GROUND WATER -- Release of Open-File Report 97-11, "A Quality-Assurance Plan for District Ground-Water Activities of the U.S. Geological Survey" by Jilann O. Brunett, Nancy L. Barber, Alan W. Burns, Ronald P. Fogelman, Daniel C. Gillies, Robert A. Lidwin, and Thomas J. Mack



In Reply Refer To:                             July 24, 1997
Mail Stop 411


OFFICE OF GROUND WATER TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM NO. 97.03


Subject:  GROUND WATER -- Release of Open-File Report 97-11, 
          "A Quality-Assurance Plan for District Ground-Water
          Activities of the U.S. Geological Survey" 
          by Jilann O. Brunett, Nancy L. Barber, 
          Alan W. Burns, Ronald P. Fogelman, Daniel C. Gillies,
          Robert A. Lidwin, and Thomas J. Mack

As the Nation's principal earth-science information agency, the 
U.S. Geological Survey is depended upon to collect accurate data 
and produce factual and impartial interpretive reports. The Water 
Resources Division (WRD) has implemented a program designed to 
ensure that all scientific work done by or for the WRD is con-
ducted in accordance with a quality-assurance (QA) program. 
Within the context of this national QA program, the purpose of the 
subject report is to present a plan that establishes a minimum set 
of guidelines and practices to be used by Districts to assure 
quality in ground-water activities.

This report provides the framework for collecting, analyzing and 
reporting ground-water data that are quality assured and quality 
controlled. Rather than requiring each District to prepare indi-
vidual ground-water QA plans, this report serves as a single doc-
ument describing the Division's quality assurance for District 
ground-water activities. Recognizing that different Districts 
have different procedures for data management and for archival of 
project information, the QA plan calls for each District to 
develop supporting internal documents which describe the ground-
water data-management and archival practices of the District. 

The QA Plan also calls for implementation of Technical Procedures 
that describe the routine ground-water data-collection activities 
of each District. These will help ensure that the data-collection 
activities of the Division are being done to the same standards. 
Along with the subject report, the Office of Ground Water (OGW) is 
releasing fifteen draft Technical Procedures. It is intended that 
these be implemented at this time and that Districts refine them 
as necessary. OGW encourages Districts to create additional Tech-
nical Procedures to cover other aspects of ground-water data col-
lection. After a year or so of testing, OGW will publish the 
collection of Technical Procedures.

In conjunction with the new QA plan, the OGW is expanding their 
District technical review procedures to include a more comprehen-
sive evaluation of data collection, analysis, and storage. Conse-
quently, an important aspect of these periodic District visits 
will be to review the District data management and archival plans 
and to evaluate the use and application of the Technical Proce-
dures for data-collection activities.

In addition to the attached paper copies, the QA Plan and the 
draft Technical Procedures will be available on the OGW Internal 
Homepage (http://wwwrvares.er.usgs.gov/ogw/). As the plan and 
technical procedures are applied in the district, it is antici-
pated that various individuals will recognize and suggest 
changes. Any suggested changes or new Technical Procedures should 
be provided to OGW, attention Data Coordinator. As changes are 
made to the Technical Procedures, the version on the OGW homepage 
will be revised.

The OGW wishes to thank Jilann Brunett, Nancy Barber, Alan Burns, 
Ron Fogelman, Dan Gillies, Bob Lidwin, and Tom Mack for their ded-
ication to this project and Dave Dickerman for development of the 
Technical Procedures.

To obtain additional copies of the report, please contact OGW, 
Mail Stop 411, National Center, Reston, VA, 20192. Questions 
regarding the QA Plan or Technical Procedures should be addressed 
to Jilann Brunett (703-648-5008 or e-mail jbrunett).




                             
                             William M. Alley
                             Chief, Office of Ground Water

Distribution: A, B, and S (memo only)
              DC (10 copies of OFR 97-11 and 1 copy of draft 
                 Technical Procedures)