8. Sampling and National
System for Regional
Groundwater Monitoring
Jiri Sima
Hydrogeological system
• Groundwater = important component of the
environment and groundwater resources
represent a stabilizing part of the total runoff
from an area.
• Data about groundwater fluctuation, spring
discharge and river flow (surface – baseflow) are
important for understanding the groundwater
regime as well as for planning of groundwater
resources exploitation. These data and
information are also important for protection of
groundwater resources and protection of water
related eco-systems.
National Monitoring System History
• The first systematic monitoring of
groundwater started in the 1930s and 40s
in connection with the construction of a
canal connecting two rivers in the Morava
region.
• The groundwater monitoring network was
established in the period 1961- 1975 and
was completed in the period 1986 – 1990.
Czech Hydrometeorogical Institute
Established in 1953 by law
• Climatic monitoring
• Weather forcasting
• Surface water monitoring
• Groundwater monitoring (Groundwater
Department)
Groundwater Department
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standardization of measurement methods
primary data processing
evaluation of groundwater regime
groundwater balance assessment
administration of groundwater monitoring
network
Groundwater monitoring network history
• Discharge of 499 springs and the
groundwater level of 1926 wells were
carried out in 1997 (320 wells measured
by automatic recorders)
• Technical conditions of the monitoring
network were revised (by well logging and
TV) in the late 1990s and 2003-2004 and
the condition of a large number of
monitoring points was found to be poor
Monitoring network in 1997
Technical problems
• The casing of old wells is by steel and
stoneware and the filter is often blocked by
sediment (sand) and incrustations
• Technical control of these wells revealed
that 20% of the wells are only partly
working and 30% wells are in bad
technical condition
Well logging vehicle at old monitoring well
New goal of network
• Assessment of long-term trends including
monitoring climatic changes
• Incorporation of baseflow into the hydrological
balance of the Czech Republic
• Evaluation of the impact of human activities
(qualitative and quantitative)
• Data for national hydrological balance
• Assessment of impact of groundwater regime
upon environment and vice versa
Proposal for new monitoring
European standards
• Average density = 1 monitoring point in
each 50 km2.
• minimum density = 1 monitoring point to
each 70 km2.
• minimum density in the most important
hydrogeological structures = 1 monitoring
point to each 30 km2.
Reconstruction of monitoring
network
The project 2002 – 2008, proposal for 500
new monitoring points as follows:
• Groundwater monitoring (wells and
springs) points
• Surface water monitoring points
• Data acquisition and transfer systems
• 16 856 600 EUR of which 75% was
covered by the EU
Project definition
New point distribution
403 new wells
Drilling in winter
Monitoring well casing
Drilling and casing
Well logging
Pumping test
Well head protection
16 new springs
9 new river gauges
13 old river gauging stations reconstr.
New era in monitoring
• Fully automatic system
• Obseravtion of groundwater fluctuation
• Monitoring of quality changes
Groundwater monitoring
equipment
Equipment for groundwater level and
other parameters monitoring is under
dynamic technological development
From simple manually operated to full
automatic equipment with data transfer
using mobile networks
Groundwater level
The most simple measurement device is
manual portable deeper and analog
paper based systems
Surface water level monitoring
Modern systems - data logger +
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Hydrostatic pressure
Hydrostatic resistivity
Ultrasonic detection
Radar
Data logger +
Data loggers
Ultrasonic sensor and satellite
transmitter
Vertical
monitoring
of quality
changes
Auto sampler
Deep sampling
Thank you
for your
attention