Pennsylvania Groundwater Information System (PaGWIS) Documentation

Enter PaGWIS

Introduction

System Requirements

Data sources and limitations

Using the PaGWIS Access Database

Using the default menu

Modifying queries to get the data you want

 

INTRODUCTION
The Pennsylvania Ground Water Information System (PaGWIS) consists of a large Access relational database containing data for wells, springs, and ground water quality throughout Pennsylvania. An interface to retrieve data from the data file provides easy-to-use forms that quickly retrieve well, spring, and/or water quality information on the basis of a county, a latitude-longitude rectangle, or an approximation of a radius around a point. Latitude/longitude values can be entered in either decimal degree or degree-minute-second format.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
PaGWIS requires an IBM compatible PC running Windows 97 5 or newer version of Windows.

Finally, select the Settings tab.

Select the new resolution and press apply to verify that the system will function at the new settings. If everything works, select OK.

Use of a lower resolution than recommended may make it impossible to view the query grid for the predefined queries included in PaGWIS.

DATA SOURCES AND LIMITATIONS
Data in the PAGWIS database has been consolidated from numerous sources.
PaGWIS is designed around a comprehensive modification of the USGS's Ground Water Site Inventory national database. Definitions of the database fields also mirror GWSI where there is a one to one correspondence. In some cases the PaGWIS field sizes have been increased to allow for more detail. PaGWIS also uses data types, such as Date fields, available in Microsoft Access.

PaGWIS contains data from the following sources:

 

Water Well Inventory (WWI)

This database contains information regarding approximately 300,000 165,827 wells, 123,351 of which have latitude and longitude values. This database was created by the Pennsylvania Geological Survey to manage data supplied to them by water well drillers. Data submission began in 1966 using paper forms. Latitude and longitude was determined in the office by interpreting both handwritten directions and a hand-drawn map supplied by the driller. Most of the location and data entry work has been done by temporary employees of the agency, so it is of varying reliability. Typically one county was worked on at a time. No data entry has been done since 2005. Records submitted since the last update are filed by county and township in the Middletown offices of the Pa Geological Survey and can be examined by visiting that office. Although since 1966 drillers have been obligated by law to submit a completion report for every water well constructed in the state, it is estimated that many thousands go unreported each year.

 

Ground Water Site Inventory (GWSI)

GWSI is part of the United States Geological Survey's WATSTORE system, a national database to manage water data. PaGWIS contains information on 44,411 wells and 1,538 springs from this database and is current through July, 1998. Locations for all GWSI sites have been determined through a field visit. Most of the data in GWSI resulted from water resource studies conducted by either the Pennsylvania or United States Geological Surveys. Much of this same data and the resulting interpretation, can be found in the published reports from these studies. Since 1966 the WWI data, discussed above, has provided the starting point for many of the sites in GWSI, so it is likely that there is some duplication in the two datasets. GWSI contains a wealth of historical data, some dating to the early 1900's.

 

Quality of Water (QWData)

This is the water quality portion of the United States Geological Survey's WATSTORE system. PaGWIS contains the results of more than 479,515 individual parameters conducted on 18,217 samples collected at 7,265 wells and 524 springs across Pennsylvania . The database uses standardized codes to identify the 10,419 different parameters the database is designed to store.

 

Public Water Supply Wells

Data on selected public water supply wells was provided by the Bureau of Water Supply Management in Pennsylvania 's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). PaGWIS contains information regarding 9,067 public water supply wells which were not present in either WWI or GWSI. Many of these wells were constructed prior to the Water Well Inventory. A higher percentage of public water supply wells go unreported to the WWI because drillers mistakenly believe the consultant overseeing the construction will submit the completion report.

 

Pesticide Survey

Data for 172 wells was supplied by The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture as a result of a two-year study of pesticides in ground water. Generally the WWI provided base information for the field verification and sampling of these sites.

USING THE PAGWIS DATABASE

Microsoft Access uses the Database Window to keep track of the different objects in PaGWIS. Similar to Windows Explorer, the database window provides several different ways to list the elements in a database. Again, similar to Explorer, more information is provided by the "Details" view. You can select the Details view by pressing the "Details" button on the Access Toolbar.

The tabs in the Database Window represent the different types of objects in an Access database. PaGWIS uses three types of objects: Tables, Queries, and Forms. Each object in PaGWIS has a name, which appears in the title bar of the window, when the object is opened. Object-naming conventions recommend that name of each object carry a prefix indicating the type of object. In PAGWIS table names begin with tbl, query names with qry, and form names with frm.

Click on the Tables tab to see a list of all of the tables used by the database.There are two types of tables in PaGWIS, those that hold the data describing the wells, springs, and water quality, and those that are used to translate codes used to represent the data in the database. To efficiently utilize computing resources, codes are used to represent much of the data in PaGWIS. For example, a water-use code of "H" is used to indicate that the water from the well is used for domestic purposes. Names for tables that contain information on the wells and springs carry an "Info" suffix. Names for tables that are used to translate codes carry an "LU" (for Look Up) suffix.

The PaGWIS database can be started. This will start Access and open the form that serves as the main menu.

The main data retrieval form is broken into two major areas. The top portion of the form is used to retrieve data for an entire county.

The bottom portion of the form is used when a latitude-longitude based query is desired.

For each retrieval scenario the user has four possible types of information to retrieve: Well Data, Spring Data, Well-Water Quality, and Spring-Water Quality. Each data type can be retrieved by pressing a button on each retrieval form.

Once you have pushed one of the retrieval buttons please be patient. If you find it necessary to interrupt a retrieval that is running, hold down the Control key and press the Break key.

USING THE DEFAULT MENU

County-based retrievals can be run from the main menu simply by selecting the county name and pressing the button for the type of data desired. Almost 200,000 wells have no coordinates so they will only show up in a county based retrieval.

Queries defined by latitude and longitude can take two forms. The first is a rectangular area bounded by the latitudes and longitudes entered by the user. The second is an approximation of a radial search around a point. The radial search requires the entry of the latitude and longitude of the center and a radial distance in miles.

The user can then enter the required information. Note that the forms using degree-minute-second format require two digits for each of the degree, minute, and second entries. Use a "0" before all minute or second entries that are less than 10. To simplify data entry the cursor moves to the next entry block as soon as the second number has been entered. There is no need to tab or "mouse" to each field. Also, coordinates should be entered as positive numbers. Be careful to get the correct geographic sense for each coordinate pair: largest longitude on the left, largest latitude on the top.

MODIFYING QUERIES TO GET THE DATA YOU WANT

Each button on the forms initiates an Access query that reads the data from the form and retrieves a predetermined set of fields. PaGWIS contains far more information than is offered by these elementary retrievals. With a working knowledge of Microsoft Access the queries provided as part of the menu system can be copied and modified to retrieve whatever the user desires. One easy way to start this process is to run a retrieval using a system query. Once the results are posted to the screen, change the query to design view by pressing the toolbar button on the left side of the toolbar. The button looks like pencil next to a turquoise drafting triangle.

To avoid changing the system query, once the query is displayed in design mode

you should execute menu option File/Save As/Export and make a copy of the query.

This will open a dialog that allows you create a copy of the query. Give it a name and select OK.

You are now working on the copy so you can make any modifications without affecting the standard PaGWIS functionality. Because the queries read data from the forms, it is important that the form be opened and the fields populated before the query is run. Using the menu system this happens by default, however, when you create a new query that is not activated by the menu, it too will require the form to run correctly. We recommend that you proceed through the PaGWIS menu until you are ready to press a query button, then simply navigate to the Database Window, select the Queries tab, and double click on your new query to run it.

For more information, email Gary Fleeger of the Pennsylvania Geological Survey.