Chemicals buried underground don't always sit still. Sometimes,
molecules of hazardous waste can travel out of landfills,
wandering through soil layers near aquifers. Technology exists
to monitor landfill perimeters, but scientists would prefer to
keep an eye on contaminants long before they leave the area. Now
with a new underground probing system from the Department of
Energy's Idaho National Engineering and Environmental
Laboratory, scientists can safely and more accurately sample and
monitor soil in and below hazardous waste sites. R&D Magazine
declared INEEL's Geologic and Environmental Probe System (GEOPS)
to be one of the 100 most significant technological achievements
of 2004. Project leader Richard L. Jones, along with team
members Tom Clark, Joel Hubbell, Buck Sisson, Jason Casper,
Terry Turner, Louis Valenti and Andrew Baumer, will be
recognized at the R&D Magazine awards banquet in Chicago on Oct.
14, 2004. "Winning the R&D 100 award is more than just a good
feeling," Jones says. "It should make i