GEOL 242 - SYLLABUS – Spring 2006

 

"Groundwater Hydrogeology"

 

Instructor:           BRUCE SIMONSON

                                    office:                   Carnegie 401

                                    office hours:      MON 10 AM-Noon, WED 2:30-4:30 PM, or by appointment

                                    e-mail:                  bruce.simonson@oberlin.edu

                                    voice:                    x58347

Lectures:             TU and TH, 11:00 to 12:15

Labs:                     TH - 1:30-4:20 PM EXCEPT for pump test and Niagara Falls trip (see below)

 

This course is a survey of the fundamental principles governing the flow of groundwater and its extraction from aquifers for human use, including a consideration of groundwater contamination. A tentative schedule of topics weÕll cover is given elsewhere, along with the required readings. Most of the readings are from GROUNDWATER SCIENCE by C.R. Fitt (2002, Academic Press), which is the REQUIRED text on sale at the bookstore. There will also be one copy on Science reserve. HereÕs the TENTATIVE SCHEDULE:

                                                                                                                             

Day

Date

Topic

Readings

 

 

UNIT 1 – Basics of groundwater movement

 

TU

2/7

Preview of coming attractions

--

TH

2/9

1) The hydrologic cycle and the nature of porosity

Sects. 1.1-1.3, 2.1-2.4

TH

2/9

LAB:  Quantifying sediment grain size

Sect. 2.4.2

 

 

 

 

TU

2/14

2) DarcyÕs Law, hydraulic conductivity, and Aquifers 101

Sects. 3.1-3.4, 4.3

TH

2/16

3) Intro to hydraulic head and visualizing flow

Sects. 2.5-2.6

TH

2/16

LAB:  Constructing flow nets

Sect. 6.4

 

 

 

 

TU

2/21

4) Intro to hydrostratigraphy, heterogeneity and anisotropy

Sects. 3.5-3.7,3.9

TH

2/21

5) Influence of topography, intro to permeameters

Sects. 3.8, 4.3

TH

2/21

LAB:  potentiometric maps + Darcy tubes

Sect. 3.8.2, 4.3.3

 

 

 

 

TU

2/28

6) Basic surface hydrology

Sect. 1.4, FETTER AH Ch. 2

TH

3/2

7) The critical link: the unsaturated zone

Sect. 3.10

TH

3/2

LAB:  Flow in confined aquifers + capillary draw

Sect. 4.3.1

 

 

 

 

TU

3/7

8) Hydrogeology of natural springs

FETTER AH Sect. 7.5

TH

3/9

UNIT 2 – Basics of groundwater extraction

1) Basic well design and construction

 

DRISCOLL Chap. 10

TH

3/9

LAB: Problem set on aquifers + review session

--

 

 

 

 

TU

3/14

EXAM #1  (covers all material in Unit #1)

--

TH

3/16

2) Flow to a well: cone of depression 101

Sects. 6.1-6.3

TH

3/16

NO LAB BECAUSE OF WEEKEND FIELD TRIP

--

SUN

3/19

FIELD TRIP:  a real live pump test at the Jones farm

--

 

 

 

 

TU

3/21

3) Storativity and induced ground subsidence

Sects. 5.7-5.8

TH

3/23

4) Pump tests and the Theis curve

Sects. 5.9, 6.5, Chap. 7

TH

3/23

LAB: Analyzing aquifers with pump test data

 

 

* * * * * SPRING BREAK * * * * *

 

TU

4/4

5) ÒSimpleÓ unconsolidated sedimentary aquifers

Sect. 4.4

TH

4/7

6) Volcanic aquifers, coastal aquifers, and permafrost

Sects. 4.6-4.7

TH

4/7

LAB: Analysis of Jones farm data + slug tests

--

 

 

 

 

TU

4/11

7) Consolidated aquifers including karst and caves

Sect. 4.5

TH

4/13

UNIT 3 - Groundwater contamination

1) Contamination 101

 

Sects. 10.1-10.4

TH

4/13

FIELD TRIP: hydrogeology of Lorain County region

--

 

 

 

 

TU

4/18

EXAM #2  (covers all material in Unit #2)

--

TH

4/20

2) ABC's of aqueous geochemistry, intro to water quality

Sects. 9.1-9.5

TH

4/20

NO LAB, BUT SHORT SESSION IN SCIENCE LIBRARY

--

SAT

SUN

FIELD TRIP to Niagara Falls area

--

4/22

- 4/23

(leave Saturday evening, return Sunday evening)

--

 

 

 

 

MON

4/24

FINAL PAPER TOPIC AND 2 REFERENCES DUE

--

TU

4/25

3) Controls on groundwater chemistry

Sects. 9.6-9.9, 10.8

TH

4/27

4) Groundwater remediation part 1 – Òpump and treatÓ

FETTER CH Sect. 9.3

TH

4/27

LAB: Interpreting chemical analyses of natural gwater

--

 

 

 

 

TU

5/2

5) Groundwater remediation – the current state of the art

Sect. 10.9

TH

5/4

6) Saline intrusion into coastal aquifers

Sect. 3.11

TH

5/4

LAB: Quantifying contamination

Sects. 10.5-10.7

 

 

 

 

TU

5/9

7) Uses of isotopes in understanding gwater

Sect. 9.10

TH

5/11

8) Groundwater regions of the USofA

FETTER AH Sect. 8.10

TH

5/11

FIELD TRIP: Ohio's karst region

--

 

 

 

 

MON

5/15

FINAL PAPER DUE

--

WED

5/17

2 PM

EXAM #3  (covers material in Unit #3)

 

 

The readings listed in the righthand column above are from Fitz UNLESS they have one of the codes listed below, in which case they are in the book indicated. These non-Fitz books will also be on Science reserve.

 

DRISCOLL = Driscoll, F. G., 1986, GROUNDWATER AND WELLS (2nd ed.), U.S. Filter/Johnson Screens.

FETTER AH = Fetter, C.W., 2001, APPLIED HYDROGEOLOGY (4th ed., Prentice Hall),

FETTER CH = Fetter, C.W., 1999, CONTAMINANT HYDROGEOLOGY (2nd ed.), Prentice Hall.

 

In addition to these, other books will also be on Science reserve that are full of useful information, such as:

Back, W., Rosenshein, J. S., and Seaber, P. R., 1988, HYDROGEOLOGY, Geology of North America, vol. O-2, Geological Society of America.

Domenico, P. A., and Schwartz, F. W., 1998, PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL HYDROGEOLOGY (2nd ed.), John Wiley & Sons. 

Freeze, R. A., and Cherry, J. A., 1979, GROUNDWATER, Prentice-Hall.

 

Your GRADE in this course will be calculated using the following formula:

 

                3 hour-long, equally weighted closed-book exams                       60%

                ca. 10 hand-in exercises                                                                             30%

                paper for final project                                                                                  10%

 

                                                                                                 TOTAL                          100%

 

 

HAND-IN EXERCISES, PROBLEM SETS AND LABS:

 

You will be responsible for about one hand-in per week in the form of problem sets, in-class exercises and lab exercises throughout the semester. I will grade these via TWO criteria: 1) if a given answer is numerically correct, and 2) if you show enough calculations to convince me you did what was needed to arrive at your answer. MAKE SURE YOUR HAND-INS ARE LEGIBLE. I deduct 10% for work handed in a little late and substantially more if it is handed in really late.

 

EXAMS

 

Each of the three exams for this course is a 75-minute, closed-book exam with a mixed format covering one of the three course units shown on the schedule. During the exam, you will be permitted to use a hand calculator, but concepts and visualization will be stressed more than numerical calculations on the exams.

 

FIELD TRIPS

 

Four field trips are scheduled for this course. The geo department will cover your transportation and lodging costs for all trips, but a $10 LAB FEE WILL BE COLLECTED at the start of the semester (checks should be made out to Oberlin College). Two field trips take place during the regular lab time slot and two take place on weekends (see schedule for details). I canÕt force you to participate in the weekend trips, but they are both indispensable hydrogeologic experiences, so please make every effort to do them. To reiterate, all you will have to pay on the Niagara trip are your own food costs.

 

FINAL PAPER

 

The aquifer summary paper will consist of two parts: 1) an overview of groundwater hydrogeology in an area of your choosing where a problem exists, and 2) a summary of the nature, extent, and prognosis of whatever the problem is (contamination or depletion). One session with the Science Librarian is scheduled in lieu of lab on April 20th to help you locate reference materials and focus your project. Your paper should be at least 10 pages long and April 24th is the deadline for letting me know what aquifer or area you have chosen and lining up a couple of starter references. The paper will be due on the MONDAY of reading period because the third exam is on the FIRST DAY of exam period, which is Wednesday (sorry, nothing I can do about that). Papers can be submitted EITHER in hard copy OR via e-mail.