Custom Training

This is a foundational NGWA course providing hydrogeological knowledge and fundamental technical skills necessary to pursue more advanced topics in groundwater. The course takes students through a general groundwater study starting with the geologic setting and ending with an analysis of a contaminant plume. The primary focus will be on field problems with case studies and sample problems.

This course is designed for hydrogeologists, engineers, geologists, and other groundwater professionals interested in refining their skills in aquifer-test procedures and analyses. This is an intermediate course for individuals with previous analytical experience in groundwater hydrology. It is one of the core fundamental courses recommended for those pursuing a career in hydrogeology.

A well is more than a hole in the ground that is used to produce water or for monitoring water quality. Each well needs to be designed and constructed to meet the unique aspects of the hydrogeologic environment and the purpose for which it is intended. The purposes range from obtaining thousands of gallons per minute from a heterogeneous sand aquifer to monitoring for contaminants in a fractured rock environment.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of air rotary vs. mud rotary or cable tool drilling techniques? How do you select a drilling technique for a given site? How big should the pump chamber casing be? Should a wire-wrapped well screen be used or louvered casing? What interval should be screened for a monitoring well? How do you avoid change orders and driller problems during well construction? This course addresses these and other questions.

Both of the instructors for this course have a broad background in the design and construction of wells for a variety of purposes. They have well construction experience in drilling environments ranging from unconsolidated glacial and alluvial sediments to a variety of fractured rock settings including basalt, limestone, sandstone, granite, and various metamorphic rocks. Water supply wells have ranged in depth to 2,000 feet and in yield to 3,000 gpm. The instructors have been involved in designing and constructing monitoring wells in both sedimentary and fractured rock environments.

Topics presented in this course include: (1) general aspects of well design including meeting state and federal standards, (2) selection of a drilling technology to meet site conditions and well objectives, (3) design and construction of production wells, and (4) design and construction of monitoring wells. Numerous case study examples will be presented during the course. Attendees will work individually or in small groups during the second day to do a detailed design of a production well (morning session) and a monitoring well network (afternoon session).

This one-day course is designed to acquaint — or reacquaint — you with various drilling methods and the advantages/drawbacks of each, well design concepts, design calculations (e.g., hydraulic pressure, annular volume, buoyancy), construction management and documentation, and troubleshooting techniques. In addition to the nuts and bolts, health and safety considerations will be addressed, as well as building rapport with other groundwater professionals at the drill site and on the project.

Designed for both early career groundwater professionals and those desiring a practical refresher, this hands-on course will aid you in developing skills necessary to perform quality work in the field. Course emphasis is placed on sampling strategies and techniques in addition to first-hand experience. Field exercises will be supplemented with classroom orientation and data analysis exercises.

Field and classroom exercises will include developing and implementing a sampling plan, preparing to go into the field. in-field well sampling activities, soil sampling using conventional hand equipment, soil sampling to identify source areas, sample management and shipping protocols, data reduction and data analysis, well sampling demonstration, and PFAS sampling considerations.

Classroom instruction will address appropriate groundwater sampling techniques and their applicability to regulatory requirements, sampling in conformance to regulatory program requirements, the importance of the site conceptual model, and reporting strategies.

During this course, you will learn about regulatory and compliance drivers for groundwater sampling, hHow to prepare for, and conduct, groundwater sampling activities, proper protocols for shipping samples for laboratory analysis, and how to analyze sampling results.

Soil and groundwater at many mining, industrial, and power utility sites in the United States and elsewhere are contaminated by metals, radionuclides, and other inorganic chemicals. Remediation by natural attenuation, also known as intrinsic remediation, is a viable approach for reducing the risk associated with metal/inorganic solute plumes in groundwater. Chemical manipulation of aquifer material and groundwater is also being implemented at some sites to immobilize redox-sensitive contaminants, including chromium, technetium, and uranium.

Regulatory agencies support risk-based approaches to remediation including intrinsic remediation for metal/inorganic contaminants. Collecting and interpreting site characterization data and information must support intrinsic remediation options, which are technically defensible. This includes assessment of the geochemistry of contaminants of concern and quantification of geochemical properties of aquifer material. Important geochemical interactions that influence fate and transport of contaminants include aqueous speciation of native groundwater and dissolved contaminants; distribution and abundance of reactive minerals including hydrous ferric oxide, clay minerals, and carbonate minerals; adsorption reactions; mineral equilibrium; and radioactive decay. Designing an effective sampling program that supports intrinsic remediation and chemical manipulation is based on a thorough understanding of site hydrogeochemistry and hydrology.

This course provides practical information needed to effectively evaluate intrinsic remediation and chemical manipulation of sites contaminated with metals, nonmetals, and radionuclides. Chemicals of concern discussed in this short course include aluminum, antimony, arsenic, barium, beryllium, boron, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, copper, iron, lead, manganese, mercury, molybdenum, nickel, nitrogen, perchlorate, selenium, silver, thallium, uranium, vanadium, and zinc. Intrinsic remediation of radionuclides, including americium-241, cesium-137, neptunium-237, plutonium-238, -239, and -240, strontium-90, and tritium, as well as others, are also discussed. In addition, the course consists of in-depth discussions on metals/inorganic geochemistry and investigation methods, geochemical aspects of intrinsic remediation of inorganic chemicals and radionuclides, and chemical manipulation of aquifer material and groundwater.

The course emphasizes hydrogeochemical processes and field implementation procedures for quantifying and assessing intrinsic remediation and chemical manipulation of metal/inorganic contaminants. Data collection and analyses, assessment of hydrogeochemical processes, quantification of contaminant mobility, and understanding regulatory considerations involved in implementing intrinsic remediation and chemical manipulation as viable restoration/remediation options are also presented. Case histories are presented throughout the course. Class exercises focusing on geochemical processes, intrinsic remediation, and chemical manipulation are included each day of the course.

This is an introductory geochemistry course for scientists and engineers working in the fields of groundwater site characterization, contamination, and remediation. Basic chemical interactions occurring between water and soil/aquifer material that determine the composition of natural water and affect the migration of contaminants will be covered, as will the anticipated efficiency of remediation practices. Data collection, presentation, and interpretation of results will be discussed. This is also an excellent introductory course for attorneys, regulators, or hydrologists who are new to the field.

The umbrella topic can include overviews or niche-oriented instruction. NGWA offers instruction on the following:

• Contaminant Fate and Transport
• Health Risk Assessment
• Legacy Sites — Lessons Learned
• Monitoring and Sampling
• Predictive Groundwater Models
• Specific Contaminants
• Treatment Technologies.

Your specific objectives and knowledge level of the participants will determine the length of the instruction.

This is a course for scientists and engineers who work in the fields of groundwater characterization, contamination, and remediation. Conditions resulting from groundwater and aquifer/soil interactions will be discussed in this course; the effect of introducing a variety of contaminants will be examined. Case studies will be used to explain data collection requirements, laboratory analytical methods, and interpretation of data. Class exercises will be used to reinforce concepts presented in the lectures.

This three-day course is designed to examine the concepts, theories, and processes in hydrogeology. Discussions address a range of issues including the movement and occurrence of groundwater, transmissivity, hydraulic head and gradient, aquifer test procedures and analysis, water quality characterization, solute transport, plume configuration and delineation, capture zone analysis, groundwater, modeling, and remediation techniques.

This course provides the information needed to prevent and/or correct problems related to declining water quality and hydraulic performance. Troubleshooting and diagnostic exercises will be presented. The course will show you how to deal with these problems and will help you move from “crisis management” to cost-effective maintenance.

This hands-on course featuring both classroom and field exercises may span three or four days depending on your unique needs. The curriculum addresses the principles of hydrology and hydrogeology, well design, well construction, logging, well maintenance and rehabilitation, and pumping tests. It is designed for those who have an engineering or field operation background. (This course may not be available for presentation in all locations.)