Groundwater Engineering for Water Supplies - Geohydrology Case Study: An Unconfined Aquifer System

Groundwater Engineering for Water Supplies - Geohydrology Case Study: An Unconfined Aquifer System

Course Outline

The dominant application of groundwater engineering is the provision of water supplies for municipalities, agriculture, and industries. Sufficient groundwater supplies are essential for the health and economic well-being of the United States. With increasing demands for water from growing world populations, agriculture, and industry, as well as growing intermittent, if not long-term, shortages of surface water due to droughts, groundwater is becoming an even more important source of fresh water for society.

This 5-hour course is a case study that examines an unconfined, basin-fill aquifer system: the Middle Rio Grande Basin aquifer system. This unconfined aquifer system is vital to the health and economy of a major city, Albuquerque, New Mexico, surrounding communities, ranches, farms, and riparian environments. Study of the Middle Rio Grande aquifer system provides a real-world example of how an unconfined aquifer system is formed, how it functions in the hydrologic cycle including recharge, groundwater flow through the system, and discharge. This case study also illustrates how groundwater withdrawals change the dynamics of that system. This case study can be taken independently, or used to enhance understanding of many of the concepts described in the Geohydrology Fundamentals course.

This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of the course materials.

Learning Objective

At the conclusion of this course, the student would have achieved an understanding of:

How an aquifer system is formed and its geologic units and features;
How well logs and geophysical tools are used to enhance understanding of aquifers;
The surface water system and its relationship to groundwater;
Groundwater levels, hydraulic gradients, maps, and flow directions;
Groundwater elevation changes, measurements, and cones of depression;
Aquifer productivity in relation to hydraulic conductivity, porosity, and saturated thickness;
How groundwater moves through an aquifer system and how it is studied; and
Natural and human impacts to groundwater quality.

Intended Audience

This course is intended for civil-environmental engineers, geohydrologists, municipal planners, manufacturers and other professionals concerned with groundwater resources.

Benefit to Attendees

The subject matter of this course will be of benefit to professionals involved in water resource development and management including civil-environmental engineers, geohydrologists, municipal planners, agricultural entities, manufacturers and others concerned with groundwater resources. It will also be of benefit to others concerned with protecting these valuable water resources. The course provides a comprehensive, general understanding of what aquifers are and their importance to society by employing a real-world case study.

Course Introduction

In this course you will learn about a significant aquifer system that will enhance your understanding of the various components of an unconfined aquifer including its formation; how water moves through the system; terms used when discussing groundwater; and issues related to groundwater withdrawals from an aquifer.

Course Content

In this lesson, you are required to download and study the following documents: Pages 9-64 and 71-100 of USGS Circular 1222, 2002: Ground-Water Resources of the Middle Rio Grande Basin, J.R. Bartolino and J.C. Cole.

http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/2002/circ1222/cover.html

http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/2002/circ1222/pdf/circ1222.pdf

Please click on the above underlined hypertext to view, download or print the document for your study. Because of the large file size, we recommend that you first save the file to your computer by right clicking the mouse and choosing "Save Target As ...", and then open the file in Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you still experience any difficulty in downloading or opening this file, you may need to close some applications or reboot your computer to free up some memory.

Course Summary

The information provided in this course will detail the importance and uniqueness of this groundwater resource that lies under a populated, semi-arid area of the United States, and concerns for its future.

Quiz

Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.

DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered architect and/or professional engineer/surveyor. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.