The world's first nuclear bomb was a developed in 1954 at a site near the town of Los Alamos, New Mexico. Designated as the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in 1981, the 40-square-mile site is today operated by Log Alamos National Security LLC under contract to the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Like other sites in the nation's nuclear weapons complex, the LANL site harbors a legacy of radioactive waste and environmental contamination. Radioactive materials and chemical contaminants have been detected in some portions of the groundwater beneath the site. Under authority of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the State of New Mexico regulates protection of its water resources through the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED). In 1995 NMED found LANL's groundwater monitoring program to be inadequate. Consequently LANL conducted a detailed workplan to characterize the site's hydrogeology in order to develop an effective monitoring program. The study described in Plans and Practices for Groundwater Protection at the Los Alamos National Laboratory: Final Report was initially requested by NNSA, which turned to the National Academies for technical advice and recommendations regarding several aspects of LANL's groundwater protection program. The DOE Office of Environmental Management funded the study. The study came approximately at the juncture between completion of LANL's hydrogeologic workplan and initial development of a sitewide monitoring plan.

This study attempts to re-frame the current thinking on groundwater development and the implications for food security. Groundwater is important in agriculture as it provides a reliable fallback when rainfeeding fails. It is therefore instrumental in managing risk and optimizing food production. However accessing groundwater has become habit and turned to dependency. Resources limits on many key aquifers have been exceeded and competition for groundwater has become intense. This study highlights the role of adaptive strategies in dealing with aquifer management and indicates directions of research and management.

Based on the graduate course in Earthquake Hydrology at Berkeley University, this text introduces the basic materials, provides a comprehensive overview of the field to interested readers and beginning researchers, and acts as a convenient reference point.

GIS and Geostatistical Techniques for Groundwater Science provides a detailed synthesis of the application of GIS and geostatistics in groundwater studies. As the book illustrates, GIS can be a powerful tool for developing solutions for water resource problems, assessing water quality, and managing water resources. Beginning with an introduction to the history of GIS and geostatistical techniques in groundwater studies, the book then describes various spatial techniques, including case studies for various applications, from quality assessment, to resource management. This book assembles the most up-to-date techniques in GIS and geostatistics as they relate to groundwater, one of our most important natural resources. - Provides details on the application of GIS and statistics in groundwater studies - Includes practical coverage of the use of spatial analysis techniques in groundwater science - Bridges the gap between geostatistics and GIS as it relates to groundwater science and management - Offers worldwide case studies to illustrate various techniques and applications in addressing groundwater issues