1. UNESCO Project Output Activity 4a UNESCO groundwater component of the GEF Lake Baikal Project lan – Work Package 1 Jaroslav Vrba Scientific-Technical Coordinator

2. Priority issues of transboundary concern related to the groundwater data and groundwater monitoring networks
Absence of groundwater monitoring networks both transboundary and site specific and groundwater data scarcity are the main obstacles of TDA development relate to groundwater
Establishment of groundwater monitoring networks and regular groundwater quality and quantity monitoring by standardized methodology of groundwater observation, sampling and data assessment and management is therefore an urgent task
Following Russian- Mongolian agreement on the protection and use of transboundary waters establish and operate transboundary groundwater monitoring networks and implement standardize groundwater observation and sapling methodology
Establish site specific monitoring networks around liquid and solid waste disposal sites of large mining districts, industrial centers and municipalities
Establish common transboundary groundwater database in GIS for Baikal Basin to facilitate mutual data sharing and free data exchange between Russia and Mongolia
Mongolian present status of groundwater monitoring networks
Transboiundary groundwater monitoring network does not exists
Baikal Basin scale gw monitoring network: 17 monitoring wells were established under the Netherlands project only in the basin of the Rivers Orkhon and Tuul
Site specific monitoring systems were established around mining facilities Boroo, Shariin gol and Hotol and around some water supplies (Ulan Batar, Darkhan, Erdenet ?)

3. Transboundary groundwater monitoring networks and programmes
The UN Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International lakes (Helsinky,1992) and UNECE Guidelines on Monitoring and Assessment of Transboundary Groundwaters´(2000) endorsed harmonization of rules and methods for establishment and operation of transboundary monitoring networks and standardization and coordination of monitoring methods
Special regard must be given to the transboundary aquifers whose: recharge area is in one country and their discharge area lies in neighbouring country, groundwater flow paths cross the country boundaries, groundwater monitoring networks are not yet established or methods and frequency of observations are only poorly coordinated and monitoring data are not sharing between adjoining countries
Coordination in establishment and operation of transboundary monitoring programmes and data-sharing agreements between riparian countries both are essential for a joint assessment, sustainable management and effective protection policy of shared aquifers and help in prevention or mitigation of international conflicts related to excessive use of groundwater resources (spreading of cones of depression across international borders) and transboundary pollution transport
Groundwater monitoring is technically demanding, time consuming and a costly process however, with growing urbanization, economic development and presumed impact of climate change, threats on groundwater are increasing and groundwater monitoring programmes are justifiable economically, socially and environmentally

4. Transboundary groundwater monitoring networks and programmes
The UN Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International lakes (Helsinky,1992) and UNECE Guidelines on Monitoring and Assessment of Transboundary Groundwaters´(2000) endorsed harmonization of rules and methods for establishment and operation of transboundary monitoring networks and standardization and coordination of monitoring methods
Special regard must be given to the transboundary aquifers whose: recharge area is in one country and discharge area lies in vicinity country, groundwater flow paths cross the country boundaries, groundwater monitoring networks are not yet established or methods and frequency of observations are only poorly coordinated and monitoring data are not sharing between adjoining countries
Coordination in establishment and operation of transboundary monitoring programmes and data-sharing agreements between riparian countries both are essential for a joint assessment, sustainable management and effective protection policy of shared aquifers and help in prevention or mitigation of international conflicts related to the excessive use of groundwater resources (spreading of cones of depression across international borders) and transboundary pollution transport
Groundwater monitoring is technically demanding, time consuming and a costly process however, with growing urbanization, economic development and presumed impact of climate change, threats on groundwater are increasing and groundwater monitoring programmes are justifiable economically, socially and environmentally

5. ISARM Framework Document
Aquifer –
Transboundary Issues

6. Basic activities under transboundary groundwater monitoring programmes
Setting –up the conceptual model of a groundwater system is an important initial stage in the establishment of monitoring programme and design of monitoring network
To observe groundwater system dynamics and regime monitoring network must be capable to observe groundwater pathways in the whole groundwater unit (basin, aquifer)
Monitoring wells design should permit separate measurement and testing of individual aquifers; specific and early warning monitoring programmes often required monitoring (groundwater sampling) of the vertical profile of unsaturated zone and saturated aquifer
Standardization of monitoring methods and sampling procedures on the country level and international scale is desirable to acquire reliable, mutually comparable and consistent groundwater data sets; Quality Assurance / Quality Control (QA / QC) procedure must be an ordinary part of the monitoring programmes
Level of applied monitoring technology must be related to the capability of human resources that take care for groundwater monitoring; their education, training and capacity building is pointed out
Feedback is an essential future of any monitoring programme; geostatistical methods and relevant models help to adjust monitoring network design, optimize measurements and samplings frequency and number of variables observed
Operation of groundwater and surface water monitoring programmes has to be integrated and coordinated with meteorological, soil and other environmental programmes
Establishment of groundwater GIS database and sharing of monitoring data and free data exchange on transboundary levels is pointed out

7. Propose GIS layers based on WHYMAP
WHYMAP layers in Geographical Information System
Topography
Geology
Aquifers
GW Abstraction
GW Quality
GW Recharge
Age of groundwater
Relation GW – surface w.

8. Site specific (local) groundwater monitoring programmes
Site specific groundwater monitoring programmes are established for specific purposes, e.g. around point pollution sources (waste disposal sites, oil storage facilities, industrial and mining sites) to control pollution plume generation and movement; in areas with intensive farming activities and high probability of groundwater nitrate diffuse pollution; in groundwater abstraction sites to control groundwater levels decline and spreading of cones of depression; in areas with occurrence of groundwater dependent ecosystems; in aquifers with rapid respond to climate variation and change (coastal, shallow water table and karst aquifers)
The following activities are typical for site specific monitoring programmes: great density and special design of monitoring wells, multilevel groundwater sampling of both unsaturated zone and saturated aquifer, high observation and sampling frequency and reporting, analysis of variables chosen with respect to the pollutant properties and possible groundwater use
Monitoring of pollutant migration in the gaseous or liquid phases through the unsaturated and saturated zone of the aquifer required retrieval of rock, gas and water samples by use of separation pumping techniques, suction cups, the multi layer samplers, direct push of sampling tools into the ground, porous cups and pore water from cores of rock taking in the unsaturated zone
Operation of specific monitoring programmes is mostly limited for a certain period only and rarely are available historical records

9. Early warning groundwater monitoring
Early warning groundwater monitoring is an activity or sequence of activities that makes it possible to identify and to foresee the outcome of a process leading to groundwater deterioration with enough anticipation, so that desired measures can be taken in order to change or reduce the magnitude of the said process
Early warning groundwater monitoring helps in: forecasting of natural disasters (e.g. floods, droughts, earthquakes, volcanic activities) and their potential impact on groundwater; recognition of the respond of shallow water table aquifers to climatic variability; timely detection of leakages from pollution sources still in the unsaturated zone; preventive protection of water supplies; maintenance of good status of groundwater dependent ecosystems
Different methods and techniques should be applied for early warning monitoring according to the specific characteristics and vulnerability of the studied groundwater system, natural and human impacts and their potential risk for groundwater and the time needed to take appropriate action
Early warning monitoring supports groundwater protection and conservation policy and helps in identifying impacts on groundwater system while they are still controllable and manageable

10. UNEP’s GEMS/Water Global
Monitoring Network
River
Lake
Groundwater
Wetland
Total stations: 3215

11. Categories of groundwater monitoring stations operating in groundwater monitoring programmes
Category of monitoring stations
Stations density
Measurment and sampling frequency
Constituents analysed
Financial expendditures on monitoring programme operation
Baseline
Trend
Impact
Global International D L B M
Regional Transboundary C
B - S
National H
Site specific - local S
Early warning
Station significance: D – Dominant, C – Complementary Stations density: H – High, M – Moderate, L – Low
Measurement and sampling frequency: H – High, M – Moderate, L - Low
Constituents analysed: B - Major and minor constituents included in drinking water Standards: S - Specific constituents related to specific human and natural impacts Financial expenditures on monitoring programme operation: H – High, M – Moderate, L - Low 11

13. Monitoring station – vertical aquifer hydrochemical profiling

14. Movement of LNAPLs and DNAPLs into the groundwater system
Light Nonaqueous Liquids (LNAPLs)
Dense Nonaqueous Liquids (DNAPLs)
Gaseous
phase
Water miscible phase
Water immiscible phase

15. Multilevel groundwater sampler

16. Sampling of water by packing of a sampling interval a/ by pumping direct from packed interval, b/ by injection of compressed air, c/ by a special sampling and pumping (suction)techniques, d/ by packing the borehole except the sampling interval

17. Multilevel groundwater sampler

18. Soil gas contaminant sampling technology

19. The comparison of nitrate vertical profile in the saturated zone in water table and confined aquifers in Triassic sandstones in England (Foster, 1998)

20. The comparison of nitrate vertical profile in the saturated zone in water table and confined aquifers in Triassic sandstones in England (Foster, 1998)

21. The comparison of nitrate vertical profile in the saturated zone in water table and confined aquifers in Triassic sandstones in England

22. Changes in hydrochemical profile of shallow water table aquifer below intensively cultivated arable land - Central Bohemia

23. Automatic sophisticated compact data measurement and compact remote transmission system multi-parameter sensors: groundwater level, temperature and water quality (conductivity, salinity , pH, redox potential, dissolved oxygen, turbidity); solar – battery operation

24. Thank you for your attention