ABSTRACT
As much information as possible about the site must be assimilated before the installation of monitoring wells so that an accurate conceptual model - which includes soil, geologic, hydrogeologic, and geochemical component -can be used to design the environmental monitoring system (EMS). The locations and depths of soil borings to be done prior to installation of the EMS should be proposed in a formal work plan, reflecting the spatial orientation of the site. Soil samples can be collected with hand-operated soil samplers from adequately shored trench walls or in conjunction with drill rigs. Methods for drilling monitoring wells include hand augering, driving wells, jet percussion drilling, using solid flight and hollow stem augers, direct mud rotary, air rotary or air percussion, air rotary or percussion with a casing driver, dual-wall reverse circulation, cable tool, bucket augers, reverse circulation rotary, and sonic drilling.
