A Multistage, Geocoding Approach for the Development of a Database of Private Wells in Gaston County, North Carolina

摘要

Many existing inventories of private wells in the U.S. lack digital geographic coordinates, and county-level permitting systems often store information in paper copies. We developed a GIS database of private wells from paper permits issued since 1989 in Gaston County, North Carolina (n = 8,721) using a multistage, geocoding approach. We then assessed the positional accuracy of the geocodes from the field-collected GPS location of these wells. In total, 98.9% of permits were successfully geocoded and 12.3% were secured with GPS devices. There were significant differences (p < .05) in positional accuracy for rooftop, parcel, and street geocodes of private wells in the GIS database, but positional accuracy was high for rooftop geocodes. Our approach is portable to other regions interested in the development of a digital inventory with GIS of private wells to aid in monitoring water quality and planning public health interventions.