EXAMPLES OF COMPLETED PROJECTS
Radioactive
Waste Issues
Litigation/Expert
Witness
GEOCHEMICAL ISSUES
The
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
The
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power operates the Los Angeles Aqueduct that
derives much of its water from the Owens Valley.
GTC provided geochemical modeling and isotopic analyses/interpretations
regarding the connections between the aquifers being pumped in the LADWP wells as
a water source for the aqueduct and the local springs, seeps and wetlands.
Los
Angeles County Sanitation Districts
Reclaimed
municipal wastewater is a valuable resource in the west and has many potential
uses such as irrigation. The fate and
transport of reclaimed water can be assessed because this water has a unique
boron isotopic (d11B)
signature; thus the wastewater component can be traced after recharge and
mixing with local aquifers. The ability to distinguish this water from other
sources is environmentally important, provides management with a tool for
optimizing wastewater disposal, as well as prevention of incorrect accusations
of contaminant contribution.
Wellington
Oil & Gas Field, Colorado
Detailed 3D
geostratigraphic modeling of oil fields allows the operators to better define
reservoirs and optimize field development.
GTC accomplishes this with a geostratigraphic simulation code.
Sampling of water produced with the hydrocarbons is analyzed for the
isotopic content to define reservoir compartments that are either isolated or
connected. Conclusions are based on both isotopic and the values and the geostratigraphic model.
U.S.
National
Park Service
Springs,
wetlands, and surface waters in the west under the management of the U.S. National
Park Service are potentially impacted by nearby water users.
Geochemical modeling and isotopic analyses have been
successfully used to define the interconnection between aquifers and the
managed resource.
East
Texas Oil & Gas Reservoir Enhancement
The
U.S. Department of Energy funded a project to model an oil and gas reservoir on a
lease in the East Texas Field that has marginal production.
Geostratigraphic models were created using old drillers' logs, correlated
with modern logging data. The
second phase included improving production by using a microbiochemical solution
to enhance permeability by destroying asphaltenes and scale in the most
promising zones.
