Print this page Groundwater Pumping Effects on Streamflow
T. E. McLaughlin, P.E.
Course Outline
The recognition, analysis, and control of groundwater issues is fundamental to designing a successful project which does not damage or destroy surrounding natural features This three-hour course discusses a variety of issues concerning groundwater, ecosystems, management of groundwater, and methods used to resolve these issues. Use of USGS Circular 1376 - Streamflow Depletion by Wells - Understanding and Managing the Effects of Groundwater Pumping on Streamflow allows the course to present a comprehensive and detailed survey of groundwater issues and how these issues effect ecosystems and surrounding natural features existing near well systems or construction projects.
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 will:
- Understand the effects of groundwater pumping on surrounding areas;
- Be able to recognize, assess, and analyze typical groundwater conditions;
- Be able to choose appropriate methods to address specific groundwater conditions;
- Become familiar with modifications to design which help alleviate groundwater issues; and
- Be able to recognize various types of ecosystems, rivers, and streams, and manage the groundwater operation to minimize damage to the environment.
Intended Audience
This course is intended for architects, engineers, and contractors.
Benefit for Attendee
Attendees of this course will be given an in-depth look at the recognition, analysis, and control of groundwater issues.
Course Introduction
This course is based on the open-source USGS Circular 1376 - Streamflow Depletion by Wells - Understanding and Managing the Effects of Groundwater Pumping on Streamflow. This publication should be downloaded and easily available to you while taking the course. For best results, we recommend you download the publication and save it to your hard drive or flash drive, and then open it with Adobe Reader, Nitro PDF, or some other program which opens pdf documents. You can do this by one of the following methods: a) download the USGS Publication and make it available on your hard drive; b) download and save the USGS Publication to a flash drive which you will then use during the course; c) download and print the Handbook on paper and refer to it with this method. Test questions are taken from the text of USGS Circular 1376 - Streamflow Depletion by Wells - Understanding and Managing the Effects of Groundwater Pumping on Streamflow and you will need to have this publication available either via your computer screen or in printed form on paper when taking the test. There is no other text material for this course.
Course Content
The course content is contained in the following PDF file:
Effects of Groundwater Pumping - Summary
USGS Circular 1376 - Streamflow Depletion by Wells
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
Groundwater is a common issue for most construction projects. The recognition, analysis, and control of groundwater issues are fundamental to having a successful construction project which does not damage or destroy surrounding natural features. We recommend the student review the USGS publication Effects of Groundwater Pumping - Summary prior to taking the course. This publication is an excellent summary of the more extensive course material found in USGS Circular 1376.
Related Links and References
The following reference books were used by the author in the preparation of this course:
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.
