After a significant rainfall event in early 2022, it was found that groundwater levels at a landfill site in southeast Queensland, Australia had risen several metres above any previously recorded levels. As such, the operators of the landfill contracted Anderson Consulting to assist with site planning and works. This included a review of the existing… Continue Reading »
Kootenay Watershed Science (KWS) is a community-driven project that was spurred into action by concern over climate change impacts and the lack of watershed monitoring in the Kootenay region. Along with its parent organization, Living Lakes Canada, a water stewardship NGO whose work was founded in the Columbia Basin, this project aims to further understand… Continue Reading »
Coal mining began in Pennsylvania over 250 years ago, and today it still supplies 60 per cent of the fuel for the state’s electric power generation—the fourth largest coal-producing state in the U.S. Despite efforts such as the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA, 1977), over 5000 miles of Pennsylvania’s streams remain polluted by… Continue Reading »
High-Res Groundwater Monitoring Tracks its Success: Over 40 years ago, a former industrial site in the City of Guelph, Ontario, was contaminated by toluene; the chemical plume has since leached into the underlying fractured bedrock aquifer. Today, the site is home to a unique research project headed by the University of Guelph Morwick G360 Groundwater… Continue Reading »
Saldanha in the Western Cape of South Africa is a small port town on the northern shore of Saldanha Bay. The bay is a naturally sheltered harbour, making it ideal for exporting iron ore on massive ships. It serves the region’s base metal mines and a heavy minerals smelter, and is also the location of… Continue Reading »
Detailed water monitoring and planning are required to ensure that communities relying on surface water resources are protected from future climate change impacts. Significant weather and hydrologic events in the north Kootenay Lake area of British Columbia, Canada spurred citizens in the region to start taking an active role in preparing for a changing climate… Continue Reading »
The Solinst Sonic Water Level Meter works by a probe at surface transmitting a low frequency sound wave into a pipe, tube, or well, and measuring the time it takes for the pulse to return after making contact with water. The depth to water is calculated using the speed of sound and time. The depth to static water level is displayed on the LCD screen of the control unit after just a few seconds… Continue Reading »
Changes in legislation, combined with improved and lower cost sampling instrumentation, have encouraged consultants, researchers, and government agencies to obtain higher quality groundwater samples. No-purge, also known as passive or grab sampling, is one method that is gaining acceptance by many regulatory agencies for obtaining representative groundwater samples. The ITRC (Interstate Technology… Continue Reading »
Estimating aquifer properties, such as hydraulic conductivity (K) and permeability is an essential part of site characterization and creating accurate conceptual site models during site investigations. The data gained through aquifer characterizations help to plan further monitoring programs and remediation efforts. Packer Tests are a great way to obtain these aquifer characteristics… Continue Reading »
The Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks are designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites for their “exceptional natural beauty”. The seven parks – Banff, Jasper, Kootenay, Yoho, Mount Robson, Mount Assiniboine, and Hamber – are known for their scenic mountain peaks, meadows, canyons, caves, hot springs, and glaciers. Their pristine alpine lakes also draw millions of visitors to the parks each year. But as we hear so often… Continue Reading »
