Summit Water Resources specializes in geochemistry and advanced geochemical modeling. We apply geochemical principles to identify contaminant sources, predict fate and transport, and rigorously evaluate the effects of geochemical processes on the development and sustainability of water resources. Our professional services encompass comprehensive geochemical evaluations of soil, sediment, water, and groundwater.
We support a range of critical applications:
- Remedial Investigations/Feasibility Studies: We design and conduct geochemical site characterizations culminating in the development of robust geochemical conceptual site models (CSMs) and numerical models that describe the nature, extent, and mobility of contamination. We also evaluate monitored natural attenuation (MNA) and assess the performance of remedial alternatives.
- Litigation support: We determine background concentrations and baseline geochemical conditions, enabling a comprehensive assessment of contaminant source, fate, and transport. We employ advanced techniques such as geochemical and isotopic fingerprinting for source apportionment. Finally, we develop expert reports for litigation, insurance claims, and Natural Resource Damage Assessments (NRDAs).
- Water resources: We assess groundwater sustainability, which includes applying age dating, ion tracers, and isotopes to understand recharge sources and rates. We also perform geochemical compatibility evaluations, which support the permitting of managed aquifer recharge (MAR) projects such as aquifer storage and recovery (ASR).
Our expertise includes:
Contaminant Geochemistry
- Heavy metals
- Radionuclides
- Arsenic and selenium
- Hexavalent chromium
- Mercury and methylmercury
- Nutrients (nitrate and phosphate)
- Oil and natural gas
- Chlorinated solvents
- Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)
- Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
- Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)
- Coal combustion residuals (CCRs)
Geochemical Modeling
- Fate and transport analysis
- Reactive transport modeling
- Monitored natural attenuation
- Treatability studies and modeling
- Inverse modeling for source evaluations
- Geochemical compatibility modeling for MAR
Environmental Forensics
- Background studies
- Source assessments
- Fate and transport analysis
- Age dating and timing of releases
- Mineralogical source fingerprinting
- Stable and radiogenic isotope fingerprinting
- Chemical fingerprinting (metals, oil/gas, chlorinated solvents, PAHs, PCBs)
Water Resources
- Recharge sources and rates
- Groundwater age dating
- Water and stable isotopes
- Water quality assessments
- Contaminant sources, fate and transport
- Geochemical compatibility for MAR and ASR
