
Groundwater Detection Monitoring: Importance of Limiting the Number of Constituents
Detection monitoring uses statistical analyses to differentiate natural groundwater variations from those due to landfill activities. These monitoring programs prioritize two key performance characteristics: adequate statistical power and a low sitewide false positive rate (SWFPR), distributed across all annual statistical tests. Fewer tests result in a lower single-test false negative error rate, and therefore an improvement in statistical power. To illustrate this concept, the per-test false positive rate and the corresponding power for semiannual testing at four compliance wells will be calculated, first considering 10 constituents and then 100 constituents. This post aims to correct the misconception that increasing the number of constituents enhances the statistical power of detection monitoring.