Groundwater level data for Watershed-9 (W-9) in the Sleepers River Research Watershed (Vermont)

Metadata:
Identification_Information:
Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Shanley, James B.
Originator: Sebestyen, Stephen D.
Originator: Smith, Thor E.
Originator: Chalmers, Ann T.
Originator: Clark, Stew F.
Originator: Denner, Jon C.
Publication_Date: 2019
Title:
Groundwater level data for Watershed-9 (W-9) in the Sleepers River Research Watershed (Vermont)
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: tabular digital data
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Fort Collins, CO
Publisher: Forest Service Research Data Archive
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2018-0064
Description:
Abstract:
Depth to groundwater has been monitored since 1991 in Watershed 9 (W-9) of the Sleepers River Research Watershed (SRRW) in Vermont, with measurements made at many different locations. This data publication includes monthly water levels that are manually measured (1991-2018), daily and breakpoint water levels (1993-2009), and 30-minute water level data (2002-2004). There is a network of 39 wells, 3 recording wells, and 6 piezometers wells throughout W-9. Monthly (sometimes more frequent) water table elevation data have been measured in 48 different wells or piezometers since 1991. Daily data are reported for three positions (toeslope, mid hillslope, and upper hillslope) along a transect in the W-9B catchment (a sub-basin of W-9) since 1992. The 30-minute data are reported for 18 various wells in the W-9 catchment, but only for a relative short duration from 2002 to 2004 when measured during a particular study.
Purpose:
The Sleepers River Research Watershed (SRRW) was established during the 1960s to study the hydrology of mixed-use, mountainous landscapes in Vermont. The SRRW contained up to 17 research watersheds and 31 meteorological stations, though those numbers have fluctuated over time as different Federal Agencies or academic institutions operated the site and research program. From 1992 to 2011, the SRRW has been part of the Water, Energy, and Biogeochemical Budgets (WEBB) Program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Department of Interior (Glynn et al. 2009). Since 2011, the site has been part of the Land Change Science Program of the USGS.

Groundwater elevation has been monitored since 1991 in the 40.5 hectare (ha) W-9 catchment as part of the long-term research and monitoring program. Water level was measured in each well or piezometer on a monthly or more frequent basis since 1991. In a sub-basin (W-9B) of the W-9 catchment, a transect of recording wells was established at three different hillslope positions (toeslope, mid hillslope, and upper hillslope; 1992 to present) for long-term monitoring. For particular studies that may have lasted for up to three years, water table levels were measured at various wells throughout the W-9 catchment.
Supplemental_Information:
Additional information about the Sleepers River Research Watershed and the W-9 catchment, in particular, can be found in many publications, with the following being particularly relevant to the research program description, data, and metadata: Glynn et al. (2009), Shanley et al. (2015), Shanley et al. (2003), and Shanley et al. (1995).

These data were published on 02/19/2019. Minor metadata updates were made on 05/02/2022.
Time_Period_of_Content:
Time_Period_Information:
Range_of_Dates/Times:
Beginning_Date: 1991
Ending_Date: 2018
Currentness_Reference:
Ground condition
Status:
Progress: Complete
Maintenance_and_Update_Frequency: As needed
Spatial_Domain:
Description_of_Geographic_Extent:
The entire Sleepers River Research Watershed (SRRW) is an 11,000-hectare (ha) catchment located west of St. Johnsbury, Vermont, an area that includes the small towns of Danville and North Danville. Land cover is forest in steep headwaters and forest, dairy farm, pastureland, cropland, and low-density residential dwellings on rolling hills at lower elevations.

This data publication focuses of water level data from a small, headwater catchment to Sleepers River. The Watershed-9 (W-9) catchment is 40.5 ha, east-facing, upland catchment in the Kittredge Hills. The outlet stream (tributary to Pope Boork) drains to Pope Brook to Sleepers River to the Passumpsic River to the Connecticut River.

Three tributary streams meet upstream of a V-notch weir at the outlet of W-9. These sub-basins are designated W-9A, W-9B, and W-9C. Most of the wells and piezometers are located in the sub-basins.

WATERSHED AREAS:
W-9 = 40.5 ha
W-9A = 16.9 ha
W-9B = 12.9 ha
W-9C = 8.1 ha

Locations of wells and piezometers are provided in \Data\_GeneralInfo.csv. Boundaries, sub-basins, well locations, piezometer locations, and stream gage locations are shown in \Supplements\Map.jpg.

The bounding coordinates, longitude and latitude in decimal degrees in the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD 83) system, are the maximum extents of western, eastern, northern, and southern corners of W-9. Altitude minimum and maximum values are provided as meters above mean sea level in the National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1927 (NGVD 27) system.
Bounding_Coordinates:
West_Bounding_Coordinate: -72.1715
East_Bounding_Coordinate: -72.1607
North_Bounding_Coordinate: 44.9126
South_Bounding_Coordinate: 44.4982
Bounding_Altitudes:
Altitude_Minimum: 519
Altitude_Maximum: 686
Altitude_Distance_Units: meters
Keywords:
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: ISO 19115 Topic Category
Theme_Keyword: environment
Theme_Keyword: inlandWaters
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: National Research & Development Taxonomy
Theme_Keyword: Ecology, Ecosystems, & Environment
Theme_Keyword: Hydrology, watersheds, sedimentation
Theme_Keyword: Natural Resource Management & Use
Theme_Keyword: Water
Theme_Keyword: Forest management
Theme_Keyword: Inventory, Monitoring, & Analysis
Theme_Keyword: Monitoring
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: None
Theme_Keyword: forest hydrology
Theme_Keyword: water table elevation
Place:
Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: None
Place_Keyword: Vermont
Place_Keyword: Sleepers River
Place_Keyword: Sleepers River Research Watershed
Place_Keyword: Connecticut River Basin
Place_Keyword: Kittredge Hills
Place_Keyword: Danville
Place_Keyword: Montpelier
Place_Keyword: North Danville
Place_Keyword: St. Johnsbury
Place_Keyword: Pope Brook
Place_Keyword: tributary to Pope Brook
Place_Keyword: Caledonia County
Access_Constraints: None
Use_Constraints:
These data were collected using funding from the U.S. Government and can be used without additional permissions or fees. If you use these data in a publication, presentation, or other research product please use the following citation:

Shanley, James B.; Sebestyen, Stephen D.; Smith, Thor E.; Chalmers, Ann T.; Clark, Stew F.; Denner, Jon C. 2019. Groundwater level data for Watershed-9 (W-9) in the Sleepers River Research Watershed (Vermont). Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2018-0064

Mention of commercial products and vendors is for informational purposes only and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favor by the U.S. Department of Interior, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), or United States Government.
Point_of_Contact:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Person_Primary:
Contact_Person: James B. Shanley
Contact_Organization: U.S. Department of Interior, Geological Survey
Contact_Position: Research Hydrologist
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: physical
Address: 87 State Street
City: Montpelier
State_or_Province: VT
Postal_Code: 05602
Country: USA
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: mailing
Address: P.O. Box 628
City: Montpelier
State_or_Province: VT
Postal_Code: 05601
Country: USA
Contact_Voice_Telephone: 802-828-4466
Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: jshanley@usgs.gov
Browse_Graphic:
Browse_Graphic_File_Name: \Supplements\Map.jpg
Browse_Graphic_File_Description:
JPEG image file containing a map of wells in the Sleepers River Research Watershed W-9 catchment.
Browse_Graphic_File_Type: JPG
Data_Set_Credit:
Funding for this project provided by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Geological Survey and the USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station.

The Sleepers River Research Watershed is administered by and monitoring is funded by the U.S. Geological Survey. Sebestyen wrote the metadata file and conducted data collection and reconciliation work, with funding from the Northern Research Station of the USDA Forest Service. Sebestyen is the primary contact for metadata editing and for inquiries about data corrections (MI and UP recording wells) from 1992 to 2005.


Credit for data files \Data\_GeneralInfo, ManualMeasurements, and DailyWaterLevel:

Ann Chalmers, Stew Clark (retired), Jon Denner (retired), and James Shanley are or were based out of the Montpelier Office of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Clark and Chalmers collected most of the groundwater level data with the assistance others throughout the duration of the monitoring and studies. Clark retired during April 2011 and was the primary collector of water level data from September 1992 until his retirement. From August 1992 to January 1993, both Rick Kiah (USGS, Montpelier, VT then, Concorde, NH now) and Clark measured water levels. Chalmers is the primary water level data collector since Clark retired. Denner retired during September 2010, but retains Volunteer status and still assists Chalmers with some data collection.

Bill Thomas (Dartmouth College during 1991 to 1992), Denner, and Shanley established the well and piezometer network in W-9. Thomas collected water level data from October 1991 to August 1992.

Denner, Thor Smith (USGS, Concorde, NH; retired), Milo Robinson (USGS, Vermont), and Scott “Tad” Olson (USGS intern during 1991, Montpelier, VT) surveyed geographic locations of well and piezometers.

Chalmers, Clark, and Shanley have all contributed to data curation.

Anne Gapinski (University of Minnesota, Grand Rapids, MN) assisted Sebestyen in compiling data for this data publication.

Shanley is the administrative and scientific lead on the project and primary contact regarding the data. Funding for monitoring and data curation was provided by U.S. Department of Interior, U.S. Geological Survey: the Water, Energy, and Biogeochemical Budgets (WEBB) Program from 1991 to 2011, and the Land Change Science Program since 2011.

For data collected from November 1992 to October 2005, Stephen Sebestyen (USDA Forest Service, Grand Rapids, MN) reconciled and validated recorded water level data from recording wells with manual measurements. Smith did the same for data that were collected from November 2005 to December 2009.


Credit for data files \Data\30MinWaterLevel:

Sebestyen led the effort to collect and curate the 30-min water level data. He is the primary contact for these data. His field work and data compilation efforts were funded by a Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Fellowship from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Horton Research grant of the Hydrology Section of the American Geophysical Union, an Edna Bailey Sussman Fund grant, and a Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service Grant from the USDA.


Author Information:

James B. Shanley
U.S. Department of Interior, Geological Survey, Montpelier, VT
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4234-3437

Stephen D. Sebestyen
USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6315-0108

Thor E. Smith
U.S. Department of Interior, Geological Survey, Concorde, NH (retired)

Ann T. Chalmers
U.S. Department of Interior, Geological Survey, Montpelier, VT

Stew F. Clark
U.S. Department of Interior, Geological Survey, Montpelier, VT (retired)

Jon C. Denner
U.S. Department of Interior, Geological Survey, Montpelier, VT (retired)
Cross_Reference:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Glynn, P. D.
Originator: Larsen, M. C.
Originator: Greene, E. A.
Originator: Buss, H. L.
Originator: Clow, D. W.
Originator: Hunt, R. J.
Originator: Mast, M. A.
Originator: Murphy, S. F.
Originator: Peters, N. E.
Originator: Sebestyen, Stephen D.
Originator: Shanley, James B.
Originator: Walker, J. F.
Publication_Date: 2009
Title:
Selected achievements, science directions, and new opportunities for the WEBB small watershed research program
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: conference proceedings
Other_Citation_Details:
pp. 39-52
Larger_Work_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: U.S. Department of the Interior
Originator: U.S. Geological Survey
Originator: Webb, Richard M. T. (ed.)
Originator: Semmens, Darius J. (ed.)
Publication_Date: 2009
Title:
Planning for an uncertain future - monitoring, integration, and adaptation
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: conference proceedings
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Proceedings of the third interagency conference on research in the watersheds
Issue_Identification: Scientific Investigations Report 2009-5049
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Washington, DC
Publisher: U.S. Geological Survey
Cross_Reference:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Shanley, James B.
Originator: Sebestyen, Stephen D.
Originator: McDonnell, Jeffrey J.
Originator: McGlynn, Brian L.
Originator: Dunne, Thomas
Publication_Date: 2015
Title:
Water's Way at Sleepers River watershed - revisiting flow generation in a post-glacial landscape, Vermont USA
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: journal article
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Hydrological Processes
Issue_Identification: 29(16): 3447-3459
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.10377
Online_Linkage: https://www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/pubs/48704
Cross_Reference:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Hjerdt, K. Niclas
Publication_Date: 2002
Title:
Deconvoluting the hydrologic response of a small till catchment: spatial variability of groundwater level and quality in relation to streamflow
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: PhD dissertation thesis
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Syracuse, NY
Publisher: State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry
Other_Citation_Details:
204 pp.
Cross_Reference:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Sebestyen, Stephen D.
Publication_Date: 2008
Title:
Coupled hydrological and biogeochemical processes that control stream nitrogen and dissolved organic carbon at the Sleepers River Research Watershed
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: PhD dissertation thesis
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Syracuse, NY
Publisher: State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry
Other_Citation_Details:
160 pp.
Cross_Reference:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Sebestyen, Stephen D.
Originator: Boyer, Elizabeth W.
Originator: Shanley, James B.
Originator: Kendall, Carol
Originator: Doctor, Daniel H.
Originator: Aiken, George R.
Originator: Ohte, Nobuhito
Publication_Date: 2008
Title:
Sources, transformations, and hydrological processes that control stream nitrate and dissolved organic matter concentrations during snowmelt in an upland forest
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: journal article
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Water Resources Research
Issue_Identification: 44(12): W12410 1-14
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.1029/2008WR006983
Online_Linkage: https://www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/pubs/19547
Cross_Reference:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Sebestyen, Stephen D.
Originator: Shanley, James B.
Originator: Boyer, Elizabeth W.
Originator: Kendall, Carol
Originator: Doctor, Daniel H.
Publication_Date: 2014
Title:
Coupled hydrological and biogeochemical processes controlling variability of nitrogen species in streamflow during autumn in an upland forest
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: journal article
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Water Resources Research
Issue_Identification: 50(2): 1569-1591
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.1002/2013WR013670
Online_Linkage: https://www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/pubs/45654
Cross_Reference:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Sebestyen, Stephen D.
Originator: Ross, Donald S.
Originator: Shanley, James B.
Originator: Elliott, Emily M.
Originator: Kendall, Carol
Originator: Campbell, John L.
Originator: Dail, D. Bryan
Originator: Fernandez, Ivan J.
Originator: Goodale, Christine L.
Originator: Lawrence, Gregory B.
Originator: Lovett, Gary M.
Originator: McHale, Patrick J.
Originator: Mitchell, Myron J.
Originator: Nelson, Sarah J.
Originator: Shattuck, Michelle D.
Originator: Wickman, Trent R.
Originator: Barnes, Rebecca T.
Originator: Bostic, Joel T.
Originator: Buda, Anthony R.
Originator: Burns, Douglas A.
Originator: Eshleman, Keith N.
Originator: Finlay, Jacques C.
Originator: Nelson, David M.
Originator: Ohte, Nobuhito
Originator: Pardo, Linda H.
Originator: Rose, Lucy A.
Originator: Sabo, Robert D.
Originator: Schiff, Sherry L.
Originator: Spoelstra, John
Originator: Williard, Karl W. J.
Publication_Date: 2019
Title:
Unprocessed atmospheric nitrate in waters of the Northern Forest Region in the U.S. and Canada
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: journal article
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Environmental Science & Technology
Issue_Identification: 53(7): 3620-3633
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.9b01276
Online_Linkage: https://www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/pubs/57730
Cross_Reference:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Shanley, James B.
Originator: Hjerdt, K. Niclas
Originator: McDonnell, Jeffrey J.
Originator: Kendall, Carol
Publication_Date: 2003
Title:
Shallow water table fluctuations in relation to soil penetration resistance
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: journal article
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Ground Water
Issue_Identification: 41(7): 964-972
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-6584.2003.tb02438.x
Cross_Reference:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Shanley, James B.
Originator: Chalmers, Ann T.
Originator: Mack, Thomas J.
Originator: Smith, Thor E.
Originator: Harte, Philip T.
Publication_Date: 2016
Title:
Groundwater level trends and drivers in two northern New England glacial aquifers
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: journal article
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Journal of the American Water Resources Association
Issue_Identification: 52(5): 1012-1030
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.1111/1752-1688.12432
Cross_Reference:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Thomas, W. T.
Publication_Date: 1992
Title:
Base flow in till at Sleepers River, Vermont
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: M.S. thesis
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Hanover, NH
Publisher: Dartmouth College
Other_Citation_Details:
61 pp.
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Data_Quality_Information:
Attribute_Accuracy:
Attribute_Accuracy_Report:
In the metadata file, we provide both English and metric units when English units were the primary units for field measurement and later converted to metric units.

In the data files (\Data), we report values in metric units, except for some notes in \Data\ManualMeasurements.csv which provide information from field notes that were recorded, and are reported, in units of feet (ft or ‘).

Details are provided for each data file.

\Data\_GeneralInfo.csv
By method:
* Resolution of 0.02 meter (m) for the surveyed base point.
* Resolution of 0.1 foot (ft) or 0.03 m for conventional surveying with a total station and stadia rod.

The coordinate system is North American Datum (NAD) 83 and reported in units of decimal degrees.

The vertical datum is the National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1927 (NGVD 27) and reported in units of meters (m) above mean sea level for the entire data set.


\Data\30MinWaterLevel.csv
Water height was measured in units of m with a resolution of about 0.001 meter.


\Data\DailyWaterLevel.csv and \Data\BreakpointWaterLevel.csv
Water table data were measured in feet with a resolution of 0.01 feet (ft), and later converted to meters with a resolution of 0.003 m.


\Data\ManualMeasurements.csv
Depth to water measurement, by device:
* The water level meter measures the depth to water with an accuracy of plus or minus 0.01 ft or 0.003 m.
* The plopper measures the depth to water with an accuracy of plus or minus 0.01 ft or 0.003 m.
Logical_Consistency_Report:
See Methodology
Completeness_Report:
Details are provided for each data file.

\Data\_GeneralInfo.csv
Depth values for wells and piezometers are complete. Elevation values are complete, except for BW-14 which was damaged (the aboveground casing was toppled) and measurements were discontinued before elevations were measured.

Latitude and longitude values are complete. Values are identical for the nearly adjacent wells BW-1, BW-2, and BW-3.


\Data\30MinWaterLevel.csv
Not all variables were measured at all wells or piezometers in all years. Periods of reporting are intermittent. Some elevations and depths to water table below the land surface are not available due to equipment malfunctions. No data are reported for those periods or water table elevation is blank.

Wells and piezometers were sometimes purged (to avoid collection of stagnant groundwater) and sampled to collect water samples for chemical analysis. No values are reported during periods when water levels were artificially drawn down until water levels recovered, typically within hours.


\Data\DailyWaterLevel and \Data\BreakpointWaterLevel.csv
LO recording well: Generally complete from November 1992 to December 2009. Water level recording has continued since 2009 and more data may be reported once values are compiled, calculated, adjusted, and verified.

MI recording well: Generally complete from November 1992 to October 2005. Water level recording has continued since 2005 and more data may be reported once values are compiled, calculated, adjusted, and verified.

UP recording well: Generally complete from November 1992 to December 2009. Water level recording has continued since 2009 and more data may be reported once values are compiled, calculated, adjusted, and verified.

Some measurements are not available due to equipment malfunctions.


\Data\ManualMeasurements.csv
Generally complete from 1991 to 2018.

Some wells were damaged over time and measurements were suspended. Data are only reported for those periods when measurements were made.

Not all variables were measured at all wells or piezometers on all dates. No data are reported for those wells or piezometers and dates.
Lineage:
Methodology:
Methodology_Type: Field
Methodolgy_Identifier:
Methodolgy_Keyword_Thesaurus:
None
Methodology_Keyword: groundwater table
Methodology_Keyword: well
Methodology_Keyword: recording well
Methodology_Keyword: piezometer
Methodology_Keyword: monitoring network
Methodology_Keyword: hillslope
Methodology_Keyword: riparian
Methodology_Keyword: sensor
Methodology_Keyword: datalogging
Methodology_Description:
BACKGROUND - General information

The W-9 catchment in the Sleepers River Research Watershed in Vermont has forest cover, with a mixed hardwood forest of sugar maple (Acer saccharum), yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis), white ash (Fraxinus Americana), red spruce (Picea rubens), and balsam fir (Abies balsamea; Thorne et al. 1988). The forest was partially harvested during 1929 and yellow birch was selectively removed during 1960.

The terrain is a post-glacial (continental) landscape that formed during and after Wisconsinan glaciation. The W-9 catchment is located on the eastern slopes of the Kittredge Hills. Soils are typic dystocrepts (Spodosols and Inceptisols) in uplands and Histosols in shallowly sloped lowland and near-stream areas of the catchment. Soils are 0.50 to 0.90 meters (m) deep on hillslopes (Shanley et al. 2003). The underlying basal till is 1 to 4 m deep (Newell 1970), with calcareous granulite interbedded with micaceous phyllite bedrock below (Hall 1959).

Pope Brook drains W-9 and forms the headwaters of Sleepers River which flows to the Connecticut River via the Passumpsic River. Upstream of the W-9 weir, three tributary streams from the A (16.9 ha), B (12.9 ha), and C (8.1 ha) sub-basins merge to form a tributary to Pope Brook. At the W-9 weir and in the area where the tributaries merge, the stream gradient is gentle through lowland areas with wet mucky soils along the stream in riparian areas. Further upstream, the tributaries cascade down steep hillslopes.

The elevation ranges from 519 to 686 meters above mean sea level and the mean stream slope is 22 percent (Shanley et al. 2004). The catchment has a southerly aspect. The terraced glacial topography is characterized by steep hillslopes that rise from lowlands at the W-9 stream gage to plateaus at the highest elevations. The hillslopes may be: planar and broken by relatively flat, mid-elevation benches; concave and forming hollows where subsurface water flowpaths converge (i.e., convergent hollows); or convex. Most of the wells are located in riparian, hillslope bench, or convergent hollows. Some of the wells (e.g., BW-17, BW-18, and BW-19) are located in ephemeral stream channels.

All water table elevation data are reported in meters above sea level relative to NGVD 27.



BACKGROUND - Groundwater Monitoring Network (wells and piezometers) in the W-9 Catchment

Well locations are shown in the site map \Supplements\Map.jpg. Geographic information is provided in \Data\_GeneralInfo.csv.

During 1991, thirty-nine 5-centimeter (cm) diameter PVC wells were installed in the W–9 catchment (Thomas 1992). Wells were placed in 10-cm holes that were augured to bedrock, with depths of 1.5 to 4 m. The holes were augured with a Dig-R-Mobile towable, gas-powered drill auger. Kate, a draft horse, (owned by Dave Langmaid, resident of North Danville, VT) pulled the drill rig, as shown in \Supplements\Photos\1991_KateWithDigRMobile.JPG.

Wells were numbered consecutively in the sequence in which they were installed, with a number preceded by the characters "BW-". BW stands for "Bill's well" in reference to the Master of Science student (William Thomas, Dartmouth College) whose study was a major impetus for the installation of the wells (Thomas 1992). Some wells were damaged over time and measurements were suspended.

Wells were made with 1.5 m of machine-slotted screen at the bottom. The screened portion of a well was encased in a mesh bag that was filled with sand. Above the screen, the well has casing (not slotted) to the land surface. A rubber formation packer was placed above the screened interval. Holes above the screen were backfilled with native material.

The unslotted casing extends with 0.5 to 1.5 m above ground. That height allows most wells and piezometers to be seen and located during periods with deep, seasonal snowpacks.

Two nests of near-stream piezometers were installed as part of the groundwater monitoring network (Shanley et al. 1995). One nest (T-1, T-2, and T-3) is at the base of the W-9B hillslope (see next sub-section) and the other nest (T-4, T-5, and T-6) is about 30-m upstream of the weir at the outlet of the W-9 catchment. The nested piezometers are 5-cm diameter PVC and screened over the bottom 0.60 m (machine-slotted pipe).

Though recorded more frequently during some periods, such as snowmelt events, water levels have been recorded about monthly since installation.

From 2002 to 2004, some of these wells and piezometers were instrumented with water-height sensors.



BACKGROUND - Recording Wells on the W-9B Hillslope

A transect of instrumentation was installed on a hillslope in the W-9B basin (Shanley et al. 1995), including recording wells at three landscape positions: toeslope, mid hillslope and upper hillslope. The toeslope recording well (site LO) is 30 m from and 4 m higher in elevation than the stream. The mid-hillslope recording well (site MI) is 75 m from and 8 m higher than the stream. The upslope recording well (site UP) is 100 m from and 13 m higher than the stream. The till thickness is 2 to 3 m deep along the hillslope. Soil pits were excavated by hand and wells (one for chemistry sampling and one for water level recording) were placed in the pits before backfilling with native material. The recording wells are 6-inch (15.2-cm) diameter PVC with hand-cut slots on the screened interval. The screened interval is 1.5 m for the MI and UP recording wells, and 0.8 m for the shallower LO recording well. The MI and UP recording wells are about 2 m deep (below the land surface) and the LO recording well is 0.8 deep.
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Thorne, J. F.
Originator: Anderson, J. E.
Originator: Horiuchi, K. M.
Publication_Date: 1988
Title:
Cation cycling in a base-poor and base-rich northern hardwood forest ecosystem
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: journal article
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Journal of Environmental Quality
Issue_Identification: 17(1): 95-101
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.2134/jeq1988.00472425001700010014x
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Shanley, James B.
Originator: Hjerdt, K. Niclas
Originator: McDonnell, Jeffrey J.
Originator: Kendall, Carol
Publication_Date: 2003
Title:
Shallow water table fluctuations in relation to soil penetration resistance
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: journal article
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Ground Water
Issue_Identification: 41(7): 964-972
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-6584.2003.tb02438.x
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Newell, W. L.
Publication_Date: 1970
Title:
Surficial geology of the Passumpsic River valley, northeastern Vermont
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: Dissertation thesis
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Baltimore, MD
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Hall, Leo M.
Publication_Date: 1959
Title:
The geology of the St Johnsbury quadrangle, Vermont and New Hampshire
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: journal article
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Vermont Geological Survey Bulletin
Issue_Identification: 13
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Montpelier, VT
Publisher: Vermont Development Commission
Other_Citation_Details:
105 pp.
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Thomas, W. T.
Publication_Date: 1992
Title:
Base flow in till at Sleepers River, Vermont
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: M.S. thesis
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Hanover, NH
Publisher: Dartmouth College
Other_Citation_Details:
61 pp.
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Shanley, James B.
Originator: Sundquist, E. T.
Originator: Kendall, Carol
Publication_Date: 1995
Title:
Water, energy, and biogeochemical budgets research at Sleepers River Research Watershed, Vermont
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: document
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Open-File Report
Issue_Identification: 94-475
Publication_Information:
Publisher: U.S. Geological Survey
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr94475
Methodology:
Methodology_Type: Field
Methodolgy_Identifier:
Methodolgy_Keyword_Thesaurus:
None
Methodology_Keyword: groundwater table
Methodology_Keyword: well
Methodology_Keyword: recording well
Methodology_Keyword: piezometer
Methodology_Keyword: monitoring network
Methodology_Keyword: hillslope
Methodology_Keyword: riparian
Methodology_Keyword: sensor
Methodology_Keyword: datalogging
Methodology_Description:
DATA COLLECTION, CURATION, AND PROCESSING - General information

MANUAL MEASUREMENTS (monthly):
Elevation = elevation of the land surface at a well or piezometer.

Well or piezometer length = total length of a well or piezometer measured before installation.

Casing height = aboveground height of a well or piezometer.

Depth to water = depth to the water table inside a well or piezometer. Measured from the top of the casing.


RECORDED VALUES (fixed-interval sensor data):
Depth to water = depth to the water table inside a well or piezometer. Measured from the top of the casing. Only available for the recording wells (W-9B basin).

Water height = water height along a water-height sensor. Measured in wells or piezometers for particular studies from 2002 to 2004 using TruTrack water height sensors (described below).


CALCULATED VALUES:
Well depth below the land surface = length of a well or piezometer that is below the ground surface. Calculated by subtracting the height of casing from the well or piezometer length.

Water table depth below land surface = depth of the water table below the land surface.

Water table elevation = elevation of the water table inside a well or piezometer above mean sea level.


DATA COLLECTION, CURATION, AND PROCESSING - \Data\_GeneralInfo.csv

Overview: This data file includes geographic coordinates, land surface elevation, length, and depth information for wells and piezometers in the groundwater monitoring network W-9.

Details:
During 1992 or 1993, locations of infrastructure and instruments were derived from commercial aerial mapping (Analytical Surveys Inc., Colorado Springs, CO). White strips were placed to intersect at and to enable identification of particular wells and other points of interest during aerial photos. The map scale is 1 inch (0.025 m) = 50 ft (15.2 m) and the contour interval is 2 ft (0.6 m). Latitude and longitude of wells were derived from the high-resolution map that was developed. The map is stored in the USGS office (and administrative home of the project) in Montpelier, VT.

Following map production, Jon Denner, Scott Olson, and Thor Smith used conventional ground surveying techniques (total station and stadia rod) to establish reference points in W-9 and to measure elevations of wells and piezometers relative to a base point on the W-9 stream gage (concrete, broad-crest weir). Later, a USGS surveyor (Milo Robinson) established a high-resolution reference point from an existing USGS benchmark near Pope Cemetery (downstream of W-9 at the intersection of Coles Pond Rd and McDowell Road). That reference was established in an open area near, but outside of the W-9C sub-basin of W-9. Robinson post-processed data from a GPS base station with rover receivers to derive the elevation of the reference point with centimeter-level accuracy. Denner and Smith then surveyed the high-resolution reference point to the W-9 stream gage to link the W-9 stream base point to absolute elevation (above mean sea level).

A well or piezometer length was measured using a measuring tape at the time of preparation for installation.

A belowground depth of a well (or piezometer) was calculated as the well (or piezometer) length minus the aboveground casing height.



DATA COLLECTION, CURATION, AND PROCESSING - \Data\ManualMeasurements.csv

Overview: This data file includes monthly, or more frequent, manual measurements of water table elevation and depth to water below the land surface for wells and piezometers that are part of the long-term groundwater monitoring network throughout the W-9 catchment. These data provide a record of water levels for the network, and were also used to verify and adjust logged values.

Details:
A depth to water inside a well or piezometer was measured monthly, sometimes more frequently during particular periods for more detailed studies. We refer to these measurements as manual measurements.

A depth to water was measured as the length from the top of a well or piezometer casing to the water table. Measurements were typically in units of feet (ft), though sometimes in units of m. Most water levels were measured using a water level meter: a Slope Indicator Co. Model 51453 (Bothell, Washington) before the mid-2010s, and a Solinst Canada Ltd. (Georgetown, Ontario) Model 101 Water Level Meter since then. A water level meter is a battery-operated sensor with noise and light indicators. A probe is suspended on the end of a graduated (in feet) cable, with the zero mark where contact of the probe to water causes the meter to signal. When lowered into a well or piezometer, an electrical circuit was completed when the probe contact water, at which time the buzzer and light indicator turned on. If the electrical conductivity of water was low, which sometimes occurred with groundwater dilution during the wettest conditions, a water level probe would not signal contact with water. During these times and occasionally during other periods, measurements were made with a plopper. A plopper is a bell-shaped metal weight that is attached to a measuring cable. Upon contact with water, the custom-made plopper made an audible noise and the cable momentarily slackened. In either technique, the cable is raised and lowered until the water table is precisely located. The graduation was read where the cable intersects the top of the casing. For the plopper measurements, the cable graduations start at 0 m and the length of plopper must be added to the measured value. This adjustment (+0.45 ft or +0.14 m) was made in the field at the time of recording and noted on the field sheet. Manual measurements were mostly completed by Ann Chalmers and Stew Clark, with occasional help of others.

As needed, units were later converted to depths below land surface in units of m and elevation above mean sea level in units of m. Measurements from September 1992 to 2018 were recorded in bound field notebooks that are stored in the U.S. Geological Survey office in Montpelier, VT. See an example of the field-recorded depth to water measurements in \Supplements\Photos\1997-01-15_FieldDataSheet.jpg. From October 1991 to August 1992, Bill Thomas (Dartmouth College) measured water levels and there are no paper records from that period.

Within days to weeks of measurement, values were entered into a spreadsheet and elevation values were calculated in that spreadsheet. When substantial changes were made to the organization of that spreadsheet, a version was saved and archived.

In the spreadsheet:
* A water table depth below land surface was calculated by subtracting the aboveground height of well or piezometer (casing height) from the depth to water.
* Water table elevation was calculated by subtracting the water table depth below land surface from the elevation of the land surface.

Working files are maintained on a desktop personal computer in the USGS Montpelier office. Those files are stored with multiple redundancy on other computers and portable hard drives in the USGS Montpelier office.

Water table depth below land surface was calculated for this data publication by subtracting a water table elevation from a land surface elevation for each data point. Values are negative when the water level was above the land surface. Reported water table depths below land surface were repeatedly < -0.1 m (i.e., 0.10 or more m above the land surface) at some wells, mostly during snowmelt events and occasionally at other times after high antecedent moisture and rainfall. For wells located in ephemeral stream channels (i.e., BW-17 and BW-18), water depths may have risen up to about 0.3 m above the land surface and there was standing water outside of the well. In other cases when reported water depths were 0.1 to 0.3 m above the land surface, there may not have been standing water outside the well. This condition occurred on numerous dates at two wells (BW-7 and BW-8) that were located in deep till along the hillslope bench in W-9A. There, the well casings extended 1+ meter below the land surface. A higher water level inside than outside a well reflected hydrostatic pressure when the water rose from the screen into the unslotted casing. The other site that repeatedly had water depths from about -0.3 to -0.1 m was in a convergent hollow where standing water was observed at the well (BW-34).


DATA COLLECTION, CURATION, AND PROCESSING - \Data\30MinWaterLevel.csv

Overview: This data file includes water table elevation and depth to water below the land surface for several wells and piezometers in the W-9 catchment where water levels were logged every 30 minutes from 2002 to 2004.

Details:
From 2002 to 2004, water levels were logged at several piezometers and wells: T-1, T-3, and T-4 are piezometers. BW-3, BW-4, BW-5, BW-6, BW-7, BW-12, BW-18, BW-19, BW-21, BW-26, BW-27A, BW-29, BW-32, BW-37, and BW-38 are wells. We logged water levels with TruTrack water-height sensors (www.TruTrack.com; TruTrack Limited, Christchurch, NZ). Groundwater levels were recorded every 30 minutes on the hour or 30 minutes past the hour. A depth to water was manually measured when the logger was placed in a well or piezometer; and at least monthly to determine the height of the water table (see Data\ManualMeasurements.csv).

Water height measurements were made with TruTrack (WT-HR 1000) water-height sensors (data resolution 0.001 meter [m]). The WT-HR sensor records the height of water along the length of the sensor at fixed time intervals. A sensor may be programmed to record instantaneous height at the interval of measurement, or the minimum, maximum, or average height per timing interval; we programmed each sensor to measure the water height at the time of sampling.

Depth to water below the surface and water table elevation are later calculated from ground elevation values (at a well or piezometer) and measurements of the water table depth below the surface when a sensor was deployed, or to another time when manually measured if the sensor was incrementally repositioned (see below). Subsequent manual measurements during the period when a sensor was deployed were used to check sensor values. That is, while elevation is initially set by a manually-measured value, subsequent values derived from sensor data should align to subsequent elevation checks from manual measurements. If not, further adjustments were made using subsequent manual measurements once a shift in the recorded data was identified.

The total length of a sensor, with the attached internal datalogger segment, was 1.320 m and the diameter was 0.02 m. A logger is attached as the top segment of a sensor, with a rigid measurement segment inside a stainless steel case threaded on to the base of a logger. When in a vertical position, the sensors measure water level over a 1-m length of the stainless steel case. The height output from the sensor was linearly correlated with water height along the vertical length of the sensor. The sensor had upper and lower marks to indicate the measurement interval, with the lower mark 0.1 m above the bottom end of the stainless steel case. In a field lab ("Town Line"), the sensors were calibrated when attached to a computer running the proprietary Omnilog Software (Trutrack, Inc; http://www.trutrack.com/intech/omnilog.html). The software was run on a PC computer. We do not know the software version that was used. At the appropriate prompts in the calibration routine, the 0.000 m and 1.000 m sensor were recorded when the sensor was placed in water to the lower and upper marks, respectively. In practice, the sensors provided accurate measurements within about 0.1 m above the upper mark (a logged value > 1.000 m and < 1.100 m) and 0.1 m below the bottom mark (a logged value > -1.1000 m and < 0 m). Sensors were calibrated prior to each deployment or when data were downloaded.

The time of deployment, depth to water, notes on positioning, and general observations at times of field visits were manually recorded in bound notebooks (in possession of Sebestyen at the Forestry Sciences Laboratory in Grand Rapids, MN). Sensors were deployed at times when there was not snowmelt or rainfall occurring, which assured that the water level did not change from the deployment time to the following interval when the first value was recorded within 30 minutes. During snowmelt or rainfall, water levels may have been rising too fast to assure the same water height at the time when deployed vs. the time of first measurement after deployment.

A sensor was suspended inside a well or piezometer with a length of nylon cord. A cord was tied to the top cap of a sensor and threaded through a vent hole in the side of the well or piezometer. The water level in a well or piezometer may have had a larger range of fluctuation than the 1-m sensor length of a water-height sensor. At the time of placement, a knot in a nylon cord was used to position a sensor relative to the height of the water table that was manually measured. A sensor may have been lowered or raised during subsequent visits when it was discovered that a sensor was no longer properly placed relative to the water height inside a well or piezometer. Sometimes, the water level rose above or fell below the measurement interval of a sensor or a sensor may have been improperly positioned. At which times, the sensors recorded a stable, minimum value or maximum value until the water level returned to the ~1.2-m long measurement interval of the sensor (those values were removed from the data set).

Data were periodically downloaded, at least twice per year. Download of loggers required a computer with the Omnilog software and a serial data cable. Downloading in the field was usually impractical and an enclosed, heated space with a supply of electricity was preferred. At each well or piezometer, the logger segment of a sensor was unscrewed from the shaft of the sensor to reduce weight and the bulkiness when carrying the sensor on a 1.5+ kilometer (km) hike to the field laboratory where data were downloaded. If loggers were re-calibrated, the entire sensor was returned to the field laboratory. Within a day of download, a logger was returned to the well or piezometer where it originated.

Using the OmniLog software to access logger functions, the logged values were downloaded and then exported as comma-delimited ASCII text files (.csv), in units of millimeters (mm). To download data, logging had to be stopped. Logging was restarted (or a time of restart was programmed) after download of data (and recalibration if needed).

Upon download, the data were opened in Microsoft Excel and reviewed to verify that loggers recorded data and did not malfunction. No logged values have been changed or expunged from the downloaded .csv files. Only copies of the original files were amended. The original download files are stored on a laptop computer in the Forestry Sciences Laboratory in Grand Rapids, and with multiple redundancy on portable hard drives.

Within days to months of download, the data were compiled and saved in a spreadsheet (Microsoft Excel .xls file format) for each well or piezometer. These files were reviewed and data plots were observed to identify any suspicious values and missing periods of records. The spreadsheet is annotated with occasional, general comments on adjustments and causes of errors/missing periods in the record or manual measurements. Water height units were converted from mm to m in spreadsheets. These working files are stored on a laptop computer in the Forestry Sciences Laboratory in Grand Rapids, and with multiple redundancy on portable hard drives.

Addition adjustments to water level data were made in the working file spreadsheets. In general, water table elevation was calculated by subtracting the water table depth below land surface from the elevation of the land surface. In practice, the calculation required multiple steps, with the first being the establishment of a water table elevation datum for each period of deployment, or whenever the sensor placement was adjusted to maintain the sensor positioning relative to a rising or falling water table.

For each time that a sensor was downloaded, a water table elevation datum was calculated based on a manually-measured value for that well or piezometer. A manually recorded depth to water table (mm) was converted to elevation. That datum was typically set to the start of a period when a sensor was deployed. Then, the relative difference in water height for each half-hourly value in a deployment period was added to or subtracted from that initial elevation datum to calculate a water table elevation for each logged value. If a sensor was repositioned (as determined from field notes and visible as step-shifts in plots of the unadjusted data), the shifted data were re-aligned to the elevation prior to movement of the sensor.

The logged data may have deviated from manual measurements due to positioning errors, sensor calibration failure, or sensor drift. To validate the integrity of elevations calculated from logged data, we compared those values to the less-frequent values that were calculated from manual measurements (monthly or more frequent).

To aid visual assessment, elevations of the top and bottom of a 1-m long sensor measurement interval were graphed as horizontal lines for the period of deployment (or period that a sensor was maintained in a particular position inside a well or piezometer). One of these figures is depicted in \Supplements\BW19_30MinReviewPlot.pdf. We used these plots to determine if the water height was above or below the recording range of the sensor and periods when no valid data were recorded by the sensor. That is, elevation over an extended block did not change and an elevation was above or below the plausible range of elevations. No values or blanks are reported in the data file when sensors did not measure water height.

Periods when sensors were retrieved and downloaded are not reported (missing or blank). Some periods are not available due to equipment malfunctions or battery failure. Wells and piezometers were sometimes purged (to avoid collection of stagnant groundwater) and then sampled within 24 hours to collect water samples for chemical analysis. No values are reported during periods when water levels were artificially drawn down until water levels recovered (several hours at most).

Water table depth below land surface was calculated for this data publication by subtracting a water table elevation from a land surface elevation for each data point. Values are negative when the water level was above the land surface. See a previous explanation of particular wells that repeatedly had negative water table depths below land surface.



DATA COLLECTION, CURATION, AND PROCESSING - \Data\DailyWaterLevel.csv

Overview: This data file includes daily mean water table elevation and daily mean depth to water below the land surface for three wells on the W-9B hillslope transect where water levels were logged every 30 minutes from November 1992 to December 2009.

Details:
Measurements were made at three recording wells. Water levels were monitored with float-driven potentiometers and logged with a Campbell Scientific, Inc (Logan, UT) CR10X datalogger. The logging system records a depth to water inside a well every five minutes starting on the hour. Water levels were recorded in units of ft (data resolution 0.001 ft, or 0.003 m). Depth to water below the surface and water table elevation were later calculated. Data were mostly downloaded by Stew Clark and Ann Chalmers.

Water levels were monitored using a float and counterweight-driven potentiometer (Rickly Hydrological, Columbus, OH) in each well and water levels were recorded every 5 minutes using one CR10X datalogger (centrally located in an equipment shelter on the hillslope near the MI well). The datalogger was powered from solar-charged batteries.

Depth to water was manually measured each month. At that time, data were downloaded to a Campbell Scientific SM16 storage module (interfaced with a Campbell Scientific CR10KD keyboard/display) to transfer data from the field to the USGS Montpelier office. Data recording was not disrupted during field downloading of data.

In the Montpelier office, data were transferred from a storage module to a desktop PC. These data files, saved in .txt file format, have not been manipulated. The original download files are also stored with multiple redundancy on other computers and portable hard drives. Only copies of the original files were amended, if needed.

The fixed-interval data from the .txt files were uploaded and saved in a database (4D, http://www.4d.com/). As described by Hooper and Aulenbach (1993), the 4D database allows for custom programming. Scripts were written in the user environment by Brent Aulenbach (USGS, Atlanta, GA; see Hooper and Aulenbach, 1993) to manage, convert, export, and curate hydrological data. The data were converted from fixed interval to breakpoint data to save space and reduce computing time by only including inflection points using first order, point-to-point compression (Johnson and Dils, 1956; Aulenbach, 2017). Breakpoint data are irregularly spaced, with a minimum of one recorded value per day at midnight and an unlimited maximum number of records per day. The technique was developed by the U.S. Forest Service (Johnson and Dils, 1956) and the data were compressed using a 0.003 ft change in water level tolerance (Hooper and Aulenbach, 1993). The scripts also allow fixed-interval data to be regenerated at any reasonable time step (e.g., minimum of 5-min coinciding with the logged interval, or larger interval).

During 2005, Sebestyen obtained from Shanley data for two recording wells (MI and UP, but no LO) for the period November 1992 to October 2005. The data were regenerated at a 30-minute interval and exported from 4D (in .txt format). The files were opened in Microsoft Excel and saved as spreadsheets (.xls file format), with one each for the MI and UP well. Water height units were converted from ft to m in spreadsheets. These files were reviewed and data plots were observed to identify any suspicious values and missing periods of records. The spreadsheet is annotated with occasional, general comments on adjustments and causes of errors/missing periods in the record or manual measurements. Sebestyen curates these working files, which are stored on a laptop computer in the Forestry Sciences Laboratory in Grand Rapids, and with multiple redundancy on portable hard drives.

In the spreadsheets, un-adjusted depths to water from a recording well were plotted against time. Manually recorded depths to water table were converted to elevations and added to that same plot on a second y-axis in elevation units (m above sea level). Elevations calculated from the manual measurements were used to convert recorded depths to water to elevations by adding or subtracting the relative difference in water level for each half-hourly value to or from elevations established by the manual measurements. We compared those values over time to discern when adjustments were needed in the elevations derived from the recorded water levels. Final values (date, time, well, and elevation) were sent to Shanley. During 2011, Shanley shared the data with Thor Smith (USGS, Concorde, New Hampshire, retired).

The approach of Smith was similar to that of Sebestyen, except that Smith uploaded the data from Sebestyen and adjusted water levels to elevations in the 4D database (running in his office in Concorde, New Hampshire). During 2011, Smith further evaluated the UP recording well record to assess and adjust linear drift of recorded values for the entire November 1992 to December 2009 period. He also assessed and adjusted the entire 1992 to 2009 record for the LO recording well. In 4D, codes were assigned to designate which records were changed and the reason why. Upon completion, the elevation data and codes were exported and emailed to Shanley.

Whether done by Sebestyen or Smith, data were evaluated for factors that affected water level records. The recorded data may have deviated from manual measurements due to occasional maintenance, sensor drift, jostling of the potentiometer/float assembly, or minor repositioning of floats during manual measurements. Most of the time, these deviations would appear in the record as baseline shifts in water level (and derived elevations). Sometimes the float tape slipped from the pulley, which is visible in the data as an abnormally stable period, sometimes out of range of plausible measurements if a pulley rotated when a tape was dislodged. Shifted data were re-aligned to the elevation prior to movement of the sensor, and verified relative to subsequent manual measurements. During winter, excess moisture may have accumulated on the potentiometer and frozen, causing the record of depth of water to erroneously remain static. Some data were not recoverable and gap filling was not done for recorded data. Sometimes errors in the manual measurements were identified, and these particular values were not used to verify recorded values. It may in the future be possible to compare the MI and UP records since these wells generally had similar responses and develop a gap-filling procedure.

Water levels at the MI and UP recording wells sometimes dropped below the bottom of the well. During those periods, the reported water level was abnormally static and flat until the water level once again rose above the bottom of the well, which caused the float to rise and again fluctuate. Water levels at the LO recording well did not similarly fall below the well bottom. These periods must be considered when interpreting the data.

Some periods are not reported (missing or blank) or not available due to equipment malfunctions or power failure.

Daily mean water table elevation was exported from 4D. Water table depth below land surface was calculated for this data publication by subtracting a water table elevation from a land surface elevation for each data point.



DATA COLLECTION, CURATION, AND PROCESSING - \Data\BreakpointWaterLevel.csv

Overview: This data file includes breakpoint water table elevation and depth to water below the land surface for three wells on the W-9B hillslope transect where water levels were logged every 30 minutes from 1992 to 2009.

Details:
As described in the previous section (\Data\DailyWaterLevel.csv), water level data were recorded, adjusted, and verified for the LO, MI, and UP recording wells on the W-9B hillslope.

Breakpoint water table elevation was exported from 4D. Water table depth below land surface was calculated for this data publication by subtracting a water table elevation from a land surface elevation for each data point.
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Hall, Leo M.
Publication_Date: 1959
Title:
The geology of the St Johnsbury quadrangle, Vermont and New Hampshire
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: journal article
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Vermont Geological Survey Bulletin
Issue_Identification: 13
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Montpelier, VT
Publisher: Vermont Development Commission
Other_Citation_Details:
105 pp.
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Newell, W. L.
Publication_Date: 1970
Title:
Surficial geology of the Passumpsic River valley, northeastern Vermont
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: Dissertation thesis
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Baltimore, MD
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Shanley, James B.
Originator: Hjerdt, K. Niclas
Originator: McDonnell, Jeffrey J.
Originator: Kendall, Carol
Publication_Date: 2003
Title:
Shallow water table fluctuations in relation to soil penetration resistance
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: journal article
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Ground Water
Issue_Identification: 41(7): 964-972
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-6584.2003.tb02438.x
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Shanley, James B.
Originator: Krám, Pavel
Originator: Hruška, Jakub
Originator: Bullen, Thomas D.
Publication_Date: 2004
Title:
A biogeochemical comparison of two well-buffered catchments with contrasting histories of acid deposition
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: journal article
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Water Air Soil Pollution: Focus
Issue_Identification: 4(2-3): 325-342
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:WAFO.0000028363.48348.a4
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Shanley, James B.
Originator: Sundquist, E. T.
Originator: Kendall, Carol
Publication_Date: 1995
Title:
Water, energy, and biogeochemical budgets research at Sleepers River Research Watershed, Vermont
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: document
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Open-File Report
Issue_Identification: 94-475
Publication_Information:
Publisher: U.S. Geological Survey
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr94475
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Thomas, W. T.
Publication_Date: 1992
Title:
Base flow in till at Sleepers River, Vermont
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: M.S. thesis
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Hanover, NH
Publisher: Dartmouth College
Other_Citation_Details:
61 pp.
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Thorne, J. F.
Originator: Anderson, J. E.
Originator: Horiuchi, K. M.
Publication_Date: 1988
Title:
Cation cycling in a base-poor and base-rich northern hardwood forest ecosystem
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: journal article
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Journal of Environmental Quality
Issue_Identification: 17(1): 95-101
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.2134/jeq1988.00472425001700010014x
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Hjerdt, K. Niclas
Publication_Date: 2002
Title:
Deconvoluting the hydrologic response of a small till catchment: spatial variability of groundwater level and quality in relation to streamflow
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: PhD dissertation thesis
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Syracuse, NY
Publisher: State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry
Other_Citation_Details:
204 pp.
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Aulenbach, Brent T.
Publication_Date: 2017
Title:
Data for estimating monthly water budgets at Panola Mountain Research Watershed, Stockbridge, Ga., water years 1986–2015
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: tabular digital data
Series_Information:
Series_Name: U.S. Geological Survey data release
Publication_Information:
Publisher: U.S. Geological Survey
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.5066/F7XS5SNV
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Hooper, Richard P.
Originator: Aulenbach, Brent T.
Publication_Date: 1993
Title:
Managing the data explosion
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: journal article
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Civil Engineering
Issue_Identification: 63(5): 74-76
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Kendall, K. A.
Originator: Shanley, James B.
Originator: McDonnell, Jeffrey J.
Publication_Date: 1999
Title:
A hydrometric and geochemical approach to test the transmissivity feedback hypothesis during snowmelt
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: journal article
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Journal of Hydrology
Issue_Identification: 219: 188-205
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-1694(99)00059-1
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Johnson, Edward A.
Originator: Dils, Robert E.
Publication_Date: 1956
Title:
Outline for compiling precipitation, runoff, and ground water data from small watersheds
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: document
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Old Station Paper
Issue_Identification: No. 068
Publication_Information:
Publisher: USDA Forest Service, Southeastern Forest Experiment Station
Other_Citation_Details:
40 pp.
Online_Linkage: https://www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/pubs/1790
Process_Step:
Process_Description:
See Methodology for details.
Process_Date: Unknown
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Entity_and_Attribute_Information:
Overview_Description:
Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:
Below is a description of the data files available for download.

Header description for each data file:
Row 1 = variable name
Row 2 = units (if applicable)
Row 4+ = data

DATA FILES

\Data\_GeneralInfo.csv: Comma-delimited ASCII text (CSV) file containing geographic coordinates, land surface elevation, length, and depth information for wells and piezometers in the groundwater monitoring network W-9 in the Sleepers River Research Watershed, collected in 1992 or 1993. The data are ordered by SITE.

Variables include:

SITE = Categorical value, text. Unique identifier for a well or piezometer.

TYPE = Categorical value, text. Value is well, recording well, or piezometer.

LOCATION = Categorical value, text. Value is hillslope, hillslope hollow, hillslope bench, or riparian corresponding to the land form or place where a well or piezometer was located.

LATITUDE = Continuous variable, numerical with up to four decimal places. Latitude, in decimal degrees, north of the equator. Blank when no value was available. The coordinate system is NAD 83.

LONGITUDE = Negative continuous variable, numerical with up to four decimal places. Longitude, in decimal degrees, west of the prime meridian. Blank when no value was available. The coordinate system is NAD 83.

LSELEVATION = Continuous variable, numerical with one decimal place. Units of meters (m). Elevation, in units of m above mean sea level relative to NGVD 27, of the land surface at a well or piezometer.

LENGTHTOTAL = Continuous variable, numerical with one decimal place. Total depth of a well, in units of m, or piezometer beneath the land surface.

BGDEPTH = Continuous variable, numerical with one decimal place. Belowground depth, in units of m, of a well or piezometer. Corresponds to the combined amount of slotted (screened) and un-slotted PVC pipe that is below the land surface. The bottom 1.5 m of each well is screened.

SCREENTOP = Continuous variable, numerical with one decimal place. The depth, in units of m, to the top of the screened interval of a piezometer. Value is blank for wells.

AGHEIGHT = Continuous variable, numerical with one decimal place. Aboveground height, in units of m, of a well or piezometer. Corresponds to the amount of un-slotted casing that is above the land surface.



\Data\30MinWaterLevel.csv: CSV file containing 30-minute water table elevation data for wells or piezometers in the W-9 catchment (August 2002 - October 2004). The data are ordered by SITE then DATE/TIME.

Variables include:

SITE = Text. Unique identifier for a well or piezometer. Value is T-1, T-3, or T-4 for piezometers; or BW-3, BW-4, BW-5, BW-6, BW-7, BW-12, BW-18, BW-19, BW-21, BW-26, BW-27A, BW-29, BW-32, BW-37, or BW-38 for wells.

TYPE = Categorical variable, text. Value is well or piezometer.

DATE/TIME = Date and time that a water level was recorded. Format is m/d/yyyy h:mm for the month (m), day (d), year (yyyy), and time (hour and minute, h:mm) of a measurement. Time step is 30 minutes. Time is Standard Time, not Daylight Savings Time. Missing blocks indicate periods when water level recorders malfunctioned or no data were recorded.

ELEVATION = Continuous variable, numerical to 2 decimal places. Water table elevation, in units of meters (m) above mean sea level relative to NGVD 27, of the water table surface.

BGDTW = Continuous variable, numerical to 2 decimal places. Depth, in units of m, to water below the land surface. A value is negative if the water table rose above the land surface. Values range from about -0.2 to 3.



\Data\BreakpointWaterLevel.csv: CSV file containing breakpoint water table elevation data and water table depth below land surface for recording wells on the W-9B hillslope (November 1992 - December 2009). The data are ordered by SITE then DATE/TIME.

Variables include:

WELL = Categorical value, text. Unique identifier for a well: LO for the toeslope position, MI for the mid hillslope position, or UP for the upper hillslope position.

DATE/TIME = Date. Format is m/d/yyyy for the month (m), day (d), and year (yyyy) of a reported value. Time step is variable, no less than once a day when values are provided. Missing blocks indicate periods when water level recorders malfunctioned.

ELEVATION = Continuous variable, numerical to 2 decimal places. Water table elevation, in units of m above mean sea level relative to NGVD 27.

BGDTW = Continuous variable, numerical to 2 decimal places. Depth, in units of m, to water below the land surface. A value is negative if the water table rose above the land surface. Values range from about 0.01 to about 2.3 m.



\Data\DailyWaterLevel.csv: CSV file containing daily mean water table elevation data and daily mean water table depth below land surface for recording wells on the W-9B hillslope (November 1992 - December 2009). The data are ordered by WELL then DATE.

Variables include:

WELL = Categorical value, text. Unique identifier for a recording well: LO for the toeslope position, MI for the mid hillslope position, or UP for the upper hillslope position.

DATE = Date. Format is m/d/yyyy for the month (m), day (d), and year (yyyy) of a reported value. Time step is 1 day. Missing days or blocks indicate periods when water level recorders malfunctioned.

ELEVATION = Continuous variable, numerical to 2 decimal places. Water table elevation, in units of m above mean sea level relative to NGVD 27.

BGDTW = Continuous variable, numerical to 2 decimal places. Depth, in units of m, to water below the land surface. A value is negative if the water table rose above the land surface. Values range from about 0.01 to about 2.3 m.



\Data\ManualMeasurements.csv: CSV file containing water levels that were measured monthly (sometimes more frequently) from October 1991 to October 2018 in the W-9 groundwater monitoring network. The data are ordered by SITE then DATE/TIME.

Variables include:

SITE = Text. Unique identifier for a well or piezometer. A complete list of values is provided in \Data\_GeneralInfo.csv.

TYPE = Categorical variable, text. Values is well, recording well, or piezometer.

DATE = Date that a water level was recorded. Format is m/d/yyyy for the month (m), day (d), year (yyyy) of a measurement.

DTW = Continuous variable, numerical to 2 decimal places. Measured depth, in units of m, to water in a well or piezometer relative to the top of the aboveground casing. Blank when not measured, dry, or frozen.

ELEVATION = Continuous variable, numerical to 2 decimal place. Water table elevation, in units of m above mean sea level relative to NGVD 27, of the water table surface. Blank when not measured, dry, or frozen.

BGDTW = Continuous variable, numerical to 2 decimal places. Calculated depth, in units of m, to water below ground (below the land surface) in a well or piezometer. A value is negative if the water table rose above the land surface. Values range from about -0.3 to about 3.8 m. Blank when not measured, dry, or frozen.

COMMENT = Text. Note about site observations at the time of measurement or later, regarding the quality of the data. Units of feet (‘) are listed when a DTW from original notes appears (field measurements are usually recorded in feet).
Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation:
30-minute and breakpoint data:

Sebestyen, Stephen D.; Boyer, Elizabeth W.; Shanley, James B.; Kendall, Carol; Doctor, Daniel H.; Aiken, George R.; Ohte, Nobuhito. 2008. Sources, transformations, and hydrological processes that control stream nitrate and dissolved organic matter concentrations during snowmelt in an upland forest. Water Resources Research 44(12): W12410. https://doi.org/10.1029/2008WR006983

Sebestyen, Stephen D.; Shanley, James B.; Boyer, Elizabeth W.; Kendall, Carol; Doctor, Daniel H. 2014. Coupled hydrological and biogeochemical processes controlling variability of nitrogen species in streamflow during autumn in an upland forest. Water Resources Research 50(2): 1569-1591. https://doi.org/10.1002/2013WR013670

Sebestyen, Stephen D.; Ross, Donald S.; Shanley, James B.; Elliott, Emily M.; Kendall, Carol; Campbell, John L.; Dail, D. Bryan; Fernandez, Ivan J.; Goodale, Christine L.; Lawrence, Gregory B.; Lovett, Gary M.; McHale, Patrick J.; Mitchell, Myron J.; Nelson, Sarah J.; Shattuck, Michelle D.; Wickman, Trent R.; Barnes, Rebecca T.; Bostic, Joel T.; Buda, Anthony R.; Burns, Douglas A.; Eshleman, Keith N.; Finlay, Jacques C.; Nelson, David M.; Ohte, Nobuhito; Pardo, Linda H.; Rose, Lucy A.; Sabo, Robert D.; Schiff, Sherry L.; Spoelstra, John; Williard, Karl W. J. 2019. Unprocessed Atmospheric Nitrate in Waters of the Northern Forest Region in the U.S. and Canada. Environmental Science & Technology. 53(7): 3620-3633. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.9b01276


Monthly data:

Shanley, James B.; Hjerdt, K. Niclas; McDonnell, Jeffrey J.; Kendall, Carol. 2003. Shallow water table fluctuations in relation to soil penetration resistance. Ground Water 41(7): 964-972. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-6584.2003.tb02438.x

Shanley, James B.; Chalmers, Ann T.; Mack, Thomas J.; Smith, Thor E.; Harte, Philip T. 2016. Groundwater level trends and drivers in two northern New England glacial aquifers. Journal of the American Water Resources Association 52(5): 1012-1030. https://doi.org/10.1111/1752-1688.12432

Kendall, K. A.; Shanley, James B.; McDonnell, Jeffrey J. 1999. A hydrometric and geochemical approach to test the transmissivity feedback hypothesis during snowmelt. Journal of Hydrology 219: 188-205. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-1694(99)00059-1


Daily data:
Sebestyen, Stephen D.; Ross, Donald S.; Shanley, James B.; Elliott, Emily M.; Kendall, Carol; Campbell, John L.; Dail, D. Bryan; Fernandez, Ivan J.; Goodale, Christine L.; Lawrence, Gregory B.; Lovett, Gary M.; McHale, Patrick J.; Mitchell, Myron J.; Nelson, Sarah J.; Shattuck, Michelle D.; Wickman, Trent R.; Barnes, Rebecca T.; Bostic, Joel T.; Buda, Anthony R.; Burns, Douglas A.; Eshleman, Keith N.; Finlay, Jacques C.; Nelson, David M.; Ohte, Nobuhito; Pardo, Linda H.; Rose, Lucy A.; Sabo, Robert D.; Schiff, Sherry L.; Spoelstra, John; Williard, Karl W. J. 2019. Unprocessed Atmospheric Nitrate in Waters of the Northern Forest Region in the U.S. and Canada. Environmental Science & Technology. 53(7): 3620-3633. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.9b01276
Overview_Description:
Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:
Below is a description of the supplemental files also available for download.

SUPPLEMENTAL FILES

\Supplements\BW19_30MinReviewPlot.pdf: Portable Document Format (PDF) file containing an image of a plot that was created to visualize data. Elevations calculated from manual measurements (x symbols) are shown relative to the calculated elevations from logged data (fluctuating line). The bounds of the 1000-millimeter long measurement interval of a water height sensor are shown as upper and lower horizontal lines. The data are from well BW-19.

\Supplements\Map.jpg: Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) image file containing a map of wells in the Sleepers River Research Watershed W-9 catchment.

\Supplements\Photos\1991_KateWithDigRMobile.jpg: JPEG image file containing a photo of the Dig-R Mobile drill rig pulled by Kate the draft horse. Dave Langmaid is riding Kate. Taken in 1991, and the photographer was most likely James B. Shanley (JBS).

\Supplements\Photos\1997-01-15_FieldDataSheet.jpg: JPEG image file containing a photo of a field data sheet with manual water level measurements from the W-9 well network, from January 15, 1997.

\Supplements\Photos\2003-10-07-08_W-9B_HillslopeEnclosure.jpg: JPEG image file containing a photo of the hillslope enclosure on the W-9B hillslope, several meters away from the mid hillslope (MI) well. Taken October 7th or 8th, 2003 by Stephen D. Sebestyen (SDS).

\Supplements\Photos\2004-03-28_W-9B_MI.jpg: JPEG image file containing a photo of the MI recording well on the W-9B hillslope. Taken March 28, 2004 by SDS.

\Supplements\Photos\2014-01-09_W-9B_LO.jpg: JPEG image file containing a photo of the toeslope (LO) recording well on the W-9B hillslope. Taken January 9, 2014 by SDS.

\Supplements\Photos\2014-01-09_W-9B_UP.jpg: JPEG image file containing a photo of the upper hillside (UP) recording well on the W-9B hillslope. Taken January 9, 2014 by SDS.

\Supplements\Photos\W-9B_Hillslope.jpg: JPEG image file containing a photo of the W-9B hillslope with various wells and other instrumentation. Taken by JBS.
Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation:
not applicable
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Distribution_Information:
Distributor:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Organization_Primary:
Contact_Organization: USDA Forest Service, Research and Development
Contact_Position: Research Data Archivist
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: mailing and physical
Address: 240 West Prospect Road
City: Fort Collins
State_or_Province: CO
Postal_Code: 80526
Country: USA
Contact_Voice_Telephone: see Contact Instructions
Contact Instructions: This contact information was current as of April 2022. For current information see Contact Us page on: https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS.
Resource_Description: RDS-2018-0064
Distribution_Liability:
Metadata documents have been reviewed for accuracy and completeness. Unless otherwise stated, all data and related materials are considered to satisfy the quality standards relative to the purpose for which the data were collected. However, neither the author, the Archive, nor any part of the federal government can assure the reliability or suitability of these data for a particular purpose. The act of distribution shall not constitute any such warranty, and no responsibility is assumed for a user's application of these data or related materials.

The metadata, data, or related materials may be updated without notification. If a user believes errors are present in the metadata, data or related materials, please use the information in (1) Identification Information: Point of Contact, (2) Metadata Reference: Metadata Contact, or (3) Distribution Information: Distributor to notify the author or the Archive of the issues.
Standard_Order_Process:
Digital_Form:
Digital_Transfer_Information:
Format_Name: ASCII
Format_Version_Number: see Format Specification
Format_Specification:
Comma-delimited ASCII text (CSV) file
File_Decompression_Technique: Files zipped with 7-Zip 19.0
Digital_Transfer_Option:
Online_Option:
Computer_Contact_Information:
Network_Address:
Network_Resource_Name: https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2018-0064
Digital_Form:
Digital_Transfer_Information:
Format_Name: PDF
Format_Version_Number: see Format Specification
Format_Specification:
Portable Document Format (PDF) file
File_Decompression_Technique: Files zipped with 7-Zip 19.0
Digital_Transfer_Option:
Online_Option:
Computer_Contact_Information:
Network_Address:
Network_Resource_Name: https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2018-0064
Digital_Form:
Digital_Transfer_Information:
Format_Name: JPG
Format_Version_Number: see Format Specification
Format_Specification:
Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) image file
File_Decompression_Technique: Files zipped with 7-Zip 19.0
Digital_Transfer_Option:
Online_Option:
Computer_Contact_Information:
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Network_Resource_Name: https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2018-0064
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Metadata_Reference_Information:
Metadata_Date: 20220502
Metadata_Contact:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Person_Primary:
Contact_Person: James B. Shanley
Contact_Organization: U.S. Department of Interior, Geological Survey
Contact_Position: Research Hydrologist
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: physical
Address: 87 State Street
City: Montpelier
State_or_Province: VT
Postal_Code: 05602
Country: USA
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: mailing
Address: P.O. Box 628
City: Montpelier
State_or_Province: VT
Postal_Code: 05601
Country: USA
Contact_Voice_Telephone: 802-828-4466
Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: jshanley@usgs.gov
Metadata_Standard_Name: FGDC Biological Data Profile of the Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata
Metadata_Standard_Version: FGDC-STD-001.1-1999
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