As the population of California increases, new and expanded infrastructure is required including potable water and sanitation services. Fugro has been involved with the design and the development of potable water supplies (groundwater well) and disposal of treated effluent in percolation basins for many years.

Fugro is performing hydrogeological studies related to the siting of new percolation basins for the expansion of a wastewater treatment plant in Nipomo, California. The current percolation ponds, located entirely on a pre-Flandrian dune complex, are limited with regard to percolation capacity by the presence of a laterally continuous clay layer at depth. During these studies, several sites were identified as potential locations for expansion of the percolation pond. The most promising site, located near the top of a 120 foot high bluff, is the subject of the current study, which determined whether the clay layer would cause the percolated wastewater to daylight within the bluff face. CPT soundings, drilled borings, large scale percolation testing, and groundwater modeling were performed to determine the fate of the proposed wastewater discharge.

Timothy Nicely is a project hydrogeologist at Fugro West, Inc. in Ventura, California. He specializes in groundwater supply projects including large diameter municipal water well installation, aquifer storage and recovery well installation and operation, as well as wastewater and fresh water percolation feasibility studies, groundwater/surface water interaction studies, design and operation of groundwater monitoring systems, and large groundwater basin studies projects throughout the state. He has a B.S. in Soil Science from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, with an emphasis on environmental studies. He has over 10 years of geologic consulting experience. Timothy is a licensed Professional Geologist and a Certified Hydrogeologist in California.