National Engineering Handbook: Chapter 30 - Groundwater Hydrology and Geology
Natural Resources Conservation Service, 2010
The purpose of this chapter is to present information on groundwater as it relates to Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) programs. This material was compiled to help NRCS personnel plan and conduct groundwater studies under established NRCS standards and policies.
Investigations are made to determine the availability and suitability of groundwater for beneficial use and to provide groundwater information needed to plan, design, and construct works of improvement. NRCS does not make groundwater surveys or studies for the sole purpose of collecting basic data.
In many areas, basic groundwater data have been collected and compiled by other Federal, State, and private agencies. This information may be available in published documents or in unpublished field reports. When these data are either insufficient in detail or outdated, the NRCS must conduct further investigations.
Because problems associated with groundwater are complex, a flexible pattern of investigational procedures is needed. Identifiable groundwater characteristics help to determine the best procedures to use.
At present, about 90 percent of the freshwater sup-ply in the United States is from groundwater sources (National Groundwater Association).
Revision ID: 5885
Revision Date: 12/16/2022