2011 has been a busy year for G360 P.I's, students and staff who have participated in many scientific and professional conferences sharing the group's expertise as well as learning from and fostering professional collaborations with other academics and industry professionals in hydrogeology and related fields. Check out the brief summaries and links to conference websites below. 

ORF Annual Progress Meeting: Sustainable Bedrock Water Supplies for Ontario Communities (April 12-13, Guelph Ontario)

G360 hosted this annual meeting of participants in the Ontario Research Fund sponsored Sustainable Bedrock Water Supplies for Ontario Communities Project at the Arboretum Center on the U of G campus. Invited speakers from collaborating departments and universities (U of G, Waterloo and McMaster), industry (Aquaresource, Golder Associates, Harden Environmental, Parish Geomorphic) and Government (OGS, Region of Waterloo, OMAFRA) gave presentations and participated in discussions concerning the topics of: Aquifer and wellhead protection in bedrock; Surface water groundwater interactions; Bedrock aquifer characterization; Overburden (Quaternary deposits) contaminant hydrogeology; and, Groundwater contamination threats.

G360 will host this meeting again next year as it provides an excellent forum for students, PI's, industry and government to discuss research progress and future goals while strengthening collaborative ties.

The University Consortium (June 1-3, Guelph Ontario)

G360 hosted the annual meeting of the  University Consortium for Field Focused Groundwater Research at the Arboretum Centre on the U of G Campus.  The meeting showcased nearly 40 presentations by researchers, graduate students and industry professionals as well as group discussions and poster sessions covering the themes of: Chlorinated solvent site characterization and contaminant behavior; Determining contaminant travel time and plume behavior in fractured rock; Behavior and fate of petroleum products; Remediation; and, Advanced models for flow and contaminant transport and fate.  Meeting highlights included lively topic discussions and networking opportunities for the 140+ attendees.  This year's meeting was the largest and most diverse to date in the 24 year history of the consortium.

Universities and Private Sector Parties Represented at the 2011 Meeting

Universities: Arizona State University, University of British Columbia, University of California at Davis, Colorado State University, University of Florida, University of Greenwich, University of Guelph, Université Laval, Universidade de São Paulo, University of Waterloo, University of Western Ontario

Private Sector: AECOM, AquaResource Inc., Arcadis, Baker Hostetler, BP, CDM, CH2M Hill, Chevron, Dow Chemical , DuPont, Environ EC (Canada) Inc., ERM, Essencis Soluções Ambientais, ExxonMobil, GE, Geofirma Engineering Ltd., Geosyntec Consultants, Golder Associates, International Compliance Services Ltd., Lockheed Martin Corporation, MWH, Novus Environmental Inc., Precision Fabricating & Cleaning Co. Inc., ProHydro, Inc., Sanborn, Head & Associates, Inc., Saudi Aramco, Schlumberger, Shell Global Solutions Inc., The Boeing Company, Trihydro, URS, Vertex.

2nd Canadian Symposium on Aquitard Hydrogeolgy (June 21-23, Ottawa Ontario) 

Symposium Chair: John Cherry

G360 Presentations

John Cherry: History and Evolution of Aquitard Science

John Cherry: What constitutes strong scientific evidence for public policy decision on nuclear waste repositories?

Beth Parker: Forward and Back Diffusion in Clay Aquitards and Implications for Aquitard Integrity and Contamination Site Remediation

*Dr. Cherry mediated a panel discussion titled: State of Aquitard Science and Implications for Use of Deep Canadian Aquitards for Radioactive Waste Isolation. Panel Members: Jim Hendry (University of Saskatchewan), Mark Jensen (NWMO), Martin Mazurek (University of Bern), Chris Neuzil (USGS), Kent Novakowski (Queens University), Beth Parker (University of Guelph), Garth Vanderkamp (Environment Canada)

2011 GeoHydro Conference: Water and EARTH: The junction of Quaternary Geoscience and Hydrogeology (August 28-31, Quebec City, Quebec)

G360 Presentations

Beth Parker: The Discrete Fracture Network Approach for Investigating Contaminated Sites on Fractured Sedimentary Rock

Steven Chapman: Use of Numerical Models To Examine Contaminant Mass Distribution and Attenuation in Fractured Sedimentary Rock

Thomas Coleman: A Method for Borehole Profiling: Fibre-optic Distributed Temperature Sensing within Flexible Underground Liners

Jonathan Munn: Fracture network characterization of the Silurian dolostone aquifer in Guelph, Ontario for improved travel time estimation

Patryk Quinn: Using slug tests to confirm non-Darcian flow identified by constant head step tests in fractured rock boreholes

NGWA Focus Conference on Fractured Rock and Eastern Groundwater Regional Issues (September 26-27,Burlington, Vermont)

G360 Presentations

Steven Chapman: Discrete Fracture Network Analysis of Plume Attenuation and Remediation Implications in Fractured Sedimentary Rock

Peeter Pehme: Identifying and Assessing Ambient Groundwater Flow Through Fractured Rock: Revitalizing the Role of Temperature Logging with New Approaches and Technologies

Patryk Quinn: The combined use of straddle packer testing and flexible liner profiling to hydraulically characterize rock boreholes

G360 Papers in Proceedings

Parker B.L., J.A. Cherry, S.W. Chapman. (2011). Advances in the DFN Approach for Investigating Contaminated Sites on Fractured Sedimentary Rock

*Dr Parker participated in a panel discussion titled: New Fractured Rock Tools and Technologies 

University Consortium Fall Focus Meeting: Long-term behavior of contaminated sites: Implications for site management (October 20-21, Denver, Colorado)

G360 Presentations

John Cherry: Meeting hypothesis, objectives, scope, and critical questions

*Dr. Parker chaired a session titled: High profile sites that have been investigated and monitored intensively for 20 years of longer

2nd International WaTER Conference (October 24-25, Norman, Oklahoma)

G360 Presentations

Beth Parker: Origin of Springs and Seeps on Mountain Slopes and Implications for Small Rural Water Supplies

John Cherry: Portable Drilling Machines for Creating Small Water Supplies in Bedrock

Groundwater Geology Symposium 2011 (November 15, Alliston, Ontario)

G360 Presentations

Suzanne O'Hara: Sustainable Bedrock Water Supplies for Ontario Communities

Canadian Water Network Secure Source Waters Consortium (December 7-8, Charlottetown, PEI)

G360 Presentations

Amanda Melenica: Transport and Fate of Nitrate in Prince Edward Island's Sole Water Source Sedimentary Rock Aquifer