The challenge
Feasibility questions like this one don't get answered from a desk. To know whether the campus could heat itself from the ground, someone had to actually reach the resource, measure it, and prove it out, while satisfying a stack of federal and state environmental requirements before a drill bit ever touched the soil. The job was equal parts engineering, permitting and field testing.
What we did
Alares provided end-to-end project management, planning, permitting, testing and reporting. The centerpiece was a test well designed and installed to a depth of 2,200 feet, drilled with techniques chosen to preserve well integrity and return accurate subsurface data. From there we ran static and dynamic thermal production testing to evaluate the well's production rate, thermal gradients and potential output, then delivered detailed reports, a feasibility assessment, and a preliminary design for a potential geothermal heating system.
How we did it
Clearing NEPA first
Before any drilling, we completed a comprehensive Environmental Assessment under the National Environmental Policy Act, addressing direct, indirect and cumulative impacts to hydrology, soil stability, air quality and ecosystems. The analysis concluded with a Finding of No Significant Impact, the FONSI that allowed the project to proceed.
Permitting across four agencies
A well like this answers to more than one authority. We secured the necessary permits and approvals in coordination with the Bureau of Land Management, the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, the Nevada Division of Minerals and the City of Reno Environmental Control, running those approvals in parallel so permitting didn't stall the schedule.
The outcome
The testing confirmed it: direct-use geothermal heating is a viable energy solution for the Reno VAMC. The VA came away with hard subsurface data, a feasibility determination, and a preliminary system design to build on, all secured under NEPA and the relevant state frameworks, and all achieved while minimizing impact to the site. A real answer to a real question, backed by a well in the ground rather than an assumption on paper.