Gary Wealthall gave a very informative talk on dense non-aqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) source zones. He provided an overview of the characteristics of a DNAPL zone, and tools and techniques that can be used to characterize a source zone. Because of their low solubility, high density and viscosity, DNAPLs tend to persist due to mass… Continue Reading »
Jim Barker focused his discussion on how contaminants behave in the capillary fringe. The capillary fringe is the zone of soil immediately above the water table. Groundwater is pulled up from the water table by capillary action, filling the pores at the base of the zone. As a result, part of the capillary fringe can… Continue Reading »
Rick Devlin kicked-off the Symposium with a presentation that stressed the importance of groundwater velocity measurements, especially for contaminant hydrogeology. Through case study examples, Rick showed that measuring velocity is essential in determining the fate and transport of contaminants, which in turn, helps focus remediation efforts in the right direction. Traditional velocity estimates are based… Continue Reading »
Listening to the speakers at the 2011 Symposium, it became clear that getting results requires a collaborative effort. During his presentation, Jim Barker highlighted this by introducing a combined initiative that is currently taking place in the province of Ontario. The Southern Ontario Water Consortium is a development platform for new water technologies that includes… Continue Reading »
The theme of this year’s Symposium was “Enhanced Monitoring and Remedial Methods for Contaminated Groundwater”. It became clear that enhancing monitoring and remedial approaches involves recognizing “uncertainty” as a factor in all contaminated site assessments. It was put forth that heterogeneity in the subsurface affects the level of uncertainty in any groundwater study – when… Continue Reading »
From the induction of the Drillers Act in 1946 to the Walkerton tragedy in 2001, Christopher Munro and Heather Brodie-Brown discussed the major changes and events that have shaped how groundwater is managed in Ontario. In addition, their presentation included an overview of the major groundwater management initiatives taking place in Ontario today. This includes… Continue Reading »
Day one of the symposium ended with a thought-provoking talk from Waterloo Region’s Senior Hydrogeologist, Tammy Middleton. Tammy discussed the key objectives of the Region’s groundwater management program. The first objective of the program is to comply with legislation, while providing a safe and sufficient supply of water to the public. Recently, this involved incorporating… Continue Reading »
Guy Patrick had the Symposium audience fully engaged with his presentation of the new site characterization guidance document for British Columbia. The new guidance is designed to allow environmental consultants to meet government requirements, as well as meet monetary and time constraints put on them by clients. It aims to do this by providing answers… Continue Reading »
a common theme at Solinst Symposium The 2010 Solinst Symposium came to a close with great response and feedback from the presenters and attendees. The sold-out event provided all in attendance with an excellent exchange of knowledge and networking opportunity with top-level industry professionals and researchers. The speakers provided insight through case studies, their own… Continue Reading »
At this year’s Symposium, attendees were thoroughly intrigued when Guy Patrick described the new guidance document for groundwater site characterization in B.C. The response was immensely positive and it is clear that Guy is setting the bar to increase the level of competency and accountability for groundwater monitoring and remediation applications. This is a real… Continue Reading »
