Ground Water Conference Marries Science with Cave Diving

An Explorer's Perspective of Diving Underwater Caves at Weeki Wachee Spring and Other Localities in West-Central Florida is a featured presentation in the 5th Conference on Hydrogeology, Ecology, Monitoring and Management of Ground Water in Karst Terrains sponsored by the National Ground Water Association (NGWA). Cave divers Jeff Peterson and Brett Hemphill of Karst Underwater Research reached depths of 425 feet while exploring Caves at Weeki Wachee Spring. Films of their incredible journey will be presented at the scientific meeting. Conference-goers will meet twenty-four presenting scientists from five nations February 23 -24, 2009 at the Safety Harbor, Florida Resort and Spa. NGWA the World’s largest association of ground water professionals, with over 13,000 members in 70 countries has teamed up with scientists from the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) and a group of professional cave divers to provide two days of programming on ground water. With each of Florida’s Water Management Districts dealing with drought, water shortages and increasing demands from Florida’s water wells, it has become crucial to better understand the vast network of underground caves and springs or karst terrain which make up much of Florida’s geology. Attendees will learn the relationship between surface and ground water in a special presentation entitled The Impact of Karst Development on Peace River Flow by Ron Basso, P.G., of the Southwest Florida Water Management District. Registered attendees will also be trained on the causes and dangers of sinkholes as Man-Made and Natural Mechanisms Leading to Catastrophic Collapse in the Karstic Epler Formation of Eastern Pennsylvania is presented by Richard Hisert, of H2H Associates LLC. The conference is a rare chance to meet directly with Water Management District personnel and gain from karst studies in, Texas, Mexico, England, Europe and the Middle East.

Conference organizers are Ted Gates,PG. and David DeWitt, PG, Southwest Florida Water Management District, Chairman is Todd Kincaid, Ph.D. from H2H Associates LLC. For more on the conference visit www.ngwa.org or call NGWA at 800-551-7379.

Ground Water Conference Emphasizes Importance Karst

February 23-24, 2009      Safety Harbor, Florida

Ever-increasing demands

for development of ground water resources

throughout the world

accentuate the need

to better understand the nature of karst environments,

which are formed by the irregular dissolution

of carbonates and are characterized

by solution channels, caves, and sinkholes.

Each karst region is unique; similar aquifer conditions seldom exist.

Environmental changes in karst

occur very rapidly

and their full impact is often

unpredictable.

Ground Water Conference Marries Science with Cave Diving

An Explorer's Perspective of Diving Underwater Caves at Weeki Wachee Spring and Other Localities in West-Central Florida is a featured presentation in the 5th Conference on Hydrogeology, Ecology, Monitoring and Management of Ground Water in Karst Terrains sponsored by the National Ground Water Association (NGWA). Cave divers Jeff Peterson and Brett Hemphill of Karst Underwater Research reached depths of 425 feet while exploring Caves at Weeki Wachee Spring. Films of their incredible journey will be presented at the scientific meeting. Conference-goers will meet twenty-four presenting scientists from five nations February 23 -24, 2009 at the Safety Harbor, Florida Resort and Spa.  NGWA the World's largest association of ground water professionals, with over 13,000 members in 70 countries has teamed up with scientists from the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) and a group of professional cave divers to provide two days of programming on ground water. In addition the National Speleological Society (cave explorers)  has agreed to promote the conference to their 12,000 members and to the members of the National Planning Association.

With each of Florida's Water Management Districts dealing with drought, water shortages and increasing demands from Florida's water wells, it has become crucial to better understand the vast network of underground caves and springs or karst terrain which make up much of Florida's geology. Attendees will learn the relationship between surface and ground water in a special presentation entitled The Impact of Karst Development on Peace River Flow by Ron Basso, P.G., of the Southwest Florida Water Management District. Registered attendees will also be trained on the causes and dangers of sinkholes as Man-Made and Natural Mechanisms Leading to Catastrophic Collapse in the Karstic Epler Formation of Eastern Pennsylvania presented by Richard Hisert of H2H Associates LLC. The conference is a rare chance to meet directly with Water Management District personnel and gain from karst studies in Texas, Mexico, England, Europe, and the Middle East.

Conference organizers are Ted Gates, PG. and David DeWitt, PG, Southwest Florida Water Management District. Chairman is Todd Kincaid, Ph.D. from H2H Associates LLC.

For more on the conference visit www.ngwa.org or call NGWA at 800-551-7379.

Conference info:  http://www.ngwa.org/DEVELOPMENT/conferences/details/0902235018.aspx

Program:  5th Conference on Hydrogeology, Ecology, Monitoring, and Management of Ground Water in Karst Terrains     February 23-24, 2009      Safety Harbor Resort and Spa       Safety Harbor, Florida                             Save by registering before Jan 23

Conference Topics

· Ground water extraction from karst aquifers

· Karst aquifer characterization

· Impact of human activities on ground water

· Innovative characterization techniques

· Ground water modeling in karst

· Ecology and vulnerability 

Monday, February 23, 2009

8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Registration

9:00-11:00 a.m. Ground Water Extraction from Karst Aquifers

9:00-9:25 a.m. Sixty MGD Quarry Dewatering: Engineering Approaches to Reducing Karstic Discharge

at a Cement Quarry in Eastern Pennsylvania

Richard Hisert, John Gansfuss, and Trevor Thomas, H2H Associates LLC

9:25-9:50 a.m. Use of MODFLOW-DCM to Simulate Conduit/Diffuse Ground Water Flow in Three Karst Aquifer Systems

Ronald Green, Southwest Research Institute

9:50-10:10 a.m. Break

10:10-10:35 a.m. Utilization and Protection of Large Karst Springs in Southeastern Europe and the Middle East

Neven Kresic, Ph.D., MACTEC Engineering and Consulting Inc.; Zoran Stevanovic, University of Belgrade;

Gultekin Gunay, Keystone Engineering; Ezzat Raeisi, Ph.D., Sharaz University

10:35-11:00 a.m. The Impact of Karst Development on Peace River Flow

Ron Basso, PG, Southwest Florida Water Management District

11:00 a.m.-3:45 p.m. Karst Aquifer Characterization

11:00-11:25 a.m. An Explorer's Perspective of Diving Underwater Caves at Weeki Wachee Spring and Other Localities

in West-Central Florida

Brett Hemphill, Karst Underwater Research; David J. DeWitt, PG, Southwest Florida Water Management District

11:25-11:50 a.m. Characterization of Conduit-Matrix Interactions at the Santa Fe River Sink/Rise System, Florida

Elizabeth Screaton, Ph.D., University of Florida

11:50 a.m.-1:20 p.m. Lunch (on your own)

1:20-1:45 p.m. The Special Water Quality Issues of Karst, Dual Porosity, and Fractured Aquifers

Arising from the Mobilization and Transport of Sediment Through Aquifers

Malcolm Anderson, WMH

1:45-2:10 p.m. Peace River Karst and the Hawthorn Aquifer System

Michael T. Gates, PG, Southwest Florida Water Management District

2:10-2:35 p.m. Clues to Connections: Geophysical Analysis to Aid in Identifying and Characterizing Flowpaths

Direct and Indirect

Lynn Yuhr, PG, Technos Inc.

2:35-3:00 p.m. Characterizing Bedrock in Karst Formations Using Wireline Coring

William H. Morrow, Parratt Wolff Inc.

3:00-3:20 p.m. Break

3:20-3:45 p.m. Ground Water Flow Through the Ozark Plateau Aquifer

Carol M. Wicks, University of Missouri-Columbia

3:45-5:00 p.m. Impact of Human Activities on Ground Water

3:45-4:10 p.m. Impact of Human Activities on Ground Water Quality in a Karst Formation

Todd K. Knause, Stanley Consultants Inc.

4:10-4:35 p.m. A Brief History of Anthropogenic Impacts on Florida's Ground Water Systems: Recognized Shortcomings,

and Identified Knowledge and Process Needs

Stephen R. Lienhart, PE, URS Corp.; Paul O'Neil, PE, Southwest Florida Water Management District

4:35-5:00 p.m. Joint Use of Surface Water and Ground Water of the Fergana Valley (Central Asia)

as a Way of Overcoming Water Deficiency

Yusup Khai Rysbekov, SIC ICWC of Central Asia

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

8:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Registration

9:00 a.m.-1:50 p.m. Innovative Characterization Techniques

9:00-9:25 a.m. Contributions to Hydrogeologic Research Through Cave Diving Exploration in Karst Aquifers

Jeff Petersen, Karst Underwater Research; David J. DeWitt, PG, Southwest Florida Water Management District

9:25-9:50 a.m. Hydraulic Characterization of Karst Aquifers Through Quantitative Ground Water Tracing

Todd Kincaid, H2H Associates LLC

9:50-10:15 a.m. Break

10:15-10:40 a.m. Hypogene Processes in the Edwards Aquifer in South-Central Texas: A Paradigm Shift in Understanding

Deep Seated Karst Aquifers

Geary M. Schindel, Edwards Aquifer Authority

10:40-11:05 a.m. Microgravity Characterization of an Existing Wellfield in the Karst Region of the Yucatan Peninsula,

Mexico

Joel D. Peterson, PE, Montgomery & Associates

11:05-11:30 a.m. Robotic Three-Dimension Characterization of Vulcanigenic Caves in Zacaton, Mexico

Marcus Gary, Zara Environmental LLC

11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Lunch (provided)

1:00-1:25 p.m. Special Utility of Flexible Liner Methods in Karst Formations

Carl Keller, Flexible Liner Underground Technologies

1:25-1:50 p.m. The Use of Multi-Electrode Electrical Resistivity and Multi-Channel Analysis of Surface Waves

for Karst Characterization

Eric Cross, N.S. Nettles & Associates Inc.

1:50-3:30 p.m. Ground Water Modeling in Karst

1:50-2:15 p.m. Determining Potential Contaminant Flowpaths in Karstic Environments: A Minimally Invasive Approach

Paul Rollins, Willowstick Technologies LLC

2:15-2:40 p.m. Numerical Modeling in Karst Aquifers: Examples from Florida and Pennsylvania

Todd Kincaid, H2H Associates LLC

2:40-3:00 p.m. Break

3:00-3:30 p.m. Underwater Cave Diving Video

3:30-5:00 p.m. Ecology and Vulnerability of Karst Aquifers

3:30-3:55 p.m. Evaluation of Spring Flow, Bacterial Contamination, and Distribution of Fresh Water Resources

in the Vicinity of Verrettes, Haiti

Peter Wampler, Ph.D., RPG, and Andrew Sisson, Grand Valley State University

3:55-4:20 p.m. Man-Made and Natural Mechanisms Leading to Catastrophic Collapse in the Karstic Epler Formation

of Eastern Pennsylvania

Richard Hisert, John Gansfuss, and Trevor Thomas, H2H Associates LLC

4:20-5:00 p.m. Discussion and Concluding Remarks