Print this page Groundwater Engineering for Water Supplies - The Basin and Range Basin-Fill Aquifer System
Conrad G. Leszkiewicz, PhD, PE, PG
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.
The Basin and Range basin-fill aquifers, taken together, comprise the fourth largest principal water supply aquifer system in the United States. The system is a vital source of water for the arid Southwest. This 7-hour course will provide an introduction to this important aquifer system by focusing on six basin-fill aquifers: Salt Lake City, Utah; Reno, Carson City, and Las Vegas, Nevada; and Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona. It will document concerns resulting from declining water levels and quality degradation due to rapid population growth and development.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 the following:
- The importance of the Basin and Range Basin-Fill aquifer system;
- The areal extent and physiological setting of the Basin and Range aquifer system;
- The major hydrologic units of six of the most vital basin-fill aquifers;
- The geohydrology of the selected basin-fill aquifers;
- The mechanisms of recharge and discharge to basin-fill aquifers;
- History of groundwater development and usage of selected basin-fill aquifers;
- Historic changes in groundwater levels in selected basin-fill aquifers;
- The susceptibility of basin-fill aquifers to contamination;
- The potential effects on groundwater quality from development; and
- Concerns for future uses due to rapid development.
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 broad understanding of the importance of groundwater resources to society.
Course Introduction
In this course you will learn about the fourth largest and vitally important principal aquifer system in the United States: the Basin and Range Basin-Fill Aquifer System. You will also learn of the challenges facing users of that aquifer system.
Course Content
In this lesson, you are required to download and study the following document: Pages 5-67, and 83-142 of USGS Professional Paper 1781, 2010: Conceptual Understanding and Water Quality of Selected Basin-Fill Aquifers in the Southwestern United States, S.A. Thiros, L.M. Bexfield, D.A. Anning, J.M. Huntington, and T.S. McKinney.
http://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/1781/pdf/pp1781.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 special importance of the fourth largest groundwater resource in the United States and concerns for its future use.
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.
