Bemidji Crude-Oil Project

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Research Policy Statement

Table of Contents:

• USGS Contacts
• Philosophy of Research
• Research Proposals - Planning and Coordination
• Coordination of Field Work
• Additional Support Provided by the Minnesota Water Science Center
• Reporting and Publications

USGS Contacts

USGS Research Coordinator: Barbara Bekins

USGS Site Coordinator: Jared Trost

Philosophy of Research

Research efforts at the Bemidji, Minnesota, crude-oil spill site are directed towards understanding the combined physical, chemical, and biological processes affecting the migration and fate of slightly soluble, organic contaminants in a field-scale system. These processes include the flow of the immiscible organic fluid, the partitioning of volatile components into the unsaturated zone gas phase, the dissolution of soluble components into the water phase, microbially mediated and abiotic redox processes, and the impact of these reactions on the organic and inorganic geochemistry of the ground-water system. The complexities of interacting and competing processes make studying the field scale challenging. Additionally, all processes occurring in the field are modified, if not controlled, by the spatial variability of physical and chemical properties. Through interdisciplinary research teams and intensive field studies, we hope to integrate the knowledge obtained into a comprehensive understanding of the overall mass balance of the oil in the subsurface, and of the processes controlling the fate of the oil in the subsurface. Knowledge gained and methodologies developed from detailed studies at this site will be relevant to other sites, and will help understand the potential for in situ bioremediation of organic ground-water contamination.

The planning and coordination of research at the Bemidji site is based on four principles: (1) focusing research on a specific field site draws together scientists of various disciplines who might otherwise think they have little in common. All researchers must deal with the overall physical, chemical, and microbiological system, finding it to their advantage to work together to accomplish their aims; (2) the field site is used as a field laboratory to study processes as they operate in the natural environment. In other words, the purpose is not to answer site-specific questions, but to gain a general understanding that incorporates the complexities inherent in the real world; (3) the results of work at the site must be disseminated to the scientific community and the public. The product is not the work, but the findings disseminated through publications, presentations, and field trips; (4)"bottom-up" planning, with an emphasis on personal and collective initiative, leads to better research than "top-down" planning.

Active researchers meet as a group least twice per year. The first group meeting (typically a conference call) occurs in spring or early summer. The purpose of this meeting is to brief the research team on new findings, plan the upcoming field work, and more specifically,to discuss the "where" and "when" and "what" of sampling efforts to encourage collaborations and minimize interferences. The second group meeting occurs in person during the field session. This meeting focuses more on research progress, status, and ongoing investigations at the Bemidji site. It is important for each research team to have at least one representative at eaach of these meetings to ensure active participation in research direction and implementation at the site.

Research Proposals - Planning and Coordination

All ideas for new research at the Bemidji site must be communicated first to the research coordinator (currently Barbara Bekins) and the site coordinator (currently Jared Trost). The proposed project will then be distributed to the site's steering committee. The steering committee was formed in 2009 as part of a 4-party collaborative agreement between the USGS, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Beltrami County, and Enbridge Energy, LLC. The purpose of the steering committee is maintain the National Crude Oil Spill Fate and Natural Attenuation Research Site, where research can be conducted concerning the fate of crude oil in the environment. One person from each of the USGS, MPCA, Beltrami County, and Enbridge Energy, LLC serves on the steering committee. The project proposal will then be distributed to the active Bemidji research team for further discussion and coordination.

Each non-USGS research team (including scientists from academic institutions, state and federal agencies, and industry) needs to have a USGS collaborator working at the Bemidji site. A representative of each research team must attend both annual planning meetings to coordinate the summer’s field work and update the other researchers their planned research. The new research team should plan to discuss how their research proposal is linked to the overall research goals of the project.

Researchers from private industry are required to complete a Technical Assistance Agreement (TAA) form prior to starting research at the site. The TAA formalizes the relationship between the private entity and the USGS and defines the scope of work for each line of investigation.

Coordination of Field Work

The USGS Upper Midwest Water Science Center (UMid) in Minnesota coordinates all field operations at the Bemidji site and has ultimate responsibility for decisions concerning the site's field research operations. Therefore, all plans for field work and requests for field support (such as drilling, water quality sampling, and common-use equipment) must be communicated to the site coordinator to allow for adequate planning ahead of field work.

The site coordinator must be notified before any field site visit occurs. This serves two purposes: (1) to ensure that new field activities do not disrupt ongoing research and (2) to enable the site coordinator to notify local authorities of upcoming field activities.

Additional Support Provided by the Upper Midwest Water Science Center in Minnesota

Field support: The USGS Upper Midwest Water Science Center (UMid) in Minnesota typically provides drilling services including hollow-stem and direct-push sampling capabilities for collaborative research projects occurring during the annual field session. Detailed logging of cores is accomplished by individual research teams. General water-sampling equipment, such as pumps, tubing, nitrogen gas, gas regulators, deionized water, cleaning solvents, tools, generators, and other supplies, are typically provided by UMid for collaborative research projects occurring during the annual field session.

Data: The USGS routinely collects water levels, oil levels, field parameters (dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature, and specific conductance), and unsaturated zone gas concentrations (oxygen+argon, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen). The USGS also maintains several stations with continuous data; types of continuous data include groundwater levels and temperature, precipitation, soil moisture, and unsaturated zone gas concentrations (carbon dioxide and oxygen). There are also GIS data sets of sampling sites and spill features and many historical data sets that are published. See the Data page and Maps page for more information.

Reporting and Publications

Certain data sets collected from all researchers shall be provided to the site coordinator for inclusion in the site's database. Organized, detailed data supports every research project at the site, and therefore is a key contribution from each scientist. Contact the site coordinator for more specifics on data submission.

Plans and progress toward deliverables from every active research team with a USGS collaborator shall be included in the annual report to the USGS Environmental Health Program. The research and site coordinators shall summarize and communicate this information to the USGS Environmental Health Program.

A copy of each draft manuscript needs to be sent to the the research coordinator and the site coordinator at the time of peer review. The manuscript will be reviewed by the coordinator(s) for consistent presentation of historical information about the site. Comments will be provided to the author(s) if necessary. The sharing of the manuscript keeps the research and site coordinators informed of recent findings, enabling them to better answer questions regarding ongoing or completed research at the site. A copy of the final interpretive report, as well as all conference abstracts, should be sent to the coordinators following publication. An up-to-date bibliography is maintained by the USGS and is currently being migrated to a new format. Send an email to the research coordinator or the site coordinator for a complete bibliography.