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In 2001, the management team of the Washington state Department of Ecology’s Environmental Assessment (EA) Program requested a review of the program’s groundwater assessment efforts. The goal of the review was twofold: 1) provide an evaluation of the current state of affairs for assessment and measurement of state ambient groundwater conditions, and 2) outline recommendations for how the EA Program can best help the agency and the state meet current and future information needs for the groundwater resource. In May 2003, a final strategic recommendations report summarizing the results of this review was completed. To read or download an online version of the report, see: Strategic Recommendations for Groundwater Assessment Efforts of the Environmental Assessment Program.
As an outgrowth of this project, an application for a Clean Water Act 104(b)(3) grant was submitted to the Region 10 office of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The application requested funding for a pilot study to help initiate a state groundwater characterization and monitoring program, focused at the basin or subbasin scale. A $100,000 grant was awarded to Ecology in October 2002 in support of this work.
The tasks outlined in the grant include the selection of a high priority study area for a pilot characterization and monitoring study. Field work for the study will last one year, and include the installation of a network of monitoring wells in the uppermost basin aquifer, measurement of groundwater levels, collection and analysis of groundwater quality samples, and characterization of groundwater and surface water interactions. If successful, the approach refined during this project will likely be adopted for a long-term state groundwater characterization program of additional priority watersheds.
The Centralia-Chehalis lowland area between Napavine and Grand Mound was selected for the pilot study on the basis of a high need for information about the current ambient groundwater conditions in the valley. Two new documents have been prepared that describe in detail the technical scope of work and methods for the study, see Quality Assurance Project Plan, Groundwater Assessment Program Pilot Study, Phase 1 and Phase 2. Field work for the study began in October 2003, and is expected to be completed by February 2005. A final report of study area findings is scheduled for publication in December 2005.
The final report for the Groundwater Assessment Program Pilot Study is now available for download at: Washington State Groundwater Assessment Program: Hydrology and Quality of Groundwater in the Centralia-Chehalis Area Surficial Aquifer. The EA Program is currently reviewing the costs and lessons learned during the pilot study, and will be developing recommendations for the establishment of a permanent state groundwater assessment program for the consideration of agency managers.
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
