Applied Chemical Hydrogeology
PrefaceThis text is intended to serve as a practical introduction to hydrogeochemistry, especially for students who plan to work as consultants or regulators in the environmental field. Hopefully, there is enough theory to provide a foundation for understanding and applying the examples and case histories that follow and to give students the tools they need in hydrogeochemistry to begin an applied career in hydrogeology. For those instructors who prefer a more theoretical treatment of aqueous geochemistry, there are several excellent books available.I had several goals in mind when I began this project more than five years ago. The first was to introduce and tie together the several diverse disciplines that must be brought to bear on hydrogeochemical problems today. This entailed substantial reading to replace my lack of a formal background in essential topics including organic chemistry and microbiology. I leaned heavily on several specialized books in these areas. When I began to study ground water, Freeze and Cherry's book, Groundwater, was just coming out. That book expanded my horizons tremendously into areas that were only briefly mentioned in the hydrogeology courses I had taken, among those being the chemical aspects of ground water. If this book is even a fraction as useful in illustrating the interdisciplinary aspects of this field my goals will have been met.The second objective for writing this book was to bring to the attention of students some of the best examples and case histories from the explosion in hydrogeological literature over the past several decades. I was particularly interested in including examples with practical applications, the types of problems that professional hydrogeologists deal with on a regular basis. The text hopefully will serve as a window into this vast literature that will stimulate students to explore more deeply on their own. To those whose work I did not include because of space limitations or my lack of awareness of it, I apologize. There is so much excellent basic and applied research being done that it is difficult, if not impossible, to keep up with it all.A number of people have been instrumental in helping me through the countless times I just wanted to give up. Bob McConnin, who took over as geology editor after the merger of Prentice Hall and Macmillan, was a pleasure to work with. Patrick Lynch has proved to be an able replacement. The reviewers, Robert G. Corbett of Illinois State University, Phil Gerla of the University of North Dakota, and Seth Rose of Georgia State University provided invaluable help in pointing out errors, inconsistencies, poor writing style, and in suggesting improvements. Several of these reviewers went well beyond the call of duty in their thoroughness. Their efforts are greatly appreciated.Bonny True, a graduate student at Western Michigan University who took the course recently, read the entire copy-edited text and page proofs. Her careful reading caught many errors that eluded me, and I am very grateful for her help. Special thanks are due to Mick Lynch, who has allowed me to consult at his company, American Hydrogeology Inc. for the past ten years, with total flexibility in scheduling. This gave me an essential exposure to real-world problems that helped me decide what I wanted to include in a book for future hydrogeologists. I owe the greatest debt of gratitude to my wife Kay and my daughter Liz, who have tolerated six years of evenings and weekends when I was working on this book or stressed out because I should have been working on it.Alan E. Kehew