1. science
2. ecology
3. pollution

G R OU N D WAT ER S TA K EH OLD ER WO R K SH O P
A Holistic Approach
to Groundwater
Resource Development
and Management
The GROUNDWATER STAKEHOLDER
WORKSHOP is being held in conjunction
with the annual meeting of the South Central
Section of the Geological Society of America.
Wednesday, 18 March 2015
8:30 am – 4:30 pm
Oklahoma State University
4th Floor of the Student Union
Stillwater, Oklahoma
SPONSORSHIP PARTNERS
Climate change, drought, competition for the same or limited
water resources, increasingly stringent regulations and complex
legal and political issues make it imperative that a multi-disciplined
approach be implemented to resolve water resource challenges.
The science of Geology in development of natural resources is well
known to the petroleum and mining industries, but the discipline’s
role in management of groundwater resources and formulation
of policy is often overlooked and poorly understood by political,
municipal and government stakeholders.
Geology is an applied science which draws upon a variety of
disciplines, including biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics,
statistics and other scientific disciplines. Therefore, geologists play
an important role in protecting public health and safety and are
uniquely qualified to provide the specialized expertise needed to
ensure successful exploitation, development and management of
groundwater resources.
The workshop’s purpose is to inform groundwater stakeholders
about the role geology plays in groundwater resource planning
and development, as well as discuss issues related to groundwater
management, conservation, water reuse and the changing
dynamics of public financing.
Go to the link below to register for the workshop and meeting.
Registrants may choose to only attend the workshop or may
register to attend the entire 3-day event.
www.geosociety.org/Sections/sc/2015mtg
PRESENTER PROFILE>
Jim Roberts is a Groundwater Geologist with Professional Engineering
Consultants, P.A. (PEC) in Oklahoma City, OK. He graduated from the
University of Oklahoma with a BS degree in Geology and completed
post graduate hydrology studies at Oklahoma State University. He is a
Professional Associate with PEC, a licensed geologist in Kansas, and
has 28 years of professional geological experience working in the
groundwater, environmental and petroleum industries.
Diminishing
Water Resources:
The Need for
Inter-disciplinary
Holistic Approaches
to Groundwater
Development and
Management
James W. Roberts LG
Professional
Engineering Consultants
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA
Mr. Roberts’ professional interests are focused on groundwater geoscience
and the utilization of petrophysical logs, hydrology and groundwater
chemistry datasets to identify and characterize aquifer sweet spots at
local and regional scales. Current and past work includes management
and supervisory oversight of projects to address issues related to source
identification, supply, water quality and use. Mr. Roberts is recognized
among his peers as a technical area expert in the characterization and
delineation of geologic, hydrologic and geochemical conditions in bedrock
and alluvial aquifers.
Mr. Roberts adopted and perfected an empirical method for establishing
the relationship between groundwater chemical data and open-hole
resistivity logs to quantify and delineate regional and local scale variations
in groundwater chemistry in Oklahoma’s Permian bedrock aquifers. The
technique was developed in cooperation with the US Department of Energy,
the Oklahoma Corporation Commission and the Ground Water Protection
Council Research Foundation to aid in the establishment of appropriate
surface casing depth-setting requirements for the petroleum industry
in Oklahoma.
Mr. Roberts has broad experience with the application and use of various
surface and subsurface investigation and characterization techniques,
groundwater chemistry, forensic geochemistry, groundwater law, regulatory
permitting, expert witness testimony and public speaking. Over the years
he has consulted for a variety of groundwater stakeholders including
municipalities, rural water districts, engineering firms, law firms, drilling
contractors, nonprofit organizations, ranching operations, state and federal
government, petroleum companies, oil and gas service companies, power
companies and an investment banking firm.
PRESENTER PROFILE>
Dr. Todd Halihan is a Professor of Geology at Oklahoma State
University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA and the Chief Technical Officer for
Aestus, LLC.
The Water Future:
Opportunities and
Challenges on
the Meter Scale
TODD HALIHAN PhD, PGp
OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY
STILLWATER, OKLAHOMA
He joined Oklahoma State University in the Fall of 2000 after completing
his Ph.D. in Geological Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin. Todd
earned his MS in Geology at the University of Missouri – Columbia after
working as a field assistant and later director of Forfar Field Station
on Andros Island, Bahamas. Dr. Halihan received his BA in physics with
honors at Monmouth College in Illinois.
Dr. Halihan’s professional interests center in subsurface characterization
and sustainable water supply. He has been an associate editor for Ground
Water and has served as the Secretary-Treasurer of the U.S. Chapter of the
International Association of Hydrogeologists. He served as the Chair of the
Hydrogeology Division of the Geological Society of America for 2013.
Dr. Halihan’s expertise includes developing methods for site characterization
and monitoring of NAPLs using Electrical Resistivity Imaging and developing
methods to integrate various hydrogeophysical datasets. Dr. Halihan has
geophysical experience including resistivity, electromagnetic methods,
and ground penetrating radar. His hydrogeological experience includes
developing analytical models for fractured and karstic aquifers and well
testing techniques.
Dr. Halihan has characterized numerous sites throughout the United States
and abroad, including significant work in the Arbuckle-Simpson aquifer of
Oklahoma and the Great Artesian Basin of Australia.
PRESENTER PROFILE>
Greg Nieto is an Associate Partner and Senior Vice President with
The Baker Group, LP in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma where he heads
the firm’s public finance division.
Greg is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma where he majored in
finance and attended the university on a wrestling scholarship. He has been
with The Baker Group since 1988 and is recognized as a senior member of
the public finance industry in Oklahoma.
Financing
Your Projects:
It’s Not Just a
Loan Anymore
GREG NIETO
THE BAKER GROUP, LP
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA
Greg has worked in public finance since 1981 and is currently a registered
representative and general securities principal with FINRA. He is also a
Registered Investment Advisor with the Oklahoma Securities Commission.
Prior to joining The Baker Group he worked at R. J. Edwards, Inc. and
operated a firm with his father Paul Nieto where they served municipal,
county and school district clients across Oklahoma.
PRESENTER PROFILE>
Noel Osborn is Chief of Resource Management of the Chickasaw
National Recreation Area and holds BS and MS degrees in Geology
from the University of Georgia.
Noel began her career in the petroleum industry in Oklahoma where she
worked for 8 years as an exploration geologist. She then worked for
21 years with the Oklahoma Water Resources Board where she managed
a broad range of groundwater studies and projects, including the ArbuckleSimpson Hydrology Study.
Hydrogeologic
Characterization
of the ArbuckleSimpson Aquifer
NOEL OSBORN
US NATIONAL PARK SERVICE:
CHICKASAW NATIONAL
RECREATION AREA
SULPHUR, OKLAHOMA
Following her tenure with the OWRB, Noel joined the US Geological
Survey Oklahoma Water Science Center where for 2-1/2 years she was
involved in various groundwater studies, including the Saline Groundwater
Assessment of the Southern Midcontinent. Noel continues to work on
water-related issues and the Arbuckle-Simpson aquifer as part of her
duties with the National Park Service.
PRESENTER PROFILE>
Luca DeAngelis is a Senior Water Resources Engineer/Hydrogeologist
with HDR Engineering. He is a registered professional engineer in Kansas
and Nebraska and professional geologist in Missouri, Nebraska and
Wyoming. Mr. DeAngelis has more than 17 years experience in the
environmental and water supply industries. He holds a BS in Geological
Engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla and an MS in Civil
Engineering from the University of Kansas.
The Role of
Numerical Modeling
in Groundwater
Resource
Exploitation,
Development and
Management
LUCA DEANGELIS PE, PG
HDR ENGINEERING
OLATHE, KANSAS
His professional experience includes designing over 100 water supply
wells throughout the Mid-Continent, including most of Oklahoma’s primary
aquifers. His water supply experience includes siting, permitting, and design
of several horizontal collector wells and large municipal well fields with
production capacity ranging from 10 to 100 million gallons per day.
Mr. DeAngelis’ primary area of practice is the evaluation and development
of water supply resources for municipal and industrial clients, and the
development of design documents to construct water supply infrastructure.
His second area of emphasis is the development of groundwater models
to assist municipalities with management of their well fields and assisting
state agencies with evaluating the sustainability of streamflow and
groundwater resources at local and regional scales.
Mr. DeAngelis is recognized as a Professional Associate within HDR.
PRESENTER PROFILE>
Dr. Derek Ryter is a hydrogeologist that has been with the Oklahoma
Water Science Center for three years. He hails from southwest Colorado
and earned a BS in geological sciences from Fort Lewis College, an MS
from Old Dominion University, and a PhD from the University of Oregon.
He has been with the Department of the Interior for 10 years, and worked
another 15 years in private industry and in higher education.
The Nexus of
Geology and
Hydrology
DEREK RYTER PhD, PG
USGS OKLAHOMA WATER
SCIENCE CENTER
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA
Dr. Ryter has a broad background, having performed studies in
geomorphology, seismic hazards, climate change and archaeology. He
completed his doctoral research on tectonics and seismology of southern
California. Derek’s expertise includes using geophysical and geological
methods for hydrogeological characterization and using complex numerical
groundwater-flow models with the latest USGS software to help make
groundwater science an accessible tool for water management.
Derek is currently leading or participating in hydrogeological investigations
in Oklahoma with the Oklahoma Water Resources Board, the Citizen
Potawatomi Nation, and the Osage Nation. Other current studies include
hydrogeological characterization and numerical groundwater-flow
models to optimize water development, determination of water availability
and analyses of the effects of drought and increased demand on water
resources. He has participated in local- and regional-scale water studies,
and has integrated agricultural water use with a numerical groundwaterflow model using the Farm Process.
PRESENTER PROFILE>
Mike Thornhill is founder and president of Thornhill Group, Inc. (TGI)
headquartered in Round Rock near Austin, Texas. Mike holds BS and
MS degrees in geology from Oklahoma State University.
Some Groundwater
is Just a Little Salty:
Brackish Water as
an Alternative
MICHAEL THORNHILL PG, CPG
PRESIDENT
THORNHILL GROUP, INC.
ROUND ROCK, TEXAS
Upon graduating, Mr. Thornhill began his career in groundwater consulting
in 1989 with a leading firm in Austin, Texas, and later founded TGI in
1997. With more than 25 years of consulting experience, his clients have
included municipalities, municipal utility districts, engineering firms, law
firms, mines and quarries, industries, oil and gas companies, bottled water
companies, irrigators, developers, groundwater conservation districts, water
marketers and private landowners.
Mr. Thornhill is a leading professional in supervising and conducting
projects including regional and local aquifer and water availability
assessments; well and well-field evaluations and design; groundwater
quality and contamination assessments; brackish groundwater development
and aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) investigations; water law and policy
assessments; computer modeling; expert witness services; depressurization
and dewatering design, implementation and monitoring; regulatory
permitting; spring and bottled water source assessments and development;
water valuation; and water marketing and project development.
TGI is currently engaged in projects that will develop fresh and brackish
groundwater resources and provide supplies of approximately 650,000
acre-feet per year, or 580 million gallons per day (MGD) in Texas and
Oklahoma, with wells ranging in depth from 50 to 4,000 feet having
individual well yields ranging from 50 to 5,000 gallons per minute.
As a long-time member of the OSU Boone Pickens School of Geology
Graduate Advisory Board, Mr. Thornhill has been instrumental in the
development of a graduate-level course entitled Integrated Petroleum Water
Resources Management (IPWRM).
PRESENTER PROFILE>
John Gornick is an account manager for Layne Christensen Company
in the company’s Guthrie, Oklahoma office. John has been with Layne for
23 years where he has managed and supervised numerous projects which
required expertise in well drilling, completion, design and rehabilitation
methods associated with the installation of municipal, industrial and aquifer
storage and recovery wells at sites across the US.
Technical
Requirements
of Completing
High Yield Public
Supply Wells
JOHN GORNICK
LAYNE CHRISTENSEN COMPANY
GUTHRIE, OKLAHOMA
John possesses extensive experience and expertise in the implementation
and use of drilling technologies including reverse circulation, air rotary,
coring and mud rotary. Prior to joining Layne John was a driller for the
US Bureau of Reclamation and served as a Missile Guidance Systems
Specialist with the Strategic Air Command in the US Air Force.
PRESENTER PROFILE>
Saba Tahmassebi is the Agency Chief Engineer for the Oklahoma
Department of Environmental Quality. He has been with the DEQ for over
20 years and has served in several environmental programs in various
capacities over the years.
Water Reuse
Initiatives and
Innovative
Wastewater
Disposal Options
in Oklahoma
SABA TAHMASSEBI PhD, PE
OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA
Saba received his BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of
California at San Diego, an MS degree in Petroleum Engineering from the
University of Southern California and a PhD in Petroleum Engineering from
the University of Oklahoma. He is a Certified Public Manager and teaches
statistics and environmental science courses at the University of Phoenix.
G R OU N D WAT ER S TA K EH O L D E R >
Workshop Program
< 8:30 am – 9:00 am
Registration
< 9:00 am – 9:30 am
Diminishing Water Resources: The Need for Inter-disciplinary Holistic
Approaches to Groundwater Development and Management
James W. Roberts, LG | Professional Engineering Consultants, P.A.
< 9:30 am – 10:00 am
The Water Future: Opportunities and Challenges on the Meter Scale
Todd Halihan, PhD, PGp | Oklahoma State University
< 10:00 am – 10:30 am
Financing Your Projects: It’s Not Just a Loan Anymore
Greg Nieto | The Baker Group, LP
< 10:30 am – 10:45 am
Break
< 10:45 am – 11:15 am
Hydrogeologic Characterization of the Arbuckle-Simpson Aquifer
Noel Osborn | NPS - Chickasaw National Recreation Area
< 11:15 am – 11:45 am
The Role of Numerical Modeling in Groundwater Resource
Exploitation, Development and Management
Luca DeAngelis, PE, PG | HDR
< 11:45 am – 1:15 pm
Dine-In Lunch with Core Workshop
G R O UN DWAT ER STAKEHOL D ER W O RKSHO P PROG RAM C ONTINUED >
< 1:15 pm – 1:30 pm
Think-Share I: Stakeholder Discussion of Groundwater
Perceptions and Priorities
< 1:30 pm – 2:00 pm
The Nexus of Geology and Hydrology
Derek Ryder, PhD, PG | USGS - Oklahoma Water Science Center
< 2:00 pm – 2:30 pm
Some Groundwater Is Just a Little Salty:
Brackish Water as an Alternative
Michael Thornhill, PG, CPG | Thornhill Group, Inc.
< 2:30 pm – 2:45 pm
Break
< 2:45 pm – 3:15 pm
Think-Share II: Stakeholder Ranking of Groundwater Priorities
< 3:15 pm – 3:45 pm
Technical Requirements of Completing High Yield Public Supply Wells
John Gornick | Layne Christensen Company
< 3:45 pm – 4:15 pm
Water Reuse Initiatives and Innovative Wastewater
Disposal Options in Oklahoma
Saba Tahmassebi, PhD, PE | Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality
< 4:15 pm – 4:30 pm
Open Discussion and Closing Remarks:
Groundwater’s Future and Next Steps