2015 NGWA Conference on the Upper Great Plains
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
8:15 a.m.-8:30 a.m.
8:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m.
This presentation will provide an overview of recent assessments of the effects of oil and gas development on groundwater quality in the Upper Great Plains region, and discuss some of the challenges in conducting assessments that accurately measure those effects.
9:30 a.m.-10:10 a.m.
10:10 a.m.-10:30 a.m.
10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
1:00 p.m.-2:40 p.m.
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Groundwater-Quality Sampling for the USGS National Water-Quality Assessment Program in Nebraska During 2015
Jonathan Traylor
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Groundwater Availability and Flow Processes in the Williston and Powder River Basins, Upper Great Plains
Joanna Thamke
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Integrated Water Management Modeling for Climate Variability Study in the Niobrara River Basin
Mahesh Pun, M.S.
2:40 p.m.-3:10 p.m.
3:10 p.m.-3:50 p.m.
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Tracking Montana’s Groundwater
John LaFave
3:50 p.m.-4:50 p.m.
4:50 p.m.-6:00 p.m.
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
7:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
8:30 a.m.-9:10 a.m.
Participants will divide into two groups to discuss either "How Can One Be an Experienced Hydrogeologist in Six Years?" or "What are the primary monitoring and research needs related to energy development in the Upper Great Plains?" Participants will then come together to discuss their findings. Tent cards will be placed on the tables to designate which topic will be discussed at each table.
9:10 a.m.-10:10 a.m.
10:10 a.m.-10:30 a.m.
10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Many of the most pressing issues facing the western United States hinge on the fate and transport of water and its response to diverse disturbances, including climate change, bark beetle infestations, and energy extraction. A grand challenge for water resources management is to optimize water allocation among stakeholders in the face of increasing stress on the resource. To meet this challenge, managers need scientific advances that reduce longstanding uncertainties in understanding water pathways. The Wyoming Center for Environmental Hydrology and Geophysics (WyCEHG) at the University of Wyoming was established in 2012 as a center of excellence in environmental geophysics and hydrology that provides cutting-edge knowledge and tools to water resource managers and scientists in the public and private sectors. This multidisciplinary center encompasses new physical and intellectual infrastructure that enables a comprehensive research program linking surface and subsurface watershed hydrology, geophysics, remote sensing, and computational modeling. We will discuss ongoing WyCEHG research projects around Wyoming and the U.S., including snow GPR to measure snow water equivalent, topographic and regional stress controls on near surface fracturing, geophysical imaging studies to aide permeability pathway modeling, and combined borehole/surface geophysics for municipal aquifer management.
12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m.
1:00 p.m.-3:45 p.m.
Demonstrations will address tools and techniques used on ongoing WyCEHG research projects around Wyoming and the U.S., including snow GPR to measure snow water equivalent, topographic and regional stress controls on near surface fracturing, geophysical imaging studies to aide permeability pathway modeling, and combined borehole/surface geophysics for municipal aquifer management.