Results of the Minnesota Pilot Study for the National Groundwater Monitoring Network

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) jointly participated in one of five pilot studies to test the concepts and approaches for a proposed National Groundwater Monitoring Network (NGWMN). The results from the pilot studies will be used to produce recommendations leading to full-scale implementation of this network. The NGWMN is envisioned as a voluntary, integrated system of data collection, management, and reporting that provides the data needed to help address present and future ground-water management questions raised by Congress, Federal, State and Tribal agencies and the public. The NGWMN will be comprised of selected wells from existing State, Federal and tribal groundwater monitoring programs. The focus of the network will be on assessing the baseline conditions and long-term trends in water levels and water quality. As part of the pilot study, the DNR and MPCA evaluated monitoring points, field practices, data management practices, and identified a subset of points for potential inclusion in the NGWMN's Targeted and Unstressed Subnetworks. The DNR and MPCA also identified all costs of potential participation in the NGWMN, including operating and managing the wells selected for the proposed NGWMN and addressing the identified network gaps. These cost estimates will be used to develop a budget to potentially implement the NGWMN Nationwide.