A Holistic Approach to Groundwater Resource Development and Management

A Holistic Approach

to Groundwater

Resource Development

and Management

Climate change, drought, competition for the same or limited

water resources, increasingly stringent regulations and complex

legal and political issues make it imperative that a multi-disciplined

approach be implemented to resolve water resource challenges.

The science of Geology in development of natural resources is well

known to the petroleum and mining industries, but the discipline’s

role in management of groundwater resources and formulation

of policy is often overlooked and poorly understood by political,

municipal and government stakeholders.

Geology is an applied science which draws upon a variety of

disciplines, including biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics,

statistics and other scientific disciplines. Therefore, geologists play

an important role in protecting public health and safety and are

uniquely qualified to provide the specialized expertise needed to

ensure successful exploitation, development and management of

groundwater resources.

The workshop’s purpose is to inform groundwater stakeholders

about the role geology plays in groundwater resource planning

and development, as well as discuss issues related to groundwater

management, conservation, water reuse and the changing

dynamics of public financing.

Go to the link below to register for the workshop and meeting.

Registrants may choose to only attend the workshop or may

register to attend the entire 3-day event.

www.geosociety.org/Sections/sc/2015mtg

The

GROUNDWATER STAKEHOLDER

WORKSHOP

is being held in conjunction

with the annual meeting of the South Central

Section of the Geological Society of America.

Wednesday, 18 March 2015

8:30

– 4:30

Oklahoma State University

4th Floor of the Student Union

Stillwater, Oklahoma

Jim Roberts is a Groundwater Geologist with Professional Engineering Consultants, P.A. (PEC) in Oklahoma City, OK. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a BS degree in Geology and completed post graduate hydrology studies at Oklahoma State University. He is a Professional Associate with PEC, a licensed geologist in Kansas, and has 28 years of professional geological experience working in the groundwater, environmental and petroleum industries. Mr. Roberts’ professional interests are focused on groundwater geoscience and the utilization of petrophysical logs, hydrology and groundwater chemistry datasets to identify and characterize aquifer sweet spots at local and regional scales. Current and past work includes management and supervisory oversight of projects to address issues related to source identification, supply, water quality and use. Mr. Roberts is recognized among his peers as a technical area expert in the characterization and delineation of geologic, hydrologic and geochemical conditions in bedrock and alluvial aquifers. Mr. Roberts adopted and perfected an empirical method for establishing the relationship between groundwater chemical data and open-hole resistivity logs to quantify and delineate regional and local scale variations in groundwater chemistry in Oklahoma’s Permian bedrock aquifers. The technique was developed in cooperation with the US Department of Energy, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission and the Ground Water Protection Council Research Foundation to aid in the establishment of appropriate surface casing depth-setting requirements for the petroleum industry in Oklahoma. Mr. Roberts has broad experience with the application and use of various surface and subsurface investigation and characterization techniques, groundwater chemistry, forensic geochemistry, groundwater law, regulatory permitting, expert witness testimony and public speaking. Over the years he has consulted for a variety of groundwater stakeholders including municipalities, rural water districts, engineering firms, law firms, drilling contractors, nonprofit organizations, ranching operations, state and federal government, petroleum companies, oil and gas service companies, power companies and an investment banking firm.

Diminishing

Water Resources:

The Need for

Inter-disciplinary

Holistic Approaches

to Groundwater

Development and

Managemen

t

James W. Roberts

LG

Professional

Engineering Consultants

Dr. Todd Halihan is a Professor of Geology at Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA and the Chief Technical Officer for Aestus, LLC. He joined Oklahoma State University in the Fall of 2000 after completing his Ph.D. in Geological Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin. Todd earned his MS in Geology at the University of Missouri – Columbia after working as a field assistant and later director of Forfar Field Station on Andros Island, Bahamas. Dr. Halihan received his BA in physics with honors at Monmouth College in Illinois. Dr. Halihan’s professional interests center in subsurface characterization and sustainable water supply. He has been an associate editor for Ground Water and has served as the Secretary-Treasurer of the U.S. Chapter of the International Association of Hydrogeologists. He served as the Chair of the Hydrogeology Division of the Geological Society of America for 2013. Dr. Halihan’s expertise includes developing methods for site characterization and monitoring of NAPLs using Electrical Resistivity Imaging and developing methods to integrate various hydrogeophysical datasets. Dr. Halihan has geophysical experience including resistivity, electromagnetic methods, and ground penetrating radar. His hydrogeological experience includes developing analytical models for fractured and karstic aquifers and well testing techniques. Dr. Halihan has characterized numerous sites throughout the United States and abroad, including significant work in the Arbuckle-Simpson aquifer of Oklahoma and the Great Artesian Basin of Australia.

The Water Future:

Opportunities and

Challenges on

the Meter Scale

TODD HALIHAN

PhD, PGp

OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY

Greg Nieto is an Associate Partner and Senior Vice President with The Baker Group, LP in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma where he heads the firm’s public finance division. Greg is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma where he majored in finance and attended the university on a wrestling scholarship. He has been with The Baker Group since 1988 and is recognized as a senior member of the public finance industry in Oklahoma. Greg has worked in public finance since 1981 and is currently a registered representative and general securities principal with FINRA. He is also a Registered Investment Advisor with the Oklahoma Securities Commission. Prior to joining The Baker Group he worked at R. J. Edwards, Inc. and operated a firm with his father Paul Nieto where they served municipal, county and school district clients across Oklahoma.

Financing

Your Projects:

It’s Not Just a

Loan Anymore

GREG NIETO

THE BAKER GROUP, LP

Noel Osborn is Chief of Resource Management of the Chickasaw National Recreation Area and holds BS and MS degrees in Geology from the University of Georgia. Noel began her career in the petroleum industry in Oklahoma where she worked for 8 years as an exploration geologist. She then worked for 21 years with the Oklahoma Water Resources Board where she managed a broad range of groundwater studies and projects, including the

Arbuckle-Simpson Hydrology Study. Following her tenure with the OWRB, Noel joined the US Geological Survey Oklahoma Water Science Center where for 2-1/2 years she was involved in various groundwater studies, including the Saline Groundwater Assessment of the Southern Midcontinent. Noel continues to work on water-related issues and the Arbuckle-Simpson aquifer as part of her duties with the National Park Service.

Hydrogeologic

Characterization

of the

Arbuckle-Simpson Aquifer

NOEL OSBORN

US NATIONAL PARK SERVICE:

CHICKASAW NATIONAL

RECREATION AREA

Luca DeAngelis is a Senior Water Resources Engineer/Hydrogeologist with HDR Engineering. He is a registered professional engineer in Kansas and Nebraska and professional geologist in Missouri, Nebraska and Wyoming. Mr. DeAngelis has more than 17 years experience in the environmental and water supply industries. He holds a BS in Geological Engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla and an MS in Civil Engineering from the University of Kansas. His professional experience includes designing over 100 water supply wells throughout the Mid-Continent, including most of Oklahoma’s primary aquifers. His water supply experience includes siting, permitting, and design of several horizontal collector wells and large municipal well fields with production capacity ranging from 10 to 100 million gallons per day.

Mr. DeAngelis’ primary area of practice is the evaluation and development

of water supply resources for municipal and industrial clients, and the development of design documents to construct water supply infrastructure. His second area of emphasis is the development of groundwater models to assist municipalities with management of their well fields and assisting state agencies with evaluating the sustainability of streamflow and groundwater resources at local and regional scales. Mr. DeAngelis is recognized as a Professional Associate within HDR.

The Role of

Numerical Modeling

in Groundwater

Resource

Exploitation,

Development and

Management

LUCA DEANGELIS

PE, PG

HDR ENGINEERING

Dr. Derek Ryter is a hydrogeologist that has been with the Oklahoma Water Science Center for three years.He hails from southwest Colorado and earned a BS in geological sciences from Fort Lewis College, an MS from Old Dominion University, and a PhD from the University of Oregon. He has been with the Department of the Interior for 10 years, and worked another 15 years in private industry and in higher education. Dr. Ryter has a broad background, having performed studies in geomorphology, seismic hazards, climate change and archaeology. He completed his doctoral research on tectonics and seismology of southern California. Derek’s expertise includes using geophysical and geological methods for hydrogeological characterization and using complex numerical groundwater-flow models with the latest USGS software to help make groundwater science an accessible tool for water management. Derek is currently leading or participating in hydrogeological investigations in Oklahoma with the Oklahoma Water Resources Board, the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, and the Osage Nation. Other current studies include hydrogeological characterization and numerical groundwater-flow models to optimize water development, determination of water availability and analyses of the effects of drought and increased demand on water resources. He has participated in local- and regional-scale water studies, and has integrated agricultural water use with a numerical

groundwater-flow model using the Farm Process.

The Nexus of

Geology and

Hydrology

DEREK RYTER

PhD, PG

USGS OKLAHOMA WATER

SCIENCE CENTER

Mike Thornhill is founder and president of Thornhill Group, Inc. (TGI) headquartered in Round Rock near Austin, Texas. Mike holds BS and MS degrees in geology from Oklahoma State University. Upon graduating, Mr. Thornhill began his career in groundwater consulting in 1989 with a leading firm in Austin, Texas, and later founded TGI in 1997. With more than 25 years of consulting experience, his clients have included municipalities, municipal utility districts, engineering firms, law firms, mines and quarries, industries, oil and gas companies, bottled water companies, irrigators, developers, groundwater conservation districts, water marketers and private landowners. Mr. Thornhill is a leading professional in supervising and conducting projects including regional and local aquifer and water availability assessments; well and well-field evaluations and design; groundwater quality and contamination assessments; brackish groundwater development and aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) investigations; water law and policy assessments; computer modeling; expert witness services; depressurization and dewatering design, implementation and monitoring; regulatory permitting; spring and bottled water source assessments and development; water valuation; and water marketing and project development. TGI is currently engaged in projects that will develop fresh and brackish groundwater resources and provide supplies of approximately 650,000 acre-feet per year, or 580 million gallons per day (MGD) in Texas and Oklahoma, with wells ranging in depth from 50 to 4,000 feet having individual well yields ranging from 50 to 5,000 gallons per minute. As a long-time member of the OSU Boone Pickens School of Geology Graduate Advisory Board, Mr. Thornhill has been instrumental in the development of a graduate-level course entitled Integrated Petroleum Water Resources Management (IPWRM).

Some Groundwater

is Just a Little Salty:

Brackish Water as

an Alternative

MICHAEL THORNHILL

PG, CPG

PRESIDENT

THORNHILL GROUP, INC.

John Gornick is an account manager for Layne Christensen Company in the company’s Guthrie, Oklahoma office. John has been with Layne for 23 years where he has managed and supervised numerous projects which required expertise in well drilling, completion, design and rehabilitation methods associated with the installation of municipal, industrial and aquifer storage and recovery wells at sites across the US. John possesses extensive experience and expertise in the implementation and use of drilling technologies including reverse circulation, air rotary, coring and mud rotary. Prior to joining Layne John was a driller for the US Bureau of Reclamation and served as a Missile Guidance Systems Specialist with the Strategic Air Command in the US Air Force.

Technical

Requirements

of Completing

High Yield Public

Supply Wells

JOHN GORNICK

LAYNE CHRISTENSEN COMPANY

Saba Tahmassebi is the Agency Chief Engineer for the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality. He has been with the DEQ for over 20 years and has served in several environmental programs in various capacities over the years. Saba received his BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of California at San Diego, an MS degree in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Southern California and a PhD in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Oklahoma. He is a Certified Public Manager and teaches statistics and environmental science courses at the University of Phoenix.

Water Reuse

Initiatives and

Innovative

Wastewater

Disposal Options

in Oklahoma

SABA TAHMASSEBI

PhD, PE

OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF

ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY

<

8:30

am

– 9:00

am

Registration

<

9:00

am

– 9:30

am

Diminishing Water Resources: The Need for Inter-disciplinary Holistic

Approaches to Groundwater Development and Management

James W. Roberts, LG | Professional Engineering Consultants, P.A.

<

9:30

am

– 10:00

am

The Water Future: Opportunities and Challenges on the Meter Scale

Todd Halihan, PhD, PGp | Oklahoma State University

<

10:00

am

– 10:30

am

Financing Your Projects: It’s Not Just a Loan Anymore

Greg Nieto | The Baker Group, LP

<

10:30

am

– 10:45

am

Break

<

10:45

am

– 11:15

am

Hydrogeologic Characterization of the Arbuckle-Simpson Aquifer

Noel Osborn | NPS - Chickasaw National Recreation Area

<

11:15

am

– 11:45

am

The Role of Numerical Modeling in Groundwater Resource

Exploitation, Development and Management

Luca DeAngelis, PE, PG | HDR

<

11:45

am

– 1:15

pm

Dine-In Lunch with Core Workshop

<

1:15

pm

– 1:30

pm

Think-Share I: Stakeholder Discussion of Groundwater

Perceptions and Priorities

<

1:30

pm

– 2:00

pm

The Nexus of Geology and Hydrology

Derek Ryder, PhD, PG | USGS - Oklahoma Water Science Center

<

2:00

pm

– 2:30

pm

Some Groundwater Is Just a Little Salty:

Brackish Water as an Alternative

Michael Thornhill, PG, CPG | Thornhill Group, Inc.

<

2:30

pm

– 2:45

pm

Break

<

2:45

pm

– 3:15

pm

Think-Share II: Stakeholder Ranking of Groundwater Priorities

<

3:15

pm

– 3:45

pm

Technical Requirements of Completing High Yield Public Supply Wells

John Gornick | Layne Christensen Company

<

3:45

pm

– 4:15

pm

Water Reuse Initiatives and Innovative Wastewater

Disposal Options in Oklahoma

Saba Tahmassebi, PhD, PE | Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality

<

4:15

pm

– 4:30

pm

Open Discussion and Closing Remarks:

Groundwater’s Future and Next Steps