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2011 PGWA Winter Conference Presentation Descriptions
Note that there are 10 presentations that provide 12 Professional Development Hours (PDH's) for Professional Geologists and Professional Engineers
Thursday, January 27, 2011 at 12:30 pm
Keynote Presentation:
By Todd
Giddings, Ph.D., P.G., IGSHPA Accredited Trainer Across Pennsylvania, 37% of its population, or 4½ million people have groundwater as their water source, and yet Pennsylvania has no statewide regulations requiring the proper construction of geothermal boreholes or residential water wells. This unfortunate situation exists in spite of decades of efforts by the Pennsylvania Ground Water Association and other organizations in support of enabling legislation that would implement statewide regulations for the proper construction of residential water wells, geothermal supply and return wells, and geothermal boreholes. The 175 square-mile Spring Creek Watershed in Centre County has approximately 100,000 residents who are 99.9% dependent on groundwater. A League of Women Voters Public Forum presented the threats to groundwater quality posed by unregulated and improperly constructed geothermal boreholes and residential wells. In less than one year most of the municipalities in the Watershed had implemented the model ordinance created by the Spring Creek Watershed Commission. Seeing an opportunity to build upon the Spring Creek Watershed Model Drilling Ordinance success story, the PGWA Statewide Model Drilling Ordinance Workgroup is revising and expanding the Spring Creek Watershed’s model ordinance to apply to all of the rock types and hydrogeologic settings throughout Pennsylvania. Learn what types of wells and boreholes the PGWA model ordinance will regulate and learn about the approved construction and grouting procedures. Approved casing materials and grouting materials, setback distances, and well and borehole decommissioning requirements will also be presented. You will also learn what role you could have in implementing this PGWA model ordinance in your township or borough.
Thursday, January 27, 2011 at 1:30 pm
How to Construct a Geothermal Loopfield Right Next to a Public Water-Supply Well By Todd Giddings, Ph.D., P.G., IGSHPA Accredited Trainer Many public water-supply wells and well fields have Source Water Protection Plans that define the capture zone (area of direct groundwater flow to the pumping well), identify potential sources of contamination, and present measures to protect the quality of the source groundwater. The idea of constructing a large geothermal loopfield right next to a public water-supply well causes some well owners and regulators to define a very large exclusion zone around the well that prohibits the construction of any geothermal boreholes. This exclusion zone approach to groundwater quality protection is not the only way to protect a public water-supply well or well field. This case-history example presents the mitigating measures that were implemented to allow a 153 borehole loopfield to be constructed without impacting the water quality or the yield of two 900 gpm public water-supply wells that were within 275 feet of some of the boreholes. All of the boreholes in this large loopfield were within the capture zone of the two public water-supply wells. The mitigating measures that protected the two public water-supply wells addressed the two drilling methods, the casing depth and installation process, and the treatment, control, and discharge of the muddy drilling water produced during the process of drilling the boreholes to a depth of 600 feet.
Thursday, January 27, 2011 at 2:30 pm Over 1 million hydraulic fracturing stimulations within the USA without compromising fresh groundwater: True or False?
By Terry Engelder, Professor of Geosciences, America’s energy portfolio is heavily dependent on foreign supplies of petroleum. Such dependency is not helpful in terms of federal debt, balance of trade, and a general sense of national energy security. Over the past few years, domestic natural gas from black shale has emerged as an alternative source of energy that is at least as prolific as the Middle Eastern petroleum reserves that American is, arguably, fighting two simultaneous wars to protect. Among the gas shale deposits in the United States, the Marcellus of the Appalachian Basin is the largest. However, tapping the Marcellus requires industrialization of areas of Pennsylvania that are famous for their rural setting. As the initial phase of gas production in Pennsylvania progresses, the public is learning a new language centered on hydraulic fracturing which is necessary to recover natural gas from the Marcellus, a very low permeability reservoir rock. The public has come to understand that large amounts of water are required for hydraulic fracturing. Unfortunately, a number of misconceptions have also evolved in the public mind with the most contentious being the danger of deeply buried frac fluid contaminating near surface ground water used for drinking and other domestic and agricultural purposes. A surprisingly large disconnect has emerged between the public and state environmental officials charged with protecting ground water from contamination by any industrial process. The Department of Environmental Protection in the State of Pennsylvania has repeatedly stated that it has never found evidence of deeply buried frac fluid contaminating local ground water. A state-by-state poll by the Ground Water Protection Council in 2009 has confirmed the PA-DEP studies. Industry has also stated that after a million-plus hydraulic fracture stimulations there is no evidence of ground water contamination, yet the public in Pennsylvania has grown increasingly skeptical of both industry and state officials. The implication is that there is some form of collusion between the states and industry. Presently, the US Environmental Protection Agency has been charged with an investigation of hydraulic fracturing to assess the relative safety of the practice. Over the past couple of months, the EPA has held public hearings on the subject of hydraulic fracturing. In general, there were many misinformed statements made during these public hearings. Because the level of acrimony has grown with such misinformation, it is time for a reasoned look at the problem from a scientific point of view.
Thursday, January 27, 2011 at 3:30 pm
The Chilean Miners’ Rescue: By Schramm, Inc. This presentation will show how drill rig and drilling technology was employed to overcome the many geotechnical challenges during this rescue operation. For more than 69 days, 33 miners of the San Esteban Mining Company were trapped 2,041 feet (nearly half-a-mile) below the earth’s surface after the walls of the mine collapsed on August 5th 2010. Their fate uncertain, Chilean President Sebastian Pinera sent out an urgent call around the world for the best technical expertise and equipment to come to the scene to rescue the miners. On October 14, one by one, all the miners returned to the surface to be reunited with their families, thanks in part to drilling rigs manufactured in the U.S.A. by Schramm. First, our T685 mineral exploration rig operated by Terraservice drilled the 5 ½ inch hole that located the miners alive on day 17 of their ordeal. Next, a Schramm T130XD rig nicknamed “The Miracle” operated by Geotec Boyles Bros. became “Plan B” that drilled the successful 28 inch rescue hole that allowed the miners to be hoisted to safety. Initial projections by the Chilean Mining Ministry said the rescue operation would reach the miners by Christmas, more than four months after the disaster began. Schramm and the entire “Plan B” Team reached the miners more than two months ahead of schedule. This successful outcome to the world’s most challenging mine disaster to date was a result of a remarkable international team effort, combined with the best equipment in the world, Schramm drilling rigs included.
Friday, January 28, 2011 at 9:00 am Water Quality Testing Near Marcellus Gas Wells
By Bryan Swistock, Extension Associate, Marcellus gas drilling activity has generated numerous questions and concerns about potential impacts on ground water resources of Pennsylvania, especially individual ground water wells used for rural drinking water supplies. Marcellus drilling differs from traditional, shallow gas drilling in Pennsylvania by an order of magnitude in the water used, wastewater produced, and technologies used to complete the wells. This presentation will briefly introduce the permit and drilling processes that are used to protect individual ground water supplies. Hydrofracturing, wastewater chemistry, fluid collection, and state regulations will also be discussed. Detailed information will focus on water testing strategies near Marcellus drilling activity including both pre-drilling testing conducted by drilling companies and voluntary testing by landowners. Recommendations will be provided on testing protocols, parameters, and chain-of-custody processes. Other voluntary water protection measures such as leasing stipulations will also be discussed.
Friday, January 28, 2011 at 10:00 am
The Nebraska Grout Task Force Research: Unexpected Results — New Solutions
By Tom Christopherson, Nebraska Department Since 1999, the Water Well Standards Program conducted a literally groundbreaking project that will help ensure that water is safe to drink. The study began as a demonstration of how a well is properly constructed. For the first time, well construction was documented by being filmed from the inside casing. This was made possible by the use of clear schedule 40 PVC pipe. Upon reinspection 16 months later, it was discovered the grout had deteriorated to unacceptable levels. As a result, a total of 168 water wells with transparent casings were drilled in order to observe the characteristics of the well excavation above and below the water table. For the first time ever, grouts were installed in situ with clear PVC casing, giving researchers the ability to view actual conditions over time.
The research documents the ability of grout to
stabilize the well within the borehole and maintain a seal that keeps
contaminants out of the water. If the grout deteriorates, contaminants are
presented with the opportunity to pollute
Friday, January 28, 2011 at 11:00 am Drill Rig & Drilling Site Safety By Frank Chickey, Atlas Copco This presentation will present a common sense approach to safety for drill rig operators, drill operator’s helpers, geologists, and all others present at a drilling site where a bored hole is being created, in order to make everyone on the drilling site better aware of the typical accident circumstances that can occur, and how to avoid them with the proper advance planning. Many things, such as proper drill rig maintenance, proper operation of the drill rig, and using properly maintained drilling tools, and proper site safety planning and site safety disciplines will affect the safety of the drilling site.
Friday, January 28, 2011 at 11:00 am
How to Combat the Detrimental Effects By Jason P. Kutulakis, Esquire, Abom & Kutulakis, LLP. The seminar will focus on the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act (HICPA) and the Misclassification Act. HICPA became law July 1, 2009 and provides many contractual tasks upon the contractor, including registration with the PA Attorney General and development of written contracts for all non-commercial projects involving all tasks except new construction. On October 13, 2010, Governor Rendell signed House Bill 400 (a/k/a Misclassification Act) into law. The Act is effective 120 days thereafter. This Act impacts employers/contractors who utilize “sub-contrators.” It is highly burdensome and comes with extraordinary fines including $1,000 daily/violation and “stop work orders.”
These topics affect each of the PGWA members
and
Friday, January 28, 2011 at 1:00 pm
Making Drilling Water Crystal Clear:
By Todd Giddings, Ph.D., P.G., There are always times when you are drilling a water well near a stream, or when you are drilling geothermal boreholes in a beautifully landscaped yard that you wish you could quickly make your muddy drilling water crystal clear. This presentation will show you how to use a Polyacrylamide polymer to make the muddy drilling water crystal clear in temporary trench as short as 30 feet. Crystal clear drilling water may sound too good to be true, but we demonstrated the use of a Polyacrylamide polymer at the PGWA June 2010 Summer Field Conference, and it really did make the muddy drilling water crystal clear. You will learn how a Polyacrylamide polymer makes the silt and clay particles attract each other and collect on the bottom of the trench, and you will learn how to select the correct Polyacrylamide polymer for your particular rock type and groundwater quality. Each step of this muddy drilling water treatment process will be presented, so you will have a complete understanding of how to set up the temporary treatment trench and how to apply the Polyacrylamide polymer so it is most effective. You learned about this Polyacrylamide polymer treatment technique at the 2009 PGWA Winter Conference, and now you will see this water treatment process in action.
Friday, January 28, 2011 at 2:00 pm Geothermal Grouting: Lessons from the Borehole
By Todd Tannehill, Regional Manager Problems encountered in the field during geothermal loop field installation will be presented. The newest market in our holster, geothermal has been around long enough to teach us some “real-life” lessons – both good and not so good. Holding the hole open, loop installation techniques, grout selection, and silica sand selection and its condition will be discussed. This presentation will look at some of the new “mousetraps” as the industry is flooded with ideas and products to make your life easier and borehole production faster. The presentation will conclude with a short round table that will allow Pennsylvania drillers to share some of their experiences from their own backyard.
Friday, January 28, 2011 at 2:00 pm Surviving a DOT Roadside Inspection By F. Allan (Buddy) Mauger DOT Roadside inspections are feared by drivers and companies nationwide. This fear is the fear of the unknown. Learn first hand from a former roadside inspector/DOT instructor what to expect and how to properly prepare your vehicles and drivers for the roadside inspection. This training covers will cover the following: a) driver behavior/appearance during an inspection, b) common violations found during roadside inspections, c) hazardous materials/Material of Trade Violations, and d) tips on how to prevent violations. You will also be shown some errors roadside inspectors make when conducting the inspections and writing the roadside inspection report. Learn how to detect these errors and have these errors removed from your safety scores using your computer and US DOT’s DataQ challenge protocol. With CSA 2010 here, this a training program you can not afford to miss!
Friday, January 28, 2011 at 3:00 pm Field Thermal Conductivity Testing By Todd Giddings, Ph.D., P.G., IGSHPA Accredited Trainer Geothermal loopfields containing dozens of geothermal boreholes are the heat exchanger that uses the earth as both the heat source and the air conditioning heat rejection area for large commercial buildings. The heat-exchange capacity and the performance of a loopfield are directly related to the thermal conductivity of the bedrock that the loopfield is constructed in. Therefore, measuring the thermal conductivity of the bedrock within the area where the loopfield will be constructed is a very critical first step in the process of correctly sizing the loopfield to match the peak heating or cooling load of the building. This presentation will show the proper way to do a field thermal conductivity test and explain how the test procedure measures the thermal conductivity of the surrounding bedrock. Common problems that may occur during a conductivity test and their solutions will be discussed. Field thermal conductivity testing may be an opportunity for you to grow your business into the geothermal industry.
Friday, January 28, 2011 at 3:00 pm IUP PA/OSHA Consultation Program
By Mark S. McGahen, CSP, Safety Consultant, The provides free and confidential assistance to small businesses in Pennsylvania. IUP has maintained the contract with the United States Department of Labor since 1982 through a grant program issued to each state individually. IUP will only visit those companies who request the service to help improve compliance with the federal OSHA Standards and avoid citations and penalties, recognize and correct hazards in the workplace and help improve new or existing written safety and health programs and training requirements. Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) was the first university to attain accredited status by the American Society of Engineers (ASSE) for their safety sciences program.
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