Lecturer Carlos Molano, PE, will present a lecture on how spreadsheets can help solve simple and complex groundwater problems as part of the National Ground Water Research and Education Foundation (NGWREF) 2014 McEllhiney Lecture Series.

His presentation will be titled “Groundwater Spreadsheets: Efficient and Practical Resource for Solving Simple and Complex Flow, Pollution, and Environmental Problems.”

Molano is cofounder and president of Hidrogeocol, which has offices in Colombia, Ecuador and Panama, and a professor of groundwater flow and pollution in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Los Andes University in Bogota, Colombia. Last year he was given the Distinguished Latin-America Hydrogeologist Award by the Latin American Association for Groundwater Development.

Molano’s lecture will offer groundwater professionals tips on how spreadsheets can, without programming or complex math, track:

• Pumping and slug tests, step drawdown and intermittent tests

• Analytical and numerical solutions for groundwater flow and pollution problems

• Delineation of capture zones, forward and inverse particle tracking for groundwater contamination

• Hydrogeochemical analysis

• Earth resistivity soundings interpretation

• Land subsidence

• Flow system analysis and impact of climate change in groundwater resources 

Molano’s ideas were developed with Latin America in mind, but concepts can be applied to economical solutions by well contractors, groundwater scientists, ecologists, water resource planners and others in other areas of the world.

The schedule for the lectures, which are funded by Franklin Electric, has not been finalized. Sites interested in hosting a McEllhiney lecture should request a form from rgeddes@ngwa.org and submit it by Oct. 1, 2013. No other methods of request are accepted.

 The NGWREF, founded in 1994, is the charitable arm of the National Ground Water Association. It is focused on conducting educational, research and other activities that promote a broader understanding of groundwater use and access. NGWA is a nonprofit that supports responsible development, management and use of water resources. It’s comprised of groundwater professionals ranging from contractors to equipment manufacturers to scientists and engineers. For more information, visit www.ngwa.org.