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 »
Contaminant mass flux is the measurement of the concentration and flow of contaminants from a source area, represented as mass per unit area per unit time. Contaminant flux measurements show how much, how fast, and where a contaminant is moving – more than you can get from traditional groundwater grab samples. Kirk started his presentation… 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 »
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 »
Richard Jackson delivered a very interesting presentation on the need for accurate and complete site conceptual models when dealing with contaminated sites. Richard used four unique case studies to illustrate how important it is to “get it right”. Getting the model right, allows the right decisions to be made – especially when it comes to… 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 »
Day One ended with a guest speaker from Boart Longyear. Brennan McMahan focused on the use of sonic drilling technology for environmental applications, involving soil samples and groundwater monitoring. Brennan discussed the advantages gained through sonic drilling, talked about the costs involved and showed that this technology is quick and effective in a wide variety… Continue Reading »
The symposium continued with a presentation by Murray Einarson, with AMEC Geomatrix. His presentation was a great follow-up to Dave Rudolph’s, as it presented methods to obtain the valuable data required, particularly in groundwater assessments. Murray provided an overview of the types and scales of measurements that are important during subsurface assessments and new approaches and technologies… Continue Reading »
