Applus RTD / Quality Inspection Services Inc. was recently contracted by the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo, Amherst Campus to complete a field investigation to supplement the existing on-site groundwater monitoring system (GMS). It is used to study groundwater tracing and various potential remedial measures in fractured bedrock, located beneath the campus and locally in Western New York.

Applus RTD / QIS mobilized two ATV drill rigs for the project. The three new wells were advanced through overburden soils, which were deposited during the last glacial event, and consist of lacustrine (lake-laid) silts and clays, overlying limestone and shale bedrock from the Upper Silurian and Lower Devonian time periods, dating back 350 to 430 million years ago.

The open bedrock wells were completed at the ground surface with locking well caps. Recovered bedrock samples were logged by the Applus RTD / QIS geologists. The bedrock samples were retained by Erasmus Oware of SUNY at Buffalo  and his hydrogeology students for future characterization and fractured bedrock groundwater studies.

Applus RTD/QIS was contracted by Oware through an open-bid request for proposal, which included the drilling and installation of three deep bedrock water wells. Four existing wells were previously drilled to approximately 50 feet. The three new wells were drilled to at least 80 feet. The purpose of the new wells was to provide an open borehole in bedrock through which geophysical logging equipment could be lowered. According to Oware, the wells were purposely designed and drilled to create SUNY at Buffalo's Environmental Geophysics Imaging Site (EGIS). The site will be used to investigate numerous subsurface research objectives, such as imaging fractures, and geophysical (electrical resistivity, GPR, and thermal) monitoring of tracer experiments to increase understanding of flow and transport through fractures.

Applus RTD delivers technologies and services for non-destructive testing (NDT), inspection and certification to the capital-intensive, high-risk energy and power industries. The company specializes in project management for pipelines, offshore and onshore production facilities, refinery and storage facilities in the oil and gas, traditional and renewable energy sectors, and national utility and infrastructure markets. To learn more, go to www.applusrtd.com.