Incorporating a Watershed-Based Summary Field Exercise into an Introductory Hydrogeology Course

Abstract

We have developed and implemented a summary field exercise for an introductory hydrogeology course without a laboratory section. This exercise builds on lectures and problem sets that use pre-existing field data. During one day in April, students measure hydraulic heads, stream and spring flow, and stream-bed seepage within the rural watershed of a third-order perennial stream in western Kentucky. Students calculate net specific discharge at various scales, map groundwater flow in the watershed, and calculate vertical hydraulic gradients at the mouth of the watershed, where the stream enters a reservoir (Kentucky Lake). Distinctive features of the exercise include hydraulic head measurements in large-diameter domestic wells and in piezometers installed in the reservoir embayment. Kentucky Lake is raised ~ 2 m shortly before the field trip, thus providing an analog of bank storage. Former students who responded to a questionnaire indicated that the exercise was worthwhile. The exercise was based at a biological field station but could be completed at any field site where long-term hydrologic monitoring is in place or could be initiated.