The course offers an overview on basic field methods for characterization of hydrologic systems and an introduction to methods used at two Superfund sites. It is taught for one week in the field at KU's Canon City Field Camp with some material introduced online before and after the field course. Topics to be covered include physical and chemical characterization techniques, such as: how to measure water levels; determine hydraulic conductivity and groundwater velocity; determine hydraulic properties of the vadose zone; inorganic, organic, isotopic, and dissolved gas characterization; and groundwater-surface water characterization techniques. These techniques will be viewed in action at sites of hydrogeologic interest and be applied in the field.  

• Organization

The course is a mixture of tours, lectures, and hands-on field experience. Students live in cabins and conduct field exercises on site, at our nearby groundwater and stream monitoring network.

• Prerequisite

      GEOL 552 Introduction to Hydrogeology or consent of instructor.

• Textbook

There is no textbook for this course. All materials are made available in Canvas.

• Additional resources

  1. • For more on the Harrison Canon City  Camp See: https://kuendowment.org/news-articles/2- million-gift-supports-ku-geology-field-camp-scholarships/   

• KU Geology Deparment's website that describes the camp can be found here

• Two  cool articles that describe the course can be found here   and on page 21 of the 2022 G-Hawker