Tuesday, April 26, 2016: 3:10 p.m.
Confluence Ballroom B (The Westin Denver Downtown)
Chelsea Jefferson, LG, LHG
,
Environment and Infrastructure, Amec Foster Wheeler, Seattle, WA, United States
Miao Zhang, PE
,
Anchor QEA, LLC, Seattle, WA
Doug Kelly, LHG
,
Environmental Public Health, Island County, Coupeville, WA
Michael Brown
,
Earth and Space Science, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Coastal groundwater aquifers used for water supply are subject to stress from increasing demand as well as the threat of seawater intrusion. This problem may be exacerbated by projected sea-level rise due to climate change. Here we evaluate the effects of sea-level rise on the municipal groundwater source of a Pacific Northwest coastal community. The objective of this study is to establish a conceptual model for this coastal groundwater aquifer for the purpose of evaluating seawater intrusion under sea-level rise scenarios. Local glaciofluvial geology, hydrogeology, and water chemistry data will be used to establish groundwater flow and its interaction with seawater. Analytical calculations, analytic element model, or numerical models will be used to test the conceptual model. Finally, the conceptual model will be used to make predictions of seawater intrusion (e.g. freshwater/seawater interface position and seawater wedge toe position) under a few projected pumping and sea-level rise scenarios.
Chelsea Jefferson, LG, LHG, Environment and Infrastructure, Amec Foster Wheeler, Seattle, WA, United States
Ms. Jefferson is a staff hydrogeologist in the Amec Foster Wheeler Seattle office. Ms. Jefferson has over 6 years experience in the field of environmental geology and hydrogeology and is currently a Masters of Science candidate at the University of Washington, Department of Earth and Space Science. Her interests include water resources, database science, and contaminant hydrogeology.
Miao Zhang, PE, Anchor QEA, LLC, Seattle, WA
Miao Zhang is a Managing Engineer with Anchor QEA, LLC in Seattle, Washington. He received his bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering from Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, and his master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. He has 14 years of consulting experience in contaminated site remediation and water resources.
Doug Kelly, LHG, Environmental Public Health, Island County, Coupeville, WA
Mr. Kelly is the Island County, Washington Hydrogeologist.
Michael Brown, Earth and Space Science, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Mr. Brown is a University of Washington Professor in the Department of Earth and Space Science.
