Clients
Intrepid Potash; 2019-ongoing - Evaluated the groundwater resources associated with a property in southeast New Mexico as part of determining the economic feasibility of commercial water sales from that property. The evaluation included inventorying 54 wells located on the property and the water rights associated with each of the wells. Additionally,
- Physical information with respect to the well locations and configurations was obtained;
- Hydraulic tests were performed on four strategic wells to estimate aquifer hydraulic parameters and specific capacity of the wells;
- Borehole video camera was run in strategic wells to assess the need for well rehabilitation as a means of increasing the sustainable yield of the wells;
- Participated in the drilling of a new well (permitting, design, logging, geophysics, completion, development, and testing) that is a critical component of a new water rights application.
The primary objective of these activities is to develop a well network that is capable of producing all of the water rights allocated to the client. This will consist of evaluating the maximum sustainable yield of existing wells and improving it if possible and/or drilling new wells as necessary.
Geofirma Engineering, Ltd./Intera Engineering, Ltd. (www.geofirma.com):
- Enbridge; 2019 - Provided all of the equipment necessary to conduct hydraulic tests in a low-permeability system that acts as the caprock on a natural gas storage reservoir near Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. Hydraulic testing and analysis were conducted and hydraulic parameter estimates were provided to the client.
- City of Ottawa; 2019 – Provided surface and downhole equipment and performed multiple constant-rate straddle-packer tests in a pilot well at the City of Ottawa Greeley Site pilot well. The results from constant-rate tests on 8 isolated intervals will guide the placement and configuration of a subsequent water supply well for the City of Ottawa near this location.
- Union Gas; 2013 - Provided all of the equipment necessary to conduct hydraulic tests in a low-permeability system that acts as the caprock on a natural gas storage reservoir near Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. Hydraulic testing and analysis were conducted and hydraulic parameter estimates were provided to the client.
- Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) of Ontario Power Generation (OPG); 2008-2011 - Provided hydraulic testing (aquifer tests including slug tests, pulse tests, and DSTs) and hydraulic testing equipment in five deep (over 3000’) boreholes and two shallow (≤1000’) and the associated analysis to provide hydraulic parameter estimates in the vicinity of the proposed deep geologic low & intermediate-level radioactive waste repository near Kincardine, Ontario, Canada. Two of the deep boreholes were slanted boreholes of 25° and 30° off vertical. Testing of these boreholes included the development and deployment of a straddle-packer hydraulic testing tool (HTT) and mobile integrated aquifer testing & analysis (MIATA) platform from which all hydraulic testing activities were conducted. As part of this project, over 400 hydraulic tests were conducted in over 200 individual isolated intervals.
INTERA, Inc. (Intera.com):
- Nagra (Swiss National Cooperative for the Disposal of Radioactive Waste); 2018-ongoing – Provide key personnel during the planning, equipment design and fabrication, and conduct of deep vertical borehole (~4500’) packer testing in low-permeability formations associated with a proposed deep geologic radioactive waste repository near Trulikon, Switzerland. This is the first of 3 boreholes to be tested as part of this program. HydroResolutions provided the lead hydraulic test analyst for the project and multiple key technical staff. There will be two more deep wells associated with this campaign, one vertical and one slant well. Both will be approximately the same 4500’ in depth.
- Areva Mines Tortkuduk Uranium Mine (Intera SAS); 2018 – Performed analysis of hydraulic tests done at an in-situ recovery uranium mine in Kazakhstan. The objective was to assess head losses associated with different casing materials and completion configurations.
- BHPB; 2017 - Performed multi-frequency pneumatic sinusoidal (PneuSine) tests in five boreholes at a uranium mine near Port Lisbon, UT, as part of the hydrogeologic characterization effort related to mine closure. The PneuSine testing resulted in defensible model parameter values without producing any contaminated water to surface, thereby avoiding costly wastewater disposal.
- Intercontinental Potash; 2012 – Performed and analyzed constant-rate tests on two deep (5500’ bgs) wells drilled into the Capitan Formation near Jal, NM. Pumping rates ranged from 120 gpm to 530 gpm. For the second test a second well was available located ~1500’ from the pumping well that was used as an observation well. This well was fully instrumented during the second test and a pressure response to the pumping well was observed. Aquifer hydraulic parameter estimates were provided for predictive modeling.
- L-Bar Uranium Mine near Grants, NM;
- 2017 – Performed reanalysis of a pumping test using a conceptual model that was consistent with analyses performed on hydraulic tests conducted on other wells associated with the project.
- 2012 - Performed pneumatic slug tests in several wells at a uranium mine near Grants, NM to provide hydraulic parameter estimates to a modeling exercise facilitating the closure of the mine. Pneumatic slugs were performed to eliminate any contaminated water being produced to the land surface which would have required being disposed of as hazardous waste. This technique dramatically reduced the costs of estimating hydraulic parameters as compared to conventional slug or pump tests.
- Waste Control Specialists (WCS) near Eunice, NM;
- 2011 - Conducted constant-rate and constant-pressure gas injection tests in 12 unsaturated boreholes (three vertical well pairs and three slanted well pairs) located on a low-level radioactive waste facility near Eunice, NM. This project involved developing a specialized DAS, HTTs, and instrumentation to conduct successful hydraulic tests in the extremely low-permeability formations. Special analysis techniques were developed and implemented in nSIGHTS to appropriately analyze the resulting pressure responses.
- 2008 - Conducted hydraulic tests (straddle-packer pulse, slug, and DST) in multiple isolated intervals in a single deep (over 2000’) to develop hydraulic parameter estimates for several hydrogeologic formations associated with a low-level radioactive waste facility located in west Texas. A project-specific DAS and HTT were designed and developed along with an associated instrumentation package to conduct successful hydraulic tests in the low-permeability formations. Special analysis techniques were developed and implemented in nSIGHTS to appropriately analyze the resulting pressure responses.
Buchalter Nemer PLC (Slippery Rock Ranch); 2015-ongoing - Performed constant-rate and multi-frequency sinusoidal pumping tests and corresponding numerical and analytical well-test analysis to characterize flow in a fractured aquifer. Analyzed rainfall data and well responses to characterize rapid groundwater recharge through fractures. Identified pressure-dependent fracture-flow responses and utilized numerical analysis to quantify changes in flow properties as a function of aquifer stress conditions. Provided litigation support. Providing ongoing regional groundwater monitoring.
Sandia National Laboratories; 2008-ongoing – Provided technical support to the Hydrology Group in their effort to understand the hydrogeology in and around the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Site. In order to remain in compliance the US Department of Energy (DOE) must demonstrate a continued comprehensive understanding of the hydrogeology around the WIPP Site. Results from detailed flow and transport modeling serve to demonstrate that understanding. HydroResolutions guided hydraulic testing and analysis and assists in evaluating decades of water-level measurements which are the direct inputs to the flow and transport models.
Estancia Basin Water Planning Committee; 2008-ongoing - Monitor water levels in a 2400 square-mile hydrologic basin. Install and maintain instrumentation, download data and take manual water-level measurements each quarter. Write quarterly reports. Developed that Estancia Basin Regional Water Plan (2008).
Good Sawyer Development; 2011-2019 – Performed a groundwater characterization effort associated with a water rights application near Nogal, NM. The effort included extensive groundwater monitoring of both water levels and quality in dozens of existing wells, constant-rate pumping tests on several wells with the objective of producing aquifer hydraulic parameter estimates, developing a numerical flow model to assess impacts of the proposed application on existing senior water rights in the area, and developing a technical report summarizing the results. This application was unprotested but interaction with the New Mexico Office of the State Engineer (NMOSE) Water Rights Division (WRD) was still required during the impact assessment process.
Sherbrooke Partners PLC; 2018 - Evaluated the groundwater resources associated with a property near Jal, New Mexico as part of determining the economic feasibility of commercial water sales from that property. The evaluation was a desktop exercise that included inventorying 32 wells associated with the property and the water rights associated with each of the wells. The objective was to determine if the wells could physically produce the amounts of water that they were permitted to produce.
Terranear PMC; 2017 - Provided the deep borehole and packer testing skill set required on the Department of Energy Deep Borehole Field Test (DBFT) project. Conceptually a borehole 5 kilometers deep into the crystalline basement rock was going to be drilled at one of three potential sites with the objective of evaluating the feasibility of such an effort for the disposal of certain types of radioactive waste. The Terranear PMC site was to be in south-central New Mexico. HydroResolutions was going to design and develop all of the downhole and surface equipment that would be necessary to conduct hydraulic tests in this borehole and to conduct and analyze the tests to provide hydraulic parameter estimates. The project was cancelled while still in the conceptual stage prior to any field work being conducted.
Kennecott Uranium (Rio Tinto) Sweetwater Uranium Project; 2016 & 2017 - Performed multiple multi-frequency pneumatic sinusoidal (PneuSine) tests in two 10-in wells where the depth to water was 1,100 ft. Successfully propagated a pressure signal to four observation wells using a low-frequency signal with a 16-hr period. Analysis of observation-well responses allowed for defensible estimation of both transmissivity and storativity.
Kennecott Uranium: Performed multi-frequency pneumatic sinusoidal tests in two 10-in wells where the depth to water was 1,100 ft. Successfully propagated a pressure signal to four observation wells using a low-frequency signal with a 16-hr period. Analysis of observation-well responses allowed for defensible estimation of both transmissivity and storativity.
AECOM (Chico CA); 2016 - Performed multi-frequency pneumatic sinusoidal (PneuSine) testing in two source wells and monitored the corresponding responses in six observation wells. Estimates of transmissivity, storativity, and diffusivity were obtained both analytically and numerically. The sinusoidal signal was successfully propagated between wells that were 1175 ft apart.
Raba Kistner; 2016 - Assessed the analysis of a constant-rate pumping test that had been performed by a different contractor. Used agreed upon hydraulic parameters to produce predictive drawdown simulations using Modflow for simultaneous pumping in three wells.
Southwest Research Institute; 2016 - Assessed the analysis of a constant-rate pumping test that had been performed by a different contractor as part of a water permit application. Advised client that the amount of available groundwater stated in the application was not supported by the analysis.
University of Wisconsin (Cardiff); 2015 - Multi-frequency pneumatic sinusoidal (PneuSine) tests were conducted on two discrete fractured intervals intersecting two boreholes at one field site, and a nest of three piezometers at another field site. Fracture diffusivity estimates were obtained using analytical solutions that relate diffusivity to observed phase lag and amplitude decay. In addition, the tests were used to investigate the spatial extent of flow using different conceptual models of fracture geometry.
Kinder Morgan CO₂; 2014 - Developed a conceptual plan to evaluate the strength of an aquifer underlying a CO2 reservoir near St. John, AZ. The objective was to maximize CO2 production without creating an upconing condition at the production wells such that water was produced with the CO2. Both straddle-packer hydraulic tests and PneuSine testing options were presented for consideration.
Iberdrola Renewables; 2014 - Performed a series of constant-rate pumping tests to determine the specific capacity of a water-supply well intended for use during the construction phase of a wind farm.
InfraSUR; 2014 - Performed regional drawdown and transport modeling using Modflow as part of a soccer stadium construction project in Florida.
Energy Resources Australia (Rio Tinto); 2013 - Designed and built a custom dual-packer hydraulic testing tool to test low-permeability strata at a uranium mine near Jabiru NT, Australia. Performed and analyzed 21 hydraulic tests in two boreholes to estimate transmissivity and static formation pressure for use in mine closure modeling.
