Electronic Data File Submittal Guidelines

The electronic data files may be sent as an email attachment to olqdata@idem.in.gov. The facility name, regulatory ID number (e.g. permit number, site number, facility ID number, case number), and a brief description of the file contents should be typed in the subject heading of the email. Files larger than 10 MB in size should be mailed to IDEM on the appropriate electronic media listed below.

Mail

Submit electronic data files on a DOS formatted CD-ROM or DVD-ROM. Label CDs and DVDs with program name, site name, site or FID number, document title(s), data file name(s), and date. The electronic media should be mailed to the appropriate project manager or permit manager at the following address:

Indiana Department of Environmental Management
Office of Land Quality
100 North Senate Avenue IGCN Room 1101
Indianapolis, IN 46204

File Formats

Map Data

Maps should contain, if available, all property boundaries, waste boundaries, monitoring wells, piezometers, landfill gas wells, on-site roads buildings, topography and sanitary and storm sewers. Metadata for maps should include the last revision date, the horizontal and vertical survey datum and coordinate system, and coordinate units (feet or meters). Please include horizontal and vertical accuracy estimates, where available. Acceptable electronic map formats are AutoCAD ".dwg" or ".dxf" files, Shapefiles, or ArcGIS Geodatabase.

Sample Point or Facility/Site Location Data

Locations for permanent sample points or facility locations only need to be reported once. Locations for temporary sample points must be submitted when samples are collected. See the IDEM Spatial Data Collection Standards for information on acceptable data collection methods and file formats.

Monitoring and Sampling Data

The electronic copy of sampling results should be formatted as an ASCII, tab-delimited text file and contain the facility's name and ID (Federal or State regulatory ID). When preparing the file try to avoid these common errors.

Field parameters and analytical results must include the fields listed in the interim electronic data format below. All fields are required unless noted otherwise.

1. SamplingDate: Month, day and year (mm/dd/yyyy). Value should be formatted as a date if possible.
2. SamplePointName: Names of monitoring well, piezometer, soil boring, leachate well, surface water collection point, etc.
3. SampleID: ID of the individual sample collected from a sample point. Required for sample points with multiple sampling horizons such as soil borings, geoprobe samples, surface water samples, or wells with multiple screens within a single riser.
4. LaboratorySampleID: ID assigned to the sample by the laboratory.
5. SampleHorizonName: Name of the individual, depth-dependent sample collected from a sample point. Required for sample points with multiple sampling horizons such as soil borings, geoprobe samples, surface water samples, or wells with multiple screens within a single riser.
6. SampleCollectionElevation: Elevation of the collected sample in feet above Mean Sea Level or Depth below a fixed measurement point. If measurement is recorded as depth, the elevation of the measurement point from which the measurement was taken must be reported within parentheses after the measurement value. Required for sample locations with multiple samples such as soil borings, geoprobe samples, surface water samples, and sediment samples. Optional for fixed depth sample points such as permanent wells.
7. SoilSampleTop: Upper elevation in feet above Mean Sea Level or Depth below a fixed measurement point of the top of the soil sample interval. If measurement is recorded as depth, the elevation of the measurement point from which the measurement was taken must be reported within parentheses after the measurement value. Required for subsurface soil samples.
8. SoilSampleBottom: Lower elevation in feet above Mean Sea Level or Depth below a fixed measurement point of the bottom of the soil sample interval. If measurement is recorded as depth, the elevation of the measurement point from which the measurement was taken must be reported within parentheses after the measurement value. Required for subsurface soil samples.
9. SampleType: Regular, duplicate(s), trip blank(s), equipment blank(s), field blank(s), verification re-sample(s) and replicate(s).
10. SpeciesName (analysis): Chloride, sodium, ammonia, etc. The order of constituents is not critical. However, it is best to reflect the order that is on the laboratory-data sheets and keep all field data grouped together. Metals should indicate the "dissolved" phase or the "total" phase.
11. Concentration (results): The entry MUST be a number. Please do not enter text such as "NA", "ND", or "<".
12. ConcentrationUnits: mg/L, ug/L, mg/Kg, ug/Kg, SU (standard units) for pH, degrees Celsius (oC), or degrees Fahrenheit (oF) for temperature, and umhos/cm for specific conductance.
13. Detected: Yes or no
14. DetectionLimit
15. AnalyticalMethods
16. EstimatedValue: Indicate "Yes" if the reported concentration is an estimated value. If the value recorded was not estimated, enter "No". If a concentration is estimated, use the "Comment" field to explain why the concentration was estimated.
17. Comment: Analytical lab and/or field personnel comments regarding the reported results.
18. SampleMedium: Ground water, Leachate, Surface water, Soil, Sediments, Air, Waste, Sludge or Solids, Container (drum, barrel), or Soil Gas.
19. ProgramArea: Regulatory program for which the sample was collected (e.g. VRP, Solid Waste, Hazardous Waste, LUST, UST, DERP, etc.).

Field Data

1. Needs to be included in the submittal as part of the Monitoring and Sampling Data. Field parameters usually do not have a method to list under the header "AnalyticalMethod".
2. Associated water levels do not have their own header, but are entered as "GW WaterLevel" under the header "SpeciesName". The actual elevations themselves are to be entered under the header "Concentration". The preferred Concentration values are:
   1. "GW WaterLevel" is the measured elevation of ground water in the well;
   2. "GW WaterDepth" is the measured depth to water; and,
   3. "GW WellDepth" is the measured total well depth.

Common Errors

1. AnalyticalMethod
   1. Not submitted.
2. Comments
   1. Not submitted when a value is estimated.
3. Concentration
   1. Left blank for non-detect. For a non-detect, the detection limit should be entered.
   2. Not numeric. Must be a number, do not use “ND”, “<”, or other text characters.
4. Detected
   1. Not submitted.
   2. Not entered as “Yes/No” value. Must be “Yes” or “No”, do not enter numbers or other values.
   3. Not entered when Concentration = DetectionLimit. If Concentration = DetectionLimit, then Detected or Estimated must be flagged.
5. DetectionLimit
   1. Not Submitted
6. Estimated Value
   1. Not submitted.
   2. Not entered as “Yes/No” value. Must be “Yes” or “No”, do not enter numbers or other values.
   3. Not entered when Concentration = DetectionLimit. If Concentration = DetectionLimit, then Detected or Estimated must be flagged.
7. Format
   1. Does not follow format specified above.
   2. Headers not consistent throughout the file.
   3. Sometimes the facility is unknown; need permit number or FID number.
   4. Lab name unknown.
   5. If spreadsheet is submitted, it contains more than one worksheet.
8. SampleDate
   1. Entered in format other than mm/dd/yyyy.
9. SampleMedium
   1. Not submitted.
   2. Not entered as one of the valid media types; Ground water, Leachate, Surface water, Soil, Sediments, Air, Waste, Sludge or Solids, Container (drum, barrel), or Soil Gas.
10. SampleType
    1. Not submitted.
    2. Does not correctly match the type of sample.
    3. Blanks are not identified.
11. SpeciesName
    1. Metals not labeled 'Dissolved' or 'Total' in the SpeciesName.
    2. Field parameters (ph, specific cond., temp…) not labeled 'Field' or 'Lab' in the SpeciesName.
    3. Misspelled, doesn’t match any known synonym.
12. Units
    1. Not submitted.
13. WellName
    1. Sample point where duplicate was collected is not indicated.
    2. Does not match name previously submitted for the sample point.

Questions

If you have any technical questions regarding the electronic format requirements, please contact IDEM by email at olqdata@idem.in.gov, or by phone at (317) 232-8941.

Notifications by Email

If you would like to be notified via email about changes or news regarding OLQ's electronic data submittal guidance send an email with "NOTIFY" as the subject to olqdata@idem.in.gov.

If you want to be removed from the notification list send an email with "STOPNOTIFY" as the subject to olqdata@idem.in.gov.