Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Here’s how you know

Dot gov

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

HTTPS

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock (LockA locked padlock) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

    • Environmental Topics
    • Air
    • Bed Bugs
    • Cancer
    • Chemicals, Toxics, and Pesticide
    • Emergency Response
    • Environmental Information by Location
    • Health
    • Land, Waste, and Cleanup
    • Lead
    • Mold
    • Radon
    • Research
    • Science Topics
    • Water Topics
    • A-Z Topic Index
    • Laws & Regulations
    • By Business Sector
    • By Topic
    • Compliance
    • Enforcement
    • Laws and Executive Orders
    • Regulations
    • Report a Violation
    • Environmental Violations
    • Fraud, Waste or Abuse
    • About EPA
    • Our Mission and What We Do
    • Headquarters Offices
    • Regional Offices
    • Labs and Research Centers
    • Planning, Budget, and Results
    • Organization Chart
    • EPA History

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Water Research

Optimal Well Locator (OWL)

OWL, or Optimal Well Locator, is a simple tool to evaluate existing monitoring well networks and assist in the selection of new monitoring well locations. The program uses ground-water elevation measurements to evaluate variations in ground-water flow magnitude and direction over time and calculate corresponding plume migration paths. A simple analysis combining the potential locations of the plume and the coverage of monitoring wells at a site allows the user to evaluate whether existing monitoring wells are optimally located, and to optimize the placement of new monitoring wells to better characterize plume location and future movement. The program accomplishes these tasks using simple algorithms and typically available field data.

Specifications
Version 1.2
Release Date March 2004
Operating System Windows 95/98/NT/2000/XP

Minimum System Requirements

The OWL program requires the following hardware for reasonable performance:

  • At least 32 MB of RAM
  • 40 MB of free hard-disk space for the user directory

Downloads

OWL Setup File (EXE) (exe) (6.07 MB)

US EPA. (2004) "Optimal Well Locator (OWL), A Screening Tool for Evaluating Locations of Monitoring Wells." Publication No. EPA/600/C-04/017.

Water Research

  • Watersheds Research
    • Watershed Assessment Research
    • Ecosystem and Community Resilience Research
    • Advanced Ambient Water Quality Research
  • Nutrients and Harmful Algal Blooms Research
    • Nutrients Research
    • Harmful Algal Blooms Research
  • Water Treatment and Infrastructure Research
    • Drinking Water Research
      • Treatment and Control of Contaminants
      • Infrastructure Resilience and Sustainability
      • Source Water Quality
      • Exposure and Health Risks
      • Models, Tools, and Analytical Methods
      • Technical Assistance in Support of BIL
      • Training, Outreach, and Technical Support
    • PFAS Research
      • PFAS Analytical Methods Research
    • Alternative Water Sources Research
    • Stormwater Management Research
    • Wastewater Research
  • Water Research Grants
  • Research Outputs
  • Training, Outreach, and Technical Support
    • Harmful Algal Blooms, Hypoxia, and Nutrients Research Webinars
    • Small Drinking Water Systems Webinars
    • Water Research Webinars
Contact Us about Water Research
Contact Us to ask a question, provide feedback, or report a problem.
Last updated on December 2, 2024
  • Assistance
  • Spanish
  • Arabic
  • Chinese (simplified)
  • Chinese (traditional)
  • French
  • Haitian Creole
  • Korean
  • Portuguese
  • Russian
  • Tagalog
  • Vietnamese
United States Environmental Protection Agency

Discover.

  • Accessibility Statement
  • Budget & Performance
  • Contracting
  • EPA www Web Snapshot
  • Grants
  • No FEAR Act Data
  • Plain Writing
  • Privacy
  • Privacy and Security Notice

Connect.

  • Data
  • Inspector General
  • Jobs
  • Newsroom
  • Regulations.gov
  • Subscribe
  • USA.gov
  • White House

Ask.

  • Contact EPA
  • EPA Disclaimers
  • Hotlines
  • FOIA Requests
  • Frequent Questions
  • Site Feedback

Follow.