David A. Wiley, CPG (Dunedin)

John R. Morris, CPG (Lutz)

Jon L. Courtney,  CPG (Lakeland)

Madeline A. Fell, CPG (Coral Springs)

Michael Planert, CPG (Tallahassee)

Peter H. Dohms, CPG (Pensacola)

SFWMD is currently recruiting for two hydrogeologist and two Geographer (GIS) positions (see below, as excerpted from www.sfwmd.gov) to accomplish our core mission (water supply) in case you know anyone that would be a good candidate.

Working Title: Senior Hydrogeologist

Auto req ID: 658BR

Organization: WR4204232 Hydrogeology Unit

Location: WPB Adm Headquarters (B2)

Job Description: Two positions available. Position requires technical expertise in hydrogeology and is responsible for planning, executing, and documenting projects related to hydrogeology and groundwater identified in SFWMD’s strategic plan. Job duties include data collection and review; planning and conducting regional hydrogeologic investigations; developing statements of work and technical specifications; overseeing well drilling contractors; conducting aquifer tests and interpreting results; uploading and QA/QC of hydrogeologic data into the SFWMD DBHydro database; balancing and appropriately prioritizing assigned workload; and other field and office duties as assigned. Position will also provide hydrogeologic support including data analysis, interpretation and report writing for the regional water supply plans. Floridan Aquifer experience is strongly preferred.

Candidates must possess advanced knowledge of hydrogeologic principles and inter-relationships, including the hydrologic cycle. Also, advanced familiarity with field methods used in hydrogeologic data collection and research (e.g., lithologic and water quality sampling techniques, groundwater measurements, geophysical logging and log interpretation, etc.) is desired. Specific skills required include advanced knowledge of (1) monitoring well networks including purpose, design and implementation (2) drilling methods, well design and construction (3) geochemistry and (4) aquifer test design and analysis. Familiarity with Microsoft Office software is required. Strong technical writing and communication skills are necessary. Senior-level staff are required to perform independently including interacting with the contractor, data interpretation, and report writing.

This position requires both office and fieldwork duties. Fieldwork (such as aquifer performance testing, field sample collection, well drilling oversight, etc.) is conducted periodically throughout the year, sometimes under adverse weather conditions (hot, humid, wet). Travel to remote locations in a 4-wheel drive vehicle may be required periodically to conduct field activities and may involve daily and overnight excursions throughout the 16-county SFWMD geographic area. Some field events may require the employee to remain at the test site overnight and assist with manual labor. The candidate must be able to lift 40 pounds.

Employment guidelines include a Bachelor’s degree in Geology with 6+ years of related advanced experience, and a Florida Professional Geologist license or license from another state that has reciprocity with the State of Florida.

ONE POSITION MAY BE FILLED AT THE LOWER SCIENTIST 4 – HYDROGEOLOGY LEVEL: Employment guidelines include a Bachelor’s degree in Geology with 4+ years of qualifying experience. Florida Professional Geologist License preferred.

Salary Minimum: $59,966.40

Salary Midpoint: $71,281.60

Salary Maximum: $102,793.60

Working Title: Geographer 3

Auto req ID: 660BR

Organization: WR4204231 Model Processing Unit

Location: WPB Adm Headquarters (B2)

Job Description: This position provides advanced GIS services and analysis supporting the needs of the Water Supply Bureau. GIS services include development, mapping and analysis of a wide variety of spatial data related to water supply utility service areas, census data, current and future land use and land cover, monitoring data, model input and output, District and other agency project boundaries. This position also acts as data steward of the Public Water Supply Utility Service Area boundaries.

Employment guidelines include a Bachelor’s Degree or higher in Geography, GIS or a closely related field and at least two (2) years qualifying experience. Experience using ESRI ArcGIS applications to produce maps from various data sources is required. Skills needed to develop and manipulate spatial data using ESRI’s Spatial Data Engine (ArcSDE) as well as proficiency with Personal and File Geodatabases are also required. Valid State of Florida driver’s license is required.

SECOND POSITION AVAILABLE: GEOGRAPHER 1

Salary range: Minimum: $40,580.80, Midpoint: $48,235.20, Maximum: $69,555.20.

This position provides GIS data collection to develop spatial databases and maps supporting the needs of the Water Supply Bureau. Employment guidelines include a Bachelor’s Degree or higher in Geography, GIS or a closely related field and up to one (1) year of qualifying experience. Successful candidate must have proficient GIS skills utilizing ArcGIS and other software such as MSOffice, AutoCAD and Adobe Photoshop. The position may also provide support for Global Positioning System (GPS) in the field and office as well as support other staff’s use of GPS for data collection. Valid State of Florida driver’s license is required.

Salary Minimum: $46,987.20

Salary Midpoint: $55,848.00

Salary Maximum: $80,516.80

Gasses emanating from a landfill in Escambia County were found to have significant concentrations of chlorinated and non-chlorinated organic compounds. These compounds were contaminating an unsaturated sand horizon above a water table aquifer as well as the underlying groundwater.

A team was led — first for Condor Earth Technologies and later with Gallet & Associates — to implement a landfill gas recovery system. Once the gas migration stopped, plume expansion of the contamination came to an end, which allowed for the groundwater underneath to be cleaned.

Groundwater near a St. Augustine dry cleaning company was found to have an abundance of chemicals that were above state norms. Dry cleaning solvents were also found in soil vapor just underneath the business.

Groundwater samples were collected at the four corners of the dry cleaner structure, and an additional five samples were collected inside the business itself through a slab using a handheld rotary hammer drill.

Five air samples also were collected.

The research demonstrated the possible environmental impacts of dry cleaning solvents polluting the ground around and under the business.

An ongoing environmental project designed to restore groundwater in Pinellas County, which had been contaminated by chlorinated solvents.

Electrical resistive heating and steam-enhanced extraction was used to remove contaminated material and soils as well as to inject microbes. This includes nutrients and amendments designed to accelerate naturally occurring breakdowns of the contaminants.

The project allowed Pinellas to stop the spread of contaminants through drinking water supplies, and return the land to beneficial use.

Jorge took a very active role in FAPG/AIPG for many years. Most recently, Jorge was an instrumental part of FAPG/AIPG serving as the Tallahassee Regional Coordinator, locating facilities and speakers for our various meetings in Tallahassee. His service to FAPG/AIPG was invaluable, and although he leaves a significant void in our organization, we wish him the very best of luck.

• Performance Based Cleanup
• Green Remediation
• Technical Review (improvement to remediation/assessment strategies, ways to close sites faster/cheaper, potential topics for Rule or policy modification/exploration, and RBCA)
• Tanks/Compliance
• Overall/Other Topics (ways to improve consistency and identifying areas for improvement, ways to improve the Contractor Designation Process, etc.)

FAPG/AIPG will continue to work closely with FDEP to help fulfill their mission. The last several legislative sessions have clearly demonstrated that a successful FDEP-Industry partnership is critical to Florida job retention and creation, natural resource protection, and safeguarding of citizen welfare. If you would like to get involved in one of the FDEP BPSS Workgroups, please contact Joe Fuhr or Jamie Hirsch; or you may email Robert Brown directly at Robert.C.Brown@dep.state.fl.us.

Expertise in geology, acquired through education and professional licensing, is critical to utilizing and managing Florida’s mineral, energy, and water resources. This unique geological expertise and perspective is not duplicated by other licensed professionals such as engineers, landscape architects, etc. The meaning is clear: remove the professional licensure requirement from the practice of geology, and strip away a fundamental layer of public protection and expertise that our citizens currently have…

• Protection and expertise for properly design, permit, and extract mineral resources such as aggregate and fossil fuels
• Protection of groundwater aquifers that supply more than 90% of our drinking water
• Protection by properly designing and constructing drinking water wells that provide safe drinking water and fire protection
• Protection and expertise when a property owner has to address a sinkhole issue
• Protection and expertise when an entire city’s water supply is threatened by contamination moving through a complex geology riddled with faults and solution caverns
• Protection and expertise when an engineer needs geologic suitability information to design a building or bridge
• Protection and expertise to properly site and construct a levee with walls that won’t fail
• Protection and expertise for when accurate and reliable geological reports are needed by government agencies for public use
• Protection and expertise to help design a landfill that won’t leak toxic waste into groundwater
• Protection for when deep municipal waste water injection wells have to be designed and installed that won’t leak into drinking water aquifers.

Professional Geologists have the unique training, supervision, the requisite years of technical knowledge and expertise, and the sworn ethics to provide these protections with the highest level of professionalism. Unqualified geologists, who are employed in jobs that affect the public, place an undue risk on the health, safety and welfare of that public. The risks include the possibility of an error that will cause a loss of life or property; the higher costs of supervision; the costs of repeating incorrect and incomplete work; and lower cost/benefit ratios brought about by an inability to do efficient work.

The Florida Association of Professional Geologists urges the immediate withdrawal of HB 4133 – a bill designed to take away critical protections that, if passed, potentially places every citizen at risk.

Following is the contact information for the committee members. Please call and write with your request that the member remove any and all reference to the Board of Professional Geologists, and to Professional Geologists. Information explaining the importance of maintaining professional licensure is attached; please get this to the committee members.

• Rep. Joe Abruzzo (D-Wellington) – joseph.abruzzo@myfloridahouse.gov   850.488.4791
• Rep. Larry Ahern (R-St Petersburg) – larry.ahern@myfloridahouse.gov   850.488.6197
• Rep. Frank Artiles (R-Miami) – frank.artiles@myfloridahouse.gov   850.488.9550
• Rep. Esteban Bovo (R – Hialeah) – esteban.bovo@myfloridahouse.gov   850.487.2197
• Rep. Steve Crisafulli (R-Merritt Island) – steve.crisafulli@myfloridahouse.gov   850.488.4669
• Rep. Eric Eisnaugle (R-Orlando) – eric.eisnaugle@myfloridahouse.gov   850.488.9770
• Rep. Tom Goodson (R-Titusville) – tom.goodson@myfloridahouse.gov   850.488.3006
• Rep. Mia Jones (D-Jacksonville) – mia.jones@myfloridahouse.gov   850.488.6893
• Rep. Jeanette Nunez (R- Miami) – jeanette.nunez@myfloridahouse.gov   850.488.7897
• Rep. Jimmy Patronis (R-Panama City) – jimmy.patronis@myfloridahouse.gov   850.488.9696
• Rep. Ken Roberson (R-Sarasota) – ken.roberson@myfloridahouse.gov   850.488.0060
• Rep. Darrell Rouson (D-St. Petersburg) – darryl.rouson@myfloridahouse.gov   850.488.0925
• Rep. Irv Slosberg (D-Boca Raton) – irving.slosberg@myfloridahouse.gov   850.488.1302
• Rep. Cynthia Stafford (D-Miami) – cynthia.stafford@myfloridahouse.gov   850.488.0625
• Rep. Dana Young (R-Tampa) – dana.young@myfloridahouse.gov    850.488.2770

Once again, the FAPG/AIPG Executive Committee, needs your help, and thank you in advance.

Best Regards,

Joe Fuhr, P.G.
FL Section President, FAPG/AIPG
813-523-5408
jfuhr@geosenvironmental.com