Browsing by Author "Blotevogel, Jens, advisor"
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Item Open Access Assessment of water quality, toxicity and treatment strategies downstream of NPDES oil and gas produced water discharges intended for beneficial reuse(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2019) McLaughlin, Molly Cook, author; Borch, Thomas, advisor; Blotevogel, Jens, advisor; Argueso, Juan Lucas, committee member; Mouser, Paula, committee member; Sale, Tom, committee memberProduced water is the largest waste stream associated with oil and gas operations. This complex fluid contains petroleum hydrocarbons, heavy metals, salts, naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORMs) and any remaining chemical additives. In the United States, west of the 98th meridian, the federal National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) exemption allows release of produced water for agricultural beneficial reuse if it is of "good enough quality." Due to the complex and variable composition of produced water as well as the variations in permit effluent limits and treatment approaches, the downstream impacts of NPDES produced water releases are not fully understood. The goal of this dissertation was to determine if the current NPDES produced water permit effluent limits are adequate and if not, to identify additional steps that can be taken to improve water quality. As a first step towards this goal, a detailed chemical and toxicological analysis was conducted on a stream composed of produced water released for agricultural beneficial reuse. Over 50 geogenic and anthropogenic organic chemicals not specified in the effluent limits were detected at the discharge including hydrocarbons, halogenated compounds, and surfactants. Most were removed within 15 km of the discharge due to volatilization, biodegradation, and sorption to sediment. Additionally, the attenuation rate increased substantially in a wetland downstream of the discharge point. Tens of inorganic species were also detected in the watershed, including many sourced from produced water. In contrast to organic chemicals, the concentrations of most inorganic species increased downstream due to water evaporation. This included contaminants of concern such as boron, selenium and total dissolved solids (TDS). An assessment of regulatory health thresholds revealed that eight of the organic species detected at the discharge were listed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) to be known, probable or possible carcinogens. Mutagenicity of this water was assessed using a yeast mutation assay that analyzed copy number variation (CNV) duplications, CNV deletions, forward point mutations and reversion point mutations. These mutations are established as having a role in human disease, including cancer. Higher rates of mutation were observed at the discharge point and decreased with distance downstream. This correlated with the concentrations of known carcinogens detected in the stream including benzene and radium. Mutation rate increases were most prominent for CNV duplications and were higher than mutation rates observed in mixtures of known composition containing all detected organic carcinogens in the discharge. In addition, samples were evaluated for acute toxicity in Daphnia magna and developmental toxicity in zebrafish (Danio rerio). Acute toxicity was minimal, and no developmental toxicity was observed. Finally, in response to the observation that attenuation of organic chemicals increased in wetlands, constructed wetlands downstream of three different NPDES produced water discharges, including the discharge of focus in the chemical and toxicological analysis, were evaluated for their viability to polish produced water. The results showed that wetlands are effective at attenuating commonly used non-ionic surfactants, as well as a commonly used biocide. Attenuation was not only due to degradation, but also accumulation in sediments. Sediment accumulation has the potential to limit the lifetime of the wetlands or increase the frequency with which sediment must be excavated. The results of this dissertation identified multiple improvements that can be made to NPDES produced water regulations. Current regulations apply to the discharge site only. This dissertation shows that downstream changes in water quality must be considered to adequately evaluate potential impacts of produced water discharges, as exemplified by the increasing concentrations of inorganic species downstream. Secondly, toxicological results showed that chemical analysis alone is insufficient to assess impacts of these releases and that a thorough assessment of chronic toxicity is necessary to fully assess produced water for beneficial reuse. Current regulations require acute toxicity testing, but no assessment of chronic toxicity. Finally, prior to widespread implementation of constructed wetlands for produced water treatment, additional research is needed to assess the impact of oil and gas chemical additives on the maintenance schedules of these systems, as well as the long-term impact to soil health. If these waters can be reused safely and economically, many stakeholders stand to benefit. If this practice is expanded prematurely, the quality and health of water, soil, crops and downstream users could be negatively impacted. The research contained in this dissertation is one step in a life-cycle analysis of the costs, impacts and benefits associated with oil and gas extraction.Item Open Access Catalytic strategies for enhancing electrochemical oxidation of 1,4-dioxane: TiO2 dark activation and microbial stimulation(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2016) Jasmann, Jeramy R., author; Borch, Thomas, advisor; Blotevogel, Jens, advisor; Farmer, Delphine, committee member; Neilson, James, committee member; Sanford, William, committee member; Elliot, Michael, committee member1,4-dioxane, a probable human carcinogen, is an emerging contaminant currently being reviewed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for possible health-based maximum contaminant level regulations. As both stabilizer in commonly used chlorinated solvents and as a widely used solvent in the production of many pharmaceuticals, personal care products, (PPCPs), 1,4-dioxane has been detected in surface water, groundwater and wastewater around the U.S. It is resistant to many of the traditional water treatment technologies such as sorption to activated carbon, air stripping, filtering and anaerobic biodegradation making 1,4-dioxane removal difficult and/or expensive. State-of-the art technologies for the removal of 1,4-dioxane usually apply advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) using strong oxidants in combination with UV-light and sometimes titanium dioxide (TiO2) catalyzed photolysis. These approaches require the use of expensive chemical reagents and are limited to ex situ (i.e. pump and treat) applications. Here, at Colorado State University’s Center for Contaminant Hydrology, innovative flow-through electrolytic reactors have been developed for treating groundwater contaminated with organic pollutants. The research presented in this dissertation has investigated catalytic strategies for enhancing electrochemical oxidation of 1,4-dioxane in flow-through reactors. Two types (abiotic and biotic) of catalysis were also explored: (1) dark, electrolytic activation of insulated, inter-electrode TiO2 pellets to catalyze the degradation of organic pollutants in the bulk solution by reactive oxygen species (ROS), and (2) adding permeable electrodes upstream of dioxane-degrading microbes, Pseudonocardia dioxanivorans CB1190, to pre-treat mixed contaminant water and provide O2 stimulation to these aerobic bacteria. For the abiotic form of catalysis, we characterized the properties of novel TiO2 inter-electrode material, and elucidated the properties most important to its catalytic activity, using 1,4-dioxane as the model contaminant. The TiO2 was novel in its use as an “inter-electrode” catalyst (not coated on the electrode and not used as a TiO2 slurry) and in the mechanism of its catalytic activation occurring in dark (not photocatalysis) and insulated (not typical electrocatalysis) conditions. Further studies were performed using electrochemical batch reactors and probe molecules in order to gain mechanistic insights into dark catalysis provided by detached TiO2 pellets in an electrochemical system. The results of our investigations show that electrolytic treatment, when used in combination with this catalytically active inter-electrode material, can successfully and efficiently degrade 1,4-dioxane. Benefits of catalyzed electrolysis as a green remediation technology are that (1) it does not require addition of chemicals during treatment, (2) it has low energy requirements that can be met through the use of solar photovoltaic modules, and (3) it is very versatile in that it could be applied in situ for contaminated groundwater sites or installed in-line on above-ground reactors to remediate contaminated groundwater. Although, 1,4-dioxane appears to be resistant to natural attenuation via anaerobic biodegradation, some aerobic bacteria have been shown to metabolize and co-metabolize 1,4-dioxane. For example, growth-supporting aerobic metabolism/degradation of 1,4-dioxane by Pseudonocardia dioxanivorans CB1190, has been demonstrated in laboratory studies. However, previous studies showed that this biodegradation process is inhibited by the presence of chlorinated solvents such as 1,1,1-trichlorethane (1,1,1-TCA) and trichloroethene (TCE). This could dramatically impact the success for in situ 1,4-dioxane biodegradation with P. dioxanivorans since chlorinated solvents are common co-contaminants of 1,4-dioxane. Our previous investigations into electrolytic treatment of organic pollutants both ex and in situ showed that effective degradation of chlorinated solvents like TCE was achievable. In addition, the electrolysis of water generates molecular O2 required by the CB1190 bacteria as well. This led us to hypothesize that the generation of O2 could enhance aerobic biodegradation processes, and the concurrent degradation of co-solvents could reduce their inhibitory impact on 1,4-dioxane biodegradation. In flow-through sand column studies presented here, we investigate the electrolytic stimulation of Pseudonocardia dioxanivorans CB1190, with the expectation that anodic O2 generation would enhance aerobic biodegradation processes, and concurrent degradation of TCE would reduce the expected inhibitory impact on 1,4-dioxane biodegradation. Results show that when both electrolytic and biotic processes are combined, oxidation rates of 1,4-dioxane substantially increased suggesting that aerobic biodegradation processes had been successfully stimulated. In summary, the results of this dissertation provide evidence of (1) efficient removal of recalcitrant 1,4-dioxane, especially with the addition of inter-electrode TiO2 catalysts, (2) elucidate possible mechanistic pathways for electro-activated dark TiO2 catalysis, and (3) provide evidence for successful synergistic performance for electro-bioremediation treatment during simulated mixed, contaminant plume conditions.Item Open Access Combining chemical with biological oxidation for efficient treatment of chloronitrobenzene in groundwater(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2019) Amiri, Samia, author; Blotevogel, Jens, advisor; Sale, Thomas C., committee member; DiVerdi, Joseph A., committee memberChloronitrobenzene (CNB) is a chloronitroaromatic compound widely used in the synthetic production of pharmaceuticals, pesticides, dyes, lumber preservatives, and many other industrial products. CNB has been recognized as a toxic organic contaminant to humans and is recalcitrant to microbial biodegradation in anoxic environments. When receptors are threatened by CNB-contaminated groundwater, regulators may demand immediate remedial approaches, such as advanced oxidation processes (AOPs). While AOPs are effective for the removal of many organic contaminants from water, these techniques are often costly, especially when complete mineralization is the goal. In this study, it was hypothesized that chemical oxidation for the primary purpose of ring cleavage followed by biological oxidation of the generated intermediates is more cost-effective than relying on AOPs only for complete mineralization. Electrochemical oxidation via hydroxyl radicals was chosen as model AOP and performed at various applied potentials and for different treatment durations. Liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC/QToF-MS) revealed that the aromatic ring in CNB is rapidly hydroxylated and cleaved to form dicarboxylic products including muconic acid, succinic acid, malic acid, and maleic acid. Further electrochemical oxidation of these dicarboxylates was slower by about two orders of magnitude. To evaluate the universal biodegradability of the generated intermediates, the electrochemically oxidized samples of CNB were then exposed to a microbial culture enriched from a rhizosphere soil. Results showed that the dicarboxylic ring opening products biodegraded under anoxic conditions within 7 days while aromatic species including CNB, chloronitrophenol, chlorohydroquinone and dihydroxybenzoquinone persisted over 28 days of biological treatment. A comprehensive cost analysis considering both capital costs (electrodes) and operational costs (electric energy) revealed that the most efficient treatment strategy is to apply electrochemical oxidation at a low applied potential around 6 V until complete cleavage of the aromatic ring is achieved. Beyond that, advanced oxidation of the readily biodegradable ring cleavage products becomes uneconomical. Consequently, the coupling of chemical oxidation for persistent parent compounds with biodegradation of transformation intermediates is an efficient approach for the treatment of groundwater contaminated with CNB and likely other aromatic contaminants.Item Open Access Environmental fate of hydraulic fracturing fluid additives after spillage on agricultural topsoil(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2016) McLaughlin, Molly C., author; Blotevogel, Jens, advisor; Borch, Thomas, advisor; DiVerdi, Joseph, committee memberInadvertent releases of hydraulic fracturing fluid may occur at many different stages, with surface spills being the most commonly reported cause of contamination. Hydraulic fracturing (HF) frequently occurs on agricultural land, where surface spills have the potential to impact soil, groundwater and surface water quality. However, the extent of sorption, transformation, and interactions among the numerous organic HF fluid and oil & gas wastewater constituents upon environmental release is hardly known. Thus, this study aims to advance our current understanding of processes that control the environmental fate and toxicity of commonly used hydraulic fracturing chemicals with a specific focus on co-contaminant effects. Hydraulic fracturing fluid releases were simulated using aerobic batch studies conducted with a topsoil collected from Weld County, Colorado, an area where reservoirs are frequently stimulated. Each batch reactor contained varying combinations of the biocide glutaraldehyde (GA), polyethylene glycol (PEG) surfactants, and a polyacrylamide (PAM)-based friction reducer, three widely used hydraulic fracturing fluid components. Furthermore, the presence of salt was investigated in the experiments, often present at high concentration in produced water from hydraulic fracturing operations. Results showed that aqueous GA concentrations decreased by as much as 40% in the first three days of the experiment as a result of sorption to soil. Complete biodegradation of this biocide occurred in all reactors in 33 to 57 days, with the slowest removal occurring in the reactor containing salt. The fastest removal of GA was observed in the reactors containing PAM friction reducer, where degradation rates increased by 50% as compared to reactors without PAM. This increase in removal is attributed to the cross-linking reaction between GA and primary amine functional groups in the friction reducer. In the absence of GA and salt, PEG surfactants were completely biodegraded in agricultural topsoil within 42 to 71 days. Their transformation was impeded, however, in the presence of the biocide GA, and completely inhibited in the presence of 30 g/L sodium chloride, a concentration in the typical range for oil and gas wastewater. No aqueous removal of PAM was observed over a period of six months. However, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) concentrations were consistently higher in reactors containing PAM friction reducer, suggesting this additive supplied an easily accessible source of nitrogen to the microbial soil community. The findings of this study highlight the necessity to consider co-contaminant effects when we evaluate the risk of frac fluid additives and oil and gas wastewater constituents in agricultural soils in order to fully understand their human health impacts, likelihood for crop uptake, and potential for groundwater contamination.Item Open Access Exposing new compositional coverage of weathered petroleum hydrocarbons through a tiered analytical approach(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2019) Bojan, Olivia, author; Blotevogel, Jens, advisor; Sale, Tom, advisor; Denef, Karolien, committee memberPetroleum hydrocarbon spills are a widespread source of contamination that may threaten ecosystem services and human health, especially due to modern society's dependence on petroleum-based fuels. Remediation mainly relies on natural source zone depletion (NSZD) processes, which may generate partially oxidized transformation products of the spilled hydrocarbons through weathering or biodegradation processes. These byproducts containing one or more heteroatoms (N, S or O) – referred to as "polar hydrocarbons" – have increased water solubility and mobility in the environment. The unknown fate and toxicity of these complex mixtures of polar metabolites are causing growing concern. The objectives of this thesis were (1) to use a tiered analytical approach to investigate polar transformation products from various sources and (2) to identify common marker compounds that can be used for a more focused characterization of weathering processes at petroleum-contaminated sites. Previous studies have shown that the majority of weathered petroleum hydrocarbon compounds could not be detected by the GC-based analyses currently required by the United States Environmental Protection Agency due to their low volatility and high molecular weight. Therefore, standard methods may yield misleading characterizations of plumes and impede effective risk management. Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS), an emerging analytical technique in the field of "petroleomics" (the characterization of petroleum at the molecular level) offers unrivaled resolving power and mass accuracy; here it was used to determine the elemental composition of highly complex petroleum mixtures present in hydrocarbon-impacted sediment samples collected from field sites with varying redox and hydrogeological conditions. The tiered analysis revealed that GC-based techniques could only detect select nonpolar, low-molecular weight species (Item Open Access Forecasting groundwater contaminant plume development using statistical and machine learning methods(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2022) McConnnell, Elizabeth, author; Blotevogel, Jens, advisor; Karimi Askarani, Kayvan, committee member; Ham, Jay, committee member; Scalia, Joseph, committee memberA persistent challenge in predicting the fate and transport of groundwater contaminants is the inherent geologic heterogeneity of the subsurface. Contaminant movement has been primarily modeled by simplifying the geology and accepting assumptions to solve the advection- dispersion-reaction equation. With the large groundwater quality datasets that have been collected for decades at legacy contaminated sites, there is an emerging potential to use data- driven machine learning algorithms to model contaminant plume development and improve site management. However, spatial and temporal data density and quality requirements for accurate plume forecasting have yet to be determined. In this study, extensive historical datasets from groundwater monitoring well samples were initially used with the intent to increase our understanding of complex interrelations between groundwater quality parameters and to build a suitable model for estimating the time to site closure. After correlation analyses applied to the entire datasets did not reveal compelling correlation coefficients, likely due to poor data quality from integrated well samples, the initial task was reversed to determine how many data are needed for accurate groundwater plume forecasting. A reactive transport model for a focus area downgradient of a zero-valent iron permeable reactive barrier was developed to generate a detailed, synthetic carbon tetrachloride concentration dataset that was input to two forecasting models, Prophet and the damped Holt's method. By increasing the temporal sampling schedule from the industry norm of quarterly to monthly, the plume development forecasts improved such that times to site closure were accurately predicted. For wells with declining contaminant concentrations, the damped Holt's method achieved more accurate forecasts than Prophet. However, only Prophet allows for the inclusion of exogenous regressors such as temporal concentration changes in upgradient wells, enabling the predictions of future declining trends in wells with still increasing contaminant concentrations. The value of machine learning models for contaminant fate and transport prediction is increasingly apparent, but changes in groundwater sampling will be required to take full advantage of data-driven contaminant plume forecasting. As the quantity and quality of data collection increases, aided by sensors and automated sampling, these tools will become an integral part of contaminated site management. Spatial high-resolution data, for instance from multi-level samplers, have previously transformed our understanding of contaminant fate and transport in the subsurface, and improved our ability to manage sites. The collection of temporal high-resolution data will similarly revolutionize our ability to forecast contaminant plume behavior.Item Open Access Investigation of temperature effects on subsurface attenuation of nitroaromatic compounds(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Bezold, Zoe Elizabeth, author; Blotevogel, Jens, advisor; De Long, Susan, advisor; Ronayne, Michael, committee memberInadvertent releases of nitroaromatic compounds (NACs) during the production of dyes, explosives, and pesticides have led to soil and groundwater contamination at a chemical production facility in New Jersey. Elevated carbon dioxide fluxes and depleted ¹⁴C content were observed in the contaminated area compared to a background area, indicating that anthropogenic organic contaminants were degrading under natural site conditions. Recent research at Colorado State University has shown that maintaining soil temperatures ~5°C above natural site conditions substantially increases rates of anaerobic petroleum hydrocarbon degradation. The overarching goal of this research is to determine whether thermal enhancement might increase attenuation rates of NACs under otherwise natural conditions at the contaminated site. Detailed depth-resolved site characterization was performed to elucidate current biogeochemical processes. While nitronaphthalene dominated the nonaqueous phase contamination at concentrations up to 47,500 mg/kg, major aqueous contaminants were the more water-soluble 1,3-dinitrobenzene (up to 216 mg/L), 2,4-dinitrotoluene (up to 163 mg/L), and 1,2-chloronitrobenzene (up to 91 mg/L). Comparison of organic carbon in detected contaminants with total organic carbon revealed that there were no other organic contaminants at relevant concentrations in the contaminated area, indicating that the increased CO₂ fluxes were due to mineralization of NACs under natural conditions. The presence of nitroaniline and chloroaniline throughout the entire depth of the shallow aquifer (~3-24 ft bgs) in aqueous samples suggested partial degradation of NACs through reduction of the nitro group, given there are no upstream sources for the anilines. For nitronaphthalene and nitrated toluenes, no degradations products were detected. Microbial diversity analysis revealed that the contaminated transmissive zone was dominated by Pseudomonas stutzeri, a facultative aerobe that has been shown to degrade a variety of monoaromatic compounds including chloronitrobenzene and chlorobenzene. At abundances of up to 83%, it appears likely that P. stutzeri plays a key role in the biodegradation of NACs at the site. The dominance of a nitrate-reducing microbial species, P. stutzeri, and depleted nitrate concentrations suggested that natural degradation processes at the site are limited by electron acceptor availability. Further degradation and mineralization of aniline intermediates, however, may require aerobic conditions. Thus, the aniline compounds may persist under natural conditions or irreversibly sorb to natural organic matter as long as sorption sites are available. To determine the effect of temperature on biodegradation rates, anaerobic microcosms containing homogenized site soil were held at temperatures between 10-30 °C for 350 days. Concentrations of the minor contaminants toluene, xylene, ethylbenzene, and chlorobenzene were significantly depleted. The extent of their degradation along with generated gas volumes suggested a temperature maximum of stimulation around 18-22 °C. In contrast to field observations, reduced organic intermediates of NAC degradation were not detected. However, a slight increase in ammonia was observed, potentially due to slow degradation of NACs. The inability to recreate field degradation rates may likely be attributed to soil sampling and/or homogenization, eliminating favorable biogeochemical zones for site microorganisms. In summary, degradation of select organic contaminants at the site is occurring under natural anaerobic conditions, and may be stimulated by a slight increase in temperature to ~20 °C. However, complete NAC mineralization will likely require oxygen delivery. As a path forward, an aerobic microcosm study is proposed to assess the potential for biodegradation. A subsequent biosparging pilot test, in which subsurface temperatures can be passively raised using gas-permeable surface insulation, may prove the feasibility of this technology for site remediation. Furthermore, consideration should be given to further analysis of subsurface temperature data to resolve natural rates of contaminant degradation in source zones.Item Open Access Reactor design for electrochemical oxidation of the persistent organic pollutant 1,4-dioxane in groundwater(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2018) Cottrell, P. Maxine, author; Blotevogel, Jens, advisor; Sale, Tom C., advisor; Dandy, David, committee memberThe common industrial solvent stabilizer and wetting agent 1,4-dioxane (DX) is one of the most widely occurring organic groundwater contaminants in the United States today. It is a probable human carcinogen, highly mobile in groundwater, and resistant to anaerobic biodegradation. The ineffectiveness of conventional treatment approaches such as stripping and sorption to activated carbon results in a critical need of advanced technologies for the treatment of DX in groundwater. Previous studies have shown that electrochemical oxidation is able to fully mineralize 1,4-dioxane, but testing has thus far been limited to proof-of-principle bench-scale experiments. Consequently, this study addresses the design of a configurable mobile pilot-scale reactor that can be used to test electrochemical degradation performance under site-specific conditions and with different dimensionally stable electrode materials. The goal of this reactor design is to accommodate straightforward scale-up for field applications, and low cost of production so that ultimately multiple modular units can be deployed to operate in series or in parallel. Assessment of critical design parameters in a bench-scale reactor showed that DX degradation rates almost doubled when no inter-electrode solid media were used. No significant differences were observed between operating the reactor in continuous versus batch mode. An additional 57% degradation rate improvement was achieved when the batch reactor was operated with 30-minute polarity reversals as compared with constant polarity. Bench-scale reactor and initial pilot reactor tests with Ti/IrO2-Ta2O5 electrodes were run using a synthetic groundwater solution containing DX in NaCl electrolyte, revealing substantial effects of scale, while DX degradation kinetics were similar. Groundwater from a contaminated industrial site was then treated in the pilot reactor with an apparent anode surface area per order of magnitude DX removal (ASAAO) of 305 h*m2/m3 at an electric energy consumption per order of magnitude DX removal (EEO) of 152 kWh/m3, with relatively minor production of undesirable by-products. The contaminated site groundwater was also treated in a commercial bench-scale reactor with a Magnéli-phase titanium oxide anode, resulting in an ASAAO of 28 h*m2/m3 at an EEO of 176 kWh/m3, but with a high yield of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) and chlorate (ClO3-), and minor formation of perchlorate (ClO4-). In comparison of the surface-area normalized rates of removal, the commercial reactor was faster than the pilot reactor, but it consumed more energy per order reduction and generated more undesirable reaction by-products, commonly referred to as disinfection by-products (DBPs). Future testing at contaminated field sites will reveal the efficacy of our newly designed reactor, and thus electrochemical treatment, for the remediation of groundwater contaminated with DX and other persistent organic pollutants.Item Open Access Real-time visualization of advective groundwater flow(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2020) Ferrie, Zach, author; Sale, Thomas, advisor; Blotevogel, Jens, advisor; Ham, Jay, committee memberAs the portfolio of sites with subsurface contamination matures, long-term monitoring is becoming the primary factor governing costs for managing historical releases of contaminants to soil and groundwater. Hydraulic gradients are the primary factor driving the velocity and direction in which subsurface contaminants move, making them an important parameter to resolve. Current best practices for tracking groundwater flow include either collecting head data by hand or deploying pressure transducers and periodically returning to manually download the data. Unfortunately, cost restraints and infrequent data collection and processing are not conducive to timely responses to adverse conditions. In this study, two low-cost cellular connected data acquisition systems are developed which allow for collection and analysis of head data in real-time. Using planar regressions of three head values, automated algorithms are used to estimate the direction and rate of groundwater flow on an hourly basis. Another novel addition is the integration of real-time alerts. By automating various alerts, site managers can be notified when conditions reach a pre-determined threshold. Automated alerts allow for swift action to be taken to adverse conditions and can lead to greater safety for the public while saving sites from costly mistakes. Following Devlin and McElwee (2007), uncertainty in groundwater flow direction is a function of measurement error, spacing between wells, and local hydraulic gradients. By using these sources of uncertainty to create synthetic datasets, algorithms are used to estimate the likely range of a groundwater flow path. The effects of pressure transducer drift (i.e. increasing measurement error over time) and their effect on uncertainty are also explored. Results from this study show that as long as the drift is similar in magnitude and direction for all pressure transducers, the effect on the uncertainty in the model is negligible. Additionally, the effects of uncertainty in anisotropy on deviation from the estimated flow path are considered by way of synthetic datasets, which is novel to this research. The results of this research reveal that the effects of anisotropy uncertainty on groundwater flow direction and seepage velocity are also tied to well spacing. Comparisons of the effects of measurement error vs anisotropy uncertainty are compared for four field sites. Results show that the magnitudes of each source of error are site specific and that the effects of measurement error are not always greater than the effects of anisotropy uncertainty and vice versa. Lastly, the seepage velocities are expressed by way of a color scheme common across sites. This novel addition allows for easy visualization of seepage velocities across time and space. Overall, the vision from this research is that real-time, continuous collection and analysis of head data can proceed as outlined in this Thesis. In the future manually collected and interpreted head data need to be compared to the automated analyses described in this Thesis to further support the validity of the methods proposed herein. Another future test is to investigate alternative technologies to pressure transducers for gaining head measurements that are more accurate and reliable.Item Open Access Third-generation site characterization: cryogenic core collection, nuclear magnetic resonance, and electrical resistivity(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2016) Kiaalhosseini, Saeed, author; Sale, Thomas, advisor; Blotevogel, Jens, advisor; Johnson, Richard, committee member; Butters, Gregory, committee memberTo view the abstract, please see the full text of the document.