Author Archive
NMSU announces Robert Hagevoort as recipient of $1M Endowed Dairy Chair
Robert Hagevoort, PhD, of New Mexico State University, who co-authored New Mexico State University Circular 639, Dairy Technical and Regulatory Guidance Manual for New Mexico with Jay Lazarus of Glorieta Geoscience, Inc. (GGI) was appointed to New Mexico State University’s $1 million Endowed Dairy Chair.
Dr. Hagevoort, an Extension dairy specialist in Clovis, N.M., will use his position to address specific needs of the dairy industry – and also build upon and strengthen NMSU’s current dairy program. GGI congratulates Dr. Hagevoort on his appointment.
Please Click here to read more.
About GGI:
Founded in 1979 in Santa Fe, NM, GGI has been providing quality professional consulting services in groundwater development, water rights, geomorphology, dairy regulatory compliance and environmental sciences. GGI serves federal, state, and municipal entities, tribal governments, private corporations, and individuals. We pride ourselves in our ability to listen to our clients’ goals and help turn these goals into successes.
For more information please visit our website at www.glorietageo.com
Emerging contaminants in surface and groundwater published in Progressive Dairyman
An interesting article titled ‘Emerging contaminants in surface and groundwater’ was published in Progressive Dairyman (March 2011 issue) by Jay Lazarus, Sr. Geohydrologist, Glorieta Geoscience, Inc.
Emerging contaminants popularly referred to as “emcons” are previously undetected chemicals typically synthetic chemicals released from human activities on the land surface. This articles discusses the origination of this area of study, occurrence of emcons in dairies and why these are more of an issue for dairymen and regulators in the future.
For more information about emcons, please contact me at lazarus@glorietageo.com or at 505 983 5446 Ext 111.
About GGI:
Founded in 1979 in Santa Fe, NM, GGI has been providing quality professional consulting services in groundwater development, water rights, geomorphology, dairy regulatory compliance and environmental sciences. GGI serves federal, state, and municipal entities, tribal governments, private corporations, and individuals. We pride ourselves in our ability to listen to our clients’ goals and help turn these goals into successes.
For more information please visit our website at www.glorietageo.com
Watershed Monitoring chapter of LANL report co-authored by Paul Drakos
Watershed Monitoring chapter (chapter 6) of the “Environmental Surveillance at Los Alamos during 2009” LANL report was co-authored by Paul Drakos, Senior Geologist, Glorieta Geoscience, Inc.
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL or the Laboratory) monitors the quality of surface water, including storm water, and stream sediment in northern New Mexico to evaluate the potential environmental effects of Laboratory operations on affected watersheds. Annual sediment monitoring occurred since 1969.
In the Watershed Monitoring chapter, (chapter 6) the effects of Laboratory operations on surface water and stream sediment are evaluated geographically and over time. Additionally, the sampling results are compared with screening criteria established to protect human health and the aquatic environment. GGI collaborated with LANL during field operations including sample collection, description of sediment deposits, evaluation of different geomorphic settings, and data analysis.
Photograph of sample location along Rio Grande below the White Rock Overlook with the highest concentration of uranium-238 and other analytes (Location ID WR-609869); November 11, 2009.
Photograph of Close-up of sampled layer at Location ID WR-609869, 0–8 cm deep, showing fine-grained sediment with mud cracks.
For more information, please contact me at drakos@glorietageo.com or at 505 983 5446 Ext 108.
About GGI:
Founded in 1979 in Santa Fe, NM, GGI has been providing quality professional consulting services in groundwater development, water rights, geomorphology, dairy regulatory compliance and environmental sciences. GGI serves federal, state, and municipal entities, tribal governments, private corporations, and individuals. We pride ourselves in our ability to listen to our clients’ goals and help turn these goals into successes.
For more information please visit our website at www.glorietageo.com
Dairy Technical and Regulatory Guidance manual for New Mexico is available online
The Dairy Technical and Regulatory Manual for New Mexico, a collaborative effort by Glorieta Geoscience, Inc. (GGI) and New Mexico State University (NMSU) is published online by NMSU. GGI is proud to announce that NMSU Circular 639: Dairy Technical and Regulatory Guidance Manual for New Mexico is available online. The Dairy Technical and Regulatory Manual for New Mexico provides a comprehensive overview of geologic, hydrologic, agronomic and water quality data collection and analysis procedures, and detailed guidance on how to interpret and comply with regulations while providing a wealth of information on best management practices.
Jay Lazarus, President/Sr. Geohydrologist of GGI is the Senior Author, with Co-Authors Dr. Robert Hagevoort, NMSU Dairy Extension Specialist and Catherine D. Ratcliff GGI Geologist.
The direct link to the file is http://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_circulars/CR_639.pdf and it appears on the “Dairy” (http://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_d/) and “Water” (http://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_water/) list pages.
For more information, please contact me at lazarus@glorietageo.com or at 505 983 5446 Ext 111.
About GGI:
Founded in 1979 in Santa Fe, NM, GGI has been providing quality professional consulting services in groundwater development, water rights, geomorphology, dairy regulatory compliance and environmental sciences. GGI serves federal, state, and municipal entities, tribal governments, private corporations, and individuals. We pride ourselves in our ability to listen to our clients’ goals and help turn these goals into successes.
For more information please visit our website at www.glorietageo.com
Forensic Isotope study by Glorieta Geoscience and LANL collaboration
Mr. Jay Lazarus presented an overview of the Forensic Isotope Study that GGI and our Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) collaborators, Dr. Jeff Heikoop and Dr. Patrick Longmire are conducting in conjunction with Paul Drakos, V.P. and Sr. Geologist of GGI to determine if nitrogen compounds in ground water originate from dairy wastewater (green water), dairy manure or chemical fertilizers.
Mr. Lazarus, President and Sr. Geohydrologist of Glorieta Geoscience, Inc. (GGI) was a member of a panel for the LANL New Mexico Small Business Assistance Program. Ms. Lisa Henne of LANL was the panel moderator.
For more information, please contact me at lazarus@glorietageo.com or at 505 983 5446 Ext 111.
About GGI:
Founded in 1979 in Santa Fe, NM, GGI has been providing quality professional consulting services in groundwater development, water rights, geomorphology, dairy regulatory compliance and environmental sciences. GGI serves federal, state, and municipal entities, tribal governments, private corporations, and individuals. We pride ourselves in our ability to listen to our clients’ goals and help turn these goals into successes.
For more information please visit our website at www.glorietageo.com
Water Energy Food Nexus: Sustainable Agricultural Production
An article on Water/Energy/Food Nexus was recently published in Water Resources IMPACT, a publication of the American Water Works Association by Jay Lazarus, President and Sr. Geohydrologist of Glorieta Geoscience, Inc. The article discusses water, energy and food relations that the 5th World Water Forum (WWF) found to be critical issues and proposes recommendations for achieving the goals established in the 5th WWF.
For more information, please contact me at lazarus@glorietageo.com or at 505 983 5446 Ext 111.
About GGI:
Founded in 1979 in Santa Fe, NM, GGI has been providing quality professional consulting services in groundwater development, water rights, geomorphology, dairy regulatory compliance and environmental sciences. GGI serves federal, state, and municipal entities, tribal governments, private corporations, and individuals. We pride ourselves in our ability to listen to our clients’ goals and help turn these goals into successes.
For more information please visit our website at www.glorietageo.com
Characterization and remediation of PCB-contaminated sediments
GGI utilizes geomorphology, dendrochronology, and stratigraphic description of sediment deposits for characterization and remediation of PCB-contaminated sediments at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), New Mexico, USA.
GGI collaborated with Dr. Steven Reneau and Ms. Beckey Coel-Roback of LANL to characterize PCB-contaminated sediments at a site in Los Alamos Canyon, a watershed that drains the Pajarito Plateau and is tributary to the Rio Grande in New Mexico. GGI utilized geomorphic mapping, dendrochronology, and measurement of thickness and stratigraphy of sediment deposits to determine the horizontal and vertical extent of PCB-contaminated sediments. Contaminated sediments were excavated, and GGI conducted confirmatory sampling to verify the removal of PCBs from the site. The chemical analysis and fingerprinting of PCBs at this site can also be used to determine if PCBs have been transported downstream from this site to the Rio Grande (see related Blog “GGI completes Sediment Sampling in Los Alamos Canyon“).
Geomorphic characterization at LA‐SMA‐2, the site with the highest concentrations of PCBs in the Los Alamos Canyon watershed. Tree was buried by 43 cm of sediment after it began growing in 1985. Note bend in tree caused by damage by a flood in ca 1998.
Graph showing distinctive chemical signature of PCB’s at site in Los Alamos Canyon.
Soil samples collected from base of excavation to remove PCB‐contaminated sediment at LA‐SMA‐2, December 2009 (upper Los Alamos Canyon)
If you want to know more about sediment sampling and contaminant transport or want to discuss your geomorphology projects please contact me at drakos@glorietageo.com or at 505 983 5446 Ext. 108.
About GGI:
Founded in 1979 in Santa Fe, NM, GGI has been providing quality professional consulting services in groundwater development, water rights, geomorphology, dairy regulatory compliance, alternative energy and environmental sciences. GGI serves federal, state, and municipal entities, tribal governments, private corporations, and individuals. We pride ourselves in our ability to listen to our clients’ goals and help turn these goals into successes.
For more information please visit our website at www.glorietageo.com
Evaluation of PCBs in the Rio Grande
Utilization of Geomorphology and Analysis of Recent Sediment Deposits for Evaluation of PCBs in the Rio Grande Near Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico.
Glorieta Geoscience, Inc. (GGI) in collaboration with Dr. Steven Reneau at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), has completed the initial phase of a geomorphology investigation evaluating concentrations of Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in Rio Grande sediments in northern New Mexico. PCBs are a class of organic chemicals that had widespread use in electrical transformers and other industrial applications. Although production of PCBs in the U.S. was stopped in 1977 because of environmental concerns, PCBs are persistent in the environment and present risks to human health and ecosystems in many areas. PCBs have distinctive chemical signatures that can allow for source identification, and this study utilized the “chemical fingerprinting” of PCB’s to evaluate relative PCB contributions from different source areas.
In 2008 and 2009, GGI sampled recent sediment deposits along the Rio Grande upriver and downriver from Los Alamos Canyon and other canyons draining LANL and portions of the Pajarito Plateau to help evaluate sources and concentrations of PCBs in the river. These samples were collected during November-December low-water conditions, and included a range of particle size and geomorphic settings in each sample area (e.g., high-water deposits from snowmelt runoff and slackwater deposits representing late-season flows).
Sediment samples were also collected from four areas within the Los Alamos Canyon watershed, which includes the primary potential LANL sources of PCBs reaching the Rio Grande, to allow comparison with PCB signatures along the river. The sediment samples from the Rio Grande show that the chemical signatures in each area vary between sampled layers, indicating variability in the sources of sediment and associated PCBs in each depositional event.
Data on PCB concentrations in sediment were compared with estimates of sediment flux to estimate average annual PCB flux in the Rio Grande and in lower Los Alamos Canyon. Based on the average PCB concentration and annual suspended sediment flux along the Rio Grande at Otowi Bridge, an estimated PCB flux of 0.16 kg/yr was calculated. In lower Los Alamos Canyon, we utilized the average PCB concentration determined from this investigation, combined with the estimated average suspended sediment flux to calculate a PCB flux of 0.005 kg/yr, or 3% of the total in the Rio Grande. These flux estimates, although preliminary, support the interpretation based on chemical signatures that Los Alamos Canyon is a minor contributor to PCBs in the Rio Grande.
For additional information, see Reneau, S. L., Drakos, P.G., and Schultz-Fellenz, E. S, Use of Congener Homologs to Evaluate PCBs in the Rio Grande Near Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico [Abstract] and [Poster]; See related blog on PCB site investigation and remediation.
If you want to know more about sediment sampling and contaminant transport or want to discuss your geomorphology projects please contact me at drakos@glorietageo.com or at 505 983 5446 Ext. 108.
About GGI:
Founded in 1979 in Santa Fe, NM, GGI has been providing quality professional consulting services in groundwater development, water rights, geomorphology, dairy regulatory compliance, alternative energy and environmental sciences. GGI serves federal, state, and municipal entities, tribal governments, private corporations, and individuals. We pride ourselves in our ability to listen to our clients’ goals and help turn these goals into successes.
For more information please visit our website at www.glorietageo.com
Geothermal heat pump project
As part of a geothermal heat pump project at New Mexico Highlands University, GGI provided oversight for drilling and testing of a geothermal test well. The geothermal test well will be utilized to design a larger well field that will provide efficient, green, heating and cooling for the University. The wells will be part of a geothermal heat pump, aka ground source heat pump (GSHP), system. GSHPs are heating/cooling systems that pump heat to or from the ground using earth as the source of heat (in winter) and a heat sink (in summer).
The NMHU geothermal test well was drilled and completed to a total depth of 400 feet with 1.25 inch CENFUSE EARTH LOOP and BENTHERM GROUT with 30/70 silica sand. The borehole was drilled by Air Hammer method and drill cuttings were analyzed and lithlogic logs were completed by GGI. Geothermal well drilling and completion were performed by Lujan Drilling. Thermal conductivity tests were performed on the geothermal well, two weeks after it was completed.
For more information on geothermal projects and services offered by GGI, please contact me at hall@glorietageo.com or at 505 983 5446 Ext 105.
About GGI:
Founded in 1979 in Santa Fe, NM, GGI has been providing quality professional consulting services in groundwater development, water rights, geomorphology, dairy regulatory compliance, alternative energy and environmental sciences. GGI serves federal, state, and municipal entities, tribal governments, private corporations, and individuals. We pride ourselves in our ability to listen to our clients’ goals and help turn these goals into successes.
For more information please visit our website at www.glorietageo.com
GGI manages Dairy Manure to Methane project
Glorieta Geoscience, Inc. (GGI) is managing dairy manure to methane project for the Pecos Valley Biomass Cooperative, Inc. The Coop is composed of 25 family-owned dairies. The Coop is in the planning stages for constructing a centralized anaerobic digester which will use the manure and green water from 25 CAFOs near Roswell, New Mexico. The project has significant environmental benefits as using the manure and green water from the dairies for methane gas production will reduce methane emissions from dairy lagoons and reduce nitrogen loading to land application fields.
For more information, please contact me at lazarus@glorietageo.com or at 505 983 5446 Ext 111.
About GGI:
Founded in 1979 in Santa Fe, NM, GGI has been providing quality professional consulting services in groundwater development, water rights, geomorphology, dairy regulatory compliance and environmental sciences. GGI serves federal, state, and municipal entities, tribal governments, private corporations, and individuals. We pride ourselves in our ability to listen to our clients’ goals and help turn these goals into successes.
For more information please visit our website at www.glorietageo.com
