Hydrogeologist & Water Resources Specialist

Welcome to hydrogeologist.net. This site is the home of J.M. Ashworth a Freelance Hydrogeologist and Water Resources Specialist.

See the menu, located at the top of this page, for available resources.

What I can offer you:

The following are some of the skills and services that I can offer you:

 

WATER RESOURCES 

River Basin Assessment and Management:

Legislative and economic considerations aside, water resource management plans start with a comprehensive assessment of the components of a river basin’s water balance, available resources and the appreciation of how changes to one or more components of this balance affect other components and the environment in terms of quantity, quality and location.

Information collated into databases and presented on maps, using ArcGIS, are key to a regional perspective for the management of water resource components. In general, four general categories of data are required.

• Water resource development and use: These items create significant “pressures” on available water resources and include the demographic distribution, agricultural development, significant domestic water supplies, livestock demand, municipal, industrial and commercial use, waste water treatment facilities and other significant sources of pollution.

• Water resources monitoring. Monitoring data enable water resources and the chemical status of water bodies to be qualified, and trends to be assessed. Main data sets include meteorological information, surface water flows, spring flows, river ecology, ground and surface water quality, and groundwater level data.

• Water resources assessment information. These are interpreted and analysed data and include rainfall patterns, mean annual and peak surface flows, evapotranspiration and recharge estimates, distribution of aquifer systems (3-D concept of geometry and hydraulic properties), groundwater levels and flow directions, groundwater storage, quality distribution and potability, suitability of water for irrigated agriculture and ecological status.

• Water management. These are data and maps showing key water resources issues and include mean annual water balances, the general water resource situation, water resource and environmental protection areas, areas at risk of flooding, dams, conservation and development schemes, resource development constraints (quality, quantity and risk) and potential.

Expert services can be provided to collate and process water resources information from stakeholders, field inventories, pilot projects and the internet, onto ArcGIS maps, for assessment, management, reporting and presentation purposes.

Exploration:

Key sets of data required for groundwater resource assessments are often missing or inadequate. Drilling exploration boreholes, conducting aquifer tests, and initiating appropriate monitoring programs are then needed. Associated services that can be provided include facilitating remote sensing investigations (airborne, satellite and geophysical investigations), borehole designs, preparation of tender documents and specifications, supervision of drilling and borehole construction, aquifer and borehole testing, and analyses of data.

Development:

Effective groundwater management may require a range of different development options. The three most common requirements are:

• Production Boreholes to provide potable drinking water for rural or urban water supplies.

• Production wells to provide water for irrigated agriculture and livestock.

• Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) is the process of adding a water source under controlled conditions for withdrawal at a later date, or used as a barrier to prevent saltwater or other contaminants from entering the aquifer. Water can be recharged by a number of methods including infiltration via reservoirs, galleries or injection wells.

Consulting services can be provided for the design, tendering, supervision (testing and construction) and management of these groundwater development options, or other schemes as required.

Evaluations:

Technical advice can be provided to determine the effectiveness of groundwater assessment, management and development programs.

Conflict Solution:

Technical advice to help resolve water conflicts.

 

ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT & REMEDIATION

Hydrogeological consulting services can be provided to assist with Environmental Assessments and Remediation, including:

Investigations:

Identify sources of contamination. Sampling to delineate and characterise the extent of soil and groundwater contamination. Monitoring and testing to determine aquifer properties, hydraulic heads, groundwater velocities and flow patterns.

Assessments:

Determine volume of soil and groundwater impacted. Assess routes of contaminant migration. Identify potential environmental and human receptors.

Risk Analyses:

Assessment of groundwater vulnerability using either numerical groundwater models or ArcGIS overlay and index methods.

Remediation:

Prioritise site remediation. Evaluate and price a range of remediation options.

 

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Project Management services are also available for:

Proposals:

Development of scopes, plans, schedules and budgets. Integration of ideas into project proposals.

Operation:

Team Leadership responsible for personnel, logistics, procurement and disbursement of equipment, project accounting and billing, project implementation and operations.

Liaison:

With parties concerned with project objectives and performance, from the perspective of either the Client or Consultant.

Training:

Improving the skills of junior and counterpart staff.

Reporting:

Writing and editing technical, preliminary, feasibility and final reports.

 

Countries of work-experience.