Department
of Earth Science |
Northeastern
Illinois University
PRINCIPLES
OF HYDROGEOLOGY
ESCI
337
Fall,
2007
Department
of Earth Science |Northeastern
Illinois University
PRINCIPLES
OF HYDROGEOLOGY
ESCI
337
Fall,
2007
Please note: The online version of this syllabus will be updated several times per week as we move through the semester. Please check back frequently for updates.
| Course Description: Introduction to the theory and principles of ground water flow as well as streamflow. Topics include the hydrologic equation, evapotranspiration, well drilling and testing, porosity and permeability, Darcy's law, confined and unconfined aquifers, flow nets, geology of ground water occurrence, water table maps, geophysical exploration methods, well logs, streamflow, and hydrographs (4 credit hours). (From the NEIU catalog.) |
v Reading
assignments listed here are for the Fetter textbook.
v Click
on the date to see a list of objectives for that class period.
These
will be updated at least twice weekly, just before or after each
class.
| AUG 28 Course overview. Rain barrels and stormwater management. Read: Chapter 1. | AUG 30 Solving quantitative problems. Uncertainty. Read: p. 24-47, 55-57. |
| SEP 4 Homework #1 is due. Water levels in wells. | SEP 6 Water budgets and the hydrologic equation.Water flow: lab explorations. |
| SEP 11 Water flow: lab explorations, continued. | SEP 13 Properties of porous materials: porosity, effective porosity, specific yield, specific retention. Read: p. 68-90. |
| SEP 18 Water levels in wells. Measuring hydraulic properties of sediments: porosity, effective porosity, specific yield, and specific retention. Read: p. 90-93. | SEP 20 Homework #2 is due. Water table, vadose zone, capillary fringe, phreatic zone. Student presentations. |
| SEP
25 Hydraulic
head, pressure head, elevation head. Flow nets. Hydraulic
conductivity and permeability. Read: p. 113-147. |
SEP
27
Hydrostratigraphy:
aquifers and
aquitards. Hydraulic
conductivity, permeability, permeameters. Read:
p. 90-95. |
| OCT 2 Homework #3 is due. Aquifers and aquitards. Hydraulic gradient. | OCT 4 EXAM #1. Get the review sheet here! |
| OCT 9 The NEIU Darcy tube. Flow nets. Piezometers. | OCT
11 Flow
nets. Identifying
boundaries to flow systems. Read:
p. 100-108, Chapter 4 (esp. pages 132-138). |
| OCT 16 Making and interpreting water level maps. Hydrostratigraphy. Hydrogeologic cross sections and maps. Read: Chapter 7 and p. 297-300. | OCT 18 Finding well boring data for Illinois. Plotting well locations. |
| OCT 23 Work on your hydrogeologic cross section (Homework #4). | OCT
25 Homework
#4 is due. Using
geologic maps. |
| OCT 30 Conceptual models; ground water modeling. Read: p. 132-138 and Chapter 13. Designing grids for numerical models. Download Dr. Steven Esling's Graphic Groundwater here. | NOV
1 Stresses
on aquifers: pumping, recharge,
discharge. |
| NOV
6 Ground water
modeling:
particle tracking, capture
zones/recharge areas.
Evaluating a model. Read:
Chapter
13. |
NOV
8 Evaluating models; sensitivity analyses. |
| NOV
13 Regional
ground water flow and ground water
models. Read:
Chapter 7. |
NOV 15 Modeling project paper is due. EXAM #2 |
| NOV 20 Ground Water Contamination and Remediation. | NOV
22
THANKSGIVING--no
class. |
| NOV
27 Ground
Water Contamination and Remediation, contd. Capstone
project: introduction. Find Plume
Busters here. |
NOV 29 Capstone project, continued. Find Plume Busters here. |
| DEC
4 Capstone project,
continued. Consulting reports. |
DEC
6 Capstone project, continued. Reading
research papers. |
| DEC 11 "Exam", 6:00-7:50 pm. Capstone project papers due. | |
Attendance at all lecture and
lab
sessions is expected. Please bring the following to class every
day:
§ Your textbook
and notebook.
§ A scientific
calculator, pencil, eraser, ruler, and a colored pencil (optional)--any
color is fine.
§ Optional: when
we work with topographic maps, you might find it convenient to use a
map
scale, or engineer's scale. These three-sided rulers make
measuring
distances on topo maps much easier. If you buy one, be sure
to
get an engineer's scale (divided into tenths and then subdivided)
and
not
an architect's scale (divided into halves, quarters, eighths,
sixteenths,
and so on).
Homework: Some homework and labs will be completed and handed in by teams. Assignments and due dates will be posted on the course outline and on the homework page. Each paper handed in should list only the names of the students who participated in producing the final product. Team members should first outline the solutions to problems on their own, and then should work together to complete the solutions. Only one grade will be assigned per team. When solving quantitative problems, be sure to use the hints linked to this syllabus.
Modeling Project: In the project, which we will work on in teams for several weeks, you will construct, test, and use a numerical ground water model that will allow you to delineate a wellhead protection area of a community water supply well in Illinois. Several homework assignments will deal directly with this project. The final product of this project will be a report describing the geologic and hydrogeologic setting, the ground water model, and the five-year recharge area for the well(s) in the study.
Capstone Project: In the
capstone project, you will act as a consultant in an online simulation
of a site with ground water contamination. You will be given a
budget and timeline and will design a remediation program to clean up
the aquifer. Your grade will be based on the degree of
remediation you achieve and how well you stick to the budget and
schedule. The final product will include a cover letter and
consulting report.
Assessments: Students must
participate
in all assessment activities ("green sheets"). I want to
learn
how well certain concepts are getting across and how the class is
feeling
about the material and the course as we go along. At the end of
each
class period, you will assess this, usually anonymously. On these
green
sheets, assessment questions will help me find out how well the day's
outcomes were achieved. This may be done in the form of an
ungraded
quiz-type question, a concept map, or survey-type questions. This
information will help me to determine the extent to which the course is
meeting its goals. To provide me with the most information so
that
I can make the course better, I ask that you give me your most
thoughtful,
honest feedback-- the more, the better.
Academic integrity: The NEIU policy on academic integrity will be strictly enforced. A site from the University of Indiana explains and gives examples of plagiarism and provides helpful tips on how to avoid it.
Flexibility: This outline will change as the semester evolves. Please allow for flexibility in topics and assignments. Check frequently for updates!
Evaluation: 2 exams, weighted equally: 30%Department of Earth Science | Northeastern Illinois University
© 2007 Laura L.
Sanders.
Last updated December 6, 2007.