Second Edition Has Arrived: The Design, Performance, and Analysis of Slug Tests

The Design, Performance, and Analysis of Slug Tests, Second Edition explains virtually all there is to know regarding the design, performance, and analysis of the most common well test for determining hydraulic conductivity: Slug Testing

The first edition became the standard reference for all aspects of slug tests. It has positively changed project outcomes and helped professionals become responsible stewards of our precious water resources by promoting best practices.

The Second Edition contains updated information and expands the focus with new developments where slug testing is applied in applications related to contaminant assessment.

New Features:

• Presents the eight key steps for conducting reliable slug tests.
• Describes new methods for the analysis of tests in unconfined aquifers and in highly permeable settings.
• Expands topical coverage of LNAPL baildown tests and slug tests in small diameter wells.
• Includes numerous flow charts that illustrate easy-to-use strategies for selection of analysis methods, and field examples demonstrate how each method should be used to get the most out of test data.
• Contains new straightforward practical guidelines that summarize the major points of each chapter.

Written for practicing groundwater consultants and engineers, The Design, Performance, and Analysis of Slug Tests, Second Edition enables readers to achieve more reliable information from slug tests and widen the application of this common field method.

CONGRATULATIONS TO JIM BUTLER for completing this important book, and THANK YOU for writing it.

Order a copy online at a discount with MidwestGeo.

Watch the upcoming live Slug Testing webinar taught by Jim Butler: The Keys Steps to Successful Slug Testing: Formations of Low Hydraulic Conductivity, High, and Everything in Between

Congratulations to the participants of the 2019 Aquifer Testing Course

Congratulations to the participants of the 2019 Aquifer Testing Course in Fort Collins!  It was a pleasure to see you at the course and an honor to serve you.

On behalf of the instructors and myself, we are grateful to you for sharing your experiences, asking questions, and shining a light on challenges we all face during aquifer testing.    Our job isn't easy and we're all in this together.   I applaud you for taking the time to "sharpen the blade of technical excellence" so you can tackle that next project with mastery, fearless integrity, and confidence.

Class Photo

Glenn Duffield lecture action shot

Dan Kelleher with Pneumatic Hi-K Slug Assembly

To, the course participants:  Keep up the good work.   Call on us anytime, it's our honor to serve you.

Field and Analysis Component will Include Pneumatic Slug Testing during the 2019 Aquifer Testing Course at In-Situ, Inc.

We will be conducting slug tests using the Pneumatic Hi-K Slug Assembly on October 17, 2019 during the aquifer testing course at In-Situ, Inc.  For the first time ever, we will be adding a field and analysis component to the aquifer testing course with the additional of the four newly installed wells at In-Situ, Inc.  The wells were installed for the purpose of teaching during this course.

Participants will see and practice slug testing in the new wells using the SOLID H(o) SLUGs for obtaining different expected initial displacements.    Then participants will practice transferring the test data from the transducer into AQTESOLV followed by choosing the appropriate analysis strategy and analyzing the data.

We will introduce the "BIG SLUG" during the course too.  The "BIG SLUG" is designed and built specifically for conducting slug tests in 4-inch diameter wells with known initial displacements (H(o)).

One of the most powerful elements of field practice is troubleshooting.  Everyone can appreciate the mastery of "thinking on your feet" to recognize questionable conditions, assess the problem, and then find the solution.   This course is designed to allow participants to "think on their feet" and talk-through field observations while recognizing and solving any questionable conditions that may normally arise during field and analysis steps.  How priceless is this skill?

Aquifer Testing for Improving Hydrogeologic Site Characterization
featuring AQTESOLV and the In-Situ, Inc Level TROLL

October 15-17, 2019

Instruction from Jim Butler, PhD, and Glenn Duffield

Register Here
https://www.midwestgeo.com/courses/aquifer2019-ftcollins.php

Interested in free training dollars?

Submit a Technical Skills Inquiry NOW through West Chester University to find out if your company qualifies for an educational training grant for the Midwest GeoSciences Group courses on campus at West Chester University.  Only companies in PA are eligible.

Apply Here

Questions?

Contact Eileen Jenkins, Certified WEDnet PA 

Phone: 610.425.7435

ejenkins@wcupa.edu

Graduate Center @ West Chester University

1160 McDermott Drive, West Chester, PA 19380

Principles of Ground Water Dewatering: The Webinar

Even when we have a decent understanding of the geology, ground water can lead to excavation instability, project delays, and ultimately increased project costs for both the General Contractor and the Owner.

Controlling ground water is a critical factor for construction and can be unexpectedly challenging when water volumes become greater than anticipated at a project site.

Dewatering Pumps

Urban Dewatering

Dewatering demands special consideration of both the construction techniques and hydrogeology like no other engineering task.

There are a multitude of strategies for approaching projects in different hydrogeologic conditions and there are seemingly endless troubleshooting techniques when groundwater becomes that "unexpected problem".

GFLOW model output (Courtesy of Henk Haitjema, PhD)

Project scale can seem daunting too.   Surface water management requires the same attention to planning as pumping ground water for some sites.  Geologic conditions, permitting, logistics, access constraint and even security are critical considerations at some sites....

,,,,,,and simply asking the right question

during the pre-planning phase can make - or break - project budget.

Some common and some unique dewatering techniques from this 35 acre excavation will be presented as case studies during the webinar. 

Midwest GeoSciences Group is tackling these tough questions about dewatering.   Join us for this 90-min comprehensive webinar about not only how to evaluate a project site, but also share strategies for determining potential flow that can be expected from an excavation, how to troubleshoot some sites when excessive water is discovered, and some unique tips about how to manage surface water for a successful dewatering program.  More Here

Bronson Gerken, PG, Technical Director of the Dewatering Design Department at Griffin Dewatering is among the most qualified to teach this important subject.   Griffin Dewatering is one of the largest dewatering companies in the world and has performed over 20,000 dewatering projects.  Griffin Dewatering has allowed Bronson to build, test, and refine many dewatering systems and improvements. He is going to share his knowledge during this purposeful webinar.

Horizontal Well Hydraulics - The Webinar Series

Horizontal well hydraulics is a science like no other.

Conventional well hydraulics are based on vertical wells, and why wouldn't it be?  After all, the analytical solutions established for well hydraulics were derived when drill rigs were drilling vertically downward!

Today, drilling is phenomenal.  Drilling technologies are essentially limitless in terms of direction, depth, multiple wells in a single borehole entry point, minimal footprint, etc. 

after Bakker et al. 2005, Groundwater

But predicting well production rates of a horizontal well is unlike calculating yield in a vertical well. The analytic solutions for horizontal wells are limited, while three-dimensional numeric models are cumbersome in view of the high degree of grid resolution required near the horizontal well (or laterals of a radial collector well).

If that isn't daunting enough, constraints for horizontal well production occur in lots of ways.  It's not just geologic conditions that can wreak havoc for uncertain production rates, but other factors too cause constraints.  It's better to be prepared with informed planning in contrast to troubleshooting a poorly producing well.

Midwest GeoSciences Group is tackling this challenge.   We are taking a big first step to unraveling the complexities of horizontal well hydraulics by announcing a two-part webinar series dedicated to this special topic:

Register now for this important webinar topic if you manage sites where horizontal wells are used, or may have the potential for use.  Questions?   call Dan Kelleher at 763.607.0092
Webinar Details and Registration Here

West Chester University Rocks!

Three days of ADVANCED AQUIFER TESTING TECHNIQUES flew by with lectures from Jim Butler, Glenn Duffield, Martin Helmke and Shlomo P. Neuman.   The educational journey we take during the course is unique and engaging.   Don't take my word for it, but take the scoring of the feedback forms:  PERFECT FIVE STARS score for "Overall Course Quality".

We do this to help people.   Midwest GeoSciences Group is motivated by serving professionals with hopes our collaboration achieves not only a mastery in technical work - but becoming the best people we can all be.

As environmental and engineering professionals, our work is important and it demands fearless integrity as much as it does sound technical decision making.

The course participants rose to the occasion.  It's humbling to witness the enthusiasm and positive energy surface during any course, but this advanced aquifer testing course was especially great with so many people who already had a deep mastery of aquifer testing....and those who quickly learned the basics and moved into the expert level. Congratulations to all the participants.  We tip our hat to you!

Canadian Aquifer Testing

Ground water experts from across Canada and the United States filled the training room at Matrix Solutions, Inc. in Calgary for two days of The Aquifer Testing Course by Midwest GeoSciences Group.   Congratulations and thank you to the participants who were especially insightful with superb experience to share and make the course that much more rich.

Class Photo, obviously!

Special thanks to everyone at Matrix Solutions, Inc for hosting the course (especially Dixie and Christine for nailing the logistical details)!   Plus thanks Big Time to Jeff Simpson at AQUATIC LIFE, LTD. for your marquee sponsorship.

Jeff Simpson from Aquatic Life, Ltd.

On behalf of all of us at Midwest GeoSciences Group, thank you to everyone we met this week.  We love Calgary and Canada...and this trip, course, and excursions were among the most memorable ever!  -  Dan Kelleher.

Jim Butler

Glenn Duffield

  

Scotiabank Saddledome welcomes Midwest GeoSciences Group

March 21, 2019 - The Calgary Flames NHL Team and Scotiabank Saddledome welcome Midwest GeoSciences Group for a powerful hockey experience with 12,000 roaring fans!

Thank you to those who welcomed us for the memorable hockey game and congratulations on a decisive victory over the Ottawa Senators 5-1!

Janice Sale photographed at Scotiabank Saddledome

New Advances in LNAPL Science

Matrix Solutions, Inc. hosted Midwest GeoSciences Group in Calgary for the 2-day CE course:  Modern Management of Risks at LNAPL Sites.   The March 2019 course was an amazing experience with new mindsets and paradigms shifts about LNAPL Science.

Brilliant minds in class with a technical mastery of LNAPL science and experience.

Thank you to Matrix Solutions, Inc for providing the excellent classroom venue and especially Christine, Dixie, Kim, Diego, and GeoMan Blake from Matrix Solutions, Inc for helping coordinating logistics. 

Instructors Tom Sale and Chuck Newell made special mention how everyone was so friendly and professional...while the participants engagement made the course especially great with meaningful conversations, humor, and relevant experiences that benefited all of us.  It is easy to recognize the expertise among participants along with pride in their work.  We tip our hat to you.

Chuck Newell Action Shot

Tom Sale describing his last fishing expedition.  LOL

We extend a big thanks to Jeff Simpson at Aquatic Life, Ltd for sponsoring the event along with Colorado State University for administering the continuing education units.

LNAPL Science is rapidly changing now due to recent discoveries related to reactions with different geologic conditions and the LNAPL chemistry at most modern-day sites.   There is no universal model that governs LNAPL because fluid dynamics and chemistry are known now to be site specific and controlled by more than just aquifer/aquitard properties.   Our industry is poised for another gigantic leap too....techniques and tools continue to be developed, and we are finally giving attention to the sole independent variable that drives risk and remediation decisions.

GREAT JOB MATRIX SOLUTIONS, INC. STAFF!!!  Thank you for leading the way.

Congratulations Glenn Duffield!!

Glenn Duffield is the creator, visionary, and distributor for AQTESOLV, the most popular software in the world for data analysis of aquifer testing.

CONGRATULATIONS TO GLENN for receiving the prestigious NGWA 2018 Technology Award!

The NGWA Technology Award is presented to a person who has made a major contribution to the ground water industry in the development of ideas, tools, and equipment' techniques of well construction' exemplary service to co-workers throughout the industry in sharing these developments' and performing service for the protection of ground water and the public at large.

Way to go, Glenn!