Last month I learned about Uranium contamination in drinking water in MODESTO California and other nearby areas. This month an orchard in MODESTO is being studied in an experimental flooding-of-banked-waters to recharge the depleted aquifer…but two different universities are involved so:
- who is looking at the Uranium in this experiment?
- Will water-banked-releases worsen/spread brownfield contamination?
- How will this study benefit Texans concerned with fracking & NORM related toxins to ground and surface waters?
—– Forwarded Message —–
From: Helen Dahlke <hdahlke@ucdavis.edu>
To: kim feil <kimfeil@sbcglobal.net>
Sent: Friday, January 22, 2016 10:32 PM
Subject: Re: Groundwater Banking.. the “MODESTO effect” who is checking for Uranium? Toxic Almonds / the fracking effect on Storm Water
From: Helen Dahlke <hdahlke@ucdavis.edu>
To: kim feil <kimfeil@sbcglobal.net>
Sent: Friday, January 22, 2016 10:32 PM
Subject: Re: Groundwater Banking.. the “MODESTO effect” who is checking for Uranium? Toxic Almonds / the fracking effect on Storm Water
Hi Kim,
Thank you for your email. I was not aware of the uranium pollution but thank you for pointing that out!
Thanks,
Helen
—– Forwarded Message —–
From: kim feil
To: “kekerlin@ucdavis.edu” <kekerlin@ucdavis.edu>; “hdahlke@ucdavis.edu” <hdahlke@ucdavis.edu>; “wayne.owen@trwd.com” <wayne.owen@trwd.com>; “REvans@nctcog.org” <REvans@nctcog.org>; “cray@nebraska.edu” <cray@nebraska.edu>; “dsnow1@unl.edu” <dsnow1@unl.edu>; “dcassada1@unl.edu” <dcassada1@unl.edu>; “ashultis2@unl.edu” <ashultis2@unl.edu>
Cc: Mary Kelleher; Buzz Pishkur <buzz.pishkur@arlingtontx.gov>; Darryl Westbrook <darryl.westbrook@arlingtontx.gov>; “rmcculle@gptx.org” <rmcculle@gptx.org>; “stormwater@dallascityhall.com” <stormwater@dallascityhall.com>; Zacariah Hildenbrand <zac@informenv.com>; Kevin A. Schug <kschug@uta.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, January 20, 2016 9:14 AM
Subject: Groundwater Banking.. the “MODESTO effect” who is checking for Uranium? Toxic Almonds / the fracking effect on Storm Water
From: kim feil
To: “kekerlin@ucdavis.edu” <kekerlin@ucdavis.edu>; “hdahlke@ucdavis.edu” <hdahlke@ucdavis.edu>; “wayne.owen@trwd.com” <wayne.owen@trwd.com>; “REvans@nctcog.org” <REvans@nctcog.org>; “cray@nebraska.edu” <cray@nebraska.edu>; “dsnow1@unl.edu” <dsnow1@unl.edu>; “dcassada1@unl.edu” <dcassada1@unl.edu>; “ashultis2@unl.edu” <ashultis2@unl.edu>
Cc: Mary Kelleher; Buzz Pishkur <buzz.pishkur@arlingtontx.gov>; Darryl Westbrook <darryl.westbrook@arlingtontx.gov>; “rmcculle@gptx.org” <rmcculle@gptx.org>; “stormwater@dallascityhall.com” <stormwater@dallascityhall.com>; Zacariah Hildenbrand <zac@informenv.com>; Kevin A. Schug <kschug@uta.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, January 20, 2016 9:14 AM
Subject: Groundwater Banking.. the “MODESTO effect” who is checking for Uranium? Toxic Almonds / the fracking effect on Storm Water
Dear UC Davis staff and NCTCOG Water Resource Council (Ms Evans please forward as appropriate), my name is Kim Feil, I live in Arlington Texas and concern myself with environmental trends. As a UT Arlington business graduate, I do research and try to connect the right people with the relevant news items as they break and do this full time on a volunteer basis. Networking in this manner serves as an advantage in having parsed numerous stories in the interest of helping protect public health.
Today there was a report http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_29405743/california-drought-stormwater-floods-modesto-almond-orchard-experiment of an experiment occurring in an area that I am watching in terms of known ground/drinking water contamination. MODESTO California was one of the cities that had Uranium in their drinking water that was “drawn up” from drought, aquifer pumping, and irrigation of crops/orchards. When that story broke last month, I also looked at our Texas Trinity River and recognized a similar NORM risk to our water from those factors in addition to the added risk of our fracking build out with toxic SURFACE storm water run off.
Since then UT Arlington’s CLEAR has more information of indirect aggregate risks to GROUND water quality in their latest study…
“Indirect evidence of pollutant migration via microannular fissures in well casing”
If you want the full UTA Clear pdf. please email zac@informenv.com and ask for the details on their study, “Elucidating hydraulic fracturing impacts on groundwater quality using a regional geospatial statistical modeling approach”
Now that UC Davis is studying the effects of purposefully flooding an almond orchard in MODESTO, I am trusting that the disturbed uranium levels in the drinking water from tainted ground water supplies will be monitored in this experiment? I suspect dilution to the uranium levels will occur if you have a successful attempt to recharge the aquifer that has been drawn down.
I’m just making sure that UC Davis knows to talk to Univ. of Nebraska (who studied the Uranium). One or both universities may want to add a focus on looking at the change in Uranium levels after this experiment to see how it affects the almonds AND the ground water drinking source.
It is important that if recharging aquifers in this manner (divert then flood) worsens water contamination, that brownfield areas be avoided of course.
If someone from each university could keep me in the loop on if this info was helpful, that would be appreciated.
Sincerely,
Kim Feil
(anti)Urban Drilling specialist
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