ASTM D5851-95(2000)

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An American National Standard
Designation:D 5851–95 (Reapproved 2000)
Standard Guide for
Planning and Implementing a Water Monitoring Program
This standard is issued under the fixed designation D 5851; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (e) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
INTRODUCTION
Water resource monitoring has taken place in many forms for scores of years. This monitoring has
been sponsored and performed by a variety of federal, state, and local public agencies; and perhaps
by an even wider variety of private, quasi-public and industrial entities. Historically, much of the early
datadealtwithquantitiesofflow,anddrinkingwaterqualitywasjudgedbythestandardsoftheperiod.
During the past several years the problems related to point and nonpoint sources of pollution of
water resources have become increasingly apparent. Technology has improved dramatically, as the
need for monitoring data has improved. There is a necessity for information on marine beaches and
estuarine areas, fresh water swamps, ground water, wetlands, streams, and sediment deposits, and to
better understand the entire hydrologic cycle.
The need for more and varied water quality information has expanded as rapidly as our
technological ability to generate the information. Further, it has become increasingly difficult and
sometimes impossible to understand and resolve conflicts among the different data sets available.
Much of the data have been collected at different times, in different geographic areas, and for different
purposes. The data have been collected by persons with varied training, using different methods, and
with vastly different analytical capabilities.As a consequence, we presently are at the stage where we
may know more about a given situation than we understand and workers in the field who receive the
data are unable to integrate the data available into a useful solution. The need for standardization of
monitoring programs is evident. Standardization does not herein mean everyone doing everything
exactly the same way. It does mean the use of methods and procedures, where applicable, that follow
recognized and documented protocols as well as the accurate recording and storage of the data in
accessible formats.
Realizing the difficulties in water monitoring, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) of the
federal government charged the Water Information Program (WICP), a program of the U.S.
Geological Survey’s Office ofWater Data Coordination, with studying water quality monitoring in the
United States and recommending improvements. The Intergovernmental Task Force on Monitoring
Water Quality (ITFM), a federal, state, and tribal partnership, was established under the WICP’s
Interagency Advisory Committee on Water Data to carry out this study. The results of three years of
work by about 200 contributors have been captured in a series of three annual reports (1, 2, 3).
The following summarizes the conclusions from those reports:
(1) Monitoring programs shall keep pace with changing water-management programs.
(2) A collaborative strategy is needed to link the many separate monitoring programs.
(3) Agenuineappreciationoftheneedforcooperationcurrentlyexistsamongmonitoringagencies.
(4) Recent advances in technology provide opportunities for interaction and cooperation that
previously were impossible.
Based upon those conclusions, the following recommendations were made:
(1) Implement an integrated, voluntary, nationwide strategy to improve water quality monitoring.
(2) Charter a permanent national body to guide the implementation of ITFM recommendations.
(3) Develop a framework for monitoring water quality that defines the components of a monitoring
program.
(4) Develop criteria with which to select parameters that measure progress in achieving water
quality goals.
(5) Recommend indicators to measure whether water quality uses designated by the state are being
met.
Copyright © ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959, United States.
D 5851–95 (2000)
(6) Charter a Methods and Data Comparability Council to foster the development and use of
performance-based methods of collection and analysis.
(7) Use the ecoregions concept, reference conditions, and index calibration.
This guide is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee D19 on Water and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee D19.02 on General Specifications, Technical
Resources, and Statistical Methods.
Current edition approved Oct. 10, 1995. Published December 1995.
The boldface numbers in parentheses refer to a list of references at the end of this guide.
1. Scope 1.5 Monitoring Purposes—Establishing goals defines the
purpose for monitoring. Each purpose has some monitoring
1.1 Purpose—This guide is generic in its application to
design needs specific to itself.There are six major purposes for
surfaceorgroundwater,rivers,lakes,orestuaries(quantityand
water monitoring. They are as follows:
quality). It proposes a series of options that offer direction
1.5.1 Determining the Status and Trends of Water
without recommending a definite course of action and dis-
Conditions—This can require long term, regular monitoring to
cusses the major elements that are common to all purposes of
determine how parameters change over time.
water monitoring.
1.5.2 Detecting Existing and Emerging Problems—
1.2 The elements described are applicable whether the
Determining if, how, or where a substance may move through
monitoring is only for one location or integrates multiple
an aquatic system, or if water quantities are changing.
measurement sites for the purpose of assessing a whole
1.5.3 Developing and Implementing Management and
watershed, estuary, or aquifer system.
Regulatory Programs—Includes baseline and reconnaissance
1.3 This guide is intended to outline for planners and
monitoring to characterize existing conditions such as to
administrators the components, process, and procedures which
identify critical areas or hot spots; implementation monitoring
shouldbeconsideredwhenproposing,planning,orimplement-
to assess whether activities were carried out as planned; and
ing a monitoring program. The guide is not a substitute for
compliancemonitoringtodetermineifspecificwaterqualityor
obtaining specific technical advice. The reader is not assumed
water use criteria were met.
to be a technical practitioner in the water field; however,
1.5.4 Responding to an Emergency—Performed to provide
practitioners will find it a good summary of practice and a
information in the near term.
handy checklist. Other standard guides have or will be pre-
1.5.5 Evaluating the Effectiveness of Water Monitoring
pared that address the necessary detail.
Programs—Is the monitoring able to achieve the stated goals?
1.4 Monitoring Components—A water monitoring program
Also, monitoring to check on monitoring.
is composed of a set of activities, practices, and procedures
1.5.6 Supporting research objectives or validating of simu-
designed to collect reliable information of known accuracy and
lation models.
precision concerning a particular water resource in order to
1.6 This guide is applicable to these purposes and provides
achieve a specific goal or purpose. The purposes may range in
guidanceonsomeofthespecificneedsofeach.Aftergoalsand
scope from tracking status and trends on a regional or national
objectives have been established, a specialist can define the
basis to gathering data to determine the effects of a specific
type, frequency, and duration of sampling and measurements.
management practice or pollution incident such as a spill. This
The specialist also will be able to forecast the data analysis
guide suggests and discusses the following process and com-
needed to meet the objectives.
ponents:
1.7 There are related standards currently available or under
1.4.1 Establishment of program goals and objectives and
development and several documents that prescribe protocols
recording of decisions in a written plan (see 6.1),
for water monitoring (4–9). See also Section 2.
1.4.2 Developing background data and a conceptual model
1.8 This guide suggests that water monitoring programs use
(see 6.1.12),
standardized documented protocols for all aspects of the
1.4.3 Establishment of data (quality, quantity, type) objec- program. Where they are not available or appropriate, the
tives (see 6.2),
methods used should be documented.
1.9 This standard does not purport to address all of the
1.4.4 Design of field measurement and sampling strategies
and specification of laboratory analyses and data acceptance safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the
responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-
criteria (see 6.3),
priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-
1.4.5 Data storage and transfer (see 6.6),
bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.
1.4.6 Implementation of sampling and analysis strategies
(see 6.4),
2. Referenced Documents
1.4.7 Data quality assessment (see 6.5),
2.1 ASTM Standards:
1.4.8 Assessment of data (see 6.7),
D 1129 Terminology Relating to Water
1.4.9 Program evaluation (see 6.8), and
1.4.10 Reporting (see 6.9).
See also Fig. X1.1 in Appendix X1 and the condensed list of
headings in Appendix X2. Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 11.01.
D 5851–95 (2000)
D 4840 Practice for Sampling Chain of Custody Proce- such as the carbon and oxygen cycles. Water’s chemical and
dures physical properties enable it to dissolve many substances and
D 5847 Practice for Writing Quality Control Specifications physically remove and suspend others. Consequently, as water
for Standard Test Methods for Water Analysis encounters various substances in the atmosphere, on land
2.2 Other Documents: surfaces, and below ground, the water’s chemical composition
Compilation of Scopes of ASTM Standards Relating to changes, and the composition of materials suspended in the
Environmental Monitoring, 1994, ASTM, Philadelphia, water changes. Physical and chemical processes further change
PA. PCN: 13-600003-16 (700 standards) its composition as water moves through the hydrologic cycle.
ASTM Standards on Ground Water and Vadose Zone
5.1.2 Human activities using land and water have greatly
Investigations. PCN: 03-418094-38
altered the kind and amount of substances that water encoun-
2.3 EPA Documents:
ters as it moves through the hydrological cycle. Often, some
U.S. EPA813/B-92-002 Definitions for the Minimum Set of
substances, including those biological communities living
Data Elements for Ground Water Quality
within water, are present at concentrations that impair various
U.S. EPA 910/9-91/001 Monitoring Guidelines to Evaluate
water uses. These substances are regarded as pollutants. Much
Effects of Forestry Activities on Streams in the Pacific
of our effort to manage water resources is directed at reducing
Northwest and Alaska
the addition of pollutants in water. Other management efforts
are directed toward altering local pathways of water flow and
3. Terminology
maintaining or enhancing aquatic and marine habitats.
3.1 For definitions of terms used in this guide, refer to
5.1.3 Across the globe or across a county there are large
Terminology D 1129.
spatial and temporal variations in water flows and volumes, in
3.2 Definitions of Terms Specific to This Standard:
the natural features, which impact water resources, and in the
3.2.1 analyze—to determine the relationship of parts or the
nature and extent of human land and water uses. Consequently,
value of a particular parameter.
there can be large spatial and temporal variations in the
3.2.2 assess—to determine importance of data.
composition of water. The problem that must be addressed in
3.2.3 evaluate—to determine significance or worth.
water monitoring is how to spatially and temporally character-
3.2.4 measurement—determining the values of a character-
izethecompositionofwaterandthesourceofthiscomposition
istic within a sample or in situ.
with sufficient accuracy and precision to support local and
3.2.5 metadata—ancillary data that describe the natural
regional water uses and management efforts. Monitoring water
conditions under which an environmental data value is mea-
as it flows through the hydrologic cycle is not easy.
sured, the purpose for collection, the methods and standards
5.1.4 Reading through the following list of procedures and
employed, and the organization responsible.
considerations will provide the administrator or planner with
3.2.6 sampling—the removal of a portion of the water
insight into the details of needed expertise, complexity, and
which may or may not be representative of the whole. This is
work tasks in the design, implementation, and evaluation of a
not monitoring.
monitoring project.
3.2.7 water monitoring—water monitoring consists of sys-
tematic activities conducted to characterize the quantity or
6. Procedure
quality, or both, of water.
6.1 Establish Program Goals and Objectives:
4. Significance and Use
6.1.1 Define goals and objectives using a multidisciplinary
team. This requires a variety of professionals with special
4.1 The user of this guide is not assumed to be a technical
insights in order to prepare a sensible plan.
practitioner in the water field. This guide is an assembly of the
components common to all aspects of water monitoring and
6.1.1.1 Review existing data.
fulfills a need in the development of a common framework for
6.1.2 Prepare a plan of work from the goals, objectives, and
a better coordinated and more unified approach to monitoring
decisions. This will be an iterating process as progress is made
water.
developing the components. The plan can use a pilot approach
4.2 Limitations— This guide does not establish a standard
or phased-in approach.
proceduretofollowinallcasesanditdoesnotcoverthedetails
6.1.2.1 Coordinate activities with other relevant agencies,
necessary to meet a particular monitoring objective.
groups, and persons.
6.1.3 Develop a project schedule and budget.
5. A Primer on Water Monitoring Programs
6.1.3.1 Establish budgetary and personnel requirements.
5.1 The Problem— Why is water monitoring difficult?
6.1.4 Set timelines.
5.1.1 The movement of water through the hydrologic cycle
6.1.5 Set interim goals, checkpoints, and review periods.
dwarfs other material cycles operating on the earth’s surface,
6.1.6 Identify adaptive management parameters in accor-
dance with the project’s objectives; these are project specific
Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vo
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