Summer is approaching and we will all soon be off to enjoy some free time with family, friends, nature and maybe some time on our own. We´d like to update you on the status of the project.
Hagfors site – MSc students Hedda, Anna and Robin are working hard to interpret and getting forward with data. Anna and Hedda are finishing their Msc manuscript about geoelectrical metods and measurements before summer vacation. Robin will finish before Christmas. PhD student Sofia has planned laboratory work with the isotopes from Hagfors in October together with Henry in Stockholm. Henry is still waiting for parts to his new machine. The qPCR will hopefully also start this fall as soon as Catherine is back. Sofia and Robin are summarizing and interpreting the geochemical results from the well sampling during the summer.
No more field work is planned until results are ready and interpreted so far.
Boden site – Matteo, Henric and Lotta were up in Boden 8 June to do reconnaissance. Before the site visit, there were discussions on doing fieldwork already week 33-34 as Niras suddenly have planned pilot injection besides the building with the primary source in week 34. From the site visit, we could conclude that the area where the pilot test is planned is fenced with metal rods down into the ground on two sides. The schedule is tight and our possibility to access the site in the way we´d like to do it is limited. From the site visit, we could also conclude that the boreholes performed earlier are placed very randomly and very few observation wells exist. There are also questions to what the signals from the sulfide clays will give us in terms of interpretable results. The site is not optimal for us also because we do not have much influence on what will happen and suddenly everything will happen this summer/fall. To summarize, the Boden site is no longer on high priority. However, SGU still want us to do tests at a later stage, preliminary spring 2018.
Instead, a new site in Alingsås is now available.
The Alingsås site – The site has been suggested already when we were working on the TRUST-project. However, at that time SGI did not want us to disturb their microbe pilot test with electricity within the ground. SGI is now ending their involvement at Alingsås by end of September 2017 and a pilot test is planned for the end of October 2017. The consultant is WSP and the problem owners are SGU and Tvätteriet I Alingsås (V-region) and they are very positive to our involvement and are discussing different solutions so that we all get the most out of the tests, monitoring, sampling etc. There is a very positive atmosphere from all involved parts! The observation wells are placed in a very logic manner and they listen to our thoughts and wishes. The site is simple and optimal in this stage of our project. What could possibly go wrong!
Planned field work;
Reconnaissance in the end of June (week 26), Matteo, Håkan and Aris.
Week 39; Start DNA sampling in connection to WSPs retrieval of biotraps. Concentration analyses will be done in June and focus on the most interesting wells for sampling.
Week 40-42; DCIP measurements in 3-D and finishing off sampling for isotopes, concentrations and DNA. Installation of DCIP monitoring and sensor system (ORP, GW-levels, soil moisture and temperature).
Injection in week 43!
Färgaren site – Concentration results have arrived from the lab. Aris has done a first inversion of the DCIP results measured in March 2017. Sofia has planned laboratory work with the isotopes in October together with Henry in Stockholm. Henry is still waiting for parts to his new machine. The qPCR will hopefully also start this fall as soon as Catherine is back.
Next fieldwork is scheduled to fall 2017.
Tina Martin starts in January 2018.
The SIP-instrument borrowed from Matteos contact in Italy will be returned this week as they need it. We are currently looking into buying an instrument from the US, where Lee Slater has been involved in the development. We need our own instrument to keep our laboratory measurements going. Matteo is finishing off some measurements in the lab on natural sand right now.
/ Lotta, MIRACHL Project manager
