ASTM_D_5718_-_13.pdf

Designation:D571813Standard Guide forDocumenting a Groundwater Flow Model Application1This standard is issued under the fixed designation D5718;the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.Asuperscript epsilon()indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1.Scope1.1 This guide covers suggested components to be includedin documenting and archival of numerical groundwater flowmodel applications.Model documentation includes a writtenand graphical presentation of model assumptions andobjectives,the conceptual model,code description,modelconstruction,model calibration,predictive simulations,andconclusions.Model archival refers to a file or set of files(inboth written and digital format)that contains logs of significantmodel simulations(that is,calibration,sensitivity and predic-tionsimulations),supplementalcalculations,modeldocumentation,a copy of the model source code(s)or execut-able file(s)used,or both,and input and output data sets forsignificant model simulations.1.2 This guide presents the major steps in preparing thedocumentation and archival for a groundwater flow modelapplication.Additional information on groundwater modeldocumentation can be found in EPA-500-B-92-006.21.3 This guide is specifically written for saturated,uniformdensity,groundwater flow model applications.The elementspresented for documentation and archival are relevant andapplicable to a wide range of modeled processes(in and out ofthe realm of groundwater flow)and can be tailored for thoseapplications.1.4 This guide is not intended to be all inclusive.Eachmodel application is unique and may require supplementarydocumentation and archival.1.5 This standard does not purport to address all of thesafety concerns,if any,associated with its use.It is theresponsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.1.6 This guide offers an organized collection of informationor a series of options and does not recommend a specificcourse of action.This document cannot replace education orexperience and should be used in conjunction with professionaljudgment.Not all aspects of this guide may be applicable in allcircumstances.This ASTM standard is not intended to repre-sent or replace the standard of care by which the adequacy ofa given professional service must be judged,nor should thisdocument be applied without consideration of a projects manyunique aspects.The word“Standard”in the title of thisdocument means only that the document has been approvedthrough the ASTM consensus process.2.Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:3D653 Terminology Relating to Soil,Rock,and ContainedFluidsD5490 Guide for Comparing Groundwater Flow ModelSimulations to Site-Specific InformationD5609 Guide for Defining Boundary Conditions in Ground-water Flow ModelingD5610 Guide for Defining Initial Conditions in GroundwaterFlow ModelingD5611 Guide for Conducting a Sensitivity Analysis for aGroundwater Flow Model Application3.Terminology3.1 Definitions:3.1.1 For definitions of general technical terms used withinthis guide,refer to Terminology D653.4.Significance and Use4.1 Groundwater flow models are tools frequently appliedfor the analysis of hydrogeologic systems.Due to the signifi-cance of many decisions based upon modeling results,qualityassurance measures need to be applied to model applications.Complete model documentation is a mechanism to ensure thequality of the effort.1This guide is under the jurisdiction ofASTM Committee D18 on Soil and Rockand is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee D18.21 on Groundwater andVadose Zone Investigations.Current edition approved April 1,2013.Published May 2013.Originallyapproved in 1995.Last previous edition approved in 2012 as D5718 95(2012).DOI:10.1520/D5718-13.2Ground-Water Modeling Compendium,USEPA,Office of Solid Waste andEmergency Response,EPA-500-B-92-006,NTIS No.PB93207504.Available fromthe Superintendent of Documents,U.S.Government Printing Office,Washington,DC,20402.3For referenced ASTM standards,visit the ASTM website,www.astm.org,orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org.For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information,refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.Copyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO Box C700,West Conshohocken,PA 19428-2959.United States1 4.2 Several federal and state agencies have developed poli-cies regarding model documentation.This guide providesconsistency amongst current policies,and should be used as aframework for model documentation.5.Model Documentation5.1 Model documentation includes written and graphicalpresentations of model assumptions and objectives,the con-ceptual model,code description,model construction,modelcalibration,predictive simulations,and co