10th Annual Española Basin Workshop
Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Española Basin Surface and Groundwater Quality
Jemez Rooms, Santa Fe Community College, Santa Fe, New Mexico

WORKSHOP PROGRAM

7:45-8:30 a.m. Registration
Pick up badges, programs and sign in; poster set up and viewing

8:30-8:45 Welcome and Introductory Remarks
Who is EBTAG and why the annual Española Basin workshops?
Claudia Borchert, Chair of Española Basin Technical Advisory Group

8:45-9:15 Framework for Water Quality Protection in New Mexico
Marcy Leavitt, New Mexico Environment Department

9:15-10:00 Southern Española Basin General Geochemistry
Steve Wiman, Good Water Company and Pat Longmire, Los Alamos National Lab

10:00-10:15 Coffee Break

10:15-11:15 Geology, Hydrology, and Groundwater Geochemistry of the City of Santa Fe’s 2,663-foot Exploratory Well
Claudia Borchert, City of Santa Fe, Steve Finch, John Shomaker and Associates, and Pat Longmire, Los Alamos National Laboratory

11:15-Noon Bioremediation of the PCE Contaminated Groundwater at the North Railroad Avenue Superfund Site, Española
Steve Jetter, NM Environment Department and Dino Chavarria, Santa Clara Pueblo

Noon-1:15 p.m. Lunch Break (food available for purchase at the cafeteria next door)

1:15-2:30 Nutrient Cycling in the Rio Grande
Gretchen Oelsner, U.S. Geological Survey
Storm Water Quality on the Pajarito Plateau
Dave Englert, NMED DOE Oversight Bureau
River to Tap: Buckman Direct Diversion Project Water Quality
Rick Carpenter, Buckman Direct Diversion project manager, City of Santa Fe

2:30-4:00 Poster Session
Invited and Volunteered Posters

Thursday, February 24, 2011

EASTERN ESPAÑOLA BASIN FIELD TRIP

9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Theme: Uranium Sources, Mobility, and Occurrence in Groundwater in the Eastern Española Basin

Field Trip Leaders: Dennis McQuillan, Dave Vaniman, Pat Longmire, Ardyth Simmons, and Dan Koning

Field Trip Summary: The field trip will visit examples of geologic source areas that may have contributed to the high concentrations of natural uranium that have been detected in about half of the water supply wells in this region. These sources include uraniferous Precambrian rock and, within basin-fill deposits, volcanic ash beds, reworked ash, devitrified ash, and roll-front uranium mineralization. The field trip will conclude at a public drinking water system that has installed an ion-exchange treatment system to reduce the level of uranium in water produced by their wells.

Meeting Place & Time: The field trip will begin at 9:00 a.m. on the downstream side of Santa Cruz Dam, not at the Santa Cruz Lake Recreation Area on the north side of the lake.

Directions to Starting Point (Stop 1):

From Santa Fe,

  • travel north on HW 285 to Pojoaque
  • Turn east on HW 503; pass through Nambe towards Chimayo
  • Turn north on Juan Medina Road (CR 98) towards Chimayo
  • Turn east on Santa Cruz Dam Road (CR 92); park at the end of the road

Maximum Number of People: 50

Logistical Notes:

Four of the five stops will involve short hikes, up to a mile round-trip. Two of the hikes will be on steep terrain with loose rock and/or soil. At both sites, however, participants will have the option of remaining near the vehicles and observing the rocks from a distance, with binoculars if you bring them. All participants should wear hiking boots with ankle support.

None of the stops will have restroom facilities.

Food and beverages will not be provided, so please bring water and a sack lunch.

Transportation will not be provided, but a carpooling sign-up board will be available at the conference on February 23. Field trip participants are encouraged to car- or vanpool as parking will be limited at a couple of the stops. Four-wheel drive and high-clearance vehicles are not necessary.

Participants should dress appropriately for the season with layers of clothing that can be worn or taken off as needed. Sunscreen is highly recommended regardless of weather conditions on the day of the field trip.


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