Industry-Wide Data Management System

In 2007, dairy farms in the nation’s largest dairy-producing state faced new regulations to comprehensively address the potential effects of their operations on groundwater quality. As part of a pioneering approach to industry-wide groundwater monitoring in the Central Valley of California, we developed a representative monitoring program and relational database as a secure repository for all collected groundwater-related data. This Data Management System includes detailed well construction and location information, monthly depth-to-water readings from 443 wells, quarterly laboratory and field water quality results from 250 wells, and more. The database is linked to a Geographic Information System (GIS) for spatial analysis and carries out a myriad of computations at the click of a button.

Field service providers use customized electronic forms to input data directly into the database. Quality assurance is supported with automated quality control measures upon data entry and two separate manual control processes.

The results have been impressive. Already in the first year of implementation, industry-wide groundwater quality characteristics were reliably captured. Since then, our comprehensive approach offers insights into the spatial variability of groundwater quality characteristics associated with (i) different land uses on dairies (i.e., animal housing such as earthen corrals, cropland where forage is grown for the herd, and liquid manure ponds), (ii) soil texture, particularly when associated with crop fields, and (iii) well depth.

The results provided the technical basis for recommendations that will lead to more accurate inventories of manure nitrogen and other nutrients through improved on-farm data collection protocols and robust diagnostics.

Significant Project Elements

• Development of a data management system with vision for long-term use and flexibility
• Collaboration with service providers to develop data collection forms
• Training service providers on data entry and submittal
• Systematic and repeatable data analyses
• Extremely effective and efficient tool