Online groundwater-quality data searches for Kentucky are now available free of charge on the KGS Web site. Instructions on how to run the online search are provided below. The results of each search can be downloaded to a delimited text file with user-defined geographic coordinates in a desired datum and projection, which can then be inserted into spreadsheets or GIS systems. Search results can also be viewed on an interactive topographic map or aerial photograph by clicking on "Map View" in the results table.

1. Navigate to the KGS Web site (www.uky.edu/kgs), then click on the "Search Databases and Publications" link under the "Data and Services" heading.
2. Click on "Search for Groundwater Information" in the right-hand box.
3. Seven (7) options are available here, including the water well and spring record search, the water well and spring location map service, the groundwater-quality data search, the graphical groundwater-quality comparison service, the groundwater-quality data map service, the karst potential index map service, and the KGS water research home page. For groundwater-quality data, click on "Search for Groundwater-Quality Data."

1. Limit the geographic area for the search. The default search is set to search for groundwater-quality data by county. To search by quadrangle, by using a radius from a specified latitude and longitude, or by the Kentucky Division of Water "AKGWA" number (if available), click on the "Select a Search Method" drop-down window, then select the type of search desired.
2. Select analytes to return (required step). There are five major categories of analytes to choose from (water properties, volatile organic compounds, nutrients, pesticides, and inorganic solutes), and 38 individual analytes within those categories. Click on the category to expand it and see all the analytes in that group, or on "Info" to view detailed descriptions of the analytes, including possible health effects. Either the entire group can be checked, or the individual analytes.
3. Select how the data results will be viewed. After selecting the analyte(s) to be searched, the display method for showing the results must be selected. If a site has more than one analysis, every record can be displayed (the default choice), or a statistical summary of records can be shown for sites with multiple sample dates.
4. Limit results by sampling date. The user can select the period of record for the data being searched. There are four options, using the qualifiers "equals", "between", "before" or "after". If the "Limit Results by Sampling Date" box is not checked, all available records will be returned.
5. Run the search. Click the "Search for Groundwater-Quality Data" button to complete the search. For additional information about the groundwater data reports and groundwater-quality standards, click on the appropriate links at the bottom of the search page. On the search results page, use the "Download Quality Results" button to download the data into either a delimited text file with a "kgs" extension (this must be changed to "txt" before using in other applications) or a Microsoft Excel Format file (with an ".xls" extension).