Groundwater from the lower Quadra Sand (the gravel layer) trickles over Dashwood Drift and into Nile Creek

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 and predict 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

GEOL-304 will include lots of field work, practical activities and experiments related to groundwater properties, flow, extraction and quality.  There are several different types of aquifers on Vancouver Island, and we will visit, study and discuss as many as we can.  An important part of the course is an assessment of the incidence and implications of leaks from underground fuel storage tanks at gas stations in the Nanaimo area.

Timetable (all in 370/107):

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

GEOL-304 leaking UST project

The GEOL-304 field project will involve an assessment of the incidence of leakage from underground fuel storage tanks at gas stations in the Nanaimo area, and an examination of the potential implications of that leakage for the quality of our groundwater.  We will also learn about the likely fate of contaminants that leak from underground fuel storage tanks.  You will each be responsible for one site where leakage has taken place, and will be expected to describe the potential impacts based on what you can find out about the hydrogeology of the immediate area. 

Monitoring wells at two different abandoned gas-station sites in Nanaimo

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 http://viu.ca/policies/policy.asp?rdPolicyNumber=99.01.  

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 (subject to change)