Spring 1996 Newsletter



VOLUME 12 NUMBER 1                     February 1996


DON'T MISS THE 1996 IGA SPRING MEETING
FEATURING THOMAS PRICKETT!

The IGA is proud to present Mr. Thomas Prickett as our keynote speaker at the Spring 1996 IGA meeting at Fermi Lab on March 21, 1996. Mr. Prickett has been involved in the groundwater business for over 35 years and has world-wide experience in groundwater research, aquifer evaluation, well-field development and design, mining impact analysis, mass transport, computer modeling, and litigation as an expert witness. He started his career at the Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS), during which he created one of the first groundwater computer models (PLASM) and one of the first mass transport models in the industry (RANDOM WALK). After leaving the ISWS, Mr. Prickett was Vice President of Camp Dresser and McKee, Inc., where he managed 12 staff consultants out of an office in Champaign, Illinois. In 1981 he started his own firm, Thomas A. Prickett and Associates, Inc., in Urbana, Illinois, where he has been a groundwater consultant ever since. Some of the numerous awards bestowed upon him include the M.K. Hubbert Award of the National Ground Water Association, the C.V. Theis Award by the American Institute of Hydrology, the Henri Darcy Distinguished Lecturer award for his outstanding work in flow and mass transport modeling, and the University of Illinois, Department of General Engineering Distinguished Alumni award. Mr. Prickett has authored more than 120 publications, articles, and reports.

Thomas Prickett will be presenting his keynote address on Crisis Management and Survival Techniques of a Consulting Groundwater Engineer, in which he will illustrate through case studies the pressures and problems that are so seemingly common in consulting, and give suggestions on how to handle adverse conditions through crisis management. Some of these examples are both very serious as well as entertaining. After the formal presentation, Mr. Prickett will answer questions.

SPRING MEETING DETAILS:

Along with Mr. Prickett as our featured guest, the meeting will include an update on the Illinois LUST program, a status report on the Illinois Middle School Groundwater Project, the Conservation Congress, and talks on bioremediation and new type curve analysis tools.

Registration for the Spring 1996 IGA meeting begins at 8:00 AM on March 21st. The program continues from 9:00 AM through 3:00, and includes a luncheon and open podium session at noon. Meeting fees for pre-registration are $55 for non-IGA members, $35 for member, and $20 for students. The $55 fee for non-members will include your membership fee if you fill out and send in the membership form found on page 4. Registration at the door (considered late registration) is $45 for members and $65 for non-members. Pre-registration by March 13, 1996 is strongly recommended to ensure your place at the conference luncheon. For information on registration call Dan Kelleher, IGA Secretary-Treasurer, at (708) 955-6694.

FALL 1995 MEETING HIGHLIGHTS

Our Fall 1995 IGA meeting featured keynote speaker Dr. Chris Neuzil, with his engaging presentation on the hydrodynamics of ultra-low permeability shale in South Dakota. Other topics included three presentations on GIS and/or GPS, groundwater modeling, Troy Bedrock Valley hydrogeology and geochemistry, and groundwater nitrate impacts.

FALL 1996 MEETING

The Fall 1996 IGA/IAPG meeting will be held at the Starved Rock Inn, Starved Rock State Park, Utica, Illinois on October 9th and 10th. Starved Rock is one of the most picturesque parks in Illinois and has miles of hiking trails from which you can study local geology while enjoying the breathtaking fall colors. The meeting focuses on groundwater research being conducted at Illinois and Indiana colleges. For information in presenting at this 2-day event, please contact Steve Wilson, (217) 333-0956. Hotel rooms are subject to availability and can be made by calling (815) 667-4211. Additional details will be included in the Fall Newsletter.

1996 STUDENT RESEARCH GRANT

The IGA has a number of small awards available to provide partial support for student research on groundwater or related topics. Applications will be evaluated on the basis of scientific merit, capability of the applicant, and reasonableness of the requested funding relative to the proposed work. These grants are open to any graduate or undergraduate student registered at an accredited Illinois college or university. Grant winners are requested to present the findings of their research at an IGA meeting. The 1996 student grant applications will be accepted through March 29, 1996. If you are interested in an application, contact Dan Kelleher, IGA Secretary-Treasurer at (708) 955-6694 before March 29th.

THE IGA IS GOING ONLINE

The IGA membership application has a new component this year: a request for your e-mail address. E-mail provides a cost-effective way to inform everyone about upcoming events, industry news, and other IGA activities. It will also provide an easy-access medium for member input of ideas and questions about events, meetings, dues, and other IGA activities.

An IGA web page is being developed to promote member communication and to duscuss Illinois groundwater issues. A web page will allow us to post job opportunities, information about the IGA, industry updates, and provide a location for members to request technical information from other members who may have pertinent experience. Those who have suggestions for the web page or want to be part of the IGA e-mail list should contact Steve Wilson at: swilson@sun.sws.uiuc.edu.

IN-SITU REMEDIATION CONFERENCE

The IGA is a co-sponsor of the Fourth Annual Great Lakes Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Conference which will be held on May 17, 1996 on the University of Illinois at Chicago campus. The theme of the conference is on in-situ remediation of contaminated sites and will provide a forum to share the experiences of both research and field applications of different in-situ methods for remediating contaminated soils and groundwater. Those interested in attending the conference should see the flyer insert in this newsletter and/or contact Professor Krishna Reddy (312) 996-4755 or (312) 996-5225.

IGA PROPOSES CEU CREDIT FOR MEETINGS

The IGA Board has taken the first steps to secure Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for the Association's meetings, conferences, and seminars. CEUs are required by the professional registration programs, for example Operator Certification for Drinking Water Supplies (Illinois), professional engineer (most states), professional geologists (some states), water well contractors and certified groundwater professionals (Iowa), and Certified Hazardous Materials Managers (International). The IGA Board intends to follow the guidance published by the International Association of Continued Education and Training (IACET) to establish and maintain a CEU program for its members. Each accredited "contact hour" of training will be equivalent of 0.1 CEUs. CEUs are generally transferable across state lines and can apply toward registration requirements of international organizations if one can demonstrate that the topic is relevant to the registration. IGA will keep members notified on the status of the proposed CEU credit program's progress.

NEW GROUNDWATER INFO HOTLINE

The Illinois Association of Groundwater Professionals (IAGP) is sponsoring a new toll-free hotline for Illinois groundwater users and well owners. The service offers help in finding a qualified groundwater well professional in their area or to have questions answered about well maintenance, sampling, etc. For more information call (800) 990-2209.

ILLINOIS EPA UPDATE

The U.S. EPA took over the Illinois Leaking Underground Storage Tank (LUST) program in 1995, citing objections to inadequate financial assurance, automatic plan approval, and deferred corrective action if funding was unavailable. HB721, signed December 1995 and effective January 1, 1996, addresses some of the deficiencies in the Illinois LUST program by establishing a new gas tax for the fund, changing language to state that owners/operators cannot defer corrective action on sites until risk-based evaluations have been made, and reversing language so that plans are automatically rejected 120 days after submittal to the IEPA if IEPA has not provided comments.

Currently, the Illinois LUST program is still Federally led. Title 16 (the latest Illinois LUST regulations, under 35 IAC Part 732) is still essentially in effect with the exception of plans are now "rejected" instead of "approved" if not responded to in 120 days and cleanup of high priority sites cannot be deferred. The IEPA is required to propose rules to the Illinois Pollution Control Board (IPCB) by September 1996 on risk-based deferment and future monitoring of no further action sites. Additional details can be provided by the IEPA LUST Section.

One of the most significant changes in IEPA is the Tiered Approach to Cleanup Objectives (TACO) guidance document issued in January 1996. Use of TACO Guidance allows establishment of risk-based cleanup objectives tied to land use. This guidance can be used for state-led sites in the LUST, Superfund, RCRA, and voluntary cleanup programs. Contact the IEPA and Consulting Engineers Council of Illinois (CECI) about TACO seminars planned to start in March 1996.

Another bill (HB901) also was signed and becomes effective July 1, 1996. This bill is intended to augment the current IEPA voluntary action program, and specifically provides some liability relief for parties interested in re-developing industrial sites (e.g. Brownfield sites). Of particular interest is that the traditional "joint and several" liability has been replaced with "proportionate share" liability under this law. IEPA is currently working on developing methods assigning proportionate share liability.

ILLINOIS GEOLOGIST LICENSING UPDATE

The Illinois Professional Geologist Licensing Act (Public Act 89-0366) was signed into law by Governor Edgar on August 18, 1995. The program is to be administered by the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation through a board of eight members, which is to be placed by July 1, 1996. The board will be responsible for finalizing draft rules, regulations, and fees after July 1st. The grandfathering provision will be for one year after appointment of the board and it will extend through July 1, 1997.

SPRING 1996 CALENDAR OF EVENTS:

March 18-21. National Symposium on Assessing the Cumulative Impacts of Watershed Development on Aquatic Ecosystems and Water Quality. Westin Hotel, Chicago. Contact Bob Kirshner (312) 454-0400.

March 18. Clean Water Celebrations. Peoria Civic Center, Peoria, Illinois. Contact Pat Welch (309) 925-5511.

March 24-26. Illinois Association of Groundwater Professionals Meeting, Annual Trade Show and Workshop. Holiday Inn City Center, Peoria, Illinois. Contact Sue Bohenstengel (708) 386-1566.

March 27-28. Illinois Groundwater Consortium Sixth Annual Research Planning Conference. Giant City State Park Lodge, Makanda, Illinois. Contact Paula Young (618) 453-4543.

March 27-29. ISAWWA Annual Meeting. Rockford Clock Tower Inn. Contact (815) 246-7077.

May 2-3. Geological Society of America, North Central Section Annual Meeting. Ames, Iowa. Contact Dr. Carl Vondra (515) 294-4477.

May 17. The Fourth Great Lakes Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Conference. University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago. Contact Krishna Reddy (312) 996-4755.

June 2-5. Subsurface 3D Data Management, Visualization and Analysis for Site Assessment and Remediation. Sponsor: National Ground Water Association. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Contact (800) 551-7379.

June 13-23. Field trip to Sicily/Italy on Volcanoes and History. For more detail contact Alan Jacobs (412) 793-6944 or e-mail AJacobs323@aol.com.

June 16-22. Karst Hydrology Short Course/ Workshop. Offered by the Center for Cave and Karst Studies and Mammoth Cave National Park. Contact Nicholas Crawford (502) 745-4555. Web address http://www. wku.edu/ geoweb/karst/.


AGENDA
ILLINOIS GROUNDWATER ASSOCIATION
Spring Meeting, Thursday, March 21, 1996
Fermi National Laboratory, Batavia, Illinois

 
 

8:00 - 8:50 AM Registration

8:50 - 9:00 Welcome

9:00 - 9:50 The Groundwater Files

Robert Williams, Bill Beckman, and Marv Mondy,The Illinois Middle School Groundwater Project

9:50 - 10:10 A New Type Curve Method for Constant Head Injection Penetration of Wells

Dr. Vedat Batu, RUST Environment and Infrastructure, Naperville, Illinois

10:10 - 10:30 Bioremediation of Contaminated Soil and Groundwater

Karl Meier, Beling Consultants, Chicago, Illinois

10:30 - 10:50 Break

10:50 - 11:10 IDNR's Conservation Congress: How to Get Involved in Assisting IDNR Develop Groundwater Protection and Education Programs for Illinois

Phil Wilson, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Springfield, Illinois

11:10 - 11:40 LUST Regulations, Updates, and Questions, and Implementation of the Risk Based Corrective Action (RBCA )

Ken Page, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, Chicago, Illinois

11:40 - 12:10 Business Meeting, Open Podium, and an update on the Illinois Professional Geologist Registration Program

12:10 - 1:00 Lunch

1:00 - 1:30 Groundwater Awards

1:30 - 3:00 Keynote Presentation: Crisis Management and Survival Techniques of a Consulting Groundwater Engineer

Tom Prickett, Prickett & Associates, Inc., Urbana, Illinois

3:00 Adjourn. Short IGA Executive Meeting
 
 


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