Date

Time

Topic

 Location

Instructor

Tues,
5/16

18:00

Orientation Meeting, Release Forms, Etc.

  

Bennett

Wed,
5/17

0800

17:00

Stream gauging at Barton Springs.  Use of Pygmy, Price, and FlowTracker acoustic Doppler velocimeter for measuring spring discharge.  Dr. Will Asquith of USGS leads.

WE WILL LEAVE EVERY DAY AT 8:00 AM FROM DEPARTMENT BASEMENT UNLESS NOTED.

PLAN TO RETURN 5:00 PM DAILY (BUT BE PREPARED FOR LATER ARRIVALS).

   Sharp, Asquith (USGS)
Thur,
5/18		 08:00

17:00		 Salt dilution study of Waller Creek, UT Campus: an alternate method for stream gauging for very low flow or irregularly shaped stream channels.   Bennett
Fri.,
5/19		 08:00

11:00		 Surface seismic geophysical methods.  We will use 3 methods to infer subsurface geology (i.e., depth of Colorado Quaternary alluvial fill above Cretaceous carbonate bedrock) along stream terraces at the Breckenridge field site on Lake Austin Blvd. 
The geophysical methods are:
1) Electromagnetic induction;
2) Earth resistivity;
3) Seismic (reflection/refraction). 
Survey location will be determined using a Sokia Set600 Total Station electronic distance measuring device and theodolite.		   Sharp, Paine (BEG)
Sat.,
5/20		 08:00

DGS Graduation - No Class

    
Sun,
5/21

UT Graduation - No Class

PACK YOUR STEEL-TOED BOOTS AND CAMPING GEAR (IF YOU WANT TO CAMP).

HOTEL: will be staying at the luxurious Hondo Executive Inn: 102 E. 19th St. Hondo, TX 78861, 877-477-5817 - Bring your bathing suit; there is a pool.
Mon
5/22		 08:00

 

5:00

Travel to Devine (south of Hondo & San Antonio). 

Pump test.  Initial site setup.  Read your field manual before hand to familiarize yourself with aquifer pumping tests (distance-drawdown and time-drawdown), which are used to determine transmissivity and other important aquifer parameters you need to know when you design wells.  We will install pressure transducer water level loggers (from InSitu Corporation). 

Vadose zone characterization equipment will be installed: 
1) soil lysimeters for acquiring a soil moisture sample;
2) tensiometers and gypsum blocks to determine a recharge pulse as it increases in depth;
3) guelph permeameters to assess near-surface hydraulic conductivity.  The Soil Moisture Corporation (Santa Barbara, CA) website has good user's manuals (also see the Public Drive folder for manuals). 

Site Survey:  Determine Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) coordinates in the WGS 84 spheroid using hand-held GPS units and Total Station.

Groundwater Levels: Measure predevelopment groundwater levels before the pump test starts.  You'll need to be familiar with the Solinst and Keck electric wireline sounders (the hydrogeologist's side-arm).

 Devine Bennett
Tues
5/23		 08:00


05:00

 Pump Test: start pumping and monitoring groundwater levels.  You'll need to be familiar with the Solinst and Keck electric wireline sounders as well as programming and operating pressure transducer water level loggers.
YOU MUST COLLECT GROUND WATER LEVEL DATA AT REGULAR INTERVALS THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT.

Aqueous geochemistry: collect groundwater samples for field parameters from pumping well and other wells on site (temperature, electrical conductivity, pH, alkalinity) and anion and cation analyses (back at the Department).

Slug Tests: In addition to the pump test, this method also characterizes aquifer parameters (but only in the immediate vicinity of the well of interest).  You will use electric wireline sounders and water level loggers here too to see how fast groundwater level changes during the test.

Geoprobe: Collect in-situ lithologic samples to characterize site lithology (i.e., is it gravel, sand, silt, or clay -- or mixture of...) and determine soil moisture content (using scale, tin of known volume, and microwave to dry samples).

 Devine Bennett
 
Wed
5/24		 08:00


05:00

 Pump Test:  Finish up and start Recovery Test (see below).

Recovery Test: collect recovering ground water level data for a minimum of 12 hours (you can also determine aquifer parameters by observing how fast the groundwater level recovers after the pump is turned off).

Vadose zone characterization will continue: 
1) soil lysimeters for acquiring a soil moisture sample;
2) tensiometers and gypsum blocks to determine a recharge pulse as it increases in depth;
3) guelph permeameters to assess near-surface hydraulic conductivity.  The Soil Moisture Corporation (Santa Barbara, CA) website has good user's manuals (also see the Public Drive folder for manuals). 

Slug Tests: Continue testing.

Surface Geophysics: A 200 mHz (or 400 mHz) ground penetrating radar (GPR) will be used to identify subsurface lithology (i.e., is there a clay layer at depth that may inhibit recharge?  Did you also see it in the geoprobe core?).

Borehole Geophysics: Ed Miller of Geocam will demonstrate the use of common down-hole borehole geophysics tools (and other loggers).

 Devine Bennett
 
Thur
5/25		 08:00


05:00

 Recovery Test: finish and pull equipment; continue monitoring ground water levels before leaving.

Site Survey:  Determine Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) coordinates in the WGS 84 spheroid using hand-held GPS units and Total Station.

Aqueous geochemistry: collect groundwater samples for field parameters from pumping well and other wells on site (temperature, electrical conductivity, pH, alkalinity) and anion and cation analyses (back at the Department).

Surface Geophysics: continue.

Borehole Geophysics: continue.

DRIVE BACK TO AUSTIN. 
BE MENTALLY/PHYSICALLY PREPARED FOR A LATE ARRIVAL.

 Devine Bennett
 
Fri.
5/26		 08:00


05:00

 Final Project at Jacob's Well, Wimberley: 
The goals of this important project are to determine:
1) Which aquifer(s) feed the spring?
2) What is the recharge area (topographic catchment, or from Blanco River)?
3) What is the influence of pumping on local flow?

Using:
1) Groundwater levels;
2) Aqueous geochemistry analysis of groundwater samples you will collect;
3) Stream gain / loss studies (like what you did at Barton Springs);
4) Installation of ISCO water sampler in Cypress Creek;
5) Installation Doppler flow meters in Cypress Creek.

9:30 AM: Al Brown of Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District will give lecture on Edwards and Trinity aquifer stratigraphy and structure using well lithology and geophysics logs - this was a really cool lecture last year.

Action item: Scout site, start identifying well owners / collect groundwater samples; stream activities.

WE WILL ALL RETURN TO AUSTIN FOR THE WEEKEND.

 Devine Bennett;

Al Brown(HTGCD)
 
Sat.
5/27		 No Class    
Sun.
5/28		 No Class    
Mon-Thur
5/29-6/1		 08:00


05:00

 Final Project at Jacob's Well, Wimberley: 
We will break up into groups that will focus on individual tasks:
Groups 1 and 2: collecting well information.
Group 3: Stream gauging
Group 4: Aqueous geochemical analyses (half of this group will remain at UT to use ICP-MS and IC for cation and anion analyses, respectively)

WE WILL RETURN TO AUSTIN, OR YOU CAN CAMP AT THE SITE (SHOWERS, GREEN POOL).

 Devine Bennett
 
Fri/Sat
6/2-6/4		 Final Project Preparation.    
Saturday 6/3   PARTY at Dr. Bennett's House.