Objective:
Long-term monitoring (LTM) of groundwater is costly yet required across Department of Defense (DoD) and government sites. The objective of this project is to demonstrate a semiobjective LTM optimization scheme, geostatistical temporal-spatial (GTS) algorithm, and enhance its accompanying beta version software interface to facilitate widespread adoption of statistically based LTM optimization efforts across DoD and government facilities; accelerate and promote transfer of GTS as a free, public domain software technology to analysts, site managers, and consultants; and incorporate site-specific flow regime information into the GTS mapping capability. Because the GTS software is designed to be used without site-specific coding or specialized programming, the updated user interface and software will be tested and validated at various sites and hydrogeological environments, representing a range of DoD conditions and contaminants. Technology Description: GTS is a statistical and geostatistical decision-logic groundwater monitoring optimization algorithm that has been developed and coded into beta version software. While the underlying code of the GTS software is highly refined, the graphical user interface (GUI) is at an early stage of development. GTS uses a novel combination of statistical techniques to answer two questions, given an existing LTM network: (1) What is the optimum number and placement of wells in that network? and (2) What is the optimal sampling frequency for wells in the network? GTS is designed to balance the practical and scientific difficulties inherent in optimization schemes, namely, how to perform a scientifically defensible optimization analysis without substantially involving hydrogeologic, statistical, or mathematical experts. The software has several state-of-the-art, built-in statistical and geostatistical analytical routines, all tailored to LTM optimization yet woven into a user interface designed to smartly guide the user through a complex series of analyses. Expected Benefits: More than 2,500 DoD and government sites undergoing LTM could benefit from GTS optimization. GTS offers an effective way to manage LTM resources by reducing sampling frequency and minimizing spatial redundancy in existing networks, through statistically defensible addition of new wells to better characterize contaminant plumes, and via trend mapping and flagging to better monitor changes over time in site conditions and to identify new anomalies or unexpected sampling results. Projected annualized and life-of-project cost savings from implementing a GTS-optimized program at a given site can be significant, in the range of 30%-60%. GTS is equally applicable to both site-specific plumes and unit-wide or base-wide studies involving multiple source areas, plumes, and monitoring conditions. Furthermore, GTS offers stand-alone spatial and temporal optimization modules. Even at sites that are poorly characterized or have insufficiently large well networks to warrant a spatial analysis, temporal optimization still can be conducted, including trend mapping and flagging. (Anticipated Project Completion - 2010) Principal Investigator: Mr. Philip Hunter HQ AFCEE/BCE 3300 Sidney Brooks Brooks City-Base, TX 78235 Telephone: (210) 536-7237 Fax: (210) 536-2239 E-mail: philip.hunter@brooks.af.mil
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