CHAPTER 5 - GROUNDWATER DATA ISSUES 



Cape Cod Aquifer Management Project Final Report Page 37 



5.3.8 Water-Table Mapping and Observation-Well Issues 



CCAMP participating agencies should set standards for observation-well 

 data collection and surveying and encourage their adoption at all levels 

 of government. Observation-well data should be maintained at CCPEDC for 

 use in a Capewide observation-well network. 



A computerized database involving observation-well data should be 

 developed which includes such key elements as well number, location (coor- 

 dinate system, town, USGS quadrangle, etc.), elevation and name of proper- 

 ty owner. Use of CIS technology and existing databases such as GWSI 

 (Ground Water Site Inventory) and STORET ( Sto rage and Ret rieval of Water 

 Quality Information) should be evaluated for this purpose. 



CCPEDC should attempt to coordinate the various consulting efforts to 

 map and delineate Zone lis so that water-table mapping or Zone II 

 delineation does not stop at town boundaries. 



5.3.9 Facility Index Data System (FINDS) 



FINDS was designed to serve as an inventory of sites or facilities 

 that are subject to federal environmental legislation or regulations. The 

 system assigns a unique EPA identification numbers to each site and 

 manages the volume of facility information associated with each numbered 

 site . 



EPA's FINDS facility information should be updated and reviewed on a 

 scheduled basis. A program for field verification of FINDS sites needs to 

 be established. Information reviews should include adding new facilities 

 and updating regulated facility information such as addresses. 



5.3.10 CIS Data Standards 



Recommendations for a series of GIS data standards have been developed 

 and are documented in the CCAMP GIS report. 



5 .4 Geographic Information Systems Technology: General 



Groundwater managers at all levels of government must utilize diverse 

 and varied types of data, including scientific information on complex, 

 groundwater resource interrelationships and land-use inventory 

 information on a wide variety of potential sources of contamination. 

 Traditional databases are fragmented, timeconsuming to access, and 

 requires extensive work to use data from different sources. Unlike these 

 systems, Geographic Information System (GIS) technology provides a 

 powerful tool for groundwater management. As represented in Figure 5.1, 

 this computerized system for storing, analyzing and displaying spatially- 

 related information is revolutionizing the approach to environmental 

 management nationwide. 



