Using NMR and Hydrogeophysics to Evaluate ASR Feasibility in the Denver Basin
Monday, March 20, 2017: 2:10 p.m.
Dave Colvin, PG
,
Groundwater Team, Leonard Rice Engineers, Denver, CO
Rachel Pence
,
Planning, Denver Water, Denver, CO
As part of long range planning, Denver Water is exploring the potential for aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) in the Denver Basin aquifers. There is limited well and subsurface information within the City and County of Denver available to characterize the Denver Basin aquifers and to assess key aspects such as well productivity. As a result, Denver Water has been filling data gaps within their study area by drilling exploratory boreholes. Use of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) geophysical logging, packer testing, and borehole coring is allowing aquifer permeability testing without the expense of completing a well, thereby allowing funding to be directed to drilling more boreholes and reducing data gaps. While NMR data has been used extensively in oilfield and unconsolidated aquifer settings, it has not been widely used in the Denver Basin for water resource investigations. We will discuss the NMR and hydrogeophysical data Denver Water has collected, how it is being used to evaluate Denver Basin ASR potential, and the aquifer characterization benefits that these techniques offer.
Dave Colvin, PG, Groundwater Team, Leonard Rice Engineers, Denver, CO
Dave is a Senior Project Manager for Leonard Rice Engineers, where he is also the Groundwater Team Leader and serves on the Board of Directors. He is a collaborative, team-oriented Hydrogeologist with over 19 years of experience in groundwater services, water resources, project management, and environmental sciences. He is responsible for coordinating and organizing teams of diverse subject matter experts and providing technical leadership to solve today's water resource challenges. His work focuses on innovative groundwater solutions including riverbank filtration, managed aquifer recharge (including aquifer storage and recovery), soil aquifer treatment, groundwater modeling, and land subsidence. Dave is on the AWRA Colorado Outreach Board of Directors and is the President-Elect. He has a B.S. in Geology from Syracuse University and an M.S. in Environmental Science and Engineering from Colorado School of Mines.
Rachel Pence, Planning, Denver Water, Denver, CO
Rachel is a water resource engineer, currently working at Denver Water in the water resource planning section and focusing my work in aquifer storage and recovery, long range planning, climate change adaptation, integrated resource planning, and watershed management. She graduated in December, 2015 with an M.S. in Water Resource and Hydrology Engineering from the University of Colorado – Boulder. Before beginning her Master’s degree, she graduated from the University of Virginia with a B.A. in Biology and a specialization in Environmental and Biological Conservation.
