Soil Seepage Study for New Home Construction – Parker, AZ
Seepage markers in water logged areas
May 2020: Chris conducted a soil seepage and groundwater quality study to determine the source of unwanted water infiltrating a property where a landowner plans on building a new custom home. The site is located ~25 miles southeast of Lake Havasu City, Arizona & ~12 miles northeast of the Town of Parker, Arizona, & is situated adjacent to the Colorado River.
The study consisted of: 1) conducting soil percolation tests in three locations to the existing trenched area; 2) estimating water seepage fill rates in the existing trenched area; 3) collecting water samples from the existing trenched area for laboratory analysis of select constituents associated with typical human wastewater, and; 4) researching nearby depth to groundwater and water quality data from publicly available databases and reports. The data is being used to assist with future design and construction of a seepage collection and disposal system prior to construction of the new home.
Zonia Mine, Stormwater Sampling – Kirkland AZ
Training mine staff on stormwater collection procedures
November 2009 - Present: Chris revised the mine’s Sampling & Analysis Plan (SAP) which details the procedures and requirements for collecting semi-annual stormwater samples at 8 different locations within the mine’s footprint. Chris also trained mine staff on the proper collection and reporting requirements so they can takeover with the sampling program to save them money in the future. The sampling and reporting is done per ADEQ’ requirements under the mine’s Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) per Arizona’s Pollutant Discharge Elimination System MultiSector General Permits for Stormwater Discharges Associated with Industrial Activity (Mineral Industry).
Chris also QA’s and enters the laboratory data from the sapling events into ADEQs online reporting portal known as myDEQ.
Stuart Ross, CEO (Cardero Copper) - “Chris has been an enormous help to us in our sampling program on site. He is available on short notice which is sometimes necessary given the sampling is for stormwater and based on rainfall which in Yavapai county is problematic. He is dependable and efficient and I’d recommend his services without any qualification.”
Permitting & Phase I Environmental Assessment for a New Medical Cannabis Growing Facility , Detachment 5 – Thousand Palms, CA
Miscellaneous instruction debris next to a water well
August - September 2020: Chris assisted the owner of Detachment 5 with obtaining a new General Order Permit from the California State Water Resources Control Board to construct and operate a new 1-acre outdoor cannabis growing facility in Thousand Palms, CA. Chris also conducted a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) of the new site to satisfy Riverside County’s requirements for a General Use Permit. When completed, the site will host approximately 30 acres of outdoor cannabis growing greenhouses to support the medical marijuana industry.
Preston McCormick, Owner (Detachment 5) - “Chris provided me important insight and tremendous value throughout our engagement. He helped me understand a road-map to success in a process gladdened with landmines. He is sharp, professional, mission focused and exceptional at what he does. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND CHRIS!
Agua Fria National Monument (AFNM) Intra Basin Water Management (IBWM) Project, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) – Yavapai County, AZ
Collecting stream flow data along the Agua Fria River. From left to right: Chris Courtney (Courtney Consulting LLC), Mariano Lanza (BLM Project Manager) & Tyler Azeltine (JE Fuller)
2010 - 2014: Chris, under a former employer, managed & led a comprehensive surface & groundwater assessment of the 71,000-acre AFNM watershed was completed to reserve a quantity of water sufficient to fulfill the purposes for which the AFNM was established (preservation).
Assisted by BLM (Mariano Lanza, Hydrologist) & teamed with JE Fuller Hydrology & Geomorphology, Inc. The project included:
ground surveying
design & installation of 6 fully automated (telemetric) self-contained stream gage & precipitation stations
quarterly groundwater level monitoring from 12 existing stock wells
an evapotranspiration study
a geochemical forensics study of groundwater & surface water
a summary report discussing the source and quantity of various available water resources
The six (6) new fully automated stream gage & precipitation stations have since become part of Yavapai County’s growing network of gaging devices which make up their ALERT system.. Data collected from these sites can be accessed in real-time at: http://gis.yavapai.us/alert/
The study accomplished the following:
Quantified surface water rights for future adjudication filings with the Arizona Special Master, Special Master, Arizona General Stream Adjudication
Determined aquifer & surface water connectivity as it relates to securing future groundwater rights with the ADWR
Augmented Yavapai County’s ALERT Flood Warning System in an area heavy populated downstream of the Monument
Protected & reserved critical riparian habitat which relies on water for survival.
The project was completed $10,000 under budget & scored a perfect 10 on a client satisfaction survey.
Mariano Lanza, Hydrologist (BLM) - “Chris is an extremely talented & dedicated hydrogeologist who consistently demonstrates commitment & dedication to the Agua Fria National Monument (AFNM) needs & local community water groups. Chris's performance was always above & beyond my expectations. The ongoing success of my office on water rights actions applications is a testimony to Chris’ dedication & skills. Chris was not only dedicated to the project’s success, but he also contributed in a tangible manner to the understanding & implementation of new hydrological data to enhance & protect endangered water resources within the AFNM.”
Installation and Testing of Hub Well No. 5A, Metropolitan Domestic Water Improvement District (MDWID) –, Tucson, AZ
A 24/7 500 ft deep drinking water replacement well drilled in the job in the elite NE Tucson Foothills. Chris worked the night shift & helped evaluate live-time data to make game-time decision on the final well design.
Chris, under a former employer, provided technical services related to the drilling, construction, & testing of the MDWID Hub No. 5 drinking water supply well. Chris assisted with preparing the technical specifications, prepared & obtained required drilling & discharge permits, conducted pre-bid & pre-construction meetings, & provided oversight during the drilling, construction, geophysical logging, depth-specific zonal sampling, aquifer testing, & well development. Chris also assisted with the selection of depth-specific groundwater samples for determining the final well design, & prepared the completion report, including the final pump design recommendations for the well.
Gary Burchard, Hydrologist II (MDWID) - “Chris Courtney assisted with the oversight of the drilling, installation & testing of Metro Water District’s Hub Well No. 5a. Specifically, Mr. Courtney either supervised or conducted lithologic logging, gyroscopic survey zonal sampling, construction inspection, & aquifer & step-rate testing. Additionally, Mr. Courtney managed subcontractors & the bid process. Mr. Courtney executed all of these tasks in an exemplary & professional manner.”
Desert Rock Energy Project (DREP) Water Resource Study, Sithe Global Power, Navajo Nation – Four Corners Area, NM
A basin-wide hydrogeology study coupled with a groundwater model & a seeps & springs inventory identified a deep 5,000 ft+ aquifer (the Morrison Aquifer). Test wells were subsequently drilled which proved the resource was viable. If developed properly, the wells could sustain the proposed 4,500MW coal fired power plant for its intended life without adverse impacts to the overlying aquifer or springs which the local Navajo nation tribes rely on.
2006 - 2008: Chis, under a former employer., conducted a water resource and hydrogeologic assessment of the Northwestern portion of the San Juan Basin San Basin in Northwestern New Mexico on Navajo Nation land, for the proposed DREP 1,500-megawatt coal-fired electrical generating plant. The study identified groundwater stored in the deep (~6,000 feet) Morrison Aquifer as the most viable source of water for the 50-year life expectancy of the plant. Chris worked closely with personnel from the Navajo Nation Department of Water Resources to sample existing Tribal wells for water quality, and to obtain and review internal records (well and geophysical logs, aquifer test data, etc.).
The project included: 1) an inventory and qualitative geochemical analysis of Tribal seeps and springs to evaluate potential impacts associated with proposed Morrison Aquifer groundwater withdrawals; 2) a well siting study to identify the most suitable locations for the drilling and testing of test wells, and; 3) preparation of a Rough Order Magnitude (ROM) engineer’s cost estimate to construct the projected well field (20 wells), totaling over $40M. Ultimately, the DREP was not constructed due to EPA air quality restrictions; however, under the current Trump Administration and due to future decommissioning of the adjacent Navajo Generating Station, the DREP could very likely come back into play.
Groundwater Modeling Study in Support of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) – Kearny, AZ
A unique modeling approach was used that proved to be much less expensive & time consuming than what the stakeholders & regulators initially asked for.
2015 - 2017: Chris, under a former employer, was the Project Manager & Lead Groundwater Modeler for this project. The client plans to construct & operate a new tailings storage facility (TSF) to accommodate future expansion of copper mining activities. When completed, the TSF will be approximately 4-square miles with a total storage capacity of 750 million tons, with a projected working life span of 30 to 50 years.
The model was used to sport the project's Environmental Impact Study (EIS) to evaluate if tailings-derived fluids from the TSF would migrate through the subsurface & travel to the adjacent & upgradient nearby perennial river (with protected aquatic and non-aquatic species) during the 65-year projected life of the TSF.
A groundwater flow model coupled with predictive particle tracking simulations were conducted indicating no tailings seepage out of the TSF over the 65-yr period. The model results and the EIS were subsequently approved by the EPA.
Confidential Mining Client, Eastern AZ
Soil Vapor & Indoor Air Quality Studies at Three Public Schools for the Tucson Airport Remediation Project (TARP) – Tucson, AZ
Through sounds direct science, this project determined there were no adverse health risks to inhabitants at three south-side Tucson schools.
October 2018 - February 2019: Chris, under a former employer, was the Project Manager, Lead Field Technician, & primary reporting author for soil vapor intrusion & indoor & outdoor studies at three south-side Tucson schools. Each school included a Human Health Risk Assessment (HHRA).
The project was conducted to address local community & environmentalist groups concerns over potential carcinogenic impacts to school inhabitants.
The project concluded there was no significant presence of TARP chemicals of concern at any of the schools & no significant human health risks present.
The project required extensive coordination with numerous stakeholders & entities, including the City of Tucson Environmental & General Services Department, Tucson Water, Sunnyside Unified School District, Tucson Unified School District, & a consulting firm representing the interests of a local environmental advocacy group.
Richard Byrd, Project Manager & former Environmental Manager (City of Tucson) - “Wood, led by Project Manager & Field Leader Chris Courtney with support from his project team, met or exceeded all of the scope of work & performance criteria”
Groundwater Monitoring Optimization (Cost Savings) Study, Former Williams Air Force Base (AFB), Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport – Mesa, AZ
A groundwater monitoring well optimization statistical study conducted by Chris will save the client close to $1M by the time the site obtains regulatory closure.
2011 - 2018: Chris, under a former employer, was responsible for overseeing & managing all groundwater monitoring & reporting activities for 4 sites at the former WAFB that required ongoing monitoring (approximately 120 monitoring wells). The chemicals of concern include: JP-4 jet fuel; volatile organic compounds (VOCs); semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs); metals; &, pesticides. Chris also author site-specific Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) plans, Health & Safety (H&S) plans, & Focused Feasibility Studies (FFSs) & Remedial Design/Remedial Action Work Plans related to groundwater containment & remediation.
Perhaps of most inters to prospective cents, Chris identified a unique long-term savings opportunity to the project by identifying extreme monitoring well redundancy at one of the sites (a former landfill). Chris thereby conducted a statistical groundwater optimization study which resulted in EPA approval of a 60% reduction in samples.
Air Force Civil Engineer Center (AFCEC), Lackland AFB, TX