Our understanding of subsurface microbiology is hindered by the inaccessibility of this environment, particularly when the hydrogeologic medium is contaminated with toxic substances. Research in our labs indicated that the composition of the growth medium (e.g., bicarbonate complexation of U(VI)) and the underlying mineral phase (e.g., hematite) significantly affects the rate and extent of U(VI) reduction and immobilization through a variety of effects. Our research was aimed at elucidating those effects to a much greater extent, while exploring the potential for U(IV) reoxidation and subsequent re-mobilization, which also appears to depend on the mineral phases present in the system. In situ coupons with a variety of mineral phases were placed in monitoring wells at the NABIR FRC. These coupons showed that the mineral phase composition significantly affected the resulting attached phase microbial community. Our comparative use of both batch and open flow reactors (more representative of field conditions) indicates that hydrodynamics and continual influx of substrate and contaminants can also yield significantly different results than those obtained with closed serum bottles. To this end, the following overall experimental hypothesis tested was the following: On a mineral surface under anaerobic conditions, accumulations of secondary inorganic precipitates are controlled by a) the …

Almost 4,000 water-level measurements in 216 wells in the Yucca Flat area from 1951 to 2003 were quality assured and analyzed. An interpretative database was developed that describes water-level conditions for each water level measured in Yucca Flat. Multiple attributes were assigned to each water-level measurement in the database to describe the hydrologic conditions at the time of measurement. General quality, temporal variability, regional significance, and hydrologic conditions are attributed for each water-level measurement. The database also includes narratives that discuss the water-level history of each well. Water levels in 34 wells were analyzed for variability and for statistically significant trends. An attempt was made to identify the cause of many of the water-level fluctuations or trends. Potential causes include equilibration following well construction or development, pumping in the monitoring well, withdrawals from a nearby supply well, recharge from precipitation, earthquakes, underground nuclear tests, land subsidence, barometric pressure, and Earth tides. Some of the naturally occurring fluctuations in water levels may result from variations in recharge. The magnitude of the overall water-level change for these fluctuations generally is less than 2 feet. Long-term steady-state hydrographs for most of the wells open to carbonate rock have a very similar pattern. Carbonate-rock …

The goals of this task were to evaluate the availability of published temperature-dependent thermodynamic data for radionuclides and sorbing minerals and to evaluate the applicability of published estimation methods for temperature-dependent aqueous complexation, radionuclide mineral precipitation, and sorption. This task fills a gap in the hydrologic source term (HST) modeling approach, which, with few exceptions, has neglected the effects of temperature on radionuclide aqueous complexation, using 25 C complexation data for all temperatures without evaluating the consequences of this assumption. In this task, we have compiled thermodynamic data available in the literature and evaluated the options and benefits of applying temperature-dependent radionuclide speciation to future HST modeling. We use the recent experience of HST modeling at Cheshire (Pawloski et al., 2001) to focus our evaluation. Our literature search revealed that few thermodynamic data or extrapolation methods could be used to define the temperature-dependent speciation of key HST radionuclides Np, Pu, Am, and U, particularly for the higher valence-state (e.g., 5+ and 6+), the oxidation states most pertinent to NTS groundwater conditions at Cheshire. This suggests that using 25 C data for all temperatures may be the best modeling approach currently available. We tested established estimation techniques such as the Criss-Cobble …

Field leachate samples are being collected from coal combustion product (CCP) management sites from several geographic locations in the United States to provide broad characterization of major and trace constituents in the leachate. In addition, speciation of arsenic, selenium, chromium, and mercury in the leachates is being determined. Through 2003, 35 samples were collected at 14 sites representing a variety of CCP types, management approaches, and source coals. Samples have been collected from leachate wells, leachate collection systems, drive-point piezometers, lysimeters, the ash/water interface at impoundments, impoundment outfalls and inlets, and seeps. Additional sampling at 23 sites has been conducted in 2004 or is planned for 2005. First-year results suggest distinct differences in the chemical composition of leachate from landfills and impoundments, and from bituminous and subbituminous coals. Concentrations of most constituents were generally higher in landfill leachate than in impoundment leachate. Sulfate, sodium, aluminum, molybdenum, vanadium, cadmium, mercury and selenium concentrations were higher in leachates for ash from subbituminous source coal. Calcium, boron, lithium, strontium, arsenic, antimony, and nickel were higher for ash from bituminous source coal. These variations will be explored in more detail when additional data from the 2004 and 2005 samples become available.

Monthly magazine published by the Maverick Region of the Porsche Club of America containing stories related to the organization or of interest to the group's members including news, upcoming and past events, other feature articles, and classified advertisements.

Weekly newspaper from Dublin, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.

Weekly newspaper from Comanche, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.

Semiweekly newspaper from Brady, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.

Weekly newspaper from Albany, Texas that includes local, county, and state news along with extensive advertising.

Monthly travel magazine discussing locations and events in Texas to encourage travel within the state.

Weekly Czech and English language newspaper from Temple, Texas published as the official organ of the Slavonic Benevolent Order of the State of Texas that includes news of interest to members along with advertising.

Weekly newspaper from Clifton, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.

Monthly newspaper from Flower Mound, Texas that includes news and information for communities in southern Denton County along with advertising.

Source Term, Materials Performance, Radionuclide Getters, Natural Barriers, and Advanced Technologies, a brief introduction in each section describes the overall organization and goals of each program area. All of these areas have great potential for improving our understanding of the safety performance of the proposed Yucca Mountain repository, as processes within these areas are generally very conservatively represented in the Total System Performance Assessment. In addition, some of the technology thrust areas in particular may enhance system efficiency and reduce risk to workers. Thus, rather modest effort in the S&T Program could lead to large savings in the lifetime repository total cost and significantly enhanced understanding of the behavior of the proposed Yucca Mountain repository, without safety being compromised, and in some instances being enhanced. An overall strength of the S&T Program is the significant amount of integration that has already been achieved after two years of research. As an example (illustrated in Figure 1), our understanding of the behavior of the total waste isolation system has been enhanced through integration of the Source Term, Materials Performance, and Natural Barriers Thrust areas. All three thrust areas contribute to the integration of different processes in the in-drift environment. These processes include …

As part of the West Coast Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership (WESTCARB), the California Geological Survey (CGS) conducted an assessment of geologic carbon sequestration potential in California. An inventory of sedimentary basins was screened for preliminary suitability for carbon sequestration. Criteria included porous and permeable strata, seals, and depth sufficient for critical state carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) injection. Of 104 basins inventoried, 27 met the criteria for further assessment. Petrophysical and fluid data from oil and gas reservoirs was used to characterize both saline aquifers and hydrocarbon reservoirs. Where available, well log or geophysical information was used to prepare basin-wide maps showing depth-to-basement and gross sand distribution. California's Cenozoic marine basins were determined to possess the most potential for geologic sequestration. These basins contain thick sedimentary sections, multiple saline aquifers and oil and gas reservoirs, widespread shale seals, and significant petrophysical data from oil and gas operations. Potential sequestration areas include the San Joaquin, Sacramento, Ventura, Los Angeles, and Eel River basins, followed by the smaller Salinas, La Honda, Cuyama, Livermore, Orinda, and Sonoma marine basins. California's terrestrial basins are generally too shallow for carbon sequestration. However, the Salton Trough and several smaller basins may offer opportunities for localized carbon sequestration.

The objectives of this project are to evaluate the feasibility of carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) sequestration in Texas low-rank coals and to determine the potential for enhanced coalbed methane (ECBM) recovery as an added benefit of sequestration. The main objectives for this reporting period were to perform reservoir simulation and economic sensitivity studies to (1) determine the effects of injection gas composition, (2) determine the effects of injection rate, and (3) determine the effects of coal dewatering prior to CO{sub 2} injection on CO{sub 2} sequestration in the Lower Calvert Bluff Formation (LCB) of the Wilcox Group coals in east-central Texas. To predict CO{sub 2} sequestration and ECBM in LCB coal beds for these three sensitivity studies, we constructed a 5-spot pattern reservoir simulation model and selected reservoir parameters representative of a typical depth, approximately 6,200-ft, of potential LCB coalbed reservoirs in the focus area of East-Central Texas. Simulation results of flue gas injection (13% CO{sub 2} - 87% N{sub 2}) in an 80-acre 5-spot pattern (40-ac well spacing) indicate that LCB coals with average net thickness of 20 ft can store a median value of 0.46 Bcf of CO{sub 2} at depths of 6,200 ft, with a median ECBM …

The 109th Congress is considering issues related to the public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the national forests managed by the Forest Service (FS). The Administration is addressing issues through budgetary, regulatory, and other actions. This report discusses several key issues of congressional and administrative interest.

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This is a quarterly newsletter of the Panhandle Groundwater Conservation District discussing the news, activities, and events of the organization and other information related to water in Texas.

Annual publication containing genealogical information about families in Dallas, Texas and the surrounding area, including family histories, lists of records (births, deaths, registration, etc.), correspondence, and other documentation. Name index begins on page 146.

Weekly newspaper from Canadian, Texas that includes local, state and national news along with some advertising.

During Phases 2 and 3 of the Lake City GRED II project two slim holes were cored to depths of 1728 and 4727 ft. Injection and production tests with temperature and pressure logging were performed on the OH-1 and LCSH-5 core holes. OH-1 was permanently modified by cementing an NQ tubing string in place below a depth of 947 ft. The LCSH-1a hole was drilled in Quaternary blue clay to a depth of 1727 ft and reached a temperature of 193 oF at a depth of 1649 ft. This hole failed to find evidence of a shallow geothermal system east of the Mud Volcano but the conductive temperature profile indicates temperatures near 325 oF could be present below depth of 4000 ft. The LCSH-5 hole was drilled to a depth of 4727 ft and encountered a significant shallow permeability between depths of 1443 and 1923 ft and below 3955 ft. LCSH-5 drilled impermeable Quaternary fanglomerate to a depth of 1270 ft. Below 1270 ft the rocks consist primarily of Tertiary sedimentary rocks. The most significant formation deep in LCSH-5 appears to be a series of poikoilitic mafic lava flows below a depth of 4244 ft that host the major deep …

The U.S. Department of Energy and its predecessor agencies conducted a program in the 1960s and 1970s that evaluated technology for the nuclear stimulation of low-permeability gas reservoirs. The third and final project in the program, Project Rio Blanco, was conducted in Rio Blanco County, in northwestern Colorado. In this experiment, three 33-kiloton nuclear explosives were simultaneously detonated in a single emplacement well in the Mesaverde Group and Fort Union Formation, at depths of 1,780, 1,899, and 2,039 m below land surface on May 17, 1973. The objective of this work is to estimate lateral distances that tritium released from the detonations may have traveled in the subsurface and evaluate the possible effect of postulated natural-gas development on radionuclide migration. Other radionuclides were considered in the analysis, but the majority occur in relatively immobile forms (such as nuclear melt glass). Of the radionuclides present in the gas phase, tritium dominates in terms of quantity of radioactivity in the long term and contribution to possible whole body exposure. One simulation is performed for {sup 85}Kr, the second most abundant gaseous radionuclide produced after tritium.

Weekly newspaper from Holliday, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.