Projects

My professional career presented a variety of opportunities to transfer geological and engineering technology between groundwater, oil, gas and mining disciplines.

  • Developed method and code to estimate aquifer transmissivity from digital log curves.
  • Reviewed aquifer potential in the Horn River Basin for shale gas development.
  • Developed software to process digital well logs and identify TOC, fractures, over pressured zones and formation characteristics required for development of cbm, shale gas and tight gas.
  • Provided groundwater evaluations used in dispute process involving oil industry waste impacts on groundwater supplies.
  • Conducted siting studies for oil field facilities.
  • Assessed risk to support gas plant waste disposal into road fill material.
  • Evaluated brackish water potential in a Cretaceous aquifer for development of heavy oil operations with a three-dimensional groundwater flow model.
  • Interpreted and constructed a geological model of the glacial and bedrock deposits at potash miningsites in Saskatchewan.
  • Used solute transport analysis at potash mine tailing sites in Saskatchewan to estimate the potential off-site brine movement.
  • Evaluated accidental injection of bitumen and production fluid into an aquifer.
  • Proposed reinjection of groundwater recovered from mine dewatering wells to mitigate impacts on domestic water wells.
  • Prepared permit application for the groundwater component required for development of a coal mine in Colorado.
  • Evaluated dewatering impacts produced by a surface and underground coal mine on a regional aquifer in Mexico. Estimated potential groundwater flows into the mine caused by subsidence interconnected this aquifer with an underground.
  • Developed a mine dewatering system for deep coalmines located in the Ukraine scheduled for decommissioning.
  • Identified a basic design flaw in a mine dewatering system in Mongolia and designed an effective solution.
  • Initiated a ground water supply and environmental impact assessment for a commercial oil and gas development in a parks region.
  • Assessed effectiveness of hydrocarbon remediation systems installed at contaminated service station sites.
  • Evaluated groundwater supply impacts caused by a waste facility used to supply a 400 home residential land development project with a solute transport model.
  • Designed a dewatering system required to improve pit wall stability for a bauxite mine in Surinam. Dewatering was expected to affect the yield and quality of an existing municipal well field used to supply the capital city of Paramaribo. A reinjection system was proposed to eliminate impacts on the well field.
  • Assessed proposed permanent oil sands tailings storage in a mined out open pit for Syncrude. Determined that the facility was hydraulically contained in spite the existence of a physical flow path to the river.
  • Discovered and developed brackish water supplies for Esso Resources' heavy oil operation at Cold Lake.
  • Engaged in various planning and evaluation projects designed to understand and optimize heavy oil recovery.
  • Used thermal reservoir model simulations to investigate influences of relative permeability hysteresis, high water saturation, bottom water, top gas, vertical permeability and fluid loss through shale cap on oil recovery
  • Tested numerous innovative recovery processes with a thermal simulator and developed a patentable recovery process.
  • Used a solute transport to evaluate several cases of aquifer contamination caused by production well failures.
  • Assessed wastewater disposal capacity and source potential of deep saline aquifers.
  • Developed Quaternary aquifers as a major source of fresh water for a heavy oil recovery plant operated by Esso Resources.
  • Used geostatistics to model numerous geological parameters of an oil sand deposit. Wrote computer programs to create 23 different models using logs obtained from 1,800 well locations. Conducted a stepwise regression analysis to relate geological parameters with production rates.
  • Investigated hydrogeology for the installation of a sanitary landfill and a sludge disposal site at heavy oil recovery operation.
  • Conducted various groundwater investigations to support mining operations.
  • Directed groundwater investigation to determine design criteria and to obtain environmental approval for an oil sand mine and two coalmines. Direction encompassed project scoping, service bid reviews, contracting, scheduling, computer modeling, water supply installation and preparation of final reports.
  • Evaluated flooding in an underground lead zinc mining operation in Nova Scotia.
  • Established groundwater system to support a dredging operation for a gold mine in Ontario.
  • Designed dewatering system for a uranium mine in northern Saskatchewan, which included reinjection of arsenic rich groundwater to avoid costly treatment and disposal.
  • Initiated and conducted a groundwater appraisal program in Manitoba. Program generated more than 4,000 requests in the first three years.
  • Tested and applied several surface geophysical surveying methods to map aquifers.
  • Conducted demonstration projects in Manitoba to assist drillers with screen installation, gravel packing and well cementing techniques in flowing well areas.
  • Managed all aspects of a feasibility project to artificially recharge a 2600km2 saline carbonate aquifer. Responsibility included scoping, funding, contracting, field investigation, data analysis, computer modeling and evaluation.
  • Operated side-hole sampling rig to recover glacial till samples used to map successive till sheets.
  • Drilled water wells and installed pumps in Saskatchewan as part of a family business.