EDUCATION

University of California, Berkeley, Ph.D. (Mineral Engineering - Hydrogeology), 1995.

University of California, Berkeley, M.S. (Mineral Engineering - Hydrogeology), 1990.

University of California, Berkeley, B.A. (Geology), 1988.

 

Environmental Scientist, May 1995 to present.

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California.

Responsibilities include groundwater contaminant plume analyses, statistical studies of fuel hydrocarbon and chlorinated solvent plume populations, experimental design of in situ groundwater treatment technologies (e.g., well-bore catalytic reductive dehalogenation, electro-osmosis), geochemical speciation modeling (e.g, applications have included iron filing treatment walls, fuel hydrocarbon bioattenuation signatures) scientific proposal preparation, remediation task leadership (directing cleanup efforts, budget planning and tracking), and oral/written presentation of technical material to the regulatory and scientific communities.

 

Graduate Student Research Assistant, August 1992 to April 1995.

Research Associate, January 1992 to July 1992.

Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, Berkeley, California.

Responsibilities included assessing the transformation signatures of chlorinated hydrocarbon plumes at a major Superfund site as well as the development of reactive transport models for simulating the chemical evolution of contaminated aquifers.

 

Staff Hydrogeologist, June 1990 to December 1991.

Kennedy/Jenks Consultants, San Francisco, California.

Responsibilities included all phases of remedial investigations (planning field activities, soil sampling and monitoring well installation supervision, analysis of physical and chemical hydrogeologic data, flow and transport modeling, report preparation), proposal writing, and project management.

 

Scientific Technician, June 1987 to August 1987.

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California.

Summer student program. Responsibilities included testing and running the EQ3/6 geochemical speciation models as well as thermodynamic database development.

 

… American Geophysical Union

… American Society of Ground Water Scientists and Engineers

… Sigma Xi (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory chapter secretary, 2000-2001)

… Peer reviewer for Bioremediation Journal, Environmental Science & Technology, Journal of Contaminant Hydrology, Transport in Porous Media, and Water Resources Research.

… Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory LDRD (Laboratory-Directed Research and Development) scientific review committee member for the site-wide competition, 2001

ACADEMIC HONORS

 

The Universities Council on Water Resources, Award for the Outstanding Water Resources Dissertation in the Field of Engineering and Physical Sciences, honorable mention, 1997.

Jane Lewis Fellowship, Department of Materials Science and Mineral Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, scholarship recipient, 1992.

National Science Foundation Fellowship competition, honorable mention, 1989.

Achievement Rewards for College Scientists, scholarship recipient, 1987.

 

TECHNICAL INTERESTS

 

Statistical studies of groundwater plume behavior; analytical, semi-analytical, and numerical simulation of physical and chemical phenomena in groundwater systems, including transient- and steady-state fluid flow and solute transport (deterministic as well as probabilistic/Monte Carlo approaches); geochemical speciation and reaction path modeling; reactive chemical transport through open systems; bioattenuation of organic compounds, particularly identification of in situ chemical degradation signatures of contaminants in soil and groundwater systems; chemical remediation of contaminants through oxidation-reduction reactions; electro-osmosis.

 

Principal investigator on a project to utilize electro-osmosis, in conjunction with groundwater extraction, to extract high concentrations of chlorinated hydrocarbons in plume source areas at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (1999 to 2000). Directed support staff and managed a $1.8M budget. Results also led to a peer-reviewed journal publication.

Data analysis task leader on a nation-wide statistical study of chlorinated hydrocarbon groundwater plume behavior (1997 to present). Initial study results led to follow-on funding and two peer-reviewed journal publications.

Member of an expert committee assessing natural attenuation and risk analysis of fuel hydrocarbon releases to the subsurface at military bases across the state of California (1996-1998). The study yielded three peer-reviewed journal publications, plus a major report on risk management strategies for fuel hydrocarbon contamination sites.

Principal investigator, in collaboration with scientists from Stanford University, on a research project involving in situ catalytic destruction of dissolved chlorinated hydrocarbons in groundwater (1996 to present). Original funded research yielded two peer-reviewed journal publications, two functioning groundwater treatment systems, a patent application, and follow-on funding. Initial funding included approximately $350K from a competitive grant (Laboratory Directed Research and Development, or LDRD) over a three-year period.

Principal investigator on a research project involving flow-through treatment of hexavalent-chromium-contaminated groundwater using chemical reduction processes (1996-1997).

Project scientist participating in a study of fuel hydrocarbon biodegradation in a high-temperature subsurface environment following steam flooding (1995-1996). Project resulted in regulatory closure of the site from further remediation requirements.

 

McNab, W.W., Jr., and D.W. Rice, Ascertaining the effect of reductive dehalogenation on chlorinated hydrocarbon plume lengths in groundwater: Analyses of multi-site data, Soil and Sediment Contamination, 10(1), 1-19, 2001.

McNab, W.W., Jr., and R. Ruiz, In situ measurement of electro-osmotic fluxes and conductivity using single well-bore tracer tests, accepted for publication in Ground Water Monitoring & Remediation, 2001.

McNab, W.W., Jr., A Monte Carlo simulation method for assessing biotransformation effects on groundwater fuel hydrocarbon plume lengths, Computers & Geosciences, 27(1), 31-42, 2001.

McNab, W.W., Jr., D. W. Rice, and C. Tuckfield, Evaluating chlorinated hydrocarbon plume behavior using historical case population analyses, Bioremediation Journal, 4(4), 311-335, 2000.

McNab, W.W., Jr., R. Ruiz, and M. Reinhard, In-situ destruction of chlorinated hydrocarbons in groundwater using catalytic reductive dehalogenation in a reactive well: Testing and operational experiences, Environmental Science & Technology, 34(1), 149-153, 2000.

Cherepy, N., W. McNab, D. Wildenschild, R. Ruiz, and A. Elsholz, Electro-osmotic remediation of fine-grained sediments, Proc. Electrochem. Soc.: Environmental Aspects of Electrochemical Technology, 1999-39, 97-110, 1999.

McNab, W.W., Jr., Comparisons of geochemical signatures of biotransformation of fuel hydrocarbons in groundwater, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 59(3), 257-274, 1999.

McNab, W.W., Jr., and B.P. Dooher, Authorsí reply to discussion of "Uncertainty analyses of fuel hydrocarbon biodegradation signatures in ground water by probabilistic modeling", Ground Water, 37(2), 167-168, 1999.

McNab, W.W., Jr., and B.P. Dooher, A critique of a steady-state analytical method for estimating contaminant degradation rates, Ground Water, 36(6), 983-987, 1998.

McNab, W.W., Jr., and B.P. Dooher, Uncertainty analyses of fuel hydrocarbon biodegradation signatures in ground water by probabilistic modeling, Ground Water, 36(4), 691-698, 1998.

McNab, W.W., Jr., and R. Ruiz, Palladium-catalyzed reductive dehalogenation of dissolved chlorinated aliphatics using electrolytically-generated hydrogen, Chemosphere, 37(5), 925-636, 1998.

McNab, W.W., Jr., Simulation of reactive geochemical transport in groundwater using a semi-analytical screening model, Computers & Geosciences, 23(8), 869-882, 1997.

McNab, W.W., Jr., and T.N. Narasimhan, Reactive transport of petroleum hydrocarbon constituents in a shallow aquifer: Modeling geochemical interactions between organic and inorganic species, Water Resources Research, 31(8), 2027-2033, 1995.

McNab, W.W., Jr., and T.N. Narasimhan, Modeling reactive transport of organic compounds in groundwater using a partial redox disequilibrium approach, Water Resources Research, 30(9), 2619-2635, 1994.

McNab, W.W., Jr., and T.N. Narasimhan, Degradation of chlorinated hydrocarbons and groundwater geochemistry: A field study, Environmental Science & Technology, 28(5), 769-775, 1994.

McNab, W.W., Jr., and T.N. Narasimhan, A multiple species reactive transport model with sequential decay chain interactions in heterogeneous subsurface environments, Water Resources Research, 29(8), 2737-2746, 1993.

March 2001 ñ Environmental Litigation: Advanced Forensics and Legal Strategies, University of Wisconsin ñ Madison ñ Department of Engineering Professional Development, San Francisco, California, "Forensic Analysis of Chlorinated Hydrocarbon Plumes".

November 2000 ñ U.S. Department of Energy Twelfth Technical Information Exchange Workshop, Augusta, Georgia, "Remediation of Plume Source Areas at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory by Electroosmosis".

September 2000 ñ Association of Engineering Geologists/Groundwater Resources Association Joint Annual Meeting, San Jose, California, "Using Multi-site Groundwater Quality Data to Support Forensic Analysis of Chlorinated Hydrocarbon Plumes".

February 2000 ñ California CUPA/UST Conference 2000, San Francisco, California, "Ethanol Fate and Transport", with D. Rice, B. Dooher, and D. Layton.

March 1999 ñ AEHS/U.S. Navy Ninth Annual West Coast Conference on Contaminated Soils and Groundwater, Oxnard, California, "Results of the Chlorinated Volatile Organic Compound Historical Case Analysis and Practical Implications to Site Managers".

December 1998 ñ National Ground Water Association Annual Meeting, Las Vegas, Nevada, "Evaluating Chlorinated Hydrocarbon Plumes Using Historical Case Analyses".

October 1998 ñ Ground Water Resources Association Annual Meeting, Walnut Creek, California, "Evaluation of Chlorinated Hydrocarbon Plume Behavior in Groundwater Using Historical Case Population Analyses".

August 1998 ñ National Stakeholders Forum on Monitored Natural Attenuation, San Francisco, California, "Natural Attenuation of Fuel Hydrocarbons: Lessons Learned from the D.O.D. Demo Program".

May 1998 ñ First International Conference on Remediation of Chlorinated and Recalcitrant Compounds, Monterey, California, "Evaluation of Chlorinated VOC Groundwater Plume Behavior Using Historical Case Analysis".

March 1997 ñ AEHS/U.S. Navy Seventh Annual West Coast Conference on Contaminated Soils and Groundwater, Oxnard, California, "Uncertainty Analyses of Fuel Hydrocarbon Bioattenuation Signatures in Groundwater by Probabilistic Modeling".