Conversion Factors, Selected Abbreviations, Isotope Terminology, and Well Numbering System

Conversion Factors

Multiply	By	To obtain
Length
foot (ft)	0.3048	meter (m)
mile (mi)	1.609	kilometer (km)
Volume
cubic centimeter (cm3)	0.06102	cubic inch (in3)
Flow rate
cubic foot per second (ft3/s)	0.02832	cubic meter per second (m3/s)
Radioactivity
picocurie per liter (pCi/L)	0.037	becquerel per liter (Bq/L)
Mass
gram (g)	0.03527	ounce, avoirdupois (oz)
kilogram (kg)	2.205	pound, avoirdupois (lb)

Temperature in degrees Celsius (°C) may be converted to degrees Fahrenheit (°F) as follows:
°F=(1.8×°C)+32

Specific conductance is given in microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius (µS/cm at 25 °C). Concentrations of most chemical constituents in water are given either in milligrams per liter (mg/L) or micrograms per liter (µg/L).

Concentrations of the noble gases, helium (He), neon (Ne), argon (Ar), krypton (Kr), and xenon (Xe), are reported in units of cubic centimeters (at standard temperature and pressure) per gram of water (cc(STP)/g). One cc(STP) of He, Ne, Ar, Kr, or Xe is equal to 2.6868x10¹⁹ atoms.

Sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆) concentrations are given in units of femtograms per kilogram (fg/kg); one femtogram is 10^-15 grams.

Tritium (³H) concentrations are given in units of picocuries per liter. The conversion of picocuries per liter to Tritium Units (TU), based upon a tritium half-life of 12.32 years (Lucas and Unterweger, 2000), is: 1 TU = 3.22 picocuries per liter.

Helium-3 (³He) data are reported as δ values computed from the formula

where R_x is the ratio of ³He to ⁴He in the sample, R_STD is the ³He to ⁴He ratio of the reference standard air (1.384 x 10^-6), and δ³He is expressed in parts per hundred.

Stable isotopes of water are reported as δ values computed from the formula

where R_x is the ratio of ²H to ¹H or ¹⁸O to ¹⁶O in the sample, R_STD is the ²H to ¹H or ¹⁸O to ¹⁶O ratio of the reference standard Vienna Standard Mean Ocean Water (VSMOW), and δ²H or δ¹⁸O is expressed in parts per thousand.

Stable isotopes of carbon are reported as δ values computed from the formula

where R_x is the ratio of ¹³C to ¹²C in the sample, R_STD is the ¹³C to ¹²C ratio of the reference standard Vienna Peedee Belemnite, and δ¹³C is expressed in parts per thousand.

Datums

Vertical coordinate information is referenced to the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88).

Horizontal coordinates for springs and precipitation sites are referenced to the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD 83), and for surface-water sites, the North American Datum of 1927 (NAD 27).

Altitude, as used in this report, refers to distance above the vertical datum.

Well Numbering System

Well-numbering system for Washington. (Each well is assigned a unique local number that locates and identifies the well within the Public Land Survey rectangular grid system for Washington State, indicating the township north of the Willamette Base Line, the range east of the Willamette Meridian, section number within the township, and location within the section. A sequence number is added to distinguish different wells within a subsection. A “D” following the sequence number indicates a well that has been deepened.)

First posted March 7, 2013