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----------––– FIELD NOTES ––––––––––
Field Team: Kurt Lyons & Mark Gifford
Field Site: Massachusetts Military Reservation, Cape Cod, MA
Depth/Date: 268 feet / Jan 25, 2006
Geoprobe Owner: AFCEE, Otis ANG Base, MA
Machine: Model 6620DT |
CH2M HIll Celebrates...268 feet in one continuous push!
They’re celebrating at the CH2M HILL offices from the East Coast to the Rockies! It’s a record-setting push for the Geoprobe® history books ... 268 continuous feet. Because of the success of their probe operators, Marc Slechta, CH2M HILL Program Manager for long-term operations, monitoring, and evaluation projects, thinks Geoprobe Systems® should start a 250 Foot Club! CH2M HILL worked with their client, the Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence (AFCEE), to complete the project at the Massachusetts Military Reservation (MMR) at Cape Cod, MA. AFCEE owns the Geoprobe® Model 6620DT used for the work.
“We have achieved depths greater than we ever could have imagined with this equipment,” reported Andrew Tingley, Field Services Group Manager for the CH2M HILL office at Otis ANG Base, MA. “And we’re awfully proud of the skill and effort of our machine operators, Mark Gifford and Kurt Lyons.”
Christine Evans, Subcontract Administrator at the CH2M HILL office, also in Massachusetts, arranged for a special office celebration to honor the accomplishments of the entire team. “Every person on the field team was important in making this happen,” Chris stated.
The field crew used the 6620DT with Geoprobe® 1.5 in. probe rods and the vertical groundwater profiler.
... written by Andrew Tingley, Field Services Group Manager, CH2M HILL
I would like to share some of the successes we have had with our Geoprobe® 6620DT. We are currently performing an extensive groundwater profiling and monitoring well installation program as part of the fieldwork conducted at the Massachusetts Military Reservation (MMR). From October 2004 to January 2006, we have completed over 40 vertical profiling locations to an average depth of 190 feet below ground surface (ft. bgs) and we have completed the installation of over 25 prepacked screen monitoring wells to depths as great as 180 ft. bgs.
As our crew becomes more accustomed to the machine, they have been steadily reaching deeper depths. Within the last month, the average depth for groundwater vertical profiling has climbed to 220 ft. bgs, culminating with our greatest success to date – 268 ft. bgs in January. It’s possible that the only thing keeping them from reaching deeper depths was bedrock. Yes, bedrock! This assumption is based on the lithology we were receiving concurrently from a sonic rig, which is located approximately 100 yards to the east and sitting at an elevation of approximately 15 to 20 feet greater than the elevation of the direct push rig. The sonic rig tagged bedrock at 280 ft. bgs ...so if we do the math, bedrock…Wow!
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Working in a remote site, Mark Gifford, CH2M HILL Direct Push Operator, completes one of 40 vertical groundwater profiles at the Massachusetts Military Reservation near Cape Cod since the project began in the fall of 2004. |
We currently have two members of our staff that operate the Geoprobe® machine: Mark Gifford and Kurt Lyons. Mark was the first to get schooled and proficient with the intricacies of the equipment. Mark was the first to push the groundwater vertical profiling system to depths greater than 200 ft bgs, and he was also the first to set a prepacked screen monitoring well to a depth of 180 ft bgs, and in running sands no less. Mark was also instrumental in redesigning some of the tooling needed specifically for the work performed at MMR. In order to ensure that each groundwater-sampling interval is properly developed (cleared of fines), it is necessary to insert the HDPE sample tubing all the way to the tip of the sampler. However, by design, the connection of two or more 2-ft well screens prevented the tubing from reaching the tip of the sampler. Mark suggested that Geoprobe Systems® should manufacture a single, five-foot-long well screen to perform groundwater vertical profiling. This design would allow the insertion of the HDPE tubing to reach the tip of the sampler. The Geoprobe® Design Team agreed to provide us with a custom-made 5-ft. screen, and to date, we have been collecting samples with a relatively low fines content.
Kurt Lyons has also shared in the success of our direct push program. He completed a number of groundwater vertical profiling locations to depths greater than 200 ft. bgs, and most recently, he was the driller of record for the 268 ft. bgs push on January 25th.
This success is definitely a team effort. Tommy Irvine, CH2M HILL’s licensed driller, schooled the crew in machine operations. Bob Buker and Dion Cruz, CH2M HILL Field Leads, provided sampling and machine assistance. Without all of the team members, the continued success of this project would not be possible.
I’m not sure that the lithology in our area of study will allow a 300 ft. bgs location, but I bet Mark and Kurt are willing to give it a try! |
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