A Multilevel Device for Ground‐Water Sampling and Piezometric Monitoring

TLDR

The device is a PVC pipe housing a bundle of polypropylene tubes that protrude at different elevations, each acting as a sampler and piezometer with a fine‑mesh stainless‑steel tip, and is suited for cohesionless deposits and shallow piezometric levels, installable via hollow‑stem auger, driven casing, or wash‑boring. The inexpensive multilevel sampler was successfully used to monitor a leachate plume from a sanitary landfill, demonstrating its utility for ground‑water sampling and piezometric monitoring from a single borehole.

Abstract

ABSTRACT A simple inexpensive device for sample collection and for monitoring of ground‐water potential at many levels from a single borehole installation has been developed. The device consists of a bundle of polypropylene tubes contained inside a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe that is installed in the aquifer. Each tube protrudes through the wall of the pipe at a different elevation where it serves as a point water sampler and piezometer. The tip of each tube is encased in fine‐meshed stainless‐steel screening. The device is best suited for use in cohesionless deposits and where the piezometric levels are close enough to ground surface to enable samples to be obtained by suction methods. It can be conveniently installed using a hollow‐stem auger, driven casing or wash‐boring methods. The usefulness of this multilevel sampling device has been demonstrated in detailed monitoring of a leachate plume from a sanitary landfill.