Groundwater monitoring. Accurate assessment and reasonable economy are achievable

The objectives of groundwater monitoring are to warn of, identify, assess, and monitor a contamination episode. Of all the chemicals that are listed in Appendix IX of the CleanWater Act, and for which established methods exist, the volatile organics are the most interesting. They are generally the most water soluble of the organic compounds; consequently, they exhibit the greatest mobility with water flow. This is particularly important when considering the great extent of both permitted and illegal surface and underground disposal of organic chemicals that has occurred over the years. In addition, leaking underground pipes and tanks have contributed to the contamination of groundwater. A graph is presented which compares the analytical costs of groundwater monitoring methods.