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Course
titles in green indicate that
the course is available on an on-site basis only for 2008.
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Course Descriptions
The Complete Ground-Water Monitoring Field Course
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This comprehensive
5-day field course covers everything from environmental drilling
and monitoring well placement, design, construction and development
to correct procedures for sampling ground water from monitoring
wells. In the first two days of this course, instructors focus
on site characterization for efficient well location, drilling
methods available for installing boreholes, well design techniques
to ensure sediment-free samples, and ASTM Standard Practices
for environmental drilling, well construction and well development.
During a half-day field session, students learn how to collect
and use soil and ground-water samples and other information
to characterize a site, and install a small-diameter well
using a direct-push rig. In the next 3 days of this course,
instructors focus on ground-water sampling issues, including
the science behind ground-water sampling, preparation of effective
ground-water sampling and analysis plans, field QA/QC procedures,
water-level measurement methods, purging and sampling methodologies
(including low-flow purging and no-purge sampling), field
indicator parameter analysis, selection and operation of sampling
devices, sample collection and pretreatment procedures, handling
and shipment of samples, and documentation of sampling events.
Two half-day field sessions focus on all of the field practices
and procedures used to effectively implement a ground-water
sampling event for traditional sampling, low-flow purging
and sampling, and no-purge sampling programs. Even if you
are only involved in collecting samples from monitoring wells,
you should attend this full 5-day course, because the design,
construction and development of monitoring wells has a direct
impact on the quality of ground-water samples you collect.
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The Complete Ground-Water Sampling Field Course
- 3 Days
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This is THE practical
field course on ground-water sampling. Students learn what
factors influence the successful implementation of ground-water
sampling programs and how to develop effective ground-water
sampling protocols or how to update existing protocols in
response to changes in objectives of ground-water sampling
programs. Emphasis is placed upon the importance of implementing
good field practices and incorporating strong field QA/QC
to ensure both precision and accuracy in ground-water sampling
events. A wide variety of topics are covered during the course,
including: the science behind ground-water sampling; development
of effective sampling and analysis plans; calibration and
operation of instrumentation for field sampling and/or in-situ
analysis of ground water; water-level and product thickness
measurement; selection criteria for purging and sampling devices
and proper operation of those devices; purging and sampling
options (including low-flow purging and sampling and no-purge
sampling); field filtration and preservation of ground-water
samples, preparation of samples for shipment (and discussions
of DOT and IATA shipping regulations); and documentation of
sampling events to ensure defensibility of records. Two half-day
field sessions give students the opportunity to work with
a variety of field equipment, including water-level measurement
equipment, a variety of ground-water purging and sampling
devices, field indicator parameter measurement instrumentation,
and filtration equipment. Students also get first-hand experience
using a variety of purging and sampling methods, including
low-flow purging and sampling, traditional purging and sampling,
passive sampling and no-purge sampling.
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This intensive
four-day field course features classroom and field instruction
on sampling strategies and methods for soil, ground water,
surface water, sediment and waste. The first day of the class
sets the stage for the next three days (featuring three field
sessions) by covering the nature of environmental media and
their influences on sampling and analysis plan development;
behavior of contaminants in environmental media; strategies
for sampling environmental media; field QA/QC; field equipment
calibration, operation and decontamination; and sample handling
and shipment. Soil sampling strategies, methods and equipment
and field sample analytical methods are convered in detail
on day two, which includes a half-day field session. In this
field session, students use a direct-push rig to collect data
for site characterization purposes and collect soil and ground-water
samples, and use a variety of methods to analyze samples in
the field. U.S. EPA Method 5035A, for field collection and
preservation of soil samples for VOC analysis, is explained
and demonstrated. Field analysis methods include field portable
gas chromatographs, x-ray fluorescence, analyte-specific field
kits and immunoassay. Ground-water sampling methodologies,
equipment and techniques and field indicator parameter analysis
are covered in detail on day three, which includes a half-day
field session. In this field session, students sample ground-water
monitoring wells using electric submersible pumps and bladder
pumps, learn correct procedures for sample collection, filtration
and preservation, and learn traditional and low-flow purging
and sampling methods as well as no-purge sampling techniques.
On the final day of the course, surface water,sediment, and
waste sampling strategies, methods and equipment, are covered
in depth. In the final field session, emphasis is placed on
collecting samples of surface water and sediment, and analyzing
those samples in the field, and on sampling waste piles and
drums (simulated).
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The Complete Surface-Water & Sediment Sampling
Field Course -
2 Days
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An important,
but often overlooked component to many environmental contamination
investigations is surface-water and sediment sampling. This
practical, hands-on field course teaches you how to: select
optimal locations for sample collection to ensure that data
generated satisfy the objectives of the investigation; effectively
select the most appropriate sampling device (there are more
devices out there than using the sample container!); incorporate
elements of field Quality Assurance and Quality Control into
the sample collection and field sample analysis program to
ensure defensibility of data and samples generated; select
and operate instrumentation for in-situ measurement of field
parameters such as DO, Temperature, pH, ORP, Turbidity and
others; determine flow velocities and patterns; select effective
equipment cleaning methods; and document field activities
in a defensible manner. This field course will include one
half-day field session which is designed to permit attendees
to collect surface water and sediment samples using a variety
of sampling devices and to generate water-quality data using
a variety of field analytical instrumentation.
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Advanced
Environmental Site Characterization Field Methods - 2 Days
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If you conduct
environmental investigations at contaminated sites, and you
want to improve data quality while cutting costs and saving
time, you must attend this course! Environmental site characterization
has changed radically in the past few years, and it is critical
to know the latest technology and field methods that can be
applied to contaminated sites to gain a competitive edge.
This intensive two-day course teaches you: what advanced environmental
site characterization is; what new field methods make advanced
site characterization possible; how to effectively use these
methods for rapid sample collection and field analysis to
generate real-time data; how to develop and implement dynamic
work plans; and how to use and interpret real-time data; how
to develop and implement dynamic work plans; and how to use
and interpret real-time data in the field to guide a project
to rapid completion. Students learn how to complete most environmental
site characterization programs in one trip to the site, allowing
30% to 70% cost savings and shaving weeks to months off project
length.
Course instructors
provide a wealth of information that proves invaluable to
attendees in future projects. While attending this course,
you learn: the importance of defining objectives and data
needs prior to initiating field work; what types of site-specific
data you need to collect to design effective long-term monitoring
and remediation programs; how to develop flexible work plans
to define site geology, hydrology, and the 3-D extent of contamination;
how to use direct-push and environmental drilling technology
to sample rapidly and to generate valid data; how to conduct
field sample analyses for a wide range of parameters using
field-portable gas chromatographs, immunoassay kits, XRF,
and other methods; and what elements of field QA/QC are critical
to producing defensible field data.
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Characterization
of Hydrocarbon and MTBE- Impacted Sites for RBCA and Natural
Attenuation - 2 Days
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In this intensive
two-day field course, students develop an understanding of
and learn the data needs for Risk-Based Corrective Action
(RBCA) and natural attenuation. They learn how to deal with
the complications caused by MTBE, and learn how to plan and
implement efficient, cost-effective acclerated site characterization
programs to collect critical site-specific data in a minimum
amount of time. A half-day field session focuses on methods
for generating real-time data, including direct-push sampling
and field analytical methods for petroleum hydrocarbons. During
the field session, students operate a direct-push rig to collect
soil and ground-water samples and have a unique opportunity
to analyze environmental samples using a variety of techniques
designed specifically for field analysis of petroleum hydrocarbons.
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Ground-Water Monitoring Well
Design, Construction and Development - 2 Days
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The key to success
of any ground-water monitoring program is the effective design
and placement of ground-water monitoring wells. Ground-water
monitoring wells and monitoring well networks must be designed
to monitor site-specific compounds of interest and site-specific
hydrogeologic conditions, so that ground-water sampling teams
will be able to collect representative samples for analysis.
This two-day field course examines in detail all elements
of monitoring well and monitoring network design and well
placement, including site-specific geology, hydrogeology and
geochemistry; environmental drilling methods; and well design,
construction and development per ASTM Standard Practices.
Time is devoted to discussing design and use of small-diameter
wells that can be installed using direct-push methods. These
wells are receiving much consideration as a viable alternative
to traditional monitoring wells installed using drilling rigs
like the hollow-stem auger. This course features one half-day
field session that covers direct-push site characterization
methods, including discrete and continuous soil sampling,
soil conductivity profiling, and discrete ground-water sampling,
and installation of a small-diameter well and a multi-level
monitoring system.
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The Low-Flow Purging and Ground-Water
Sampling Field
Course -
1 Day
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This is an intensive
one-day course on the U.S. EPA-approved purging and sampling
procedure referred to as low-flow purging, low-stress purging,
Micropurging or minimal drawdown purging. This field course
explains why and how low-flow procedures produce dramatically
improved and more consistent sampling results and significant
cost savings. Students learn what low-flow purging is, what
types of sampling equipment are compatible with low-flow purging,
what critical parameters must be measured in the field, how
to determine if low-flow purging will work for a specific
site, and the economics of low-flow purging. A half-day field
session allows students to apply all of the techniques involved
in low-flow purging for both dedicated and portable sampling
equipment scenarios.
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Soil
Sampling for Volatile Organic Compounds - 1 Day
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Collection
of soil samples for VOC analysis is a critical component of
environmental investigations at many sites, ranging from service
stations to Superfund sites. Traditional soil sample collection
and handling methods are subject to significant sources of
negative bias that commonly result in gross underestimation
of actual sample concentrations for a wide range of analytes.
Given the magnitude of the decisions that are made based on
these data, the technical and economic impacts of using these
sampling methods can be enormous.
This
one-day course focuses on developing an understanding of the
physical and chemical properties of soil samples, how samples
should be collected and handled to preserve these properties,
and how traditional sampling methods can result in significant
sources of error in field and lab analyses. In addition, course
instructors discuss how and where to collect soil samples
to meet project objectives; how to determine how many samples
should be collected; ASTM standards on soil sample collection
and handling; and how to implement US EPA's Method 5035A for
soil sample collection and analysis for VOCs.
Students will
be able to immediately apply information provided in this
course to field projects where VOCs are of concern and, in
doing so, should significantly improve the quality of data
generated during soil investigations so sound decisions can
be made in a cost-effective manner.
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Fundamentals
of Ground Water and Contaminant Movement -
1 Day
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If
you are looking for a comprehensive yet concise introduction
to the occurrence, movement and contamination of ground water,
this course is for you. This intensive one-day course examines
the practical applications of the concepts, theories and procedures
used in the study of ground water hydrology and subsurface
contaminant movement. The objectives of this course are to
provide participants with vital information to assist in understanding
the fundamentals of ground-water science and to provide insight
into the fate and transport of a variety of contaminant types.
Classroom discussions address a wide range of issues, including
controls on the occurrence and movement of ground water; hydraulic
principles of ground-water movement; hydraulic heads and gradients,
flow-net construction and water-table mapping; occurrence
and movement of ground-water contamination, including LNAPLs,
DNAPLs, and soluble constituents; and physical, chemical and
biological processes controlling contaminant fate and transport.
This course offers
the specific instruction essential to understanding ground-water
assessment, monitoring and remediation, and places emphasis
on solving practical ground water and contaminant movement
problems. It is designed to provide non-hydrogeologists with
the practical background necessary to better understand the
ground-water concepts discussed in The Complete Ground-Water
Monitoring Field Course and The Environmental Sampling Field
Course, but it can be taken as a stand-alone course or to
complement our other field courses. Emphasis is on the interpretation
and practical use of geologic, hydraulic and geochemical data
gathered during site characterization and monitoring programs.
Participants will leave this course with sufficient basic
knowledge and understanding of ground-water concepts to become
involved immediately in ground-water projects.
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The
No-Purge Sampling Field Course -
1 Day
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Many typical
ground-water sampling programs focus on sampling ground-water
for dissolved constituents in wells with sufficient yield
so they will not go dry during purging and sampling activities.
Unfortunately however, at many sites, monitoring points are
installed in fine-grained formations with very low yield.
This creates very unique problems for the ground-water sampler
trying to collect a representative sample from these low-yield
wells. Current practices of purging the well to dryness, sampling
during water level recovery, or sampling once a pre-determined
volume of water has reentered the well, all result in collection
of samples that have been compromised. This course will focus
on new and improved methods to collect representative ground-water
samples from low-yield wells. This course is supported by
industry leaders in the development of equipment used to facilitate
sample collection for low-yield wells. In addition, attention
will be paid to new methodologies used for sampling for dissolved
gases and volatile compounds in ground-water - all done without
requiring purging of the well prior to sample collection.
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Please
Remember:
Not all
courses are offered on an open-enrollment basis each year.
Be sure to check the Course Calendar
to determine dates and locations for current course offerings.
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2004 - 2007 Nielsen Environmental Field School
9600
Achenbach Canyon Road
Las
Cruces, NM 88011
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