Hydraulic Engineering Commons^™

Soil Erosion And Surface Water Quality Impacts Of Natural Gas Development In East Texas, Usa, Matthew W. Mcbroom, Todd Thomas, Yanli Zhang

Faculty Publications

Due to greater demands for hydrocarbons and improvements in drilling technology, development of oil and natural gas in some regions of the United States has increased dramatically. A 1.4 ha natural gas well pad was constructed in an intermittent stream channel at the Alto Experimental Watersheds in East Texas, USA (F1), while another 1.1 ha well pad was offset about 15 m from a nearby intermittent stream (F2). V-notch weirs were constructed downstream of these well pads and stream sedimentation and water quality was measured. For the 2009 water year, about 11.76 cm, or almost 222% more runoff resulted from …

Comprehensive Drainage Study Of The Upper Reach Of College Branch In Fayetteville, Arkansas, Kathryn Lea Mccoy

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

College Branch is a stream with headwaters located on the University of Arkansas campus. The stream flows through much of the west side of campus, gaining discharge and enlarging its channel as it meanders to the south. College Branch has experienced erosion and flooding issues in recent years due to increased urbanization of its watershed and increased runoff volume.

The purpose of this project was to develop a comprehensive drainage study of College Branch on the University of Arkansas campus. Storm runoff and flood flow patterns were evaluated in order to understand the hydraulics and hydrology of the watershed and …

Microbiologically Enhanced Mixing Across Scales During In-Situ Bioremediation Of Uranium, Reinaldo E. Alcalde

McNair Scholars Research Journal

Production of nuclear fuels for weapons and electric energy has resulted in groundwater uranium contamination at Department of Energy (DOE) sites. Reduction of uranium by dissimilatory metal-reducing bacteria (DMRB) is an effective approach for in-situ bioremediation of these sites. In this process, an organic electron donor is typically delivered through a well into groundwater in order to promote the biological reduction of soluble and toxic U(VI) to insoluble and less toxic U(IV). A key challenge is mixing the organic electron donor with U(VI) in groundwater where laminar flow conditions prevail. A potential solution is to enhance reaction beyond the scale …

Pervious Pavement Infiltrometer, Madeline Musgrove

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This project tests infiltration rates on three different slabs of pervious pavement. A methodology was put in place to ensure that all three slabs were tested the same way. The test that is used for the infiltration rates is a constant head test. A steel ring is placed on the surface of the pervious pavement and sealed with Plumbers Putty around the bottom of the ring. A mark is then sketched on the inside of the ring at 2 inches above the surface of the pavement for a constant backpressure that is equal in all scenarios. Five gallons of water …

Slides: What Went Wrong At Divide Creek?, Matthew Sura

Monitoring and Protecting Groundwater During Oil and Gas Development (November 26)

Presenter: Attorney Matthew Sura, Former Director of Western Colorado Congress, graduate of University of Colorado Law School; attorney specializing in representation of landowners and mineral owners in oil and gas transactions and disputes

17 slides

Agenda: Monitoring And Protecting Groundwater During Oil And Gas Development, University Of Colorado Boulder. Natural Resources Law Center. Intermountain Oil And Gas Bmp Project, Colorado Water And Energy Research Center

Monitoring and Protecting Groundwater During Oil and Gas Development (November 26)

This workshop is cosponsored by the Intermountain Oil and Gas BMP Project and the Colorado Water and Energy Research Center, with financial support from the Environmentally Friendly Drilling Project and the CU-Boulder Outreach Committee.

The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) recently initiated a rule making process to develop new, statewide regulations for baseline sampling and monitoring of groundwater near new oil and gas wells. COGCC’s first rule making hearing was held November 14; the rule is expected to be finalized December 10. This workshop will discuss oil and gas development procedures that can impact groundwater, the current rules …

Slides: Survey Of State Sampling And Monitoring Rules, Kathryn Mutz, Josh Kruger

Monitoring and Protecting Groundwater During Oil and Gas Development (November 26)

Presenters: Kathryn Mutz and Josh Kruger, Natural Resources Law Center, University of Colorado Law School

7 slides

Slides: Routes To Sustainability: Natural Gas Development And Air And Water Resources In The Rocky Mountain Region, Mark Williams

Monitoring and Protecting Groundwater During Oil and Gas Development (November 26)

Presenter: Mark Williams, University of Colorado Boulder

14 slides

Slides: Colorado Law: Protecting Water Quantity And Quality, Alan E. Curtis

Monitoring and Protecting Groundwater During Oil and Gas Development (November 26)

Presenter: Alan E. Curtis, White & Jankowski, LLP

23 slides

Further Information: Monitoring And Protecting Groundwater During Oil And Gas Development, University Of Colorado Boulder. Natural Resources Law Center. Intermountain Oil And Gas Bmp Project, Colorado Water And Energy Research Center

Monitoring and Protecting Groundwater During Oil and Gas Development (November 26)

1 page.

"For Further Information" (URLs):

COGCC

Rules and Proposed Rules from Other Jurisdictions

Sampling Protocols

Impacts

Slides: Overview Of Colorado Aquifer Systems, Christopher J. Sanchez

Monitoring and Protecting Groundwater During Oil and Gas Development (November 26)

Presenter: Christopher J. Sanchez, P.G., BBA Water Consultants, Bishop-Brogden Associates, Inc.

28 slides

Slides: The Role Of Groundwater Sampling/Monitoring: Cogcc Proposed Rule 609, Gene Florentino

Monitoring and Protecting Groundwater During Oil and Gas Development (November 26)

Presenter: Gene Florentino, PG, Walsh Environmental Scientists and Engineers

14 slides

Slides: Colorado’S Groundwater Protection Program, Andrew Ross

Monitoring and Protecting Groundwater During Oil and Gas Development (November 26)

Presenter: Andrew Ross, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

22 slides

Slides: Research On Ground Water Monitoring, Matt Samelson

Monitoring and Protecting Groundwater During Oil and Gas Development (November 26)

Presenter: Matt Samelson, Natural Resources Law Center and the Donnell-Kay Foundation

12 slides

Slides: Proposed Statewide Baseline Groundwater Sampling And Monitoring Rules, University Of Colorado Boulder. Natural Resources Law Center, Colorado. Oil And Gas Conservation Commission

Monitoring and Protecting Groundwater During Oil and Gas Development (November 26)

Presenter: Kathryn Mutz, Natural Resources Law Center, University of Colorado Law School

16 slides

The Nebraska Water Leaders Academy: Blending Water Policy And Science With Leadership Theory, Mark E. Burbach, Connie I. Reimers-Hild

Nebraska Water Leaders Academy: Publications and Materials

Water Challenges are Growing
Population Continues to Grow
New and Innovative Leadership is Needed
Nebraska Water Leaders Academy (NWLA) was born!

NWLA Objectives
•Develop scientific, social and political knowledge about water and related natural resources
• Examine the economical and beneficial uses of Nebraska’s water resources
• Develop and enhance leadership and critical thinking skills
• Develop interpersonal skills to become actively involved with water policy issues at the local, regional, state, and national levels
• Develop life-long water resources management skills
• Challenge traditional paradigms while encouraging critical thinking and creative solutions.

Magnitude And Frequency Of Floods For Rural, Unregulated Streams Of Tennessee By L-Moments Method, Hongxiang Yan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study presents a regional frequency analysis of Tennessee using the well-known Bulletin-17B method standardly used in the United States and the relatively new and developing L-Moments methods. Flood frequency characteristics were defined for 416 gaging stations located primarily in rural and lightly developed areas of Tennessee. All the gaging stations have 10 or more years of record through 2006. Using the L-Moments method, the generalized extreme value distribution was identified as the most robust distribution for each of four hydrologic areas. Multiple regression equations were also calculated for estimating the flood frequency of ungaged, unregulated, rural streams in each …

Conference Proceedings, Blake Tullis, Robert Jansson

International Junior Researcher and Engineer Workshop on Hydraulic Structures

No abstract provided.

Rainfall Organization And Geomorphologic Controls On The Flood Response Of Mild-Slope Basins In The South Atlantic Region Of Us, Yiwen Mei

Master's Theses

This study uses data from the Tar-River Basin in North Carolina to explore how space-time rainfall variability influences the hydrologic response from observational and modeling perspectives. For understanding the basin scale effect, the Tar-River Basin is divided into four cascade sub-basins ranging from 1106 km² up to 5654 km². The study evaluates the catchments’ response to rainfall for a large number of storm events by computing the event runoff coefficient based on streamflow observations and through simulations from a semi-distributed hydrological model. Comparison of observed to simulated hydrographs from the hydrological model shows that distributed rainfall forcing …

Application Of A Heuristic Method To A Water Distribution System For Determining Optimal Water Quality Monitoring Locations, Lawrence David Johnson

Master's Theses

Although regulations and requirements for water quality source monitoring have increased, drinking water distribution systems can still be considered vulnerable to purposeful or accidental contamination.

This study analyzes the transport of the hypothetical contaminant Cryptosporidium through the distribution system of a city with a population of 30,000 to 50,000 in an attempt to locate the optimal monitoring locations in the distribution system. Cryptosporidium was selected due to its resistance to chlorine and it’s conservative properties for vulnerability assessments. The method for selecting the optimal monitoring locations was taken from Chastain (2004) which developed and examined the method for a virtual …

Mathematical Modeling Of Fluid Spills In Hydraulically Fractured Well Sites, Oluwafemi Michael Taiwo

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Improved drilling technology and favorable energy prices have contributed to the rapid pace at which the exploitation of unconventional natural gas is taking place across the United States. As a natural gas well is being drilled, reserve pits are constructed to hold the drilling fluids and other materials returned from the drilling process. These reserve pits can fail, and when they do, plant and animal life of the surrounding area may be adversely affected. This project develops a screening tool for a suitable location for a reserve pit. This work will be a critical piece of the Infrastructure Placement Analysis …

Best Management Practices Effectiveness To Reduce Sediment Transport To Morro Bay, Michael J. Randall

Master's Theses

The Morro Bay Watershed, which is located inSan Luis Obispo County,California, covers more than 48,000 acres of land and discharges intoMorroBaythrough the Morro Bay National Estuary (MBNE). The Chorro Creek Subwatershed consists of approximately 30,000 acres of the overall watershed. The MBNE provides an ecosystem that supports a variety of wildlife from the common sea gull to the endangered sea otter. The estuary is also home to over 200 species of birds. The operational waterfront of theMorroBayHarborwas and continues to be a strong supporter to the local economy of the City of Morro Bay. Numerous studies were conducted since the …

Evaluating Alternative Hydraulic Solutions To Limit Nutrient Contamination Of An Aquifer In Southern California, Jake Mendoza Perry

Master's Theses

Many small communities depend on groundwater sources for drinking water and they often use septic tanks for their sewer system needs. However, nitrates and other pollutants from septic systems can percolate to the aquifers and deteriorate quality of the groundwater, threatening the public health. This study has developed a groundwater model using Visual MODFLOW for an aquifer that is used as a water supply source for the cities of Beaumont and Cherry Valley, California. Septic systems are the suspected major source of nitrate contamination of the aquifer. The model has been developed to clarify the extent of interactions between nitrate …

Toward Reduction Of Model Uncertainty: Integration Of Bayesian Model Averaging And Data Assimilation, Mark A. Parrish, Hamid Moradkhani, Caleb Matthew Dechant

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Multimodeling in hydrologic forecasting has proved to improve upon the systematic bias and general limitations of a single model. This is typically done by establishing a new model as a linear combination or a weighted average of several models with weights on the basis of individual model performance in previous time steps. The most commonly used multimodeling method, Bayesian model averaging (BMA), assumes a fixed probability distribution around individual models' forecast in establishing the prior and uses a calibration period to determine static weights for each individual model. More recent work has focused on a sequential Bayesian model selection technique …

Global Monthly Water Scarcity: Blue Water Footprints Versus Blue Water Availability, Arjen Y. Hoekstra, Mesfin Mekonnen, Ashok K. Chapagain, Ruth E. Mathews, Brian D. Richter

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

Freshwater scarcity is a growing concern, placing considerable importance on the accuracy of indicators used to characterize and map water scarcity worldwide. We improve upon past efforts by using estimates of blue water footprints (consumptive use of ground- and surface water flows) rather than water withdrawals, accounting for the flows needed to sustain critical ecological functions and by considering monthly rather than annual values. We analyzed 405 river basins for the period 1996–2005. In 201 basins with 2.67 billion inhabitants there was severe water scarcity during at least one month of the year. The ecological and economic consequences of increasing …

The Water Footprint Of Humanity, Arjen Y. Hoekstra, Mesfin Mekonnen

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

This study quantifies and maps the water footprint (WF) of humanity at a high spatial resolution. It reports on consumptive use of rainwater (green WF) and ground and surface water (blue WF) and volumes of water polluted (gray WF). Water footprints are estimated per nation from both a production and consumption perspective. International virtual water flows are estimated based on trade in agricultural and industrial commodities. The global annual average WF in the period 1996–2005 was 9,087 Gm3 ∕y (74% green, 11% blue, 15% gray). Agricultural production contributes 92%. About one-fifth of the global WF relates to production for export. …

Slides: Unconventional Gas And Oil – Potential Air Emissions, John Imse

Air Quality Impacts from Oil and Gas Development (January 27)

Presenter: John Imse, Hydrogeologist, ENVIRON International Corporation presents an overview of the current methods for developing a shale play and the typical site operations

10 slides

Slides: Air Monitoring And Litigation Update, John Jacus

Air Quality Impacts from Oil and Gas Development (January 27)

Presenter: John Jacus, Partner, Davis Graham & Stubbs LLP, reviews recent litigation aimed at oil and gas development activities with respect to air emissions impacts, and also several recent and ongoing studies and ambient monitoring efforts focused upon air emissions from oil and gas activities

23 slides

Slides: Air Quality - Oil And Gas Development, Paul R. Tourangeau

Air Quality Impacts from Oil and Gas Development (January 27)

Presenter: Paul Tourangeau, Assistant General Counsel, DCP Midstream, LP and former Director, Colorado Air Pollution Control Division, addresses regulatory requirements and policies related to air emissions from the oil and gas sector, including recent and current initiatives at the state and federal level

8 slides

Slides: Hydrofracking: Air Issues And Community Exposure, Debra A. Kaden

Air Quality Impacts from Oil and Gas Development (January 27)

Presenter: Debra Kaden, Ph.D., Toxicologist, ENVIRON International Corporation, discusses air concentrations of chemicals of potential health concern surrounding oil and gas development activities, as well as temporal and spatial patterns of these chemicals in the ambient environment. Such information is necessary to evaluate possible health impacts of the drilling process on air in surrounding communities.

19 slides