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Research projects funded to date

The National Ground Water Research and Educational Foundation has made several small awards to fund research judged important to the public’s understanding of the groundwater resource. As the Foundation was not the primary funding source, the full reports are available from the researcher(s).

Here are synopses of the projects funded by NGWREF.

Aquifer Storage and Recovery of Recycled Water: Identifying Emerging Contaminants in Source Water and Examining their Fate and Transport

This research addresses one of the key priority areas of the National Ground Water Research and Education Foundation, namely the identification and quantification of emerging contaminants (endocrine disrupting compounds, including pharmaceuticals and their metabolites) and other constituents of concern in source water used in aquifer storage and recovery (ASR). Quantitative analysis and examination of the fate and transport of these constituents during the process of ASR will be conducted throughout the project, at a study site in the west of Melbourne, Australia. This research is considered to be of critical importance in the development of safe, effective and publicly acceptable ASR schemes, which can serve as a management tool to increase water security in areas experiencing water stress and/or variability in demand.

Projected outcomes of the research include improved understanding of the nature and concentration of emerging organic contaminants in treated wastewater (widely seen as a potential target source water for ASR schemes globally), and information on the persistence, fate and transport of these compounds during ASR. This quantitative data and improved understanding of processes will provide a basis on which regulatory agencies and practitioners of ASR can develop and implement schemes, while addressing public concerns surrounding health and safety.

Lead researcher: Matthew Currell, Ph.D., Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) University, Melbourne, Australia

Assessment of Groundwater Age and Rate of Recharge Using Environmental Tracers

This research addressed the sustainability of groundwater resources. The U.S. Geological Survey indicates that approximately 40 percent of the national public water supply is provided by groundwater and more than 40 million people obtain potable water from private wells. As such, the importance of accurate documentation regarding groundwater recharge is crucial to protecting this valuable resource.

Groundwater use and diversion is a politically sensitive issue in the Great Lakes Basin, as illustrated by the December 13, 2005 Great Lakes/St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact agreement to prohibit new or increased diversions within the basin.

Assessing groundwater age and rate of recharge enhances understanding of the impact of withdrawal on a local groundwater system.

Lead researcher: Kurt C. Koella, Lakeshore Environmental Inc., Grand Haven, Michigan

Database-Independent Microbial Source Tracking to Determine the Source of Fecal Pollution in Groundwater

The research included an investigation of the space between the bottom of a well pump intake and the bottom of the borehole in domestic well systems, and potential to promote bacterial growth and to harbor other microorganisms.

Lead researcher: Lawrence Goodridge, Department of Animal Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins

Determination of 4Helium Release Rates for Dating Old Groundwater in a Carbonate Aquifer

This investigation supported the Foundation's call for proposals that would lead to greater understanding of the issues that influence or constrain groundwater recharge programs, as well as the integrated management of surface water and groundwater.

The researchers looked to establish the basis for sustainable regional water resource management decisions that support both future development and ecosystem health.

Lead researchers: Victor M. Heilweil, USGS; Kip Solomon, Ph.D., University of Utah, Salt Lake City

Interactions between Fire, Vegetation, Climate, and Groundwater in a Burned Ponderosa Pine/Gambel's Oak Watershed

The semiarid southwestern United States was suffering from a long-term drought. In addition, scientists were predicting a continued rise in global temperatures. This type of climate change is thought to have potential impacts upon water supplies. Continued climate change and fire suppression may further limit the water supply.

This research project intended to identify linkages between fire, vegetation, climate, and groundwater recharge, with an aim toward allowing managers to better justify the use of fire as a tool to increase water yield.

Lead researcher: Deborah Finch, Ph.D., U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service, New Mexico

Isotopic Analysis to Determine Groundwater and Stream Water Interactions in a Tropical Forest Catchment

The proposed research coincides with NGWA's Declaration on the Global Importance of Ground Water and the priority of groundwater in watersheds. The hydrologic processes occurring at this study site, and others in the mountainous tropics, have implications for downstream hydropower and water distribution systems. Sustainable, renewable energy sources are becoming more and more essential to the future of our society and the understanding of headwater sources is imperative to the continual implementation of hydropower. The unique isotopic dataset produced will be vital to the understanding of the interactions of groundwater and stream water in tropical forest catchments; the knowledge gained can be applied to similar, as yet ungauged, watersheds.

The anticipated outcome of this project will be the determination of cycling times of water though this unique ecosystem and the scientific merit of the accumulated isotopic data used for investigating water origin in a small catchment. The results will be disseminated through a journal publication submission by December 2013 and an international conference in June 2013.

Lead researcher: Gretchen R. Miller, Ph.D., PE, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas

MTBE. Will it ever disappear?

This research provided needed measurements to determine the lag between changing fuel composition and the disappearance of MTBE from groundwater.

The researchers examined the spatial distribution and persistence of MTBE in a setting with a well-documented MTBE contamination in groundwater.

The uncertainty of the regulatory process and the documented occurrences of MTBE in groundwater made this research both timely and very much needed for groundwater planning in many parts of the nation.

This project was a collaborative effort between the University of Maine, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.

Lead researcher: John M. Peckenham, University of Maine, Orono

Nanoscale Iron for the Remediation of Chlorinated Hydrocarbon Source Zones

The presence of non-aqueous phase liquids in the subsurface environment is recognized as a significant, long-term threat to groundwater resources. With the application of traditional pump and treat remediation requiring years and even decades of pumping, alternative remediation schemes are necessary to protect this vital resource.

The objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility and risk of employing nanoscale iron particles for the reductive dehalogenation of chlorinated solvents, with a specific focus on non-aqueous phase liquid remediation in two-dimensional, laboratory-based flow cell.

Lead researcher: Gwynn R. Johnson, Ph.D., Portland State University, Portland, Oregon

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