following steps shall 

be performed by the DWSC. Work plans for programs with 

groundwater activities should clearly state that the GWQAP 

will be implemented and if there is the need to deviate from 

the GWQAP, these methods and deviations are highlighted 

within the project work plan. To the extent practicable, work 

plans should state data-quality objectives and describe the 

strategies to collect data to meet the intended use. When developing data-quality objectives, broader network needs should 

be considered as well as immediate objectives. Data-quality 
6 Quality-Assurance Plan for Groundwater Activities, U.S. Geological Survey Dakota Water Science Center

objectives are those qualitative and quantitative statements 

developed by data users to specify the quality of data needed 

from a particular data-collection activity. For example, to 

describe land subsidence in an area, groundwater levels need 

to be measured using a particular method, at a particular 

frequency, and to a particular accuracy. The work plan shall 

specify the means for cataloging and archiving all groundwater activities and files according to USGS policy.

Development of a work plan might also include the 

following:

1. A bibliographic search of available reports, articles, data, 

and other pertinent information.

2. Retrieval of relevant data from existing databases to 

determine the availability of and the need for additional 

data.

3. Review of other USGS file (paper) data, such as field 

canvass sheets, groundwater-level records, geophysical 

logs, lithologic logs, water-quality laboratory analytical 

sheets, or other original data.

Errors or inconsistencies in the database should be identified and corrected at this time.

Project Review

Project reviews are conducted quarterly by DWSC senior 

staff and project chiefs, along with select management staff, 

technical advisors, or discipline specialists as appropriate to 

ensure that project objectives are being met and to evaluate 

implementation of the GWQAP. Project reviews are used 

to maintain consistency in data collection, data analysis, 

and reporting. Regularly planned reviews shall ensure that 

the groundwater program or project is implemented and 

performed in a manner that results in a quality product done 

efficiently.

In general, the review ensures that the project begins 

properly, that no major technical item is overlooked in the 

planning, and that the objectives can be accomplished with 

the proposed approach. A topical outline and initial report 

writing should begin at an early stage. An annotated report 

outline, including draft illustrations, and a base map should be 

completed to ensure that report preparation and data collection and interpretation are coordinated. Problems in achieving 

project objectives should be identified as early as possible. The 

reviews should ensure that adequate data have been collected 

to meet the objectives and that the data-analysis process is on 

schedule and is yielding expected or reasonable results.

Data analysis procedures will be reviewed by the DWSC 

Groundwater Specialist as requested by the management team 

as part of the quarterly reviews for projects that include a 

groundwater component. Proposed projects and fully developed proposals also will be reviewed by the DWSC Groundwater Specialist (or their designee) for technical feasibility, 

training needs, and availability of related technical support 

within the USGS. When new or experimental methods are 

proposed, a technical-procedures notebook will be developed 

with the assistance of the Groundwater Specialist.

The DWSC uses either a standard form or a quarterly 

report out of the USGS’s financial system (BASIS+) for documenting project reviews along with a spreadsheet for tracking 

action items that collectively provide an organized format to 

ensure that objectives are being met. The quarterly review 

reports are saved by the groundwater Project Chief in an 

Table 1. Dakota Water Science Center project review form elements.

Fiscal Year and Quarter – Month, Year Date of Form Completion:

Project Chief Name: Associated Project Chiefs/Task Leaders:

Project Name: Project Number:

Associated Accounts:

Status of work efforts and progress of the previous quarter:

Any issues preventing sufficient progress (for example, staffing, contracting):

Overall status of products:

Further action/next steps (for example, future progress):

Additional notes:

Attachments (BASIS+ Report Number PM-120; BASIS+ Report Number PM-680):
Studies Project Planning and Reviews 7

archived area specified by the DWSC’s Information Technology specialists. The elements of the review form or quarterly 

report are listed in table 1.

Triennial Discipline Reviews

The Office of Quality Assurance will manage periodic 

technical reviews of all Center programs. These reviews 

will consist of (1) observing field data-collection activities, 

(2) reviewing office documentation, (3) reviewing database 

contents, and (4) reviewing groundwater project progress and 

challenges. The following quality-assurance activities shall be 

performed by the USGS Office of Quality Assurance:

1. Review compliance with the requirements documented 

in the DWSC GWQAP. Reviews apply to all groundwater field and office activities. The technical review 

plan identifies the activities to be reviewed, scope of the 

review, requirements governing the review, organizations 

to be notified (if any), applicable documents, and tentative review schedule. The review shall, as a minimum, 

address the following questions:

a. Do training plans, work plans, technical-procedure 

documents, calibration records, and maintenance 

logs exist; are they complete; and are the plans and 

technical-procedure documents being implemented?

b. Do data management and archiving plans exist, are 

they complete and up-to-date, and are they being 

implemented?

c. Are project reviews being performed and documented according to the GWQAP?

2. Document all comments and recommendations in a 

formal technical review report.

3. Send all comments and recommendations to Headquarters and the Center Director. The Center Director 

is responsible for ensuring that all recommendations 

receive appropriate responses. The Office of Quality 

Assurance will receive copies of all correspondence 

between the DWSC’s and Headquarters Groundwater 

Specialists relating to reviews and review plans.

Specific Topics—Studies

Past groundwater reviews of the DWSC have recommended that specific topics are addressed for the planning and 

implementation of interpretive study work performed by the 

DWSC groundwater project staff. The purpose of this specific 

topics section is to ensure that studies from unique hydrologic 

experiments are readily available and that supporting information is organized and accessible for future interpretations. 

Additionally, this section will address specific data management and compliance with Federal mandates regarding an 

open data policy (Executive Office of the President, 2013; 

memorandum M-13-13).

Aquifer Tests

Aquifer tests and other non-routine activities should 

follow the procedures described in Stallman (1971). Aquifer 

tests involve substantial efforts in time and interpretation. 

Conceptual understanding of complex aquifer systems often 

evolves with additional studies, and the application of different analytical models may be appropriate. To re-evaluate 

these data, an examination of specific details describing the 

data collection is often necessary. To facilitate the long-term 

accessibility of this information, the DWSC has implemented 

a central filing system and electronic archive to store and 

organize appropriate notes, explanations, and supporting data 

for aquifer tests.

The groundwater archive plan for the DWSC provides 

general description of the information that should be included. 

File locations will be established in offices (field and main 

office locations) to store information for studies supervised 

by the respective offices. The files will be maintained by the 

DWSC Groundwater Specialist and groundwater Project 

Chiefs or designee(s). Guidelines and policies that describe 

the preparation, approval, and archiving of aquifer-test results 

are described in the USGS technical memorandum 2009.01

(U.S. Geological Survey, 2009a). After the conclusion of the 

aquifer test, an archive will be established to accommodate the 

open data policy, which states that all aquifer tests resulting in 

hydraulic properties must be documented either in the larger 

hydrogeologic report or in a separate agency, peer reviewed 

report with an associated data release for the aquifer test data.

Specialized Data

Long-term studies of complex aquifer systems often 

include the development of new interpretive techniques and an 

evolving conceptual model of the groundwater system. These 

studies frequently include unique data collection associated 

with research activities and re-evaluation and additional interpretation of previously collected data is important. Federal 

policy has implemented an open data policy in 2013 that 

describes the agencies responsibilities to promote openness in 

sharing federally collected and interpreted data as described 

in memorandum M-13-13 (Executive Office of the President, 

2013).

Specific digital and hardcopy storage areas have been 

created by the Center’s Information Technology specialists 

to manage this specialized groundwater data. Subdirectories 

can be established for specific activities. A hardcopy storage 

file for supporting information is located in the DWSC studies 

section. Archive formats have been established for some of 

these activities (appendix 1; technical memorandums 2016.02, 

2015.02, 2010.01, 2009.02, 2009.01, and 2006.02; U.S. 

Geological Survey, 2016a, 2015, 2010a, 2009b, 2009a, 2006) 
8 Quality-Assurance Plan for Groundwater Activities, U.S. Geological Survey Dakota Water Science Center

and are described in detail in the subsequent sections of this 

report. The DWSC Groundwater Specialist will periodically 

update these guidelines as new groundwater study techniques 

are utilized and data-collection procedures are revised.

The DWSC has extensive involvement in projects that 

study groundwater flow in aquifers. Several of these projects have included unique groundwater tracer experiments 

designed to develop a better understanding of groundwater 

flow in complex fractured and karstic aquifers. Collaborative 

efforts with other Water Science Centers, research scientists, 

and local hydrologists have highlighted the need to have wellmanaged data that are readily accessible in digital formats with 

organized supporting hardcopy information. A subdirectory 

has been established in the digital archives so that these data 

will be permanently documented and available in the future. 

A hardcopy storage file for supporting information is located 

in the DWSC studies section. Lastly, in accordance with the 

2013 open data policy (Executive Office of the President, 

2013, memorandum M-13-13), all groundwater data collected, 

including routine data such as groundwater levels, or specialized data including groundwater tracer data or any subminute 

aquifer test data collected, must be released to the public either 

through NWISWeb (U.S. Geological Survey, 2018b) or as 

a separate data release through an accepted repository such 

as ScienceBase. In most cases, all routine data collected will 

be released through NWISWeb and all specialized data will 

be released as a data release, which follows the guidance of 

the USGS FSP for release of scientific data (U.S. Geological 

Survey, 2018c).

Training

Employee training is an investment that has short-term 

and long-term benefits to DWSC groundwater activities. The 

immediate benefits permit confidence that the work is being 

performed correctly and accurately. The long-term benefits 

provide for technically competent employees that are of great 

value to the organization. Because all work in the scientific 

arena is receiving increased scrutiny, the qualifications of 

groundwater personnel relative to the technical demands of the 

work to be performed must be well documented.

Groundwater Project Chiefs prepare individual development plans annually that are reviewed by the Project Chief’s 

supervisor. These individual development plans shall include 

the individual’s short-term training needs, such as the knowledge and skills needed to perform currently assigned tasks, 

and long-term training needs, such as skills needed to perform 

future tasks and for career development. All training plans 

should be reviewed annually and updated according to the 

current and future groundwater program needs.

Appropriate training includes new employee training, 

USGS National Training Center courses, mentoring, on-thejob training, vendor-provided training, and academic courses. 

Monthly USGS web sessions are encouraged for continued 

training for those that are working with groundwater data 

collection and the groundwater data program. A list of groundwater training resources is available at http://water.usgs.gov/

usgs/ogw/training.html.

Training for DWSC employees is currently facilitated though Department of Interior (DOI) Talent. Prior to 

DOI Talent, training records were maintained in the earlier 

Employee Development Needs Assessment system and in the 

DOI Learn system, which has been archived by the DWSC’s 

Training Officer. Qualifications of cooperators (Federal, State, 

and local agencies) performing tasks shall be to the satisfaction of the groundwater Section Lead and the DWSC Director 

and Deputy Directors.

Safety

Safety is an important consideration in planning and 

executing groundwater work plans. As a component of all 

groundwater proposals and work plans, all job hazards should 

be identified to the extent possible and properly documented 

on the USGS job hazard analysis form. Each employee is 

responsible for reading memorandums and manuals, and attending specified training classes related to safety.

Incorporating safety issues when planning groundwater 

activities is an important step in preventing accidents. Also, 

ongoing attention to safety issues can have a positive effect 

on the quality of groundwater data because field personnel 

are prepared to deal with dangerous conditions that create 

distractions. The DWSC Director has designated individuals as Safety Contacts who can be consulted for guidance on 

safety planning, training, memorandums, and the completion 

of accident reports.

Basic Data Collection and Data 

Management Plan

All USGS studies must account for the data that will be 

collected. A data management plan will be created for each 

project during the proposal stage so that the disposition of the 

data collected as part of the study will be known before work 

begins (U.S. Geological Survey, 2018a). General responsibilities for basic data collection, management, and review in the 

DWSC are described in this section of the report. In addition, 

specific components of the groundwater data management 

are described including data collection; data processing, 

review, and storage; and data analysis. Specific topics also 

are described to ensure that data from non-traditional activities conducted in the DWSC will be readily available and that 

supporting information is organized and accessible.
Basic Data Collection and Data Management Plan 9

General Responsibilities

Well and spring information are recorded on forms 

9-1904-A and 9-1904-B (appendix 2). These forms along with 

supporting information such as well completion reports (also 

known as driller’s logs) are stored in either (1) file cabinets 

organized by county, township, range, and section number in 

various offices within the DWSC or (2) available at a national 

archive facility. Reviewing this information is the responsibility of the Center’s Groundwater Specialist or designee (such 

as the groundwater Database Administrator). Prompt review of 

location information, site identification number, and selection 

of aquifer code is important to facilitate the proper entry of 

subsequent information in databases. An essential part of this 

review is to check for duplicate entries for the same well or 

spring that may exist in the database. Entry and retrieval of 

groundwater-level and water-quality data are often overlooked 

or misinterpreted if data are stored under more than one 

identifier.

Continuous groundwater-level records collected by 

data section technicians or studies hydrologists enter all data 

collected in the AQUARIUS database (technical memorandums 2017.03 [U.S. Geological Survey, 2017b] and 2017.04

[U.S. Geological Survey, 2017c]). The DWSC Data Chief 

or designee is responsible for reviewing the data records 

supporting information with assistance from technicians in 

the DWSC. The DWSC Groundwater Specialist is responsible 

for reviewing data correction techniques and other unique 

problems associated with working data records for individual 

wells and springs.

Data Collection

This section documents the technical procedures for 

routine and non-routine data-collection activities, instrumentation use, and identification and control of samples collected 

within the DWSC. Scientists and technicians that are collecting groundwater data must be familiar with the procedures 

specified in this plan. Specific field data-collection techniques 

and methods are documented in appendix 3.

Documentation of Routine Technical Procedures

Written records of exactly how data are collected are 

critical to establishing the consistency, comparability, repeatability, and traceability of scientific data. The methods used 

to collect a specific dataset shall be documented, and the 

documentation shall be maintained with the data. For routine 

field activities, technical-procedure documents are a means of 

ensuring that detailed documentation is generated prior to data 

collection and shall be identified or prepared during the formal 

planning phase of the project, as applicable. A technicalprocedure document is a detailed description of a sequence of 

actions to be used to collect data to ensure repeatability of the 

work and comparability of results. If it is necessary to deviate 

from the technical-procedure documents when collecting data, 

then these deviations must be clearly described in the project 

records.

Technical-procedure documents for routine field data 

collection are available in Cunningham and Schalk (2011) 

or in the technical memorandum web links described in 

appendix 1. The water-quality aspects of groundwater activities that are addressed in the QAP for water quality need not 

be duplicated. Technical-procedure documents for activities 

not covered by these routine activities shall be prepared and 

maintained in project files. When data-collection methods 

are new or experimental, a record of the conduct, progress, 

and results of these methods shall be maintained in procedure 

notes.

Instrumentation and Calibration

All instruments, devices, and equipment (including steel 

tapes) used to collect groundwater data are categorized as 

instruments. Because of the complexity of some instruments, 

their effect on the quality of the data may be unknown or 

unquantifiable. To ensure the consistency, comparability, and 

repeatability of collected data, instruments must be identified, 

calibrated, maintained, and operated in an appropriate manner. 

Calibration is the comparison of the output from an instrument to a standard or to the output from another instrument 

or procedure of known accuracy to detect, correlate, report, 

or eliminate by adjustment variations in the accuracy of the 

instrument being evaluated.

Instruments used to collect data shall be identified with 

a unique identifier on the field form. Calibration procedures 

and schedules shall be established for each instrument based 

on the stability characteristics of the instrument, required 

accuracy, intended use, manufacturer’s recommendation, and 

other conditions that may affect the quality of the data. The 

calibration procedure and schedule should be documented 

in the data-collection files. Instruments shall be identified by 

type, manufacturer, and model. Calibration shall be performed 

whenever the accuracy of the instrument is suspect, regardless 

of the calibration schedule. Instruments consistently determined to be out-of-calibration shall be repaired or replaced.

An activity log will be maintained for each instrument 

requiring calibration. The log should contain all information 

pertinent to calibration, whether performed by DWSC staff or 

by an outside organization or vendor. Calibration documentation recorded in the log shall include the following:

1. Name of organization and individual performing the 

calibration.

2. Identification of the instrument by type, manufacturer, 

model, serial number, or other unique and permanent 

identifier.

3. Identification of calibration standard, including the range 

and accuracy.
10 Quality-Assurance Plan for Groundwater Activities, U.S. Geological Survey Dakota Water Science Center

4. Identification of the document that describes the calibration process.

5. Date of current calibration and date or milestone for next 

scheduled calibration.

6. Records of instrument readings before and after any 

calibration.

Data collected with instruments determined to be out-ofcalibration shall be evaluated to determine the effect on the 

intended use of the data. Affected data shall be discarded or 

their limitations documented in the database and in any application of the data.

All instruments used to collect data shall be operated in 

accordance with the manufacturer’s manual, unless otherwise 

documented. Modifications to the manufacturer’s operating 

procedure shall be appended to the manufacturer’s manual, 

which shall be kept with the equipment at all times. Digital 

versions of manuals for all instruments also shall be kept on 

file with the Data Program Field Office Chiefs. Operating 

procedures may be included in technical-procedure documents. Instrument maintenance shall be performed in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations. A log shall 

be used to record maintenance performed.

In 2017, a formal technical memorandum (2017.09; 

appendix 1; U.S. Geological Survey, 2017d) was announced 

in which a process and schedule for a groundwater tape 

calibration program were established to improve upon the 

consistency of the electric and steel tapes being used for 

groundwater-level data collection. All steel tapes used for 

making groundwater-level measurements will be checked by 

the Hydrologic Instrument Facility (HIF) at least once every 

6 years. All electric tapes used for making groundwater-level 

measurements will be checked by the HIF at least once every 

2 years. Project activities can result in wear-and-tear of equipment. The steel and electric tapes should be inspected before 

use and, if warranted based on this inspection, submitted for 

an additional calibration check at the HIF.

As part of this calibration program, every groundwater 

tape used in the DWSC must be registered and tracked in a 

database maintained by the HIF. The DWSC will be notified 

by HIF when a tape is due for a calibration check based on the 

information in the database. The DWSC will send the tapes 

selected for a calibration check to the HIF, and the HIF will 

(1) visually inspect the tape for damage and (2) check each 

100-foot length interval of the tape against a National Institute 

of Standards and Technology traceable reference tape.

The offset due to the electric or steel tape will be 

measured and returned to the DWSC along with a calibration 

report. All steel and electric tapes in the DWSC will be identified with the following identification:

SS-AXX-NNN-T

where

SS = the postal abbreviation for the State in which 

the tape is located;

A = the location of the office in which the tape is 

located;

XX = number from 1 to 99, starting with 01 and 

increasing in order by 1 (new values are 

assigned by the Center Data Chief);

NNN = tape length, in feet; and

T = type of tape (S for steel and E for electric).

A list of all field operational electric and steel tapes 

is maintained within each of the DWSC offices, and paper 

records are maintained as a backup in the DWSC groundwater 

cabinet. Additionally, for all electronic tapes, a calibration 

correction sheet is kept with the equipment at all times and is 

located on the electronic tape transportation boxes.

Field Files for Observation Wells

Maintaining groundwater data and related information 

in a systematic and organized manner increases the efficiency 

and effectiveness of data-analysis and data-dissemination 

efforts. Organization of files, printed and electronic, reduces 

the likelihood of misplaced information; misplaced data and 

field notes can lead to analyses based on inadequate information, with a possible decrease in the quality of analytical 

results.

Each observation well contains a separate set of file 

folders that is continuously maintained. These folders are 

identified by county and station number and are permanently 

filed and archived in the five office locations (Rapid City, 

Pierre, and Huron, South Dakota; and Bismarck and Grand 

Forks, North Dakota). For time-series records, the following 

folders should be in place:

1. Analysis period folder (electronic).—These folders should contain, but are not limited to, such items 

as NWIS Time Series Data Reports, recent field note 

sheets, original electronic file, the most current DWSC 

station analysis, and the AQUARIUS station analysis. 

This folder should contain all documents related to the 

working up of the data for the analysis period. Historical paper records of wells could be scanned and digitally archived in each of the corresponding site folders. 

Electronic records and documentation should be kept 

using electronic forms (SiteVisit Mobile AQUARIUS—

SVMAQ).

2. Permanent folder (electronic).—Permanent electronic 

records should contain photographs of the observation 

well, and any station documents unrelated to the water 

year record computation, such as access agreements and 

installation agreements. The original documents will 

be stored with the water year during which they were 

generated. Files are to be organized by site number and 

archived in the Center’s data and project directories.
Basic Data Collection and Data Management Plan 11

It is the responsibility of each field office to maintain 

the files in proper order. Original data, once filed, should not 

be removed from the office. For time-series stations, a field 

folder should contain the station description, a site visit log, 

and any other information necessary to maintain the observation well. The field folders are to be kept either as paper or 

electronic records for each of the wells and will be kept on the 

DWSC servers; where applicable, a copy will be put in select 

well houses. Paper files for discontinued groundwater sites are 

scanned, electronic records are archived, and any physical files 

are sent to an appropriate national archive facility.

Data Processing, Review, and Storage

This section describes the procedures used for data 

processing, review, and storage. After groundwater data are 

collected, they are processed and verified using one or more 

procedures, such as hydrographic comparison to other wells 

and review of field notes, and then are stored in an electronic 

database. Descriptive information on data-collection sites, 

such as well construction data and location, also should be 

stored. A more detailed description of the data processing is in 

appendix 3.

In general, groundwater data are most accessible and 

useful to DWSC employees, as well as to those outside 

the DWSC office, if they are stored in a publicly available 

computerized database. Storage in a single database also 

enables interpretations to be more easily verified and repeated. 

All groundwater data collected by basic data programs and 

DWSC projects must be stored in the USGS NWIS (technical 

memorandum 93.03; appendix 1) if the data are amenable. In 

addition, “all data collected by others—such as cooperators, 

universities, or consultants—that are used to support published 

USGS documents and not published or archived elsewhere, 

shall be placed in NWIS” (Hubbard, 1992, p. 2). Exceptions 

to these requirements are spatial data coverages and other data 

for which appropriate database capabilities do not exist in 

NWIS. A quality database is maintained by checking database 

files against original data files to ensure accuracy, performing 

internal cross-checks of the data in the database to identify 

anomalous data, and maintaining the original data in paper 

or electronic archives to ensure integrity. Original data are 

those data—from automated data-collection sites, laboratories, 

outside sources, and non-automated field observations—

unmodified as collected or received, once put into conventional units (engineering units, generally with a decimal; 

Hubbard, 1992).

All original data in paper form shall be placed in project 

or data-collection program electronic files. Paper records 

should be scanned to preserve the original record and archived 

on the DWSC server. Paper records, once scanned, can be filed 

within the local office or shipped to an appropriate National 

Archive facility. The DWSC has a designated Records Liason/

Archivist to oversee and answer any questions regarding 

archiving. Additionally, within each section of the Center 

(data, studies, and support services), archiving of all records 

follow the internal protocols that the USGS has outlined. 

The processes outlined are complementary to the National 

Archives and Records Administration procedures for records 

archiving, disposition, and retention. Original data in electronic form shall be stored in NWIS. All original data shall be 

preserved unmodified as collected or received.

Any databases external to NWIS shall be documented in 

accordance with the “Fundamental Science Practices: Planning 

and Conducting Data Collection and Research” chapter of the 

USGS Survey Manual (USGS Policy 502.2; U.S. Geological 

Survey, 2011). Documentation should include a description of 

data elements (data dictionary), information about the database 

table or file structure, copies of customized program code, 

and information about any algorithms used by the database to 

calculate results for storage or output. New methods used or 

developed must be approved and fully documented following 

the policy outlines in the FSP policy (USGS Policy 502.2). If 

the database is described in a separate report, the documentation may be referenced by the DWSC data management plan 

and a copy of the documentation kept with the electronic 

records. A plan for performing periodic internal checks of 

groundwater data to identify and correct anomalous data 

should be included. Data shall be reviewed promptly after 

any data-processing procedure is completed to ensure that 

the procedure was correctly applied and that the results are 

consistent both internally to the dataset and with other data for 

the same site. Specific policy and procedures for reviewing, 

approving, and releasing information products are summarized 

in the “Fundamental Science Practices: Review, Approval, and 

Release of Information Products” chapter of the USGS Survey 

Manual (USGS Policy 502.4; U.S. Geological Survey, 2016b). 

This review shall be performed prior to publication or other 

dissemination to the general public and prior to the technical 

review of publications that contain the data or that use the data 

in interpretations.

Continuous Recording Groundwater Wells

Continuous groundwater-level data are collected in 

regular intervals in the form of electronic transmissions by 

satellite or downloading digital record from a data logger 

during site visits. Ensuring the accuracy of the groundwaterlevel record is a necessary component of ensuring the accuracy of computed groundwater-level data. Generally, records 

for each station are assigned to the field person responsible 

for data collection. The assignments are made typically by 

the Data Program Field Office Chief. The DWSC policy is 

to work all records following the guidelines and procedures 

described in the technical memorandum that clarifies the water 

mission area policy on continuous records processing of timeseries data (2017.01 and 2010.02; U.S. Geological Survey 

2017e, 2010b) after each field trip; however, that is not always 

possible and some records are not completed until the entire 

record is worked at the end of the water year, in which case 

these sites are tagged to highlight that there is a modification 
12 Quality-Assurance Plan for Groundwater Activities, U.S. Geological Survey Dakota Water Science Center

to the overall process for continuous records processing. 

Records are analyzed and approved in each office; however, in 

some cases, a record review may be exchanged between field 

offices to ensure there is consistency in the records process 

throughout the DWSC. The procedures for approving and 

auditing time-series records for water data as documented by 

the technical memorandum 2017.03 (U.S. Geological Survey, 

2017b) are available in appendix 3.

Groundwater-Level Data

The accuracy of groundwater-level records depends 

on the completeness and accuracy of the groundwater-level 

data. Computation of groundwater-level records includes 

ensuring the accuracy of the record by comparisons made by 

use of a reference steel or electric tape. A groundwater-level 

record is assembled for the period of analysis in as complete 

a manner as possible. Periods of inaccurate groundwater-level 

data are identified, then corrected or deleted as appropriate. 

Groundwater-level data are never estimated. If no data exist, 

the missing or erroneous data period is left with no data.

Starting with water year 2000, the DWSC policy has 

been to delete unit values of erroneous groundwater-level data 

from the NWIS database. A water year is the 12-month period, 

October 1 through September 30, and is designated by calendar year in which it ends.

Station Analysis

A complete analysis of data collected, procedures used 

in processing the data, and the logic upon which the computations were based is documented for each station to provide a 

basis for review and to serve as a reference if questions arise 

about the records at some future date (Rantz, 1982). Topics 

discussed in detail in the station analysis include equipment, 

groundwater-level record, and groundwater-level corrections 

and remarks. The station analysis is written by the individual 

who prepares the initial computation for the water year. The 

station analysis templates for discrete and continuous data are 

documented in appendix 3 along with the requirements for the 

analyst, approver, and groundwater database manager.

The DWSC station analysis is in Records Management 

System (RMS) and supplemented by remarks in AQUARIUS. 

These two forms should be used for all station analysis periods 

for all records computation.

Manuscript and Annual Report

Historically, when records computation for the water year 

had been completed and the data collected and analyzed by 

DWSC personnel had been determined to be correct and finalized, the data for that water year were published (displayed as 

approved) on NWISWeb and, for continuous data, a manuscript was generated and made available to the public. As of 

2014, an annual data report is no longer produced because 

NWISWeb is now the on-demand, print-ready water-year 

summary that is used as the annual data product as described 

on the annual water data reports USGS website (Annual water 

data reports).

Analyzed, Approved, and Audited Records

After groundwater-level records for each station have 

been analyzed by the assigned technician, all records for 

the DWSC’s sites are approved by the Center Data Chief or 

designee. The goal of the approval step is to ensure that proper 

methods were applied throughout the process of obtaining 

the groundwater-level data and computing the record. The 

individual responsible for analyzing the record is consulted 

regarding any changes; it is at the approver’s discretion 

whether they make required updates or return the record to 

the original analyst. Disputes between analysts and approvers are resolved by the Data Program Field Office Chiefs 

or Data Chief. The approval process is described in more 

detail in appendix 3. The final step in the process is the audit. 

After data are approved and according to the USGS technical 

memorandum 2017.03 (U.S. Geological Survey, 2017b), any 

additional examination of the data will be considered an audit. 

The audit process, level of audit, and audit outcomes (results) 

are described in the USGS technical memorandum 2017.03

and further information on the procedures and processing of 

time-series records is described in the time-series guidance 

(https://water.usgs.gov/osw/time-series-guidance/).

Specific Topics—Data

The purpose of this specific data management section is 

to ensure that data from unique hydrologic experiments, such 

as aquifer tests and tracer tests, are readily available and that 

supporting information is organized and accessible for future 

interpretations.

Documentation of Non-Routine Activities

When data-collection methods are new, non-routine, or 

research oriented and involve a high degree of professional 

judgment or trial-and-error, an active record of the conduct, 

progress, and results of the data collection shall be maintained in procedure notes. These records shall be prepared 

and maintained in accordance with the following. The Project 

Chief shall consult with the DWSC Groundwater Specialist 

concerning the appropriateness of a non-routine method for 

planned data collection. Procedure notes should include the 

names of the individuals performing the work, the date on 

which the work was performed, and the name of the individual 

making the entries. After the method development, technicalprocedures notes shall be placed in the project files. The 

results of the technique developed in the technical-procedure 

notes should be reviewed by the DWSC Groundwater 

Specialist or designee to ensure that work is proceeding in a 
Basic Data Collection and Data Management Plan 13

technically appropriate and relevant manner. If the technique 

that has been documented in the procedures notebook becomes 

a routine procedure for the DWSC, then a technical-procedure 

document shall be developed.

Components of the technical-procedure note should 

contain the following information:

1. A cover sheet that indicates the technical procedure, title, 

author or compiler, effective dates for the procedure, and 

identification number for any technical-procedure documents superseded by the current technical-procedure 

document.

2. Purpose of the technical procedure and identification of 

materials and instruments used to collect data.

3. Quantitative statement of the accuracy of data collected 

using the procedure and limitations on the use of these 

data.

4. Statements about the advantages, disadvantages, and 

assumptions of the procedure.

5. Step-by-step instructions to collect data that would 

enable an independent, qualified person to repeat the 

work and produce comparable results.

6. A description of how data collected by using the procedure are recorded and preserved. A description of 

samples to be collected or used, if applicable.

7. A listing of technical references used to compile the 

technical-procedure document.

8. Attachments (field forms, operator’s manual, diagrams, 

and other pertinent supporting information).

9. The technical procedure used to collect data shall be 

indicated on the field form.

Identification and Control of Samples Collected 

During Well Installation

During the course of many groundwater investigations, 

samples of various types of earth materials are collected to 

supplement field observations or to allow laboratory tests, 

analyses, and measurements that are not possible to perform 

in the field. Types of samples taken during well installation 

and other investigations include rock core, drill cuttings, soil, 

and outcrop. Because these samples can be critical scientific 

evidence to support interpretations, samples must be easily 

identifiable, handled and stored in a controlled manner, and 

traceable. The relation between samples and the dataset they 

represent must be maintained.

A unique identifier will be developed that will be placed 

on each individual sample or sample container using materials and methods that are clearly visible, legible, and durable. 

The unique identifier, as well as other information that is 

critical for the intended use of a sample (such as orientation), 

shall be recorded on field forms and laboratory log books. If a 

sample is subdivided for analysis, the sample identifier shall 

be transferred to each part of the sample or its container. A 

sample-control system will be established to record information pertinent to each set of samples. This may be achieved by 

maintaining a log book, a set of forms, or other appropriate 

documentation.

The sample-control system shall contain the following 

information for each sample: unique project identifier; type of 

sample and general description; source location specifications 

(x, y, z); date and time of collection; handling, preservation, 

transportation, and storage; and storage location. Samplecontrol system documentation shall be placed in the project 

file.

Winterizing Pressure Head Wells

Pressure head wells are protected from freezing by 

charging the well with IsoparTM M Fluid. The IsoparTM M 

Fluid is injected into the well in volumes adequate to fill the 

well casing to below the frost line, which will vary for each 

well and typically ranging from about 5 to 8 feet below the 

land surface. The IsoparTM M Fluid is installed before freezing temperatures in the fall and then removed in the spring 

after the last expected freezing temperatures. Reference gage 

and pressure transducer readings are recorded before and 

after IsoparTM M Fluid installation and the differences noted. 

These differences are prorated between the installation and 

removal dates over the winter and applied as a correction to 

the recorded data while the IsoparTM M Fluid is in place. The 

injection volume of the IsoparTM M Fluid is noted for each 

well so that when the IsoparTM M Fluid is recovered, that 

volume should be extracted from the well through the injection valve at the well head. The intended use of the IsoparTM 

M Fluid is as a solvent and because of the density of the liquid 

(lighter than water) and negligible solubility, the IsoparTM M 

Fluid maintains a barrier in flowing wells during periods of 

freezing temperatures to maintain well integrity from the frost 

line to the surface. As highlighted in the Material Safety Data 

Sheet, there are no significant environmental hazards listed for 

use of IsoparTM M Fluid (Material Safety Data Sheet; ExxonMobile, 2018). Any flowing well that is injected with the 

IsoparTM M Fluid, which may be sampled for water quality, is 

flagged for limited water-quality parameter analysis; that is, 

no volatile or other heavy molecular weight organic hydrocarbons can be sampled without additional purging and well 

stabilization.

Well Integrity Tests

The integrity testing done for all Climate Response 

Network (CRN) wells must be evaluated on a routine basis 

in accordance with technical memorandum 2012.01 (U.S. 

Geological Survey, 2012b) (appendix 1). The USGS has 
14 Quality-Assurance Plan for Groundwater Activities, U.S. Geological Survey Dakota Water Science Center

implemented a formal procedure to evaluate the well integrity 

with two methods: field evaluation with data collection and 

trends analysis. Wells not part of the CRN do not follow the 

well integrity testing procedures as described in this section; 

however, if a well is being used for specific study and interpretation, a field evaluation is recommended before the start of 

the interpretative study as described in the technical memorandum 2012.01.

The field evaluation of the integrity test with data collection consists of three components: (1) checking of the physical 

conditions of the well installation on each site visit, noting 

any changes in and around the well; (2) annual total depth 

measurement of the well, following methods described by 

Cunningham and Schalk (2011); and (3) periodic hydraulic 

testing. A periodic hydraulic test is to be conducted when a 

new well is drilled near the existing well; when the evaluation 

of the annual hydrograph, inspection of the physical condition, or the total depth check indicate a possible deficiency; 

and otherwise on a 3-year cycle. The hydraulic test that will be 

used to evaluate the well integrity will be a single-well “slug 

test,” using a mechanical slug. The methods used in conducting the single-well slug test will follow the recommendations described by Cunningham and Schalk (2011). The well 

integrity tests should be evaluated using a single-well slug test 

every 3–5 years if the well characteristics remain stable.

The trends analysis consists of an annual check of 

groundwater-level fluctuations over time within each CRN 

well. The purpose of this review is to evaluate any major 

changes in the groundwater levels over time that may be 

affected by unnatural stresses, such as pumping a nearby well.

All well integrity field notes, data collected, and trends 

analysis will be archived in a dedicated area on the DWSC 

computer server and can be retrieved by the Center Groundwater Specialist by request. If there are any changes to the 

CRN wells that are observed from the field and trends analysis, a determination is made as to whether the well should be 

rehabilitated to increase the connection with the aquifer.

Data Analysis

Analysis of groundwater data includes activities ranging 

from simple statistical applications to the development and 

application of complex, numerical models. Quality assurance 

of data analysis begins with a well-thought-out and detailed 

work plan that describes methods and approaches of data 

analyses. Analysis procedures shall be reviewed as part of 

the proposal and work plan development, and during project 

reviews as appropriate. The methods by which data, or the 

results of data analyses, are “interpreted,” such as the insight 

involved in the interpolation of groundwater-level data to 

produce a potentiometric-surface map or the interpretation of 

the results of model simulations, cannot be completely documented. However, such interpretations must be appropriately 

qualified, including descriptions of model limitations and data 

uncertainty.

Reviews of data-analysis procedures ensure that selected 

analysis techniques are appropriate for meeting project objectives. Data-analysis techniques are identified, at least preliminarily, during development of the project work plan. During 

project reviews, data-analysis procedures should be reviewed 

for suitability in meeting the project’s objectives. Data-analysis techniques should be reviewed to ensure that preliminary 

analyses produce valid results. If modifications to procedures 

are warranted, these modifications are documented in review 

comments. At a point when data analysis is complete, the 

results of intermediate and final data analyses are assembled 

and reviewed. Original data, data analyses, and data that were 

collected but not used in analysis, along with reasons for the 

exclusion, are documented as a part of the project review and 

placed in the project file. Data-analysis procedures shall be 

referenced and new data-analysis procedures, including those 

implemented by software, shall be documented in a report 

released prior to, or as part of, the report giving the results of 

that technique. Documentation might include a description of 

the theoretical basis and computational procedure in sufficient 

detail to perform the analysis, all data requirements or options 

for the data-analysis procedure, and comparisons of the technique with known or accepted solutions.

Technical memorandums 2005.02 (U.S. Geological 

Survey, 2005), 96.04 (U.S. Geological Survey, 1996), and 

79.04 (U.S. Geological Survey, 1979) have outlined documentation requirements for data-analysis procedures implemented 

by software. The results of data analysis shall not be presented 

at a finer spatial or temporal resolution than supported by the 

input data. The results shall not be displayed with an accuracy 

that exceeds the capability of the analysis or the accuracy of 

the data-collection methods. Interpretations of data analysis shall be appropriately qualified, including descriptions 

of limitations and data uncertainty. The results of any data 

analysis shall be reviewed, prior to release, to ensure that the 

analysis is valid. In addition, all data collected and used will 

follow the 2013 open data policy (Executive Office of the 

President, 2013; memorandum M-13-13), in which all water 

data collected must be released to the general public either 

through NWIS or as a separate data release following the 

directive outlined by the USGS FSP for release of scientific 

data (U.S. Geological Survey, 2018c).

Publications

Disseminating information to Congress and the general 

public has been required of the USGS since its creation in 

the Organic Act of 1875. The report review process ensures 

the quality of the written report, which is the culmination 

and final result of the training, planning, data collection, 

and data analysis. To satisfy national responsibilities and to 

produce accurate and timely reports, the DWSC shall perform 

the quality-assurance activities described in this section. All 

groundwater data collected in USGS data-collection programs 

and interpretive and research projects shall be published in a 
Acknowledgments 15

timely manner. Data that are presented on NWISWeb (U.S. 

Geological Survey, 2018b) that have been reviewed and 

approved are available to the general public and can be considered published.

The DWSC Director or Deputy Director in consultation with the Office of Quality Assurance shall approve, in 

writing, any exceptions to the requirement to publish all data, 

including data collected under an agreement of confidentiality. 

Data furnished by sources other than the DWSC may be used 

for analysis and published if the source of the information 

approves and if (1) the data have been appropriately qualityassured or (2) the data have not been thoroughly qualityassured but are described in terms of appropriate qualifications 

and limitations. In either case, the source of the data must 

be acknowledged. Care should be taken to ensure that data 

are published with the correct number of significant figures. 

Reports shall be reviewed and approved according to current 

USGS and DWSC policies, and all information, including 

data, will be released following the guidelines outlined in the 

USGS plan for public access to results of federally funded 

research at the USGS.

Archiving

Archiving is the final step in the processes of data 

collection, analysis, and interpretation. Although the report 

represents the summary of the current work, data and the interpretation should be available for further analysis. Archiving 

is the systematic process of storing data and information to 

protect them from change or loss by providing the necessary 

security. All studies conducted by the DWSC will be archived 

at the completion of the study agreement. The archive will be 

maintained on the DWSC servers as an electronic copy and 

permissions will be set to read only; in addition, two tapes will 

be copied and written as a backup archive.

Electronic archiving is the systematic process of removing data from active, online computer storage and preserving 

it with the capability to recover the data. To quality-assure the 

archiving process, the following steps shall be performed by 

the DWSC in accordance with the policy and guidelines for 

Archival of Surface-Water, Groundwater, and Water-Quality 

Model Applications (appendix 1; 2015.02; U.S. Geological 

Survey, 2015):

1. All data shall be archived as specified by current USGS 

policy.

2. All model-related computer files and appropriate simulation results shall be archived as outlined in the technical 

memorandums 2016.02, 2015.02, 2010.01, 2009.02, 

2009.01, 2006.02, and 87.85 (appendix 1; U.S. Geological Survey, 2016a, 2015, 2010a, 2009b, 2009a, 2006, 

1987).

3. All aquifer-test data and results shall be published following FSP and archived as outlined in the technical 

memorandum 2009.01 (appendix 1; U.S. Geological 

Survey, 2009a).

4. All borehole and surface geophysical data and results 

should be archived according to the requirements outlined in the technical memorandums 2018.01, 2010.01, 

and 2009.02 (appendix 1; U.S. Geological Survey, 

2018d, 2010a, 2009b).

An archiving plan for groundwater studies conducted 

within the DWSC is summarized in appendix 4. The archiving 

plan documents the archiving process and the location of 

electronic archives and hardcopy files that are kept in addition 

to project files.

Summary

As the Nation’s principal earth-science information 

agency, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is depended upon 

to collect accurate data and produce factual and impartial 

interpretive reports. Methods for data collection and analysis that were developed by the USGS have become standard 

techniques used by numerous Federal, State, and local agencies and by private enterprises. The USGS has implemented 

a program designed to ensure that all scientific work done by 

or for USGS Water Science Centers is conducted in accordance with a quality-assurance plan. The implementation of a 

groundwater quality-assurance plan will enhance groundwater 

data collected by the USGS by providing for the following: 

consistency; accountability (to clients, scientific community, 

and regulatory agencies); comparability (yields results of 

known quality); traceability (written record of how, who, and 

when work was performed; training; and equipment); and 

repeatability (documentation of techniques that lead to the 

similar results with the same accuracy).

This report is a quality-assurance plan for groundwater 

activities conducted by the USGS Dakota Water Science 

Center and is meant to complement quality-assurance plans for 

surface-water and water-quality activities and similar plans for 

the Dakota Water Science Center and general project activities 

throughout the USGS.

Acknowledgments

The U.S. Geological Survey Dakota Water Science 

Center groundwater quality-assurance plan was adapted from 

existing plans developed by the Kansas and Washington Water 

Science Centers. Special thanks to all the reviewers of this 

document including Joyce Williamson and Galen Hoogestraat 

from the Dakota Water Science Center. Additional thanks to 

Rodney Sheets for his technical oversight and review of this 

document.
16 Quality-Assurance Plan for Groundwater Activities, U.S. Geological Survey Dakota Water Science Center

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preparing a quality assurance plan for district offices of the 

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for the collection and archiving of electronically recorded 

data: U.S. Geological Survey Water Resources Division 

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https://water.usgs.gov/admin/memo/policy/

wrdpolicy87.085.html.

U.S. Geological Survey, 1996, Publications—Policy on 

documenting the use of ground-water simulation in project 

reports: U.S. Geological Survey Office of Ground Water 

technical memorandum no. 96.04, accessed July 13, 2018, 

at https://water.usgs.gov/admin/memo/GW/gw96.04.html.

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technical memorandum 00.03, accessed July 13, 2018, at 

https://water.usgs.gov/admin/memo/GW/gw00.03.html.

U.S. Geological Survey, 2001, Occupational safety and health 

program requirements handbook: U.S. Geological Survey 

Survey Manual SM 444-2-H, accessed July 13, 2018, at 

https://www2.usgs.gov/usgs-manual/handbook/hb/

445-2-h.html.

U.S. Geological Survey, 2005, Publications—Policy on 

documenting the results of new simulations using previously published ground-water models: U.S. Geological 

Survey Office of Ground Water technical memorandum no. 

2005.02, accessed July 13, 2018, at https://water.usgs.gov/

admin/memo/GW/gw05.02.html.

U.S. Geological Survey, 2006, Policy and archive guidance 

for ground-water data collection using handheld computers: 

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https://water.usgs.gov/admin/memo/GW/gw06.02.html.

U.S. Geological Survey, 2009a, Update on guidance for the 

preparation, approval, and archiving of aquifer-test results: 

U.S. Geological Survey Office of Ground Water technical memorandum 2009.01, accessed July 13, 2018, at 

https://water.usgs.gov/admin/memo/GW/gw09.01.html.

U.S. Geological Survey, 2009b, Establishment of a national 

policy to archive surface-geophysical data: U.S. Geological Survey Office of Ground Water technical memorandum 

2009.02, accessed July 13, 2018, at https://water.usgs.gov/

admin/memo/GW/gw09.02.html. 
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U.S. Geological Survey, 2010a, Programs and plans—Update 

of the national policy to archive borehole-geophysical logs: 

U.S. Geological Survey Office of Groundwater technical memorandum 2010.01, accessed July 13, 2018, at 

https://water.usgs.gov/admin/memo/GW/gw10.01.html.

U.S. Geological Survey, 2010b, Continuous records processing of all water time series data: U.S. Geological Survey 

WRD policy numbered memorandum no. 2010.02, accessed 

July 13, 2018, at https://water.usgs.gov/admin/memo/policy/

wrdpolicy10.02.html.

U.S. Geological Survey, 2011, Survey Manual 502.2—Fundamental Science Practices—Planning and conducting data 

collection and research: U. S. Geological Survey Office of 

Science Quality and Integrity Survey Manual chapter 502.2, 

accessed July 13, 2018, at https://www2.usgs.gov/

usgs-manual/500/502-2.html.

U.S. Geological Survey, 2012a, Programs and plans—Guidelines for preparation, submission, and approval of Water 

Science Center project proposals: U.S. Geological Survey 

Water Mission Area memorandum no. 13.01, accessed 

July 13, 2018, at https://water.usgs.gov/admin/memo/policy/

wmapolicy13.01.pdf. 

U.S. Geological Survey, 2012b, Policy for evaluation of well 

integrity for water-level measurements—Initial application to CBR network wells and test phase for all wells: 

U.S. Geological Survey Office of Groundwater technical memorandum 2012.01, accessed July 13, 2018, at 

https://water.usgs.gov/admin/memo/GW/gw12.01.html. 

U.S. Geological Survey, 2014, Update of policies on storage, 

review, and publication of discrete groundwater-level data: 

U.S. Geological Survey Office of Groundwater technical memorandum 2015.01, accessed July 13, 2018, at 

https://water.usgs.gov/admin/memo/GW/gw2015.01.pdf.

U.S. Geological Survey, 2015, Policy and guidelines for archival of surface-water, groundwater, and water-quality model 

applications: U.S. Geological Survey Office of Groundwater 

technical memorandum 2015.02, accessed July 13, 2018, at 

https://water.usgs.gov/admin/memo/GW/gw2015.02.pdf.

U.S. Geological Survey, 2016a, Policy for documenting, 

archiving, and public release of numerical groundwater 

flow and transport models: U.S. Geological Survey Office 

of Groundwater technical memorandum 2016.02, accessed 

July 13, 2018, at https://water.usgs.gov/admin/memo/GW/

gw2016.02.pdf.

U.S. Geological Survey, 2016b, Survey Manual 502.4—Fundamental Science Practices—Review, approval, and release 

of information products: U.S. Geological Survey Office 

of Science Quality and Integrity Survey Manual Chapter 

502.4, accessed July 13, 2018, at https://www2.usgs.gov/

usgs-manual/500/502-4.html.

U.S. Geological Survey, 2017a, Survey Manual 502.9—Fundamental Science Practices—Preservation requirements 

for digital scientific data: U.S. Geological Survey Office 

of Science Quality and Integrity Survey Manual Chapter 

502.9, accessed July 13, 2018, at https://www2.usgs.gov/

usgs-manual/500/502-9.html.

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approving, publishing, and auditing time-series records for 

water data: U.S. Geological Survey Office of Groundwater 

technical memorandum 2017.03, accessed July 13, 2018, at 

https://water.usgs.gov/admin/memo/GW/gw2017.03.pdf.

U.S. Geological Survey, 2017c, Policy and procedures for 

processing and publishing discrete groundwater-level 

records: U.S. Geological Survey Office of Groundwater 

technical memorandum 2017.04, accessed July 13, 2018, at 

https://water.usgs.gov/admin/memo/GW/gw2017.04.pdf.

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2017.09—Status of USGS groundwater tape calibration 

program: accessed July 13, 2018, at https://water.usgs.gov/

usgs/ogw/gwtn/2017.09.pdf.

U.S. Geological Survey, 2017e, Clarification of Water Mission 

Area policy on continuous records processing of time series 

data—Categorization of groundwater, surface water, and 

water-quality sites/records: U.S. Geological Survey Office 

of Groundwater technical memorandum 2017.01, accessed 

July 13, 2018, at https://water.usgs.gov/admin/memo/GW/

gw2017.01.pdf.

U.S. Geological Survey, 2017f, Procedures for identifying and 

documenting revisions to USGS water data: U.S. Geological Survey Office of Groundwater technical memorandum 

2017.02, accessed July 13, 2018, at https://water.usgs.gov/

admin/memo/GW/gw2017.02.pdf.

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scientific data for release: U. S. Geological Survey Office of 

Science Quality and Integrity Survey Manual chapter 502.8, 

accessed July 13, 2018, at https://www2.usgs.gov/

usgs-manual/500/502-8.html.

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plan: U.S. Geological Survey, accessed May 22, 2018, at 

https://www2.usgs.gov/datamanagement/plan/dmplans.php.

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Nation: U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System database, accessed July 12, 2018, at 

https://doi.org/10.5066/F7P55KJN.

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accessed July 13, 2018, at https://www2.usgs.gov/fsp/

faqs_datarelease.asp.
18 Quality-Assurance Plan for Groundwater Activities, U.S. Geological Survey Dakota Water Science Center

U.S. Geological Survey, 2018d, Update of the national policy 

to archive borehole-geophysical logs: U.S. Geological Survey Water Mission Area policy memorandum no. 2018.01, 

accessed July 13, 2018, at http://logarchiver.usgs.gov/

Resources/Policy%20Memo.pdf.
Appendixes
20 Quality-Assurance Plan for Groundwater Activities, U.S. Geological Survey Dakota Water Science Center

Appendix 1. Groundwater Technical Memorandums, 

Groundwater Technical Notes, Water Resources Policies, 

and the U.S. Geological Survey Survey Manual

A complete list of groundwater technical memorandums is available at 

https://water.usgs.gov/admin/memo/GW/.

A complete list of the Groundwater Technical Notes is available at 

https://water.usgs.gov/usgs/ogw/gwtn/.

A complete list of the Water Resources Policy Memorandums is available at 

https://water.usgs.gov/admin/memo/policy/policy.html. 

The U.S. Geological Survey Manual with a complete list of U.S. Geological 

Survey policies and procedures can be accessed at 

https://www2.usgs.gov/usgs-manual/.
Appendixes 21

Appendix 2. Groundwater Site Inventory (GWSI) Coding Forms

1. Groundwater coding form—General site data (9-1904-A version 5.2—Revised March 2015).

2. Groundwater coding form—General spring data (9-1904-B version 5.2—Revised March 2015).
22 Quality-Assurance Plan for Groundwater Activities, U.S. Geological Survey Dakota Water Science Center

Coded by

FORM NO. 9-1904-A

Revised March 2015, NWIS 5.2

Checked by

Entered by

AGENCY

CODE (C4)

SITE ID

(C1)

STATION NAME (C12/900)

LATITUDE

(C9)

LONGITUDE

(C10)

LAT/LONG

ACCURACY

(C11)

LAT/LONG 

 DATUM (C36) LAT/LONG METHOD (C35)

alluvial

fan

active

no/na

inactive

site

inventory

site

playa

month day year

stream

channel

digital

recorder

graphic

recorder

telemetry

land

line

tele -

metry

radio

telemetry

satellite

creststage

gage

tide

gage

stilling

well

deflec -

tion

meter

bubble

gage

CR type

recorder

weighing

rain

gage

tipping

bucket

rain

gage

acoustic

velocity

meter

electromagnetic

flowmeter

AHDAS

depression dunes flat floodplainhilltopsinkholelake or

swamp

mangrove

swamp

offshorepedimenthillsideterraceundulatingvalley

flat

upland

draw

DGPS GPS LORAN map survey unknown

section township range

County code

1/4 1/4 1/4 merid

DISTRICT (C6) STATE (C7)

COUNTY or TOWN (C8)

LAND NET (C13)

MAP NAME

(C14)

AGENCY

USE (C803)

MAP

SCALE (C15)

REMARKS (C806)

FOOTNOTES

INSTRUMENTS (C805)

(Place a "Y' in the

appropriate box):

DRAINAGE

BASIN CODE

(C801)

TOPO- GRAPHIC

SETTING (C19)

DATE

INVENTORIED

(C711)

SITE

TYPE

(C802)

ALTITUDE

METHOD

(C17)

ALTITUDE

(C16)

ALTITUDE

ACCURACY

(C18)

HYDROLOGIC

UNIT CODE

(C20)

ALTITUDE

DATUM

(C22)

PROJECT

(C5)

File Code

Date

U.S. DEPT .. OF THE INTERIOR

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

WATER RESOURCES DIVISION

GROUNDWATER SITE SCHEDULE

General Site Data

D G L N M U

R

S T

ABC D E F G H K

A I O

conditional proprietary local use only

RECORD READY

FOR WEB (C32)

DAYLIGHT 

SAVINGS TIME 

FLAG (C814)

Y OR N

C P L

L M O PST U V W

1

 

1

COUNTRY (C41)

STANDARD TIME

ZONE (C813)

SITE TYPE

 (C802)

water

supply

domestic commercialindustrial irrigation mining livestock power

hydroelectric

waste

water

treatment

WS DO CO IN IR MI LV PH ST remediation

thermoelectric

power

aquaculture

RM TE AQ

R S interpolated

digital map

reported

pressure

transducer

DATA TYPE (C804)

Place an 'A' (active), an

'I' (inactive), or an 'O'

(inventory) in the

appropriate box

WL

cont

WL

int

QW

cont

QW

int

PR

cont PR

int EV

cont

EV

int wind vel. tidecont

tide

int

sed.

con sed.

ps peak

flow

low

flow

state

water

use

C

land

net

C39 is mandatory for all sites having data in SWUDS.

Y

ready to

display

GL Glacier

WE Wetland

AT Atmosphere

ES Estuary

LA Land

LA-EX Excavation

LA-OU Outcrop

LA-SNK Sinkhole

LA-SH Soil hole

LA-SR Shore

OC Ocean

OC -CO Coastal

LK Lake, Reservoir,

Impoundment

SP Spring

ST Stream

ST -CA Canal

ST -DCH Ditch

ST -TS Tidal strea m

GW Well

GW -CR Collector or Ranney type well

GW -IW Interconnected wells

GW -TH Test hole not completed as a well

GW -MW Multiple wells

GW -EX Extensometer well

GW -HZ Hyporheic -zone well

- Primary Secondary

2

FA-WIW Waste-Injection well

C36 Other (see manual for codes)

C22 Other (see manual for codes)

NATIONAL

WATER-USE

(C39)

2 D

discontinued

L M

active

written

active

oral

remediated

SB Subsurface

SB-CV Cave

SB-GWD - Groundwater drain

 SB-TSM Tunnel, shaft, or mine

SB-UZ Unsaturated zone

North American North American 

NAD27 NAD83

Datum of 1927 Datum of 1983

 

R

lysimeter neutron

probe

 air

sampler

piezome

MCD Code

Hndrth

sec.

tenth

sec.

half

sec.

sec. 3

sec.

10

sec.

5

sec.

min.

F1 M Unknown

H 5 S R T B C D E U SGPS.

Lvl 1

SGPS.

Lvl 2

SGPS.

Lvl 3

SGPS. 

Lvl 4

 National Geodetic

Vertical Datum of 1929

North American 

 Vertical Datum of 1988

NGVD29 NAVD88

f

IfSAR

J altimeter DGPS Level map re - ported un- known 

A D L M R U LiDAR DEM

F

SGPS

I N WXYZ

Lvl 1 Lvl 2 Lvl 3 Lvl 4

 GNSS1 GNSS2 GNSS3 GNSS4
Appendixes 23

Coded by

FORM NO. 9-1904-B

Revised March 2015, NWIS 5.2

Checked by

Entered by

AGENCY

CODE (C4)

SITE ID

(C1)

STATION NAME (C12/900)

LATITUDE

(C9)

LONGITUDE

(C10)

LAT/LONG

ACCURACY

(C11)

LAT/LONG 

 DATUM (C36) LAT/LONG

METHOD (C35)

alluvial

fan

playa

month day year

stream

channel

digital

recorder

North American

Datum of 1927 North AmericanDatum of 1983

graphic

recorder

telemetry

land

line

telemetry

radio

telemetry

satellite

creststage

gage

tide

gage

stilling

well

deflection

meter

bubble

gage

CR type

recorder

weighing

rain

gage

tipping

bucket

rain

gage

acoustic

velocity

meter

electromagnetic

flowmeter

AHDAS

depression dunes flat floodplain hilltop sinkhole lake or

swamp mangroveswamp offshore pediment hillside terrace undulating valleyflat uplanddraw

DGPS GPS LORAN map survey unknown

1/4 1/4 1/4 section township range merid

DISTRICT (C6) STATE (C7)

LAND NET (C13)

MAP NAME

(C14)

MAP

SCALE (C15)

REMARKS (C806)

FOOTNOTES

INSTRUMENTS (C805)

(Place a "Y' in the

appropriate box):

DRAINAGE

BASIN CODE

(C801)

NATIONAL

WATER-USE

(C39)

TOPOGRAPHIC

SETTING

(C19)

DATE

INVENTORIED

(C711)

SITE

TYPE

(C802)

ALTITUDE

METHOD

(C17)

ALTITUDE

(C16)

ALTITUDE

ACCURACY

(C18)

HYDROLOGIC

UNIT CODE

(C20)

ALTITUDE

DATUM

(C22)

PROJECT

(C5)

File Code

Date

U.S. DEPT. OF THE INTERIOR

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

WATER RESOURCES DIVISION

GROUNDWATER SITE SCHEDULE

General Spring Data

D G L M N U

S T R

A B C D

NAD27 NAD83

E F G H K

conditionalproprietarylocal use

only

RECORD READY

FOR WEB (C32)

DAYLIGHT 

SAVINGS TIME 

FLAG (C814)

Y OR N

C P L

L M O P S T U V W

1

National Geodetic

Vertical Datum of 1929

North American 

 Vertical Datum of 1988

NGVD29 NAVD88

1

2

COUNTRY (C41)

STANDARD TIME

ZONE (C813)

SITE TYPE

 (C802)

water

supply

domestic commercialindustrial irrigation mining livestock power

hydroelectric

waste

water

treatment

WS DO CO IN IR MI LV PH ST remediation

thermoelectric

power

aquaculture

RM TE AQ

R S interpolated

digital map

reported

pressure

transducer

DATA TYPE (C804)

Place an 'A' (active), an

'I' (inactive), or an 'O'

(inventory) in the

appropriate box

WL

cont

WL

int

QW

cont

QW

int

PR

cont PR

int EV

cont

EV

int

wind

vel.

tide

cont

tide

int

sed.

con sed.

ps peak

flow

low

flow

state

water

use

C

land

net

C39 is mandatory for all sites having data in SWUDS.

Y

ready to

display

- Primary Secondary

2

C36 Other (see manual for codes)

C22 Other (see manual for codes)

*Currently there are no secondary site types for spring.

active

no/na‘‘ inactivesite inventorysite

AGENCY

USE (C803)

A D I O R discontinued

L M active

written activeoral remediated

Hndrth

sec.

tenth

sec.

half

sec.

sec. 3

sec.

10

sec.

5

sec.

min.

F1 M Unknown

H 5 S T R B C D E U SGPS.

Lvl 1

SGPS.

Lvl 2

SGPS.

Lvl 3

SGPS. 

Lvl 4

MCD Code COUNTY or TOWN (C8) County code

IfSAR

J altimeter DGPS Level map re - ported un- known 

A D L M R U LiDAR DEM

F

SGPS

I N WXYZ

Lvl 1 Lvl 2 Lvl 3 Lvl 4

 GNSS1 GNSS2 GNSS3 GNSS4
24 Quality-Assurance Plan for Groundwater Activities, U.S. Geological Survey Dakota Water Science Center

Appendix 3. Documentation of Field Procedures

Field Procedures

The purpose of this section is to ensure that field procedures are clearly documented. This section documents processes that should be followed for non-recording groundwater 

wells and continuous recording groundwater wells.

Non-Recording Groundwater Wells

Water levels at non-recording wells in the Dakota Water 

Science Center (DWSC) should be obtained using the following guidelines and procedures from Cunningham and Schalk 

(2011):

1. Every well should have a permanent measuring point 

(MP) at a known distance above or below the land-surface 

datum (LSD). Procedures for establishing an MP are 

documented at the following:

a. GWPD 3—Establishing a permanent measuring 

point and other reference marks. Video demonstration at Establishing a Permanent Measuring Point 

and Reference Marks at a Well.

2. A graduated steel tape is the primary method for obtaining water level from a known MP. An electric tape may 

be used with supervisor approval for rapidly changing 

wells and (or) deep wells. Procedures for using a steel or 

electric tape to determine water level are documented at 

the following:

a. GWPD 1—Measuring water levels by use of a graduated steel tape. Video demonstration at Measuring 

Groundwater with Steel Tape.

b. GWPD 4—Measuring water levels by use of an 

electric tape. Video demonstration at Measuring 

Groundwater with Electric Tape.

3. In some instances, it may be necessary to measure water 

levels in a flowing well. Procedures for measuring water 

level in a flowing well are documented at the following:

a. GWPD 12—Measuring water levels in a flowing 

well. Video demonstration at Measuring Water Levels in a Flowing Well.

4. All groundwater-level measurements at non-recording 

wells are required to be measured twice. If the second 

measurement does not agree with the original measurement within 0.02 foot, continue to make measurements 

until the reason for lack of agreement is determined or the 

results are shown to be reliable.

5. The SiteVisit Mobile AQUARIUS (SVMAQ) electronic 

field form should be used to record the readings and any 

other pertinent well information.

Continuous Recording Groundwater Wells

Water levels at continuously recording wells in the 

DWSC should be obtained using the following guidelines and 

procedures:

1. Retrieve the internal log of the data-collection platform 

(DCP) using instrument or data logger software.

2. Document the current water level recorded by the sensor 

(not the most recent water level recorded by the data logger).

3. Measure the depth to water in the well using the same 

methods discussed for non-recording groundwater wells 

to obtain an accurate water level measurement with which 

to check the recorder water level (calibration measurement).

4. Inspect the equipment to confirm that installation is operating properly. Recorders that differ from tapedowns by 

more than twice the accuracy of the equipment need to be 

reset after a thorough investigation of potential problems.

5. If installed, float and tape should be inspected to ensure 

that the recorder is functioning properly and correctly. 

Test the movement of the float wheel by carefully rotating 

it several inches and releasing it. The tape/recorder should 

return to the same value. If it does not return to within 

0.01 foot of the initial value, then inspect the float tape/

wire, float, and counterweight and rebalance as necessary.

6. The desiccant for submersible pressure sensors, if applicable, needs to be checked on every visit and replaced as 

needed.

7. Recorder batteries should be checked and replaced as 

needed and noted on the field sheet.

8. Record the groundwater-level measurements and any 

other pertinent information in the SVMAQ electronic field 

form.
Appendixes 25

Approval Procedures

The purpose of this section is to ensure that the approval 

process is clearly documented. The approval procedures are 

documented for discrete groundwater-level data and for continuous recoding groundwater wells.

Discrete Groundwater-Level Data

Policy on storage, review, and publication of discrete 

groundwater-level data is available in the Water Resources 

Division Policy Memo 2010.02 (U.S. Geological Survey, 

2010), and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Policy Memos 

2015.01 (U.S. Geological Survey, 2014), and 2017.04 (U.S. 

Geological Survey, 2017a). The scope of this policy includes 

discrete groundwater-level measurements collected and stored 

in the National Water Information System (NWIS) for all 

USGS programs and projects regardless of data source (for 

example, USGS collected or furnished data).

1. Discrete groundwater-level data are collected and 

recorded in the field using electronic field forms. As of the 

writing of this document (2018), the recommend software 

is SVMAQ.

2. SVMAQ files are archived on the server in the Field_Visit 

folder of the appropriate station as outlined in the current 

DWSC archival structure.

a. Any ancillary information collected, such as pictures, driller logs, and integrity tests, are also filed 

in their appropriate folders under the current DWSC 

archival structure.

3. The zipped folder with the SVMAQ file and all ancillary 

data is imported into the AQUARIUS Field Data Editor (FDE) using the “Landing Pad” in the Visits tab of 

AQUARIUS Springboard.

4. The SVMAQ file only is also put into the GWvisitDepot 

for the appropriate office for which the groundwater data 

were collected. A script automatically runs at night to 

push those files into the GWSI database. The path for the 

GWvisitDepot is

a. \SVMAQ\XXX\GWSI_processing\GWvisitDepot 

where XXX equals the office abbreviation 

(GFS – Grand Forks; BMK – Bismarck; 

HSO – Huron; PIR – Pierre; and RDO – Rapid City).

5. On the first of every month, the groundwater Database 

Administrator will run the groundwater R-script and place 

script files in the center computer directory as requested 

by the DWSC Data Chief. The groundwater Database 

Administrator will send an email notifying project and 

data staff (as needed) that the R-script has been run and 

the output is ready to be analyzed.

6. The record “analyst,” project or data staff, will complete 

the analysis steps documented in Process of Analyzing, 

Approving and Auditing of Discrete Groundwater-Level 

Records. The R-script output will be used in the analysis 

to review the new and historic data.

7. The analyst must complete a station analysis in Records 

Management System (RMS). All discrete groundwater 

stations in RMS are assigned a station analysis template. 

Guidance for completion of the template is available at 

Station Analysis Template: Discrete-Only GroundwaterLevel Sites. Synoptic network sites measured once annually or less often do not require a station analysis when 

there is an interpretive product documenting the evaluation of the groundwater-level measurements.

8. The record “approver,” project or data staff, must be 

someone other than the data analyst. The record approver 

performs a quality-control check of the methods and 

procedures used to collect and process the record and 

verifies the accuracy and interpretations of the analyzed 

period. The approver will complete the approval steps 

documented in Process of Analyzing, Approving and 

Auditing of Discrete Groundwater-Level Records. The 

record approver documents this examination in RMS 

using the established Approval Guidance: Discrete-only 

Groundwater Level Sites.

9. Upon approval of the record, the groundwater Database Administrator will set the GWSI data flag to “R” 

for “Reviewed and Accepted, approved” and will flag 

questionable or erroneous data with a “Q” for “Rejected.” 

When the groundwater Database Administrator is not 

the approver, an email will be necessary to inform the 

groundwater Database Administrator that the data are 

ready for approval in GWSI.

10. All review processes should be completed in a timely 

manner consistent with USGS continuous records processing timelines documented in USGS Policy Memo 

2010.02 (U.S. Geological Survey, 2010). In general, this 

means in less than 150 days.

11. Routine audits are not required for discrete groundwaterlevel records. Non-routine audits occur anytime an aspect 

of an approved record is re-examined. Non-routine audits 

do not have any required tasks aside from documentation 

of the audit to include the date of the audit, the auditor, what was examined, why it was examined, and the 

outcome of the audit to include a discussion of potential 

revisions, if any. Any revisions to the data will be made 

following the guidance in USGS Technical Memorandum 

2017.02 (U.S. Geological Survey, 2017b).

12. No discrete groundwater-level data stored in NWIS may 

be published unless they have been processed following 

these procedures. When followed, this policy meets the 

requirements of the USGS Fundamental Science Practices 

for review and release of scientific data on the NWIS Web 

Interface (NWISWeb) as described in Survey Manual 

(SM) chapter 502.8 (U.S. Geological Survey, 2017c).
26 Quality-Assurance Plan for Groundwater Activities, U.S. Geological Survey Dakota Water Science Center

Continuous Recording Groundwater Wells 

(AQUARIUS)

Discrete calibration measurements collected during a 

continuous or real-time site visit must be processed, reviewed, 

and approved in the same manner as records from discreteonly sites, but the calibration measurements can be managed 

with the times-series records as described in USGS Policy 

Memo 2017.03 (U.S. Geological Survey, 2017d).

1. The record “analyst,” project or data staff, will complete 

the analysis steps documented in Groundwater-Level 

Records: Process of Analyzing, Approving and Auditing 

of Groundwater-Level Records.

2. Groundwater-level corrections should be made using the 

USGS multi-point correction only. Set 2 should be used 

for all “normal” priority recorder corrections.

3. Do not overcorrect the continuous data. No correction is 

needed if the time-series data falls within plus or minus 

(±) the uncertainty of the primary reference reading, 

unless a correction trend has been established. For example, if the time-series value is 2.00 feet and the primary 

reference reading is 2.02 feet ± 0.02 feet, then no correction is needed unless a series of visits has established that 

the +0.02 feet correction is consistent.

4. The analyst must complete a station analysis in RMS. All 

continuous groundwater stations in RMS are assigned a 

station analysis template. Guidance for completion of the 

template is available at Station Analysis Template: Continuous Groundwater-Level Sites.

5. The record “approver,” project or data staff, must be 

someone other than the data analyst. The record approver 

performs a quality-control check of the methods and 

procedures used to collect and process the record and 

verifies the accuracy and interpretations of the analyzed 

period. The approver will complete the approval steps 

documented in Station Analysis Template: Continuous 

Groundwater-Level Sites. The record approver documents 

this examination in RMS using the established Approval 

Guidance: Continuous Groundwater-Level Records.

6. It is the responsibility of the approver to set the data 

to approved upon resolution of all identified problems. 

Approved data are labeled as such in RMS, shown in 

GWSI as “Reviewed and Accepted, approved,” displayed 

on NWISWeb as “Approved,” and are considered “published.”

7. All review processes should be completed in a timely 

manner consistent with USGS continuous records processing timelines documented in USGS Policy Memorandum 2010.02. In general, this means in less than 150 days.

8. Routine audits will be made to verify the effectiveness of 

the approval process. No less than 10 percent of records 

should receive a routine audit annually. Audits will be 

tracked in RMS and follow the guidance provided in 

USGS Policy Memo 2017.03 (U.S. Geological Survey, 

2017d). Any revisions to the data will be made following 

the guidance in USGS Technical Memorandum 2017.02

(U.S. Geological Survey, 2017b).

9. No continuous groundwater-level data stored in NWIS 

may be published unless they have been processed following these procedures. When followed, this policy 

meets the requirements of the USGS Fundamental 

Science Practices for review and release of scientific data 

on the NWISWeb as described in SM chapter 502.8 (U.S. 

Geological Survey, 2017c).

References Cited

Cunningham, W.L., and Schalk, C.W., comps., 2011, 

Groundwater technical procedures of the U.S. Geological Survey: U.S. Geological Survey Techniques and 

Methods, book 1, chap. A1, 151 p. [Also available at 

https://pubs.usgs.gov/tm/1a1/.]

U.S. Geological Survey, 2010, Continuous records processing 

of all water time series data: U.S. Geological Survey WRD 

policy numbered memorandum no. 2010.02, accessed July 

13, 2018, at https://water.usgs.gov/admin/memo/policy/wrdpolicy10.02.html.

U.S. Geological Survey, 2014, Update of policies on storage, 

review, and publication of discrete groundwater-level data: 

U.S. Geological Survey Office of Groundwater technical 

memorandum 2015.01, accessed July 13, 2018, at https://

water.usgs.gov/admin/memo/GW/gw2015.01.pdf.

U.S. Geological Survey, 2017a, Policy and procedures 

for processing and publishing discrete groundwaterlevel records: U.S. Geological Survey Office of 

Groundwater technical memorandum 2017.04, 

accessed July 13, 2018, at https://water.usgs.gov/admin/

memo/GW/gw2017.04.pdf.

U.S. Geological Survey, 2017b, Procedures for identifying and documenting revisions to USGS water data: 

U.S. Geological Survey Office of Groundwater technical memorandum 2017.02, accessed July 13, 2018, at 

https://water.usgs.gov/admin/memo/GW/gw2017.02.pdf.

U.S. Geological Survey, 2017c, Survey Manual 502.8—Fundamental Science Practices—Review and approval of 

scientific data for release: U. S. Geological Survey Office of 

Science Quality and Integrity Survey Manual chapter 502.8, 

accessed July 13, 2018, at https://www2.usgs.gov/usgsmanual/500/502-8.html.

U.S. Geological Survey, 2017d, Procedures for processing, 

approving, publishing, and auditing time-series records for 

water data: U.S. Geological Survey Office of Groundwater 

technical memorandum 2017.03, accessed July 13, 2018, at 

https://water.usgs.gov/admin/memo/GW/gw2017.03.pdf.
Appendixes 27

Appendix 4. Dakota Water Science Center Groundwater 

Archive Plan

The Dakota Water Science Center (DWSC) groundwater 

archive plan documents the guidelines and procedures used 

by the Center for archiving groundwater models, aquifer tests, 

surface geophysical data, and other types of data. The plan 

serves as a guide for all DWSC personnel involved in groundwater activities. This plan includes topics that the DWSC is 

involved in and additional categories may be added as needed.

Groundwater technical memorandums for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) for topic areas that are not described 

below are available at http://water.usgs.gov/admin/memo/

GW/.

Groundwater Flow and Transport Models

Groundwater-flow and transport models are archived 

following the guidelines established by the USGS technical memorandum 2016.02 (U.S. Geological Survey, 2016). 

The primary purpose of this memorandum is to update the 

policy for model archival. When the model archive directory 

is completed, a request is made to the Groundwater Specialist 

to place the information in the model archive for the DSWC. 

All reports that contain groundwater flow and transport 

models must have their model archive reviewed according to 

the USGS technical memorandum 2015.02 (U.S. Geological Survey, 2015), where all groundwater model archives are 

approved by the Office of Quality Assurance, specifically the 

groundwater liaison within the office. The approvals must be 

completed through the Office of Quality Assurance before 

the report is submitted to the Bureau Approving Official for 

approval. After approval from the groundwater liaison in the 

Office of Quality Assurance, the model archive subdirectory 

and accompanying model publication files should be in the 

DWSC archive when the report is sent to Region for approval. 

A temporary name can be given to the archive directory; 

however, the final name should clearly reflect the USGS report 

number. All groundwater models must be published through 

a model data release in tandem with the groundwater flow 

model report.

Aquifer Tests

Any aquifer test data collected must be published in a 

data release. In addition, any interpretations that are made 

from the data must be published as a separate USGS series 

report or within an interpretive information product that fully 

describes the test, data, and interpretations.

Aquifer tests are archived following the guidelines established by the USGS technical memorandum 2009.01 (U.S. 

Geological Survey, 2009a). The information that is suggested 

for the review of aquifer tests in this memorandum should be 

included in the archive directory. The name of the subdirectory should include the report number or project location if not 

included in a report.

Surface Geophysics

Any surface geophysical data collected must be published 

in a data release. In addition, any interpretations that are made 

from the data must be published as a separate USGS series 

report or within an interpretive information product that fully 

describes the data collection and interpretations.

Surface geophysical data are archived following the 

guidelines established by the USGS technical memorandum 

2009.02 (U.S. Geological Survey, 2009b). The technical 

memorandum describes elements to be included in a directory 

that is added to the storage area. The name of the directory 

should include a report number or other project identification.

Borehole-Geophysical Logs

Any borehole-geophysical log data collected must be 

published in a data release. In addition, any interpretations that 

are made from the data must be published as a separate USGS 

series report or within an interpretive information product that 

fully describes the data collection and interpretations.

Borehole-geophysical logs are archived following the 

guidelines established by the USGS technical memorandum 

2010.01 (U.S. Geological Survey, 2010). This memorandum 

(1) updates the technical memorandum 2000.03 (U.S. Geological Survey, 2000) and establishes a new requirement that 

geophysical logs be archived on the USGS Water Science 

Center’s computer database; (2) clarifies archiving of imagelog data, log-type codes, corrections/shifts/post processing, log 

annotations, and National Water Information System (NWIS) 

Logs records; and (3) introduces a web-based system to be 

used for the proper archiving of log data files and headers. 

Subdirectories for each NWIS 15-digit station number, as previously required, are no longer needed. Each geophysical log 

file name will include the NWIS 15-digit station number, date 

of log collection (year month day), two-letter log-type code, 

and a sequence number. In addition, the file name will include 

the appropriate extension to indicate it is archived in a format 

to be used later. The first log of the same type collected on a 

particular day would have a sequence number of 01, the second, 02, and so forth. An example path name for an archived is 

LOGARCHIVE>424531077564201.20000601.MI01.LAS.
28 Quality-Assurance Plan for Groundwater Activities, U.S. Geological Survey Dakota Water Science Center

National Water Information System Data

The NWIS database should be used to store groundwater data when possible. NWIS manuals are available at 

http://nwis.usgs.gov/currentdocs/index.html. Groundwater 

System Inventory (GWSI) coding forms are available at 

http://nwis.usgs.gov/forms/gwforms.html.

Non-NWIS Data

Non-NWIS data are collected as part of groundwater 

activities that are not storable in NWIS database. Examples 

of this kind of data include age dating of water, dye tests, and 

data from research labs that are not readily stored in NWIS. A 

storage area for these types of data has been established; however, this area is not intended to duplicate project archives but 

to ensure that important raw data files, including relevant datacollection information, are readily accessible. If the raw data 

are compiled in electronic files such as spreadsheets, the data 

should be organized in a directory with a general descriptive 

title. A subdirectory can be established by submitting a request 

to the DWSC Groundwater Specialist. The requesting hydrologist will be responsible for documenting new or experimental 

methods and describing collection procedures that could be 

relevant to interpretation of the data. If a hardcopy procedures notebook is necessary for explanation of methods and 

procedures, an archive hardcopy file is located in the DWSC 

studies section. Any non-NWIS data that are used to support 

interpretations in an interpretive product must be published in 

a USGS data release before or at the same time as the interpretive product is released.

References Cited

U.S. Geological Survey, 2000, Programs and plans—Establishment of a national policy to archive borehole-geophysical logs: U.S. Geological Survey Office of Ground Water 

technical memorandum 00.03, accessed July 13, 2018, at 

https://water.usgs.gov/admin/memo/GW/gw00.03.html.

U.S. Geological Survey, 2009a, Update on guidance for the 

preparation, approval, and archiving of aquifer-test results: 

U.S. Geological Survey Office of Ground Water technical memorandum 2009.01, accessed July 13, 2018, at 

https://water.usgs.gov/admin/memo/GW/gw09.01.html. 

U.S. Geological Survey, 2009b, Establishment of a national 

policy to archive surface-geophysical data: U.S. Geological Survey Office of Ground Water technical memorandum 

2009.02, accessed July 13, 2018, at https://water.usgs.gov/

admin/memo/GW/gw09.02.html. 

U.S. Geological Survey, 2010, Programs and plans—Update 

of the national policy to archive borehole-geophysical logs: 

U.S. Geological Survey Office of Groundwater technical memorandum 2010.01, accessed July 13, 2018, at 

https://water.usgs.gov/admin/memo/GW/gw10.01.html.

U.S. Geological Survey, 2015, Policy and guidelines for archival of surface-water, groundwater, and water-quality model 

applications: U.S. Geological Survey Office of Groundwater 

technical memorandum 2015.02, accessed July 13, 2018, at 

https://water.usgs.gov/admin/memo/GW/gw2015.02.pdf.

U.S. Geological Survey, 2016, Policy for documenting, 

archiving, and public release of numerical groundwater 

flow and transport models: U.S. Geological Survey Office 

of Groundwater technical memorandum 2016.02, accessed 

July 13, 2018, at https://water.usgs.gov/admin/memo/GW/

gw2016.02.pdf.

For more information about this publication, contact

Director, USGS Dakota Water Science Center

1608 Mountain View Road

Rapid City, SD 57702

(605) 394–3200

For additional information visit https://www.usgs.gov/centers/dakota-water

Publishing support provided by the 

Rolla Publishing Service Center

Valder and others—Quality-Assurance Plan for Groundwater Activities, U.S. Geological Survey Dakota Water Science Center—Open-File Report 2018–1103

ISSN 2331-1258 (online)

https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20181103