General Glossary

This refers to the "quality" of the data used in the assessment
and refers to the number and extent of observations available
for the assessment. The terms used were derived from USEPA
guidance but actual classifications were developed by MPCA as
follows: Poor - < 4 TP observations; Fair - 4 <= TP< 8, some
chlorophyll-a and Secchi; Good - 8 < TP < 10, some chlorophyll-
a and Secchi; and Excellent - 10 or more TP, chlorophyll-a and
Secchi observations.

Sometimes accidents happen, and spills occur. Or we learn that
commonly used materials are hazardous, such as asbestos. The
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) identifies, regulates
and cleans up <a
href=

Ambient monitoring has two primary objectives. These are 1) to
determine the status of the ground water resources, and 2) to
identify trends in water quality over time. Between 1989 and
2001, the MPCA conducted ambient monitoring through the Ground
Water Monitoring and Assessment Program (GWMAP). In 2003, the
MPCA re-established an ambient monitoring effort.

Text used by MPCA staff to describe a well. It can be an ID
number, incorporate the name of the site where it is located, or
there may no station name. The naming convention for stations
varies by program.
<br><br>
Private wells that are a part of the ambient groundwater
monitoring program sometimes use the name of the well owner.
These well names were removed from the Environmental Data Access
due to the transient nature of the well owner name.

An alphanumeric code used by MPCA staff to identify a specific
well or geoprobe location.

The site name is used to identify a particular facility or area
of interest to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA).
This name is used by MPCA staff to group wells into a particular
ground water monitoring project. A single well can be used in
more than one ground water monitoring project.

The legal threshold limit on the amount of a hazardous substance
that is allowed in drinking water under the <a
href="http://www.epa.gov/safewater/sdwa/basicinformation.html"&gt; Safe
Drinking Water Act</a>. The limit, set by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, is usually expressed as a concentration in
milligrams or micrograms per liter of water.
<br><br>
Information about MCLs is also available on the <a

The concentration of a groundwater contaminant, or a mixture of
contaminants, that can be safely consumed daily for a lifetime.
It is expressed as a concentration in micrograms per liter (ug/L).
<br><br>
Learn more about HRLs on the <a
href="http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/groundwater/index.html">Minnesota
Department of Health</a> Web site.

The concentration of a groundwater contaminant, or a mixture of
contaminants, that poses little or no risk to health, even if
consumed daily over a lifetime. The Minnesota Department of
Health develops HBVs in response to requests from other Minnesota
agencies that have found a contaminant in groundwater.
<br><br>
Learn more about HBVs on the <a
href="http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/groundwater/hbvs.html">Minnesota

A data system developed by the Minnesota
Geological Survey and the Minnesota Department of Health for
storing, retrieving and editing well water information. The CWI
database contains basic information such as location, depth and
water level for wells drilled in Minnesota. It also contains
construction and geological information from the well record
(well log) for many wells.