The National Groundwater Association (NGWA) held their annual Groundwater Week in person at the Las Vegas Convention Center from Dec. 5-7, 2023. The three-day event welcomed attendees from both the professional and academic fields and encompassed all things groundwater with exhibitions of engineering methods and technologies. This year, Groundwater Week marked its 75th anniversary with more than 6,000 attendees, making the event the largest in its history.
Three research assistants from WERI, Ms. Atasha Bautista, Ms. Hazelle Ko and Ms. Dannika Valerio, attended the conference, where they each presented the latest of their projects.
Ms. Bautista, a current undergraduate student majoring in Chemistry and Biology at the University of Guam, was the first of the WERI group to present her work on groundwater modeling. She demonstrated the methods of the groundwater research team (which include Mr. Jovic Caasi, Mr. Todd Wood, and Dr. Nathan Habana) on their work, which focuses on the Nitrate-N Solute Transport Model of Swamp Road Area Development Plan.
During the conference’s water quality session, Ms. Ko, an Environmental Science graduate student, exhibited her project on chloride and production. In her presentation, she showed her analysis of salinity trends in the Northern Guam Lens Aquifer.
Ms. Valerio revealed the latest in the Guam Hydrologic Survey’s Information Management (which is comprised of members, Mr. Matt Zapata and Dr. Nathan Habana) team’s effort in data management and the transfer of information through the MAppFx platform. Her project, particularly the first in the MAppFx library—Northern Guam Lens Aquifer Production Well Nitrate-N Concentrations, demonstrates data visualization methods through the use of available web technologies and a focus towards a user-friendly interface. This technology allows for information sharing through online means, especially among local agencies, scientists, and fellow researchers who seek historic water production quality and trends.
These projects continue to show the quality of scientific research under works at WERI and demonstrate the excellence of UOG students in their contributions to science and their local community. The presentation of these projects place UOG and WERI on a national stage, highlighting important water issues and innovative hydrologic data technology pertinent to Guam.
