NJDEP, NJGWS, Division of Water Supply and Geoscience, Bureau of Water Resources and GeoscienceThis update (2024) includes the volatile organic compound (VOC) data from the 6th sampling cycle (2020-2022) of the New Jersey Ambient Groundwater Quality Monitoring Network (AGWQMN). Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are generally organic chemicals that have a high vapor pressure and readily vaporize at temperatures and pressures normally found at the earth's surface. The term is generally applied to organic solvents, certain paint additives, aerosol spray can propellants, fuels (such as gasoline, and kerosene), petroleum distillates, dry cleaning products and many other industrial and consumer products ranging from office supplies to building materials. VOCs are also naturally emitted by a number of plants and trees. Samples were analyzed using United States Geological Survey (USGS) National Water Quality Laboratory (NWQL) Schedule 1307. Concentrations are reported in micrograms per liter (µg/L). New Jersey's AGWQMN is a cooperative program between the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and United States Geological Survey (USGS). The goals of the current network are to determine the status and trends of shallow groundwater quality as a function of land use related to non-point source pollution in New Jersey. This network consists of 150 monitoring wells screened at the water table. Thirty of these wells were sampled per year on a 5 year cycle from 1999-2013. Beginning with the 4th sampling cycle in 2014, the sampling frequency was changed to once every 3 years (3-year cycle). This layer includes data from sampling cycle 6; samples were collected between 2020 and 2022. The New Jersey Geological and Water Survey (NJGWS) manages the network design, well installation, well maintenance, data interpretation, reporting, and a portion of the well sampling. The NJDEP Bureau of Fresh Water and Biological Monitoring and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) collect the remaining ground-water samples and the USGS National Water Quality Laboratory in Denver, Colorado or their contracted laboratories analyzes them. Chemical and physical parameters analyzed at each well include field parameters such as pH, specific conductance, dissolved oxygen, water temperature and alkalinity, major ions, trace elements (metals), gross-alpha particle activity (radionuclides), volatile organic compounds, nutrients, and pesticides.ArcGIS FeatureLayerhttps://hub.arcgis.com/datasets/e58c3bff5a9a44139ceacbb0b9d63e8e_6engNew Jersey Department of Environmental Protection's (NJDEP) Bureau of GISPublicNJ Ambient Groundwater Quality Monitoring Network, Volatile Organic Compounds, 2020-2022 [New Jersey]Web servicesNew Jersey2020-2022