Geology 304 – Hydrogeology

Geology 304 – Hydrogeology – Spring 2011

Instructor: Steven Earle

Office: 360/304a

Office hours: Mon. 10:00 to 11:00 Wed. and Fri. 10:30-11:30 (but please feel free to drop in any time)

Telephone: 2756, e-mail: steven.earle@viu.ca

HYDROGEOLOGY is the study of water in the ground, how it moves, how it interacts with surface water and the surrounding rocks and how we extract and use it. In Geology 304 we will:

discuss global and local water supplies
study the relationships between surface water and groundwater
learn about porosity and permeability in the context of geology

examine groundwater flow, and learn how to understand flow paths and flow rates;
look at the various ways in which groundwater can be extracted and used, and some of the limitations and consequences of that use;
discuss groundwater contamination, preventing it and mitigating the damage if it does happen, and
study the nature of the interactions between the water and the rocks and sediments through which it flows, and how those interactions can affect the water quality.

Idealized groundwater flow paths in Nanaimo Group rocks on Saturna Island - from Allen and Suchy, 2001

The course will include lots of field work, practical activities and experiments related to groundwater properties, flow, extraction and quality. An important part of the course is a field study of the hydrogeology around Nile Creek, north of Qualicum Bay.

Timetable (all in 370/107):

Monday	Monday (lab)	Wednesday
8:30 to 10:00	1:00 to 4:00	8:30 to 10:00

Lab activities could be done during any of these times. Most field trips will be on Monday afternoons.

The textbook is: Applied Hydrogeology (4^th Ed.) by C.W. Fetter.

The course website can be accessed from the following location: http://records.viu.ca/~earles/. Click on GEOL-304 – Hydrogeology. The course outline, the schedule, lecture notes and information and data pertaining to the labs are available on the website.

Course topics and anticipated learning outcomes

Topic	Learning outcomes
Introduction, course overview, world water supplies	Understand the importance of water and recognize that we do not have unlimited fresh water in Canada. Become an advocate for water stewardship.
Review of surficial hydrology and connections with groundwater	Understand the connection between surface water (SW) and groundwater (GW), and be able to assess the contribution of SW runoff to GW and of GW to stream flow.
Porosity and permeability	Understand the difference between porosity and permeability. Gain experience with measuring permeability in several different ways.
Groundwater movement , flow rates, flow nets	Understand how and why GW flows and controls its flow rates and paths. Be able to predict flow rates and paths in 1, 2 and 3 dimensions. Learn how to model GW flow using MODFLOW.
Geology of aquifers	Become familiar with different aquifer types, especially those that have examples on Vancouver Island. Be able to predict GW flow characteristics in the different types of aquifers.
Groundwater extraction	Understand how wells are constructed, tested and used, and how the extraction of well water can affect GW behaviour. Learn how to test the capacity of a water well.
Groundwater chemical evolution	Become aware of the important natural chemical constituents of GW, and how they vary. Be able to interpret a GW chemical analysis. Understand some of the processes of water-rock interaction.
Groundwater contamination	Become familiar with the major sources of anthropogenic GW contamination, how contamination can be avoided, and what can be done to mitigate contamination. Understand how aquifer characteristics and other factors contribute to the potential for GW contamination.
Groundwater and climate change	Understand how the climate change (and related impacts) predicted for our region might affect the quality and quantity of SW and GW on Vancouver Island.
Nile Creek Project	Understand the connection between groundwater and surface water in the vicinity of Nile Creek. Gather the information necessary to construct a GW flow model (see below for more information).

World Water Day

March 22^nd 2011 is World Water Day. The theme of WWD in 2011 is water for cities. See http://www.worldwaterday.org/ for more information. Over the next few weeks we will discuss what you would like to do for WWD.

Field project

The GEOL-304 field project will involve an integrated study of the hydrology and hydrogeology of the area around Nile Creek, a highly productive fish stream between Qualicum Bay and Bowser. We will work together to compile and interpret a number of data sets, including topography, surficial and bedrock geology, groundwater levels, temperature and chemistry and stream water temperature, chemistry and flow rate. The objective of the project is to understand the relationship between groundwater and surface water in Nile Creek, and how that relationship contributes to the quality of Nile Creek as habitat for salmonids. The project will be conducted in cooperation with the Nile Creek Enhancement Society and Trout Unlimited Canada.

Academic integrity

The following standards of academic integrity are copied from the Student Academic Code of Conduct. All students should read the entire policy document, which can be found on the VIU website at: 99.01 Student Academic Code of Conduct

STANDARDS OF ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Students are expected to meet the standards of academic integrity as indicated in this policy. Standards of academic integrity include, but are not limited to:

independently producing the work submitted under your name;
properly and appropriately referencing all work (including the use of quotation marks);
identifying all collaborators in your work;
completing examinations without giving or receiving assistance, excepting those students requiring assistance due to a documented disability;
respecting the integrity of examination materials and/or the examination process; and
respecting the integrity of computer security systems, software copyrights and file privacy of others.

Grading: We will have a discussion about grading.