Tuesday, April 30, 2013: 8:00 a.m.
Regency West 5 (Hyatt Regency San Antonio)
A 3,800 gpm water supply was required for a new 450 MW power generating station near Valladolid, Mexico, roughly 115 kilometers west of Cancun. The geology of the area is characterized as mature Karst with large solution features such as cenotes and caverns in the upper 80 meters underlain by limestone underlain by siltstones and mudstones. The groundwater quality is stratified with a freshwater lens up to 40 meters thick overlying a brackish zone which in turn is underlain by a cold brine. The power plant is designed to optimally operate using freshwater. A groundwater production wellfield and pumping strategy were developed to reduce the potential for upconing of the underlying saltwater layer. This strategy consisted of dispersed production wells, variable speed pumping, and real time monitoring of water quality and drawdown to adjust the pumping rates on a real-time basis. Waste water injection wells were installed into the deeper brine to dispose of cooling water. Groundwater production wells, piezometers and waste water injection wells were installed and monitored. Aquifer tests were performed and a saltwater intrusion model (SEAWAT) was developed and utilized to assess the impact of pumping strategies on upconing. The water supply system has been operating since 2007.
| Anthony D. Daus , AMEC Environment & Infrastructure, Inc. | |
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Tony Daus is an environmental industry veteran with more than 28 years of experience. He obtained a B.S. in Geology from the University of Missouri and later enrolled at the University of Waterloo for graduate work. He has managed or supported many national and international projects including one of the largest soil and groundwater investigation and remediation projects in Brazil. In addition, Daus has served as a reviewer for several technical journals, including Groundwater and the Journal of Environmental Science Health He is currently serving as Executive Vice President of AMEC Environment & Infrastructure. |
| Jeffrey Weaver , Amec Geomatrix Inc. | |
| Mr. Jeffrey Weaver is a Senior Hydrogeologist at AMEC with over 23 years experience at all phases of hydrogeologic assessments at environmental and mining sites. He is an expert at quantitative hydrogeologic analysis including conceptual model development, numerical model development, and aquifer test analysis. Mr. Weaver has performed numerous modeling analyses of surface water, vadose zone, and saturated groundwater systems. He is an expert at the simulation of variable density flow systems and has used the USGS’s SEAWAT groundwater flow code for numerous water supply and environmental impact assessments. | |
| Dan Collins , AMEC Environment & Infrastructure, Inc. | |
| For the past 20 years, Dan Collins has worked as Senior Geologist for AMEC E&I in Irvine, California performing environmental, engineering and hydrogeologic investigations. He earned his MS in Geology at the University of Nevada, Reno and went on to investigate geologic hazards in Alaska, the western USA, and Central and South America. He is also a California-certified hydrogeologist and has designed and tested numerous water production and injection wells in southern California. Collins was the principal hydrogeologist for the cooling water delivery and waste water injection systems used at the Valladolid Energy Center in Yucatan, Mexico. | |
