Designation:D5979−96(Reapproved2014)StandardGuideforConceptualizationandCharacterizationofGroundwaterSystems1ThisstandardisissuedunderthefixeddesignationD5979;thenumberimmediatelyfollowingthedesignationindicatestheyearoforiginaladoptionor,inthecaseofrevision,theyearoflastrevision.Anumberinparenthesesindicatestheyearoflastreapproval.Asuperscriptepsilon(´)indicatesaneditorialchangesincethelastrevisionorreapproval.1.Scope1.1Thisguidecoversanintegrated,stepwisemethodforthequalitativeconceptualizationandquantitativecharacterizationofgroundwaterflowsystems,includingtheunsaturatedzone,fornaturalorhuman-inducedbehaviororchanges.1.2Thisguidemaybeusedatanyscaleofinvestigation,includingsite-specific,subregional,andregionalapplications.1.3Thisguidedescribesaniterativeprocessfordevelopingmultipleworkinghypothesesforcharacterizinggroundwaterflowsystems.Thisprocessaimsatreducinguncertaintywithrespecttoconceptualmodels,observation,interpretation,andanalysisintermsofhypothesisandrefinementofthemostlikelyconceptualmodelofthegroundwaterflowsystem.Theprocessisalsoaimedatreducingtherangeofrealisticvaluesforparametersidentifiedduringthecharacterizationprocess.Thisguidedoesnotaddressthequantitativeuncertaintyassociatedwithspecificmethodsofhydrogeologicandground-watersystemcharacterizationandquantification,forexample,theeffectsofwellconstructiononwater-levelmeasurement.1.4Thisguideaddressesthegeneralprocedure,typesofdataneeded,andreferencesthatenabletheinvestigatortocompletetheprocessofanalysisandinterpretationofeachdatatypewithrespecttogeohydrologicprocessesandhydrogeo-logicframework.Thisguiderecommendsthegroupsofdataandanalysistobeusedduringeachstepoftheconceptualiza-tionprocess.1.5Thisguidedoesnotaddressthespecificmethodsforcharacterizinghydrogeologicandgroundwatersystemproper-ties.1.6Thisguidedoesnotaddressmodelselection,design,orattributionforuseintheprocessofgroundwaterflowsystemcharacterizationandquantification.Thisguidedoesnotad-dresstheprocessofmodelschematization,includingth...
