United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Environmental Monitoring Systems
Laboratory
Las Vegas NV 89114
Research and Development
EPA-600/S4-83-017 June 1983
&EPA Project Summary
A Prototype Computer-Interactive
Groundwater Monitoring
Methodology: An Example for
Sedimentation Ponds
L G. Everett and W. 0. Rasmussen
This report describes a prototype
computer-interactive system that
enables the development of a
groundwater monitoring program for
sedimentation ponds at coal strip
mines. The system is an eight-step
procedure derived from the fifteen-step
methodology developed for the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency
(Monitoring Groundwater Quality:
Monitoring Methodology, EPA-600/4-
76-026) for monitoring coal strip mine
operations which constitute a major
potential source of groundwater
degradation. While this report
addresses the monitoring of sedimenta-
tion ponds, the system presented
consists of a set of instructions
applicable to monitoring any specific
groundwater pollution source.
The instructions enable the user to
select from a large amount of text
information those portions appropriate
to be written into his own file. Of the
several approaches that can be used,
the approach described in this system is
one that breaks the text into segments
or frames numbered consecutively and
stored in a sequential file. The
information contained in the frames
offers various alternative methods for
building components of a mine surface
and subsurface water monitoring
design plan. The user constructs his
own monitoring design file by selecting
from the methods presented those
applicable to his specific mine. For each
step and objective the user is presented
with a description of the principle
involved in each of the alternative
methods, the advantages and
disadvantages of each, and the
associated cost.
This Project Summary was developed
by EPA's Environmental Monitoring
Systems Laboratory. Las Vegas. NV. to
announce key findings of the research
project that is fully documented in a
separate report of the same title (see
Project Report ordering information at
back).
Introduction
As part of its program to protect the
environment from the adverse effects of
the rapidly increasing industrial
development of Western U.S. coal
reserves, the U.S. Environmental Protec-
tion Agency (EPA) conducted a project to
identify, quantify, and priority rank the
important sources of groundwater quality
degradation within a given coal strip mine
area. The resulting report, "Groundwater
Quality Monitoring of Western Coal Strip
Mining: Identification and Priority
Ranking of Potential Pollution Sources"
(EPA-6OO/7-79-O24) identifies coal strip
mining in the Western U.S. as a major
potential source of groundwater quality
degradation and describes the following
specific sources of potential pollution
within this major classification:
1. Spoils 9. Stockpiles
2. Pit Water
3. Sedimentation
ponds
4. Explosives
5. Mine Solid Waste
and Liquid Shop
Wastes
a. topsoil
b. overburden
c. coal
d. coal refuse
e. partings
10. Reclamation
Aids
6. Sanitary Waste 11. Solid Waste from
Road Construc-
tion
8. Leaks
7. Spills
-------
These sources are listed in a priority
order or in relative order of the magni-
tudes of water quality impacts that they
cause in typical coal strip mining
environments. Some or all of these
potential sources of contaminants may be
found at any given coal strip mine in the
West.
The computer-interactive monitoring
system presented in this report uses an
eight-step methodology derived from the
fifteen-step methodology. This
structured, cost-effective methodology
enables the design and implementation
of a groundwater quality monitoring
program for any manmade source under
any hydrogeologic regime and could be
used by government and industry as the
basis for developing all Western coal strip
mine and oil shale groundwater
monitoring guidelines.
In addition, this monitoring
methodology shows that a finite number
of monitoring techniques are available to
assess the problem and design the
monitoring program; that the design,
implementation, operation and
maintenance costs can be reasonably
estimated by formula; and that pump size,
screen size, pumping rates and other
factors all behaved according to funda-
mental relationships. These capabilities
of the methodology prompted the work
described in this report and the resultant
construction of the computer interactive
system that enables a nontechnical
person to design a monitoring program
for a coal strip mine sedimentation pond.
The following eight-step procedure forms
the basis for the computer interactive
system:
1. Select the area for monitoring.
2. Inventory potential pollution
sources.
3. Identify potential pollutants and
methods of disposal.
4. Identify groundwater usage.
5. Evaluate infiltration potential.
6. Evaluate pollutant mobility in the
vadose zone.
7. Evaluate pollutant mobility in the
saturated zone.
8. Priority rank the sources:
a. Potential pollutant amounts and
concentrations
b. Amounts infiltrating
c. Mobility of infiltrating pollutants
in the vadose zone
d. Mobility of pollutants reaching
the saturated zone
A coal mine operator or other person
planning to use the monitoring
methodology would select those potential
sources found on his mine site. He would
then develop an appropriate monitoring
program for each source by applying
Steps 3 through 7 of the eight-step
methodology to each source in order of its
priority or importance at that particular
mine site. A primary goal in developing a
monitoring program is to evaluate
existing monitoring effectiveness and
related monitoring gaps for each of the
existing sources and to determine the
potential for groundwater contamination
by each source according to its
preliminary priority rank (Step 8). This
computer interactive system serves to
develop the monitoring plan.
For each type of source, the program
discusses Steps 3 through 7 of the eight-
step methodology under the following
headings:
1. General monitoring objectives
Specific monitoring objectives
2. Alternative monitoring approaches
for achieving objectives including:
a. Advantages and disadvantages
of each alternative method
b. Sampling frequencies needed
for each method
c. Analytical methods
d. Costs
3. Recommended monitoring ap-
proach (including costs)
The report from which this summary is
derived addresses the monitoring of sedi-
mentation ponds. However, by following
the preceding format, (Step 3 through 7
applied to each source), a user of the
interactive system can develop a
monitoring program tailored to meet the
needs of specific sources at the site under
investigation.
To operate the system a user requires a
standard electric wall plug inlet (110-120
VAC), a telephone, and a portable
computer terminal, which cost about
$2,600 in 1980. The system requires less
than 60K words of memory. Daily
operating costs are approximately $25 to
$100, depending upon the kind of
monitoring methods selected.
Computer Program Description
The computer program presented in
this report addresses methods of
delivering a large amount of text from
which the user can select those portions
appropriate to be written into his own file.
Several approaches may be used on such
a problem. In the approach selected for
discussion, the text information is broken
into a number of segments or frames.
A logic record is stored in each frame.
The system uses this to determine the
correct frame to branch to in response to
queries about material in the frame itself.
This dispersal of logic into the frames
themselves allows a complex frame-
branching to occur, without cluttering the
main computer program with branching
information for each frame.
In this approach, the frames are
numbered consecutively and stored in a
sequential file (Figure 1). As the program
operates, specific frames are retrieved
from the file and the information
contained in them is presented to the
user. The information includes various
alternative methods of building
components of a mine surface and sub-
surface water monitoring design plan.
The user selects the appropriate methods
for his specific mine and loads these into
his own monitoring design file, which is
compiled as the program progresses.
The program is interactive and tutorial
in nature. During the execution, the user
is presented material from a frame and
then queried as to whether he is currently
using some of this material in his
monitoring operations; would like to use
some of this information in his own
specific monitoring design file; or would
like to introduce comments into his
monitoring design file (MDF).
User responses are analyzed by the
computer for possible errors as well as foi
the occurrence of control words. These
control words require the program tc
override the current operation and allow
for various other functions to be
executed. Other functions may range
from stopping work on a specific step ir
the monitoring design methodology tc
having printed what has already beer
loaded into the MDF.
The computer program allows the use
to go through portions of the steps in th
monitoring design methodology and he i
not required to finish any one step befon
he may work on another. This allows thi
steps to be done in any selected order am
allows a given step to be broken off am
then continued from that point at sorm
later time. Such an interruption in a ste,
may be due to the need for data analysis
consultation with others, or the end of
work period.
-------
The computer program is designed to
be used with either a standard or portable
computer terminal. The text material is
formatted so that it may be presented on a
small portable terminal with only 80
columns available for output. A typical
terminal of this nature is the Texas
Instruments 700 series, which may be
easily carried and connected to any
telephone. The program is operated by
dialing a host computer and, when a
carrier signal is obtained, attaching the
telephone handset to the computer
terminal. Thus, the computer terminal
may be operated at any location having a n
electrical outlet and a telephone.
The primary text file is formatted in
such a fashion that it may be constructed
by persons with little if any previous
exposure to a computer. The provided text
file (TEXT.DAT) suffices for mines in the
West. The computer program presented
was developed on a DEC-20 computer
through the use of mostly ANSI
FORTRAN IV so that its movement to
Logic
Text
Logic
Text
Logic
Text
Frame 42
Frame 43
V y--v—x-j
\ -••? :
xZlP"
Logic J
Figure 1. Typical structure of TEXT. DA T
file.
other computers should be straightfor-
ward.
The parent report describes a small
version of the TEXT.DAT file constructed
to show how the program operates. In
this example, various options and
abilities of the program are exercised to
show the reader what is available and
how it may be used. A basic system for
program execution is illustrated in Figure
2.
The main driver component of the
total program is used to respond to the
user's request as to what is to be done for
a given lease (Figure 3). It determines
whether a new or old monitoring design
file (MDF) is to be utilized (i.e., is this a
continuation of work on an existing mine
MDF or is a new file to be built?). It then
asks the user which step he is interested
in addressing. Text material relative to
that step is presented from TEXT. DAT to
the user, who selects appropriate items
from it and, in so doing, enters material
into his MDF. This continues for as long
as the user wishes to operate the
program.
The main driver assigns device channel
numbers and opens the three files which
are used by the program (Figure 2).
Channels are paths of information flow
between the main program and the
supporting files. As these numbers are
assigned at the beginning of the main
program, this capability allows for easy
modification, if required, for another
computer or configuration on a given
computer. File names are also assigned
to the three files. For the present case, the
names are TEXT.DAT; MDF30.DAT; and
MDF30.TEM. These are the stored text
files containing all text material that is
presented to the user; the monitoring
design file being built specifically for the
user's mine site; and a temporary file
used to insert material into the
monitoring design file, respectively.
The program begins with the user
being informed what the program is and
Afo/V) Driver and
Subroutines
»
*
Ac*f File 1
(TEXT.DAT) \
L \
(Monitoring 1
Design File 1
(MDF. DAT) \
/ Scratch File I
^ ^DF. rf M; I
what it does. He is then asked if this is a
new or existing lease. This question
refers to whether the mine has been
addressed previously by the program. If it
has, components of the monitoring
design file for this mine already exist in
the MDF30.DAT file and will be linked
into the system and expanded by the
current operation of the program.
If the user states that it is a new mine,
the program asks again if that is the case
and informs him that all information in
any existing monitoring design file for
that mine will be destroyed and to input
again if it is a new mine. Given that it is
indeed a new mine location, the program
begins to build a new MDF. (Figure 3).
To identify the mine data set, the lease
number of the mine and the name of the
mine are requested of the user and stored
as the first items in the monitoring design
file for that mine. The program then
builds the rest of the file by setting up
areas in which to load information
relative to the several steps in the eight-
step methodology. Associated with each
step is a frame number in the TEXT.DAT
file. This is the beginning frame of the
sequence of frames containing text
material for possible loading into the MDF.
If an existing monitoring design file is to
be expanded, it is first linked into the
system. The user is asked if he would like
to examine its contents. In the event he
does, he may look at all material stored in
the MDF for a given step. This may be
repeated for as many steps as he wishes.
In case the step has not been addressed
before, and is empty, the user is so
informed. He is also informed if the step
was terminated early and does not
contain all information that it might. In a
similar vein, the user is informed if the
step has been totally covered and the
material for that step is complete. By
examining the material contained in the
MDF in this fashion, the user may
determine the state of completion of the
MDF and where he should begin for a
particular session.
From either path, (the initialization of a
new MDF or the use of an existing MDF),
the user is next presented a menu of
steps in the eight-step methodology and
asked which step he wishes to address.
When the user selects a given step, the
program passes operation to one or more
of the other program modules.
Figure 2. Basic system for program execution.
-------
Start
Initialize Step Starting Frame Numbers
and Define Channel Numbers
Ask User if He
Wants a New MDF
Ask User if He Wishes
to Examine Existing MDF
Present Step Menu to User and Ask
Which Number on the Menu He
Wishes to Address
t
|| CallREEDX \
t
/ ISTP \
( Branch to Menu /
\ Step Number /
i
| Call Extend | j Close Files |
* *
1 1 Call Source 1 1 (^ Sfop ^
t n
1 1 Call Frtenft | 1
5
f
r
u 1 u || Call Extend \\
1 ^
|| Call Branch ||
'
r
|| Call Extend \\
I.
6
7
,«
|| CallRDMDF |
Figure 3. Flowchart of main driver.
-------
L. G. Everett and W. 0. Rasmussen are with Kaman Tempo. Santa Barbara, CA
93102.
Leslie G. McMillion is the EPA Project Officer (see below).
The complete report, entitled "A Prototype Computer-Interactive Groundwater
Monitoring Methodology: An Example for Sedimentation Ponds, "(Order No. PB
83-200 600; Cost: $17.50, subject to change) will be available only from:
National Technical Information Service
5285 Port Royal Road
Springfield, VA 22161
Telephone: 703-487-4650
The EPA Project Officer can be contacted at:
Environmental Monitoring Systems Laboratory
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
P.O. Box 15027
Las Vegas, NV 89114
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Center for Environmental Research
Information
Cincinnati OH 45268
Postage and
Fees Paid
Environmental
Protection
Agency
EPA 335
Official Business
Penalty for Private Use $300
SSS IM!*SS»UM
CHICAGO IL 60601
------- |