Ground water quality program in Utah

Project Number: 97169C8
Cooperating Agency: Utah Department of Environmental Quality, Division of Water Quality
Project Chief: Cory Angeroth, USGS Salt Lake City, Utah
Project Period: 2005-2006

Problem: Ground water is the major source of water supply for domestic, irrigation, commercial, and industrial use in the state of Utah. Because these water supplies are limited, withdrawal and use must be carefully monitored and impacts on ground-water quality minimized. The last evaluation of the quality of water in the State's aquifers was published in 1986. Since that time, residential development has increased substantially, posing an even greater potential impact on the quality of water in these aquifers. Consequently, an updated assessment of water quality in the principal aquifers is long overdue.

Objectives: (1) Determine a baseline set of wells and springs where water samples can be chemically analyzed to represent the majority of aquifers used in the State (approximately 200 wells); (2) Select a subset of those wells for specific TMDL sampling in areas where TMDLs have been developed or are under development; (3) Determine appropriate parameters for sampling including constituents indicative of natural and anthropogenic sources; (4) Sample selected water and analyze and; (5) Perform Quality Assurance (QA) checks, report, and archive results.

Relevance and Benefits: The Utah Department of Environmental Quality needs to ensure the existing and future population of the State has a safe and adequate water supply. DEQ needs to understand how the use and re-use of groundwater resources and the development of those resources is being affected by the impacts of population growth and water use. Without a systematic investigation of the quality of water in aquifers throughout Utah, contamination of water supplies may go unnoticed.

Approach: Collect water samples from selected wells and measure selected physical and chemical parameters. Samples will be collected and physical measurements and chemical analyses will be conducted using accepted protocols (see Attachment A - QAPP). Standard quality assurance procedures will be followed. The cooperating agency (USGS) will provide instrument calibration and quality-assurance standards for use in instrument calibration. Sampling includes collection of ancillary information about the well including GPS-determined location, well diameter, etc.
The project will be conducted on a rotational basis with approximately 1/3 (33 percent) of the selected wells sampled in a given year. This rotation is required to obtain data for all wells, not all of which are available for sampling each summer. Water-quality samples will be acquired and analyzed at all 200 wells every three years. Standard USGS protocols for collection and analyses of these data will be used for all samples.

Products: Data will be tabulated and archived in the U.S. Geological Surveys National Water Information System (NWIS) database and published yearly in a USGS data report. Data will also be entered in the EPA STORET database by DEQ. Copies of the USGS report and data will be available for analysis and use by the Utah Department of Environmental Quality and other interested parties.

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Page Last Modified: Wednesday, 10-May-2006 16:03:08 EDT