HRSC technical resources
Agency guidance on high-resolution site characterization (HRSC), with the tool manufacturer’s peer-reviewed research and documentation for each tool we operate, sorted by topic.
Browse by topic
How HRSC works
ReferenceU.S. EPA, CLU-IN
High-Resolution Site Characterization (HRSC) (opens in a new tab)EPA’s HRSC resource hub: its definition of HRSC, why and how it is used, and links to case studies, publications, and training.
GuidanceInterstate Technology & Regulatory Council (ITRC)ASCT-12019
Implementing Advanced Site Characterization Tools (opens in a new tab)Guidance on selecting and using direct sensing, geophysical, and remote sensing tools, with tool tables, checklists, a survey of state regulators, and case studies.
GuidanceU.S. EPA Office of Underground Storage TanksEPA-510-R-25-0012025PDF
Implementing Direct Sensing High Resolution Site Characterization at EPA UST Release Sites in Indian Country (opens in a new tab)How to plan and manage a direct sensing investigation: the work plan and how it adapts in the field, data review, confirmatory sampling, and reporting, with three case studies.
GuidanceIndiana Department of Environmental Management2019PDF
Use of High Resolution Site Characterization Tools (opens in a new tab)A state agency’s technical guidance on using direct sensing tools to fill conceptual site model data gaps, with their advantages and limitations.
StudyIndustrial Economics, Inc., for U.S. EPA2023PDF
High Resolution Site Characterization at Petroleum Underground Storage Tank Release Sites: Applicability, Benefits, and Costs (opens in a new tab)An EPA-sponsored study of where HRSC helps at petroleum UST release sites and how it affects project cost and time. Its headline figures are estimates from a three-person expert panel.
NAPL: fuels, oils, and tars
GuidanceITRCASCT-1, section 3.32019
Optical Image Profiler (opens in a new tab)How the OIP induces and photographs fluorescence, which products it is used to find, and its limitations, quality control, and case studies.
GuidanceITRCLNAPL-3, section 32018
Key LNAPL Concepts (opens in a new tab)How light non-aqueous phase liquid (LNAPL) is distributed and moves in the subsurface, starting from common misconceptions about where it sits relative to the water table.
Peer-reviewed, by the manufacturerMcCall et al.Environmental Earth Sciences 77, 3742018Open access
Evaluation and application of the optical image profiler (OIP) a direct push probe for photo-logging UV-induced fluorescence of petroleum hydrocarbons (opens in a new tab)The OIP-UV lamp-induced fluorescence (LIF) design and field operation, bench tests on petroleum fuels, and field logs used to identify LNAPL and its migration pathways.
ManufacturerGeoprobe Systems
OIP (Optical Image Profiler) (opens in a new tab)The manufacturer’s overview: UV and visible light behind a sapphire window, and fluorescence images saved 20 times per foot.
ManufacturerGeoprobe SystemsProbing Times2018
OIP-Green Successfully Detects Coal Tar Fluorescence (opens in a new tab)A field test of OIP-G laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) at a former manufactured gas plant in Kansas, run with the state environmental agency and its contractor.
VOCs and chlorinated solvents
GuidanceITRCASCT-1, section 3.22019
Membrane Interface Probe (opens in a new tab)How the MIP carries VOCs from a heated membrane to detectors at the surface, how its logs are interpreted, and its limitations and quality control.
ReferenceU.S. EPA, CLU-IN
Membrane Interface Probe (MIP) (opens in a new tab)EPA’s description of the MIP as a semi-quantitative field screening tool for VOCs in soil and sediment, and its typical uses.
Peer-reviewed, by the manufacturerMcCall et al.Groundwater Monitoring & Remediation 34(2)2014
Field Application of the Combined Membrane-Interface Probe and Hydraulic Profiling Tool (MiHpt) (opens in a new tab)MiHpt logs from a chlorinated-solvent site in Denmark, checked against soil cores, slug tests, and soil and groundwater lab results.
ManufacturerGeoprobe Systems
MIP (Membrane Interface Probe) (opens in a new tab)The manufacturer’s overview: a carrier gas sweeps VOCs from behind a heated membrane in the tool to a series of detectors at the surface.
ManufacturerGeoprobe SystemsTechnical Bulletin MK30102026
MIP Logging SOP (opens in a new tab)The manufacturer’s standard operating procedure for MIP and MIHPT logging: system components, the detector system, and quality tests for the detectors, electrical conductivity (EC), and HPT.
Permeability and lithology
GuidanceITRCASCT-1, section 3.62019
Hydraulic and Groundwater Profiling Tools (opens in a new tab)How injection logging tools such as the HPT measure relative permeability, identify the water table, and estimate hydraulic conductivity, and where they fall short.
GuidanceITRCASCT-1, section 3.72019
Electrical Conductivity (EC) Probe (opens in a new tab)What bulk formation EC indicates about grain size, why EC logs are read alongside HPT, and the Wenner and dipole electrode arrays.
Peer-reviewed, by the manufacturerMcCall and ChristyGroundwater Monitoring & Remediation 40(3)2020Open access
The Hydraulic Profiling Tool for Hydrogeologic Investigation of Unconsolidated Formations (opens in a new tab)How the HPT and its EC array log relative permeability, how dissipation tests give the piezometric profile, and the limits of estimated K.
ManufacturerGeoprobe Systems
HPT (Hydraulic Profiling Tool) (opens in a new tab)The manufacturer’s overview: injection pressure as an indicator of formation permeability, and how the log yields a piezometric profile and estimated K.
ManufacturerGeoprobe Systems2010
Tech Guide for Estimating K using HPT (opens in a new tab)A step-by-step guide to calculating an estimated hydraulic conductivity log from HPT pressure, flow, and dissipation tests in Direct Image Viewer.
Groundwater samples by depth
GuidanceITRCASCT-1, section 3.62019
Hydraulic and Groundwater Profiling Tools (opens in a new tab)Covers the HPT-GWS and the smaller groundwater profiler, which log injection pressure and collect depth-discrete groundwater samples.
Peer-reviewed, by the manufacturerMcCall, Christy and EvaldGroundwater Monitoring & Remediation 37(1)2017
Applying the HPT-GWS for Hydrostratigraphy, Water Quality and Aquifer Recharge Investigations (opens in a new tab)Field work pairing HPT-GWS pressure and EC logs with groundwater samples from several depths to assess water quality in an alluvial aquifer.
Free copy from Geoprobe (opens in a new tab)ManufacturerGeoprobe Systems
GW Profilers (opens in a new tab)The manufacturer’s overview of the 1.75 in. Groundwater Profiler and the 2.25 in. HPT-GWS: each logs injection pressure and stops to sample in permeable zones.
ManufacturerGeoprobe SystemsTechnical Bulletin MK31962025
GW Profiler SOP (opens in a new tab)The manufacturer’s standard operating procedure for both profilers: components, pump setup, and purging and sampling groundwater during a log.
Live data and 3D site models
- GeoImaging Dashboard Your data, delivered as it’s collected
- GeoImaging 3D Modeling From raw data to 3D site models
GuidanceU.S. EPAEPA 542-F-11-0112011PDF
Environmental Cleanup Best Management Practices: Effective Use of the Project Life Cycle Conceptual Site Model (opens in a new tab)EPA’s fact sheet on developing a conceptual site model and keeping it current through each stage of an investigation and cleanup.
GuidanceU.S. EPA Office of Underground Storage TanksEPA-510-R-25-0012025PDF
Implementing Direct Sensing High Resolution Site Characterization at EPA UST Release Sites in Indian Country (opens in a new tab)Section 4 and Attachment Five cover presenting HRSC data as logs, cross sections, and 3D models, and the data checks a 3D model needs first.
SoftwareC Tech Development Corporation
Earth Volumetric Studio (opens in a new tab)The software our 3D site models are built in: geostatistical analysis, 3D geologic models, plume delineation, and volume estimates.
SoftwareGeoprobe Systems
Direct Image Viewer (opens in a new tab)Free Windows software for opening Direct Image logs, comparing them in cross section or overlay, and printing or exporting the graphics.
Our team can help you understand which tool configuration is right for your site conditions and contaminants of concern.