The Technical Services Section administers the Well Drillers Certification Program, the statewide Ambient Groundwater Monitoring Program and provides technical groundwater expertise to federal, state and local agencies, as well as to the public.  In addition, personnel in this section are engaged in several other groundwater mapping and water quality studies in order to characterize and manage this important resource.

AMBIENT GROUNDWATER MONITORING PROGRAM
The Technical Services Section maintains the statewide Ambient Groundwater Monitoring Program. Personnel conduct routine groundwater monitoring at approximately 70 sites across the commonwealth to determine ambient groundwater quality conditions.

Staff:
 Rob Blair, P.G.  
Jim Webb, P.G.(Section Supervisor)

WATER WELL DRILLERS CERTIFICATION PROGRAM
The Technical Services Section of the Groundwater Branch coordinates the Well Drillers Certification Program for water well and monitoring well drillers, maintains a current directory of certified water well and monitoring well drillers and publishes the Kentucky Driller Quarterly, a quarterly newsletter for water well and monitoring well drillers.

Staff:
Joe Moffitt, P.G. 
Skip Castleman

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
The Technical Services Section provides technical groundwater expertise to federal, state and local agencies, organizations and the public to solve groundwater and water well problems.
 
The section provides assessment, analysis and field investigations for state emergency response to hazardous materials spills, spring and wellhead protection area delineation, water supply regulation and nonpoint source pollution studies. The section maintains expertise in karst groundwater-tracer investigations and assists numerous county health departments in testing and identifying failed septic systems and evaluating sinkholes.
 
Since 1996, section personnel have collaborated in a cooperative program with the Kentucky Geological Survey to compile and publish maps of karst and nonkarst areas on a 1:100,000 scale. This series of innovative maps show karst and nonkarst areas based on outcrop of soluble rocks, major identified stream sinks and springs, traced groundwater flow routes, karst drainage basins, intermittent karst lakes and sources of referenced data.

The Technical Services Section maintains a clearinghouse for dye-trace notifications to Division of Water regional field offices. This service helps to avoid cross-contamination of tracer tests within Kentucky and provides timely information to concerned citizens who may report the occasional dye-discoloration of surface waters.
 
The Technical Services Section also conducts limited focused groundwater studies. These studies are conducted in a similar manner to the main program so data are compatible and comparable across the studies. Most of the studies concentrate on groundwater quality in a particular area or study a particular pollutant (such as pesticides or nitrate).  

Staff:
Rob Blair, P.G.
Phil O'dell, P.G. 
Joe Ray, P.G. 
Jim Webb, P.G. (Section Supervisor)

For More Information Contact:
Jim Webb, P.G.
14 Reilly Road
Frankfort, KY 40601
Phone: 502-564-3410
Fax: 502-564-9899
E-mail:jim.webb@ky.gov