Surface water bodies adjacent to sites with contaminated groundwater may receive impacts that impair otherwise functional ecosystems and create new exposure pathways, increasing human health risks. Optimizing site characterization protocols to improve the remedy design effort is best achieved by developing knowledge of the potential extent and magnitude of contaminated groundwater discharge into the surface water body. Through field-based research, EPA?s Office of Research and Development has developed several approaches to more reliably characterize system hydrology and assess contaminant flux. A series of standard methods and spreadsheet-based calculation tools have been developed to facilitate data collection and analysis, and all in an affordable and consistent manner. A case study example will be used to highlight these novel approaches to improve understanding of the spatial and temporal dynamics of contaminant transport across the groundwater-surface water transition zone. To view this archive online or download the slides associated with this seminar, please visit http://www.clu-in.org/conf/tio/NARPMPresents43_090518/