34 JANUARY 2023 WorldWide Drilling Resource® Navy Drills Groundwater Monitoring Wells in Hawaii Adapted from Information by the U.S. Army In an ongoing effort to ensure water safety at Red Hill and the surrounding area, the Navy has been working to install groundwater monitoring wells near the location of the November 20, 2021, fuel spill at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, near Honolulu, Hawaii. The installation of these new wells and resulting expanded monitoring capability will help in making informed and environmentally-protective decisions. The Navy is working with the Hawaii Department of Health (DOH), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and other stakeholders to install wells, referred to as plume delineation wells, in the immediate vicinity of Red Hill to test for the presence of contaminants and evaluate potential impacts to the local aquifer. “This is an important step in our ongoing work to provide safe drinking water and protect the aquifer and the environment,” said Rear Admiral Steve Barnett, Navy Region Hawaii commander. “We are aligned with the Hawaii Department of Health and other stakeholders in this effort and remain committed to informing the public of actions that are taking place while we work on completing requirements for the defueling plan.” Initial samples have been taken from completed wells, designated P01 and P-02, and the Navy will share all validated sampling results with DOH and EPA. Samples are being sent to an independent, certified laboratory on the mainland. The Navy is also planning to install 12 additional groundwater “sentinel” monitoring wells between Red Hill and neighboring drinking water sources to provide a warning if any contamination in the aquifer were to migrate. Under the required permitting process, the first of these wells began installation in August 2022, with completion of the final well expected in September 2023. To gain a broader understanding of the aquifer and its groundwater dynamics, the Navy has contacted owners and operators of other groundwater monitoring wells in the vicinity of Red Hill. Data has continuously been collected from 21 previously established groundwater monitoring wells around the fuel storage tanks at Red Hill. Since May 2021, there have been intermittent detections of total petroleum hydrocarbon above DOH’s Environmental Action Level in some of those wells, but the data did not present a clear pattern to infer contamination movement. The Navy continues to partner with DOH on data analysis. Sampling results from the Navy’s wells are shared with DOH and EPA as soon as the laboratory validates results. DOH makes the data available on their website at: https://health.hawaii.gov/ust/red-hill/update-may-6-2021-release-monitoring-data-posted-weekly/ In addition to groundwater sampling, the Navy has continued to install new soil vapor monitoring ports near the Red Hill release site. Soil vapor monitoring allows more localized soil gas vapor sampling to better characterize and understand any contamination “hot spots” immediately below the access tunnel. The Navy will remain in coordination with DOH and EPA to better understand underground conditions in the Red Hill area and evaluate potential remediation activities. Additional actions may include removing contaminated soil or employing bioremediation techniques to accelerate natural degradation of petroleum compounds. A Naval Facilities Systems Command contractor changes out a bit on a drill rig. WTR TGWA Annual Convention Wednesday, January 25, 2023 9am - 5pm Registration 9:30am - 3pm Women’s Division Program Activity Noon - 3pm Continuing Education Courses 3pm - 6pm Meet and Greet with Exhibitors 6pm TGWA Scholarship Foundation Auction Thursday, January 26, 2023 8am - Noon Exhibits Open 8am - 5pm Registration 8:30am - 9am TGWA Board & Membership Meeting 11am - Noon Continuing Education Course Noon - 1:30pm Awards Luncheon 1:30pm - 5:30pm Continuing Education Courses 6pm Game Night at the Hotel Friday, January 27, 2023 TBD Women’s Division Breakfast 7am - 9am TGWA Presidents Breakfast 9:30am - 11am TGWA Scholarship Foundation Board Meeting tgwa.org January 25-27 San Marcos Conference Center San Marcos, TX Dealmakers Congratulations to Jerry and the crew from Parker Water Wells of Middletown Springs, Vermont, on the purchase of a new SFU Hydro Frack unit from Starr Hydro, Inc. in Sterling, Massachusetts. Starr Hydro, Inc. Send your deals to: michele@ worldwidedrillingresource.com
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