NRDA Field Study Plan: Characterizing Temporal and Spatial Patterns of Contaminated Groundwater Upwelling into the Columbia River

EAS provided the U.S. Department of Energy’s Richland Operations Office (DOE-RL), on behalf of the Hanford Natural Resource Trustee Council, a highly experienced and technically proficient team to support the development of a scientifically sound field study plan and supporting documents. The plan will be used to guide studies to further characterize the nature and extent of contaminated groundwater upwellings in the Hanford Reach of the Columbia River.

For this project, EAS provided the resources and assets to plan and prepare a detailed study design and timeline, prepare supporting documents (Sampling and Analysis Plan [SAP], QA Project Plan [QAPP], and Data Management Plan [DMP]), as well as prepare a cost-effective budget for project implementation. We provided a technical resource team of ecologists, hydro-geologists, GIS mapping specialists, chemists, aquatic organism experts, as well as other senior and junior staff as needed, to support this project.

As part of this project, we also developed a pore-water sampling device (hyporheic sampling points) similar to one EAS has used in previous studies of groundwater upwelling employing the liquid-tip Trident probe. EAS was awarded this contract because we provide an unparalleled understanding of the intricacies of existing data and dynamic nature of contaminated groundwater upwelling into the Columbia River.