Effective December 23, 2010, INTERA has reached an agreement to divest its shareholding in its Canadian affiliate INTERA Engineering Ltd. As part of this transaction, Intera Engineering will be changing its name in early 2011. With over 150 employees, INTERA looks forward to continuing to provide excellent customer service from offices in Texas, Florida, New Mexico, Washington, Colorado, France and Switzerland.
Continue ReadingDr. William (Bill) Linderfelt Joins INTERA’s Albuquerque Office
INTERA is pleased to announce the addition of Dr. Bill Linderfelt to the INTERA Albuquerque office as a Principal Hydrogeologist. Bill has over 25 years of experience in hydrogeology and environmental science focused on the development of conceptual and numerical flow and transport models of complex groundwater and surface water systems. He has applied a variety of modeling techniques including numerical and analytical flow and transport solutions, geostatistic and stochastic analysis, and uncertainty analysis.
Bill has applied models to evaluate: groundwater and surface water impacts from open-pit and underground mines; infiltration into and recharge through the vadose zone to support the design of infiltration basins and evaluate the migration of waste rock leachate; LNAPL dissolution and dissolved-phase migration in the saturated and vadose zones; transport and fate of contaminants in variably saturated flow systems for allocation and remediation design; and density-coupled modeling of dense liquids. Dr. Linderfelt has strong project management skills including the ability to interact well with clients, oversee project teams, and mentor junior staff.
Continue ReadingINTERA’s Dr. Mick Apted Publishes Book on Disposal of Radioactive Wastes in Geological Repositories
INTERA’s Dr. Mick Apted and co-editor Professor Joonhong Ahn of UC Berkeley have recently published a book entitled “Geological Repository Systems for the Safe Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel and Radioactive Waste”. The scope of the book, issued as Volume 9 in the Woodhead Publishing Series on Energy, covers multiple aspects for the safe disposal of radioactive wastes including basic disposal strategies, site characterization in diverse rock types, repository design, safety assessment, regulatory review, and public acceptance.
The book also contains contributed chapters from several other INTERA staff members, including Drs. Matt Kozak, Randy Arthur, and Wei Zhou. For additional information, please contact Mick atmapted@intera.com, or www.woodheadpublishing.com.
Continue ReadingINTERA’s Greg Ruskauff to Speak at the International Groundwater Symposium
INTERA’s Greg Ruskauff will be presenting “Assessing the Regulatory Consequences of Underground Nuclear Weapons Testing with Parameter and Conceptual Uncertainty – Frenchman Flat, Nevada,” at the International Groundwater Symposium in Valencia, Spain, September 22-24, 2010. For additional information on the conference; visit the IAHR International Groundwater Symposium 2010 website.
View the abstract of Mr. Ruskauff’s paper »
Continue ReadingINTERA Receives 2010 Excellence in Reclamation Award from the New Mexico Mining and Minerals Division
INTERA Receives 2010 Excellence in Reclamation Award from the Mining and Minerals Division of the New Mexico Energy, Minerals & Natural Resources Department for Work at JJ No. 1 Mine Site
The JJ No. 1/L-Bar Site consists of a former uranium mill (referred to as L-Bar Mill) and a former underground uranium mine (referred to as JJ No. 1 Mine) located east of Seboyeta in Cibola County, New Mexico. Mining and milling at the site commenced in 1977 and continued until 1981 when the mine closed due to the economics of the uranium industry. The mill processed approximately 2,111,700 tons of uranium ore and the mine produced approximately 898,500 tons of ore. The L-Bar Mill site was reclaimed per U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulations and the property was transferred to the U.S. Department of Energy for permanent stewardship in 2003. Surface features of the JJ No. 1 Mine were initially reclaimed soon after the mine was closed. Final reclamation commenced in September 2009 and was completed in August 2010.
INTERA designed and implemented a closure method, termed “hardscaping”, that placed natural rock from the mine area over the vent shaft concrete overslabs to simulate natural rock outcrops in the surrounding landscape. Where feasible, the typical vent shaft closure method involved backfilling with at least two feet of cover over the concrete overslabs where landforming could blend the cover into an adjacent hillside. However, a number of the vent shafts in the mine area were not located on terrain that allowed for blending the vent shaft closures into the existing topography without requiring excessive fill or the creation of slopes greater than 3:1.
The hardscaping closure method resulted in vent shaft closures that are more consistent with the landscape, provide permanent closure for the vent shafts, and result in self-sustaining ecosystems that are ideal wildlife habitats for small mammals, reptiles, and avifauna. Hardscaping closure reduced both the amount of additional disturbance required for development of the borrow area and the carbon footprint associated with excavating and transporting fill material. Incorporating the hardscaping methods in the design also resulted in the acceleration of completion of one of the first uranium mine closures in the State of New Mexico. Prior to its implementation, the innovative hardscaping closure method was approved by the Mining and Minerals Division Hard Rock Mining Group.
Continue ReadingLarry Coons Joins INTERA’s Albuquerque Office
INTERA is pleased to announce the addition of Larry Coons, PE, PHg, DEE, to the INTERA Albuquerque office as a Senior Engineer. He brings more than 30 years of experience in the areas of site characterization, remedial system design, landfill gas engineering, performance assessment of waste repositories, and expert testimony. Larry is a licensed professional engineer and a certified professional hydrogeologist by the American Institute of Hydrology, as well as a certified Diplomat of Environmental Engineering through the American Academy of Environmental Engineers in the specialty of solid waste management.
Prior to joining INTERA’s environmental group in Albuquerque, he served as Project Director for Gordon Environmental and was Owner/Principal Engineer of Lawrence Earth Engineering.
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