John McCray, Ph.D. Professor

Director Environmental Science and Engineering Division

Education

• Ph.D. Hydrology and Water Resources, The University of Arizona, 1998.
• M.S. Environmental Systems Engineering, Clemson University, 1994.
• B.S. Electrical Engineering, West Virginia University, 1986.

Other Academic Affiliations

• Chair, ASCE National Ground Water Quality Committee
• Associate Director, Center for Environmental Study of Subsurface Processes (CESEP)
• Associate Editor, Ground Water
• Associate Editor, Journal of Contaminant Hydrology
• Associate Editor, Vadose Zone Journal
• Interdisclipinary Graduate Program in Geochemistry
• International Ground Water Modeling Center (IGWMC)
• Adjunct Assistant Professor Soil and Crop Sciences Dept., Colorado State University

Research Interests

Professor McCray's research focuses on chemical transport in hydrologic systems, generally utilize some combination of field, laboratory, and modeling work.   Current projects include: potential release and transport of metals in groundwater due to CO2 leaking into overlying aquifers during carbon sequestration; geochemical reactions that influence porosity and permeability during carbon injection into saline aquifers, including the impacts on cap rocks; impact of the mountain pine beetle on hydrology and chemical transport in Rocky Mountain watersheds; transport, interphase mass-transfer and remediation of flourinated hydrocarbons in groundwater; chemical and bio remediation in fractured rock aquifers; using polymer solutions to enhance delivery of remediation agents to lower-permeability media; fate and transformation of nitrogen, pharmaceuticals and other emerging organics in the vadose zone during soil-based wastewater treatment; nitrogen contamination of springs in western Florida, and joint sustainability of water resources and petroleum-energy production.  

SELECTED Publications

Graduate-student and post-doctoral authors are underlined.

McCray, J.E., Tick, G., Jawitz, J.J., Annable, M., Brusseau, M.L., Falta, R., Gierke, J., Knox, R., Sabatini, D., Wood, A.L., 2011. Remediation of NAPL Source Zones: Lessons Learned from Field Studies at Hill and Dover AFB, Ground Water, 49, DOI: 10.1111/j.1745-6584.2010.00783.x.

Siirila, E, A.K. Sitchler, R.M. Maxwell, J. E. McCray, 2010. A quantitative methodology to assess the risks to human health from CO2 leakage into groundwater, Advances in Water Resources, doi:10.1016/j.advwatres.2010.11.005.

Geza M., Murray, K.E., McCray J.E., 2010. Model evaluation of potential impacts of onsite wastewater systems on phosphorus in Turkey Creek Watershed, J. Environ. Qual., 39(5), 1636-1646.

Geza, M., McCray, J.E., Poeter, E.P. 2009.  Quantifying predictive uncertainty for a mountain-watershed model, J. Hydrology, 376, 170–181.

Skold, M.E., Thyne, G.D., McCray, J.E., Drexler, J.W., Macalady, D., 2008.  Enhanced solubilization of a metal-organic contaminant mixture (Pb, Sr, Zn, and PCE) by cyclodextrin. Environ. Sci. Technol. 42(23), 8930-8934.

Smith, M M., Silva, J.A.K., Munakata-Marr, J., McCray, J. E., 2008. Compatibility of polymers and chemical oxidants for enhanced groundwater remediation. Environ. Sci. Technol., 42 (24) 9296-9301.

Schaeffer, C., E., Callaghan,  A.V., King, J., McCray, J.E., 2008. DNAPL morphology and dissolution in discretely fractured sandstone blocks, Environ. Sci. Technol., 43(6), 1877–1883.

Lipson, D.L., McCray, J.E., Thyne, G.D., 2007.  Using PHREEQC to simulate solute transport in fractured bedrock, Ground Water, 45(4), 468–472.

Gurdak, J.J., Hanson, R.T., McMahon, P.B., Bruce, B.W., McCray, J.E., Thyne, G.D., 2007.  Climate variability controls on unsaturated water and chemical movement, High Plains aquifer, United States, Vadose Zone Journal, 6, 533–547.

Bumgarner, J., McCray, J.E., 2007. Estimating biozone hydraulic conductivity in wastewater soil-infiltration systems using inverse numerical modeling, Water Research, 41 (11), 2349-2360.

McCray, J.E., Brusseau, M.L, 1998.  Cyclodextrin-enhanced in-situ flushing of multiple-component immiscible organic-liquid contamination at the field scale: Mass removal effectiveness, Environ. Sci. Technol., 32 (9):  1285-1293.

McCray, J.E. and Falta, R.W., 1997.  Numerical simulation of air sparging for remediation of NAPL contamination, Ground Water, 35(1): 99-110.