Water Quality Sampling Locations Along the Shoreline of the Columbia River, Hanford Site, Washington

Abstract

SummaryAs environmental monitoring evolved on the Hanford Site, several different conventions were used to name or describe location information for various sampling sites along the Hanford Reach of the Columbia River. These conventions range from handwritten descriptions in field notebooks to the use of modern electronic surveying equipment, such as global positioning system receivers. Because of the diverse methods, inconsistent archiving of analytical results in various electronic databases and published reports occurred, including use of multiple names for the same site and inaccurate location information.This document provides listings of sampling sites that are associated with groundwater and river water sampling. The report identifies names and locations for sites associated with sampling: (a) nearriver groundwater using aquifer sampling tubes; (b) riverbank springs and seepage areas; (c) pore water collected from riverbed sediment; and (d) Columbia River water. Included in the listings are historical names used for a particular site and the best available geographic coordinates for the site, as of 2009.In an effort to create more consistency in the descriptive names used for water quality sampling sites, a naming convention is proposed in this document. The convention assumes that a unique identifier is assigned to each site that is monitored and that this identifier serves electronic database management requirements. The descriptive name is assigned for the convenience of the particular project and subsequent data user. As the historical database is used more intensively, this document may be revised as a consequence of discovering potential errors and the need to gain consensus on a proposed naming convention for some water quality monitoring sites.v AcknowledgmentsThis report has drawn on the efforts of numerous individuals who have worked along the Columbia River shoreline at the Hanford Site, to whom the authors extend their sincere appreciation. Of particular help in sorting out the locations and names associated with riverbank springs were Roger Dirkes, 1 who provided detailed recollections of his early work on the river, and Richard Mahood, 2 who spent countless days in the field documenting locations and collecting samples. Rich was also the principal developer of methods to install aquifer sampling tubes along the shoreline and provided leadership to several campaigns that resulted in the comprehensive monitoring network available today.William Webber 2 and JoAnne Rieger 2 engaged the senior author in extensive discussions regarding site location information from the perspective of database developers, which certainly helped guide the level of detail provided in this report. JoAnne patiently responded to numerous requests for assistance in querying existing databases, for which the authors are grateful. Lynn Bisping 1 graciously provided peer review of the report and offered numerous suggestions that improved clarity and accuracy. Kyle Parker 1 developed the location maps found in the appendix,...