Alexa Daniel, M.Sc., is a hydrogeologist and Assistant Research Scientist who joined DRI this past December. Based at Reno’s campus, she will be spending most of her time over the next two years developing water resource plans for Nevada’s rural counties. Daniel grew up in Truckee and followed her love of the outdoors to a career in hydrogeology, coming to DRI from a local consulting firm. Daniel holds a master’s degree in hydrogeology and environmental geosciences from the University of Goettingen in Germany and a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from U.C. Santa Barbara.
In the following interview, Daniel shares her wide range of experience studying water resources in the West, her favorite book, and an invitation to a network event she’s spearheading for young professionals.
DRI: Tell us about your background and what brought you to DRI.
Daniel: My background is in hydrogeology and environmental science, and I was working in water resources/hydrogeological consulting for a while. What brought me to DRI was Dan Saftner — I worked with him in my consulting firm before he came to DRI. When I contacted him curious about a posting for a groundwater modeler, he told me about this other project that he thought I would be perfect for, given my knowledge of water resources and water rights in Nevada. I was always very curious about the scientific research happening at DRI and thought it would be a great opportunity to join a bunch of very talented scientists.
DRI: How did you originally become interested in hydrogeology?
DRI: Well, I grew up in Truckee and have a love of the outdoors. When I did my undergraduate degree, I originally wanted to be an orthodontist. After I interned at a dental clinic my freshman year, I quickly realized I did not want to be in a sterile environment for the rest of my life. I was taking an environmental science class, and thought, ‘Oh, well, this is great. I’ll study environmental science.’ And then I found out through the different coursework that I was really interested in the water side of things. I studied abroad in New Zealand and took some more hydrology courses there, and that solidified my desire to work in water. Later, I got an opportunity to do a free hydrogeology graduate program in Germany. And then when I moved back to the US, I found a hydrogeologist who was working in Truckee. I started interning with him and ended up working with him for the past seven years as a water resources consultant.
DRI: What are some of the big research questions you’re interested in?
Daniel: I’m generally interested in groundwater modeling and managed aquifer recharge projects. I haven’t dabbled much in geothermal resources, but I’m also interested in learning more about that deeper subsurface reservoir of water. I’m a hydrogeologist and have been mainly focused on the water resource side of things. So, how do we get water? How much water do we need? Is it good quality? I’m also curious about the changing landscape of water rights and water management in Nevada – the state recently decided that surface water and groundwater need to be regulated together, termed “conjunctive management”. What happens next will define the future of water management here. It’s exciting to be apart of this new frontier in water resources.
DRI: What are some projects you’re working on?
Daniel: I’m currently working on developing water resource plans for fourteen rural Nevada counties. This means engaging with the counties to work alongside them and gather all the different data sets and compiling it into a manageable format for their water resource plans. We’re going to be discussing management strategies for each county for the next 10 or 20 years, including how to help them reduce water conflicts and making sure that they’re using water in the best, most efficient way they can, economically and sustainably. It’s a big project with a lot of DRI faculty working on it, from hydrology to social engagement, to data processing and water use demand projections.
DRI: What research are you most proud of?
Daniel: I’ve worked on a lot of hydrologic baseline studies in different basins in Nevada and Oregon, and I really enjoy these. I think the field work aspect of going out and seeing every spring and seep and surface water source in a basin is rewarding. I had a big project in Railroad Valley where I went to 264 spring and seep sites in a week. We collected samples for isotopes, general chemistry, general water cations and anions to analyze the water sources. We also took flow measurements everywhere that had flow, or if there were wells, we took groundwater level measurements. It was a big effort, and some of the data is now being used for the Nevada Water Initiative in their work in the Railroad Valley hydrographic basin. So, that’s pretty cool to see it meaning something more than just helping the original client. Hopefully it’ll help the understanding of the basin and other hydro-basins in Nevada.
DRI: What do you want your DRI colleagues to know about you?
Daniel: That I have a lot of perspective from other industries and a broad toolkit of hydro-geologic skills. I dabbled in government for a short while in my early 20s, and coming from consulting, I have a lot of industry, mining, agriculture, and development perspectives I can bring to the table. I also have a good understanding of how things work in Nevada, having worked in most counties in the state, and also in Arizona, California, Oregon, and Idaho. I have a lot of experience that goes beyond just research, including well drilling projects, aquifer testing and analysis, groundwater modeling, monitoring network and telemetry installs and getting managed aquifer recharge projects started and developed. I also have a lot of ArcGIS mapping and spatial analysis skills, database management and a lot of water rights experience. So, I’d like to be able to collaborate with anyone at DRI working on water resource projects to help give them that perspective and bring my broad skills to the table.
DRI: What do you like to do when you’re not working?
Daniel: I’m very much split between all my outdoor hobbies and being a homebody. So, I love to read. I’m in a book club, but I also love to ski, hike, bike, or kayak every weekend.
DRI: If you could recommend one book to your colleagues, what would it be?
Daniel: One of my favorite books is the Count of Monte Cristo. It’s a classic for a reason, with tons of adventure and intrigue.
DRI: Is there anything else that you want the DRI community to know about you?
Daniel: I started a young professionals networking meet up with the Nevada Water Resource Association (NWRA) this past year, and it’s for anyone interested in water resources to join and mingle with their peers, form connections, and have organic conversations about projects going on in the surrounding areas. Anyone can join! Email me if you’re interested, and if you’re a part of NWRA, you’ll probably be getting an email about it soon. The next meeting will be in April.
