Monday,
March 9, 2020
6:00 - 7:30 pm
Pellissippi State Technical Community College
10915 Hardin Valley
Road, Knoxville
J.L Goins Administration Building
Faculty/Staff Dining Room
MARCH PRESENTATION
Solute and sediment transport
in the Knox Aquifer near Oak Ridge, TN
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By
Sid Jones, PhD, PE, PG
Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation (retired)
Abstract
In the vicinity of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, the
Knox Aquifer is principally comprised of the Cambrian-Ordovician age
dolomite of the Knox Group and the underlying Cambrian age
Maynardville limestone. Groundwater flow is known to be influenced
by dissolution processes that have created karst features in these
carbonate rocks. Over a dozen groundwater tracing studies using
fluorescent dyes have been conducted in this aquifer on and around
the Department of Energy Oak Ridge Reservation. Results from these
studies, in combination with field parameters and chemical analyses
of groundwater discharging at springs, are used to provide insight
into the transport of solutes and suspended material in this
hydrogeological environment. The behavior of solute and sediment in
groundwater in the Knox Aquifer near Oak Ridge is generally similar
to that reported in other studies of transport in karst aquifers,
with first arrival times for both solute and suspended matter
indicating rapid groundwater velocities but significant loss of the
mass during transport, especially for suspended material.
Biography
Dr. Jones has been interested in Tennessee karst for over 45
years, sparked initially by exploring caves on the western
escarpment of the Cumberland Plateau while a university student. He
was fortunate to be with the first group to explore portions of
several large caves in that area. During this time, he witnessed
water quality impacts in cave steams due to surface mining and
failing sewage plants in the Upper Cumberland area of Tennessee and
grew interested in the chemistry and transport of contaminants in
karst areas. After leaving the Upper Cumberland area, he worked
primarily for 15 years as a researcher, academic, and volunteer, but
maintained an interest in karst studies and continued to assist
colleagues with karst-related projects. After returning to Tennessee
and joining the Oak Ridge office of the Tennessee Department of
Environment & Conservation in 1992, he became involved in
groundwater tracing studies in Oak Ridge and throughout the eastern
half of the state. He has contributed to efforts to better quantify
contaminant transport in karst aquifers.
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Page updated March 09, 2020 |