Evaluation of groundwater sampling techniques for the investigation and monitoring of contaminated sites

Abstract

The collection of representative groundwater samples is an essential prerequisite in hydrogeological site evaluation and groundwater monitoring. Erroneous or insufficent sampling may lead to wrong conclusions, possibly causing considerable health and/or financial risks, especially in respect to the assessment of contaminated sites. The collection of representative water samples therefore requires the use of appropriate sampling techniques, taking into account the prevailing aquifer conditions, the borehole hydraulics and the chemical parameters to be investigated. Consequently, the definition of the most suitable sampling equipment should be based on multiple criteria. In general these are the changing temperature and pressure conditions and the contact of the water with non-inert materials, which may affect the chemical integrity of the sample during the drilling of the well, the withdrawal and pumping of the water to the ground surface as well as the storage and transport to the laboratory. The major factors have to be investigated and quantified in order to minimize all undesired effects. In this paper the major influencing factors are discussed. Furthermore, an evaluation of various sampling techniques and sampling systems is presented. Special consideration is given to the ability of various systems to adequately sample groundwater with high organic loads. In the last section, some new sample system developments are briefly presented together with the expert system CASES, which was developed at the Stuttgart Institut für Wasserbau.