WorldWide Drilling Resource

2017 Groundwater Lectures Available Adapted from Information by the National Ground Water Association The National Ground Water Research and Educational Foundation (NGWREF) is providing lectures free of cost to any university or professional association with a direct identifiable interest in water well design and construction, worldwide. The 2017 Darcy lecture options, delivered by Dr. Kamini Singha, and focusing on groundwater movement and contaminant transport in the Earth’s subsurface, are as follows: k “The Critical Role of Water in Critical Zone Science: An Exploration of Water Fluxes in the Earth’s Permeable Skin” examines geophysical tools used to study key processes that control water movement and availability in the subsurface, where there is no easy access for observa- tion. k “A Tale of Two Porosities: Exploring Why Contaminant Transport Doesn’t Always Behave the Way It Should” explores the long-term goals of work being conducted with the aim of contributing toward improving the predictive capabilities of numerical models, and enhancing the fidelity of long-term groundwater monitoring frameworks. The 2017 McEllhiney lectures, delivered by Michael Schnieders, will concentrate on water well system life span. The following two talks are offered: k “Defining the Operational Age of a Well: Predicting Maintenance Issues in Advance of Failure” examines how to better define a well’s status in relation to its functional life cycle, and also looks at how to identify when well rehabilitation needs to be done to ensure a long life as well as reduce operational costs. k “Redefining Life Expectations of New Wells Through an Analysis of Past Failures” looks at how improved methods of investigation, closer monitoring of energy costs, understanding corrosion, and looking at the well as a system can better define all the inputs to allow for advancements in well design, construction, operation, development, and maintenance. 37 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® OCTOBER 2016