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Wednesday, June 19, 1991 / University Daily Kansan
Geologists earn grant for river-soil research
By Jeff Meesey
Kansan staff writer
Researchers for the Kansas Geological Survey are getting out from behind their desks and into the Kansas River valley.
With a grant of more than $300,000, Jim Butler, adjunct professor of geology, and Carl McEwlee, researcher for the survey, will be trying to improve methods of predicting streams that inhabitants move through ground water.
The grant, which began June 1, is from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. Air Force Systems Department of Defense research program.
"Instead of sitting in front of the computer playing 'what if games, we get out into the field and measure the real world," McLee said.
During the next three years, McElree and Butler will be working at a site owned by the University of Arizona in Nampa, near Lawrence Municipal Airport.
2500 Airport Road.
"Our work is generic in that it will be applicable to any river valley," Butler said.
Like most river valleys, the soil in this area contains coarse gravel and sand.
In the first two years, they will improve techniques to predict the movement of contaminants in aquifers and underground water-bearing formation.
"We have found in our work leading to the grant that the techniques do have certain potential," Butler said.
During the third year, the researchers will test their hypotheses by fygging water with a harmless substance and move it to another substance moves through the aquifer.
The grant also will pay the salaries of research assistants, who will help with entering data into computers, work and soil-sample analysis.
said. "The point of the whole operation is to build models of what's going on in our aquifers for prediction. These models are like a toy we can play with to determine what will happen from one scenario to the next."
Soil samples are a critical part of their research, McEllwee said. Using drilling equipment and a jackhammer, the researchers extract soil samples down to 70 feet. McEllwee and Butler developed a device that is able to hold in the soil and water from the aquifer. The 5-foot-long device has a clear plastic tube inside, where the sample is captured.
Geoff Bohling, research assistant.
The tubes show the researchers what the soil layers look like. They have made 25钻lings and plan to make at least 12 more.
"Down to 30 feet is clay and soil sediment," McLwee said. "From 35 to 70 feet is gravel and sand. Those in the areas we are most interested in."
Interstate-dumping debate rages
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — A Senate panel was urged yesterday to find a compromise in what one lawnmaker from the states over garbage dumping.
"Our nation's heartland is rapidly becoming our nation's wasteland as landfills in Kentucky, Oklahoma, Kansas and other states fill up with eastern trash," said Sen. Dan Coats, R-Ind.
He has introduced legislation to permit states to ban dumping of garbage shipped from outside of their borders.
Kansas Sens, Nancy Kassebaum and Bob Dole, both Republicans, support the measure. The proposal faced opposition at the hearing from lawmakers from New Jersey, which is one of the exporters of trash to other states.
"If a ban were imposed suddenly, it is likely that New Jersey would be forced to reopen closed, substandard landfills," Bill Sen. Bidillay, D-N.J., told the Senate Environment and Natural Resources committee on environmental protection.
Bradley said the state was trying to reduce its trash exports. It has
adopted a new recycling program, but the state needs five to seven years to resolve its trash problems.
He and Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D.N.J., said that they were willing to try to find a compromise on the waste disposal issue but that they would oppose proposals to allow states to dispose of irradiated barns on out-of-state trash
Elk County has been offered $1.4 million a year to allow dumping of trash from Chicago. A New Jersey waste-hauling company owns a landfill near McPherson and until recently was bringing in garbage from out of state. The company has been forced by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to halt at least temporarily its operations because it failed to comply with standards for operating the dump.
Kassabeau and others complained that states currently lacked the power to stop the influx of trash from outside their borders.
The measure by Coats is one of several proposals in the Senate to address both sides agree is a growing national problem.
"It is not too far a stretch of reality to say that our nation is engaged in a new war between the states, a garbage war," said SeN Wisherd, D-Pa. "And as landfills have been filled to capacity in more and more densely populated areas, the fight's grown more and more fierce."
"I do feel strongly that you don't clean up a mess by dumping it on your neighbors," Kassebaum said.
Wofford said his state received trash from New Jersey and New York, and it ships smaller amounts of its garbage to West Virginia and
Coats' measure would permit states to ban out-of-state wastes after they adopt 20-year plans for managing trash generated within their own boundaries. It would permit states to impose higher fees on the disposal of out-of-state trash and interfere with compacts regulating solid waste.
Sen. Max Baeus, D-Mont., the subcommittee chairperson, has introduced broader environmental legislation to curb out-of-state trash hauling, but Kassebaum said it was not sufficient.
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