HYDROTHINK But I Didn’t Say That!
William J. Stone, MEM-2164
wstone04@gmail.com
A Superfund site is a contami- nated property designated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for cleanup using a special account established by Congress under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA). Once a facility is added to the National Priorities List, EPA’s Superfund process includes public meet- ings, where they present and accept com- ments on their proposed cleanup plan.
Although semi-retired, I still like to follow local environmental cases. When EPA declared a nearby metal mine a Superfund site, I watched for notices of public meetings I could attend. Three meetings were held: two identical intro- ductory presentations on an afternoon and evening of the same day and a follow-up meeting a month later. The initial presentations outlined possible cleanup options, as well as those favored for implementation and recommended by EPA.
A fact sheet summarizing the pro- posed cleanup options and plan was available online prior to the initial meet- ings. One item on the fact sheet that caught my eye was the plan to maintain water in the underground mine at a level below that of the adjacent major river. This was logical as it would prevent contaminated mine water from flowing to the river. Furthermore, EPA proposed that water pumped to maintain the lower water level be used in the mill or treated for other uses. Good idea.
However, that plan would promote flow of river water into the mine. It seemed to me that unless the flow of river water into the mine was kept small, two undesirable consequences would result: 1) an unnecessary amount of water would be lost from the river and 2) there would be excess mine water to pump. So I submitted a three-part written com- ment. The first two parts questioned whether the mine had water rights to cover the diversion and whether the resulting volume of water to be pumped
had been considered. The third part asked whether maintaining the mine and river water close to the same levels to minimize flow and volume to be pumped had been considered.
A full year later, responses to com- ments were finally available for review in the Record of Decision, filed at the town hall of the village near the mine. In that document each comment was summa- rized then followed by EPA’s response. I was shocked to find they had incorrectly presented my comment as suggesting water level in the mine should equal that in the river! Furthermore, EPA’s brilliant response was simply to repeat what had been stated in the fact sheet (and what I prefaced my comment with): mine water would be maintained lower than the river. They ignored the question on water rights altogether. TIP: Don’t expect too much from EPA’s public-com- ment process. You may be disappointed.
We are very sad to report that the family of William (Bill) Stone has informed TPG that Bill passed away on January 5, 2016. William Jay Stone, MEM-2164, probably was best known to AIPG members for his “HYDROTHINK” columns (this page). To paraphrase Bill’s “LinkedIn” descrip- tion, Bill delivered his instructive com- mentary with humor, highlighting many real world challenges in hydrology and environmental work since 2010 for TPG. His used his presentations of actual case-history flaws to suggest simple solu- tions to common mistakes and scientific misconceptions.
Bill was a Hydrogeologist and writer, having earned BS, MS, and PhD degrees in Geology from Bowling Green State University, Kent State University, and the University of North Dakota, respec- tively. Prior to writing for TPG, Bill was an adjunct at the University of New Mexico for 15 years, teaching courses including Physical & Historical Geology, Survey of Hydrology, Hydrogeology, Geology of New Mexico, Survey of Paleontology, and Watersheds, among others.
AIPG Membership Totals As of CPG / Active
CPG / Non-Practicing Prof. Member
Associate Member Young Professional Student Adjunct TOTALS
As of
2/2/15 1/13/2016 3,316 418
1043 49 90
3,405 8,321
1006 56
115
3,665 8,551
New Applicants and Members can now be found on the AIPG website at
http://aipg.org/membership/newapps- mems.html
Section News can now be found on the AIPG website at
http://aipg.org/ sections/
sectionnews.html
Among Bill’s professional achieve- ments was his book, Hydrogeology in Practice: a Guide to Characterizing Ground-Water Systems, Prentice Hall, 1999. As his publisher summarizes, the book [is] “Designed to fill the gap between the theoretical world of tradi- tional college courses and the applied world of real-life water studies, this text explains how to conduct sound hydrogeologic studies and prepare solid hydrogeologic reports.”
Bill discovered youngest and north- ernmost specimen of fossil rhinoceros Amphicaenopus in North America, and he also determined the origin of the Knife River flint, an important pre- historic tool material. His dissertation work was interrupted for active duty in the Army (an ROTC commitment) but he completed his PhD in 1973. In addition to geology, Bill’s interests included water quality, teaching, writing, and travel. We will miss you, Bill. Rest in Peace.
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