Tales from the Trenches - News from ALWI

Tales from the Trenches
Regional Land and Water News You Can Use

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September 2010 Issue 5

ALWI Supports Construction Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

ALWI recently completed construction dewatering project evaluations, both in the Baltimore area and on the Delmarva Peninsula. These projects benefited long-standing public sector utility infrastructure improvements and were funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. A third project was similar in scope and entailed construction of a major new building for a public institution.

In each circumstance, the Maryland Department of the Environment required water appropriation permits before dewatering could commence. ALWI supported these projects by completing the MDE permit applications with great rapidity and unwavering accuracy, only possible because of our high degree of familiarity with agency requirements.

As a consequence, our technical expertise and regulatory acumen helped minimize schedule disruptions for the owners, architects, engineers and construction dewatering contractors.

ALWI Presented on Marcellus Shale

Mark W. Eisner, ALWI President and Principal Hydrogeologist, presented a professional paper a conference on May 5, 2010, convened in Pittsburgh by the American Institute of Professional Geologists. The symposium was attended by industry representatives, including energy companies, regulators, consultants and others interested in the Marcellus Shale and the hydraulic fracturing process involved in maximizing natural gas production.

Mr. Eisner's presentation followed acceptance of a submitted abstract, entitled "Separating Fact From Fiction: Careful Hydrogeologic Evaluation May Protect Against Unfair and Baseless Domestic Water Supply Impact Allegations." It focused on methods and experiences in separating water well impacts caused by neighboring extraction activities from those constituting pre-existing susceptibility to low water yield or poor natural quality. Mr. Eisner offered concrete examples and made detailed recommendations for baseline hydrogeologic assessments to help Marcellus interests parse genuine impacts from questionable allegations.

Baseline hydrogeologic evaluations of the type Mr. Eisner recommended are rapid and cost-effective. ALWI would welcome the opportunity to discuss the application of our recommendations to a specific circumstance or need.

Did You Know: Several Factors Govern the Allocation on an MDE Groundwater Appropriation Permit

The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) regulates community groundwater supply development projects in Maryland through two key permits: water appropriation and water facilities construction. The appropriation permit relates to the withdrawal of groundwater, including adequacy, natural quality and adverse impact potential. The water facilities construction permit relates to the design, construction and approval of engineered infrastructure. This article is the first of a 4-part series on MDE water appropriation requirements; water facilities construction will be addressed in a future Tales.

MDE allocates, manages and protects groundwater resources on a statewide basis in accordance with the Reasonable Use Doctrine, which stems from English Common Law. Under Maryland water law, property owners (and groundwater appropriation permit applicants) have a fundamental right to make a reasonable use of groundwater which is associated with their land, provided such use does not unreasonably affect the similar rights of others or the resource as a whole.

MDE requires that permit applications address three criteria related to the Reasonable Use Doctrine, any of which can be the limiting factor for the amount of water allocated (and/or can otherwise govern conditions of a prospective allocation). Read more about these criteria on our web site or in future editions of Tales from the Trenches.

In This Issue

ARRA Dewatering Projects

Marecellus Presentation

MDE Appropriations - Part I

We're Hiring!

About Us

Upcoming Events:

Sept. 29, 2010 - Annual MDE Groundwater Symposium - Mark W. Eisner, P.G. and David Pielmeier will be presenting on an application of forensic hydrogeology. Please visit with us at the MDE symposium or contact us to request a courtesy re-presentation at your office or facility.

New Baby!

Claire Louise Pielmeier

July 29, 2010 at 5:50 PM
7 Pounds 8 Ounces
19 3/4 Inches

Few events give us as much pleasure to announce as the expansion of the ALWI family. Baby Claire and her parents, Dave and Megan Pielmeier, are doing well and are adjusting to sleepless nights and diapers.

An 8 year veteran of ALWI, Dave is a Senior Scientist and manages many of our hydrogeological and environmental permitting projects. He also heads up the GIS division, which he built from the ground up.

The Economy is Improving and We are Hiring

After a few years of relative stagnation, in 2010 we have experienced a clear improvement in the quantity and magnitude of new project starts.

This success and our consequent cautious optimism has created an open position for an entry or junior level hydrogeologist.

We thank you, our business partners and colleagues, for your past and continuing project referrals and in advance, for your kind assistance in suggesting bright and qualified candidates.

About Us - Read More at www .alwi.c om

Advanced Land and Water, Inc. is a hydrogeological and environmental consulting firm with extensive Mid-Atlantic regional experience in water supply and wastewater disposal. Our water supply experience extends to both groundwater and surface water, and includes exploration, development, permitting, management and protection of both new and existing supplies. Our wastewater services include soil classification and suitability evaluations, percolation tests, spray and drip irrigation studies, infiltrometer tests, groundwater mounding calculations and nitrate loading assessments. We also provide a diversity of GIS mapping, environmental and other specialty consulting services.