INTRODUCTION

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) Northeast Region undertook this
project with the thought that relevant volumes of geologic and hydrogeologic data was being
gathered by the Bureau of Remediation and Redevelopment and left in paper format in file
cabinets. Much of this information is relevant to current case work by others but is highly
inaccessible. Due to office space limitations closed cases are often located in different locations
than active cases, thus, relevant information to ongoing work is inaccessible. For example, case
sites that are located near one another which have pertinent information and subsequently closed
can not easily be referenced to assist in current matters. This project gathered relevant geologic
and hydrogeologic data from case files and entered them in one single relational database. This
database is joined in a Geographic Information System (GIS) with previously located site
information. This combination provides an easily accessible wealth of information that can be
used for queries and analysis. As an additional component in this project WDNR Northeast
Region developed a program utilizing Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI)
developer programming language Avenue for ArcView. This program allows persons unfamiliar to
GIS the ability to query all data the Region has gathered. For instance, the Bureau of Drinking
Water and Groundwater has been creating a database of well logs in FileMkaerPro software.
These well logs are linked in an ArcView project to be readily viewed by selecting an area on
screen. The documentation/instructions for this program are found after the conclusion of this
report. The project information is currently used by hydrogeologists in the Region to assist them in
determining the characteristics of ongoing cases, also summary reports can be prepared of local
conditions prior to investigating contamination sites in the field.

PROCEDURES

The WDNR Bureau of Remediation and Redevelopment monitors environmental spills, leaking
underground storage tanks and landfills. Data is collected quarterly while the case is active and
inserted into case files in paper format. This project researched active and closed cases looking
for relevant geologic and hydrogeologic data. Information gathered consisted of LUST/ERRP
case number, depth to bedrock, depth to water table, soil characteristics broken into five foot
depths from the surface, hydraulic conductivity and site well number, and soil and water analytical
results from upgradient borings and wells broken into five foot depths from the surface. Soil
analytical results collected were reflective of naturally occurring earth materials. Case files were
  located throughout WDNR field offices in the Northeast Region. Multiple visits to each field office
  were required to complete the project. A sample project form (figure 1.) was completed as
  accurately and extensively as each case permitted.

  Figure 2. is a map showing the location of sites where information existed that was recorded.
  There were 660 Leaking Underground Storage Tank (LUST) sites and 146 Environmental Repair
  and Restoration (ERRP) sites. Although there are many more contamination cases that existed in
  the region many cases did not have pertinent information, and others only had data collected for
  some portions of the form due to the extent of the contamination or the progress of the case. For
  instance, some cases only required soil sampling to determine the potential of contamination, if
  no soil contamination existed no further examination such as groundwater sampling was required.
  In this instance only soil characteristics could be gathered from the case. The files for most cases
  yielded depth to water and soil characteristic data. Research was also hampered by the fact that
  no two case reports were similar, files had to be carefully read to obtain accurate information
  regarding upgradient soil borings and groundwater well samples.

  In many situations soil characteristics for environmental spill cases are not equally classified
  according to a strict system. The sample project form (figure 1 .) illustrates the type of soil
  materials that many case records contained. This project used the Classification of Soils for
  Engineering Purposes (Table 1., Unified Soil Classification System) to better identity each soil.
  Using this well-known system allows a database query to be made by the classification


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