Prioritizing Areas for Statewide Groundwater Monitoring

Abstract

A methodology for identifying and prioritizing areas in Illinois for monitoring of hazardous substances in groundwater is described. The criteria used to determine monitoring priorities are the density of hazardous substancerelated commercial/industrial activity, the amount of current groundwater withdrawals for public water supply, the likelihood of future groundwater development through potential yield of sand and gravel and shallow bedrock aquifers, and the susceptibility of these aquifers to contamination. A computerized map overlay system is employed to differentiate prioritized areas throughout Illinois at a spatial scale of discrete United States Postal Service zip code units.