August 1996 GI-272 (formerly AS-109) Texas Ground-Water Data Dictionary Data Management Subcommittee/Texas Groundwater Protection Committee printed on recycled paper TEXAS NATURAL RESOURCE CONSERVATION COMMISSION Texas Ground-Water Data Dictionary by Data Management Subcommittee Texas Groundwater Protection Committee Robert H. Blodgett Chair Austin, Texas March 6, 1995 Barry R. McBee, Chairman R. B. “Ralph” Marquez, Commissioner John M. Baker, Commissioner Dan Pearson, Executive Director Authorization for use or reproduction of any original material contained in this publication, i.e., not obtained from other sources, is freely granted. The Commission would appreciate acknowledgement. Published and distributed by the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission Post Office Box 13087 Austin, Texas 78711-3087 The TNRCC is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. The agency does not allow discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation or veteran status. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, this document may be requested in alternate formats by contacting the TNRCC at (512)239-0010, Fax 239-0055, or 1-800-RELAY-TX (TDD), or by writing P.O. Box 13087, Austin, TX 78711-3087. ii TEXAS GROUNDWATER PROTECTION COMMITTEE Committee Membership ! Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission ! Texas Water Development Board ! Railroad Commission of Texas ! Texas Department of Health ! Texas Department of Agriculture ! Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board ! Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts ! Texas Agricultural Experiment Station ! Bureau of Economic Geology The Texas Ground-Water Data Dictionary was designed and produced by the Texas Groundwater Protection Committee in fulfillment of requirements given in Sections 26.401 through 26.407 of the Texas Water Code. The effort was partially funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. While the information contained in the report represents the contribution of each individual participating agency and group, the report as a whole is the work of the Committee and does not necessarily reflect all of the views and policies of each participating organization. Authorization for use or reproduction of any original material contained in this publication, i.e., not obtained from other sources, is freely granted. The Committee would appreciate acknowledgement. iii iv Abbreviations ARC/INFO - Geographic information system software made by ESRI D - Day EPA - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ESRI - Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. FGDC - Federal Geographic Data Committee FIPS - Federal Information Processing Standards GIS - Geographic information system GW - Ground water ITFM - U.S. Interagency Task Force on Monitoring Water Quality LAB - Laboratory LP - Liquefied petroleum M - Minute or meter MAX - Maximum MIN - Minimum MSDE - EPA Minimum Set of Data Elements for Ground-Water Quality N - Number NAD - North American Datum (horizontal) NGVD - National Geodetic Vertical Datum NIST - National Institute of Standards and Technology (formerly National Bureau of Standards) NRCS - National Resources Conservation Service (formerly U.S. Soil Conservation Service) NWIS - U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System OFR - U.S. Geological Survey Open File Report P - Primary PO - Post office PUB - Publication PVC - Polyvinyl chloride QA/QC - Quality assurance / Quality control S - Secondary T - Tertiary TDH - Texas Department of Health TECH - Technical TNRCC - Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission TWC - Texas Water Commission (now part of the TNRCC) TWDB - Texas Water Development Board UM - Texas Water Development Board User's Manual US - United States of America USGS - U.S. Geological Survey USPS - U.S. Postal Service VAP - Vulnerability Assessment Program v Executive Summary The Texas Ground-Water Data Dictionary describes a standardized framework for collecting and storing information on ground water in Texas. Use of the 135 data elements contained in the dictionary will make it easier to share information stored in various computer programs and operating systems, and will facilitate processing of information in a geographic information system (GIS). Not all of the data elements contained in this dictionary are required for every ground-water database. However, a core set of data elements specified in this dictionary is recommended to meet the requirements of the Minimum Set of Data Elements for Ground Water Quality (MSDE) developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Geological Survey, and other federal agencies. Other data elements are designed to meet specific geographic, political, or ground-water conditions in Texas. Definitions and descriptions of the 135 data elements are accompanied by 53 lookup tables. These tables contain many of the codes and values needed for each data element. The lookup tables can also be used to improve the quality control/quality assurance of information contained in a ground-water database. This dictionary may be used to modify existing databases or for the design of new databases. Users should expect that codes and data elements contained in this dictionary will be revised as additional state, federal, and international standards are promulgated. Local governments, universities, and consultants are encouraged to contact the Texas Groundwater Protection Committee for assistance in the use of this dictionary. vi Table of Contents Page Abbreviations ....................................................v Executive Summary .............................................. vi Preface ..........................................................x Introduction .....................................................1 Scope ...........................................................2 Guidelines on Database Design and Use ..............................3 Multiple Databases ............................................3 Lookup Tables ...............................................3 Data Entry QA/QC ............................................3 Domain Format ...............................................4 Database Design and Expansion ..................................4 Dictionary Organization ...........................................4 1.0 General Description Category ................................5 2.0 Geographic Description Category .............................5 3.0 Well Description Category ..................................6 4.0 Well Construction Category .................................7 5.0 Aquifer Description Category ................................7 6.0 Depth-to-Water Category ....................................8 7.0 Sample Description Category ................................8 8.0 Constituent/Parameter Category ..............................8 Format For Data Element Descriptions ...............................9 Data Element .................................................9 Extended Label ...............................................9 DOS Label ..................................................9 Definition ...................................................9 Measurement Determination .....................................9 Definition Source .............................................9 Attribute Authority ............................................9 Domain Format ...............................................9 Domain Length ...............................................9 Significant Digits ............................................10 Units ......................................................10 Edits ......................................................10 Minimum Value .............................................10 vii Page Minimum Value Inclusive?.....................................10 Maximum Value .............................................10 Maximum Value Inclusive? ....................................10 Typical Value ...............................................10 Value Limited? ..............................................10 Categorical Value ............................................10 Remarks ...................................................10 List of Texas Ground-Water Lookup Tables .........................56 GWCODE 01 - HORIZONTAL DATUMS ........................58 GWCODE 02 - VERTICAL DATUMS ...........................58 GWCODE 03 - POSITIONAL METHODS ........................58 GWCODE 04 - ACCURACY RANGES ..........................59 GWCODE 05 - INFORMATION SOURCES ......................60 GWCODE 06 - DATA INTEGRITY .............................61 GWCODE 07 - SOURCE MATERIAL SCALES ...................62 GWCODE 08 - CONVERSION TO UNIVERSAL STANDARD TIME ......................................................63 GWCODE 09 - ENTITY DESCRIPTIONS ........................63 GWCODE 10 - ENTITY DESCRIPTIONS ........................64 GWCODE 11 - ALTITUDE MEASURING POINTS ................64 GWCODE 12 - STATES ......................................65 GWCODE 13 - COUNTIES ....................................66 GWCODE 14 - TOPOGRAPHIC QUADRANGLES (SORTED BY QUAD NUMBER) .............................................69 GWCODE 14 - TOPOGRAPHIC QUADRANGLES (SORTED BY QUAD NAME) ..............................................105 GWCODE 15 - HYDROLOGIC UNITS (SORTED BY CODE NUMBER) .....................................................141 GWCODE 15 - HYDROLOGIC UNITS (SORTED BY DESCRIPTION) .....................................................145 GWCODE 16 - HYDROLOGIC UNIT METHODS ................149 GWCODE