PUBLICATIONS - Techniques of Water-Resources Investigations (TWRI's) pertaining to the quality of water discipline  


                                           March 26, 1973

QUALITY OF WATER BRANCH TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM NO. 73.14

Subject: PUBLICATIONS - Techniques of Water-Resources 
         Investigations (TWRI's) pertaining to the quality 
         of water discipline

During the past few years, the Quality of Water Branch has 
been responsible for the preparation of several chapters of 
Book 5, "Laboratory Analysis, " in the series "Techniques of 
Water-Resources Investigations of the United States 
Geological Survey." Already published are Chapter Al, 
"Methods for Collection and Analysis of Water Samples for 
Dissolved Minerals and Gases"; Chapter A2, "Determination of 
Minor Elements in Water by Emission Spectroscopy"; Chapter 
A3, "Methods for Analysis of Organic Substances in Water"; 
and Chapter Cl, "Laboratory Theory and Methods for Sediment 
Analysis." Chapter A4, "Methods for the Collection and 
Analysis of Aquatic Biological and Microbiological Samples," 
is in press and will be available this spring (1973). A 
chapter on field methods for measurement of water temperature 
is in preparation.

Because of the public's awareness of environmental quality 
and the resulting increased interest in environmental 
monitoring and surveillance, and because of the ever-
expanding need for greater analytical capabilities, 
precision, and sensitivity, the state-of-the art of water-
quality investigations is a changing scene. Many methods and 
practices which are "standard" today may become outdated 
tomorrow. Because of this, the Quality of Water Branch 
intends to periodically update and revise water-quality 
TWRI's, particularly those pertaining to analytical methods.

The procedure and chronology for revision of published 
chapters of Book 5 will be as follows: (l) As water-quality 
methods are developed or revised, they will be reviewed by 
the Quality of Water Branch and those approved will be 
distributed as provisional methods under Branch Technical 
Memorandums; (2) when appropriate, on the basis of desired 
changes in the text or the number of accumulated provisional 
methods, the quality of Water Branch will arrange for the 
preparation and publication of a revised TWRI chapter. Such 
revisions may occur annually.

If desirable for other reasons, a newly developed method can 
be released to the open-file or published in a technical 
journal (for example, Journal of Research of the U.S. 
Geological Survey); however, it is intended that formal TWRI 
revisions will be published on a timely basis, thus 
satisfying the basic need for formal publication within a 
reasonable length of time.



                             R. J. Pickering

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