Economics of sample compositing as a screening tool in ground-water-quality monitoring
Recent advances in high throughput/automated compositing with robotics/field-screening methods offer seldom-tapped opportunities for achieving cost reduction in ground-water-quality monitoring programs. An economic framework is presented for the evaluation of sample compositing as a screening tool in ground-water-quality monitoring. When the likelihood of occurrence of a contaminant in a well is very small, the use of sample compositing instead of routine exhaustive sampling will lead to reduction in analytical efforts. Such reduction will be maximum when there are no contaminated wells in the network. An N-fold reduction will result when none of the wells in a network of N wells are contaminated. When 25% or more wells in a network are contaminated, the use of sample compositing will require, at the most, an additional 50% analytical effort compared to exhaustive sampling. A quantitative ratio (fl) of laboratory analytical cost to that of well installation and field sampling costs and a ratio (f2) of the expected number of contaminated wells to that of the total number of wells were determined. Several useful mathematical results of primary interest are derived and illustrated with case examples in the paper. Selected areas for further research are also outlined.
- Research Organization:
- Environmental Protection Agency, Las Vegas, NV (USA). Environmental Monitoring Systems Lab.
- OSTI ID:
- 5719868
- Report Number(s):
- PB-89-197453/XAB; EPA-600/J-89/044
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Pub. in GWMR, 186-192(1989)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
GROUND WATER
WATER QUALITY
WATER POLLUTION MONITORS
COST ESTIMATION
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
SITE SURVEYS
WASTE DISPOSAL
WATER WELLS
ECONOMICS
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
MANAGEMENT
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
MONITORS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WATER
WELLS
520200* - Environment
Aquatic- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)