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EESC/GEOL 305 - Introduction to Hydrology

Introductory Hydrology Spring 2002

Instructor: Dr. Chuck Whipkey Office: 432 Jepson
Email: cwhipkey@umw.edu Phone: 654-1428

Office hours: Mon. 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Tue. 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Wed. 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM
Thu. 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Additional hours by appointment.

Required Text: C.W. Fetter (2001) Applied Hydrology, fourth edition

Recommended references: Groundwater (1979) by R.A. Freeze and J.A. Cherry
Physical and Chemical Hydrogeology by P.A. Dominico and F.W. Schwartz

Class meetings: Tuesday and Thursday at 12:30 PM in 201 Jepson

Exams: There will be three equally weighted exams in this class, given at approximately one third and two thirds through the course and during the final exam period. Each exam may include quantitative problem solving, short answer questions, and short essay questions, and will be based on homework, lecture material, readings in the text, and other material that may be assigned.

Homework: There will homework assignments on a (approximately) weekly basis. The assignments will usually be exercises selected from the end-of-chapter problems in Fetter, but other material can be assigned as well. Completed homework will be due at the beginning of class one week from the day it is assigned, unless otherwise stated. Homework solutions will be posted at that time. Therefore, no credit can be given for assignments turned in late, unless arrangements are made in advance. See handout regarding homework policies for additional information.

Honor Pledge: The following pledge must be written and signed on all work to be graded: I hereby declare upon my word of honor that I have neither given nor received unauthorized help on this work.

Grading: Exams 1, 2 and 3 75%
Homework 25%
Total 100%

Final letter grades will be assigned on a percentage basis: 100-90% = A to A-, 89-80% = B+ to B-, etc. The instructor reserves the right to adjust grades based on class attendance and participation.


Class schedule:

Week of... Topic (subject to revision) Reading
1/7 Course overview/policies. What is hydrology? hydrogeology? Dimensional analysis and units Ch. 1
in problem solving. Energy transfer and the hydrogeologic equation (the continuity equation).

1/14 Hydrologic cycle; evaporation and evapotranspiration; condensation and precipitation; Ch. 2
infiltration; stream hydrographs

1/28 Rainfall-runoff relationships; baseflow; stream gaging; weirs; the Manning equation Ch. 2

2/4 Aquifer characteristics - porosity of geologic materials; specific yield; hydraulic conductivity Ch. 3
and Darcy's Law; permeability and permeameters; water table maps; aquifer types

2/11 Exam #1 on 2/12/02 covering material up to 2/7/02
Aquifer characteristics - compressibility and effective stress; homogeniety and isotropy Ch. 3

2/18 Aquifer characteristics - the gradient of the potentiometric surface
Groundwater flow - force potential and hydraulic head; Darcy's Law Ch. 4

2/25 Groundwater flow - the general equations of groundwater flow; flow lines and flow nets Ch. 4
Groundwater flow to wells - introduction and basic assumptions Ch. 5

3/4 Spring Break - no classes

3/11 Groundwater flow to wells - time-drawdown data; aquifer tests (pumping tests and slug tests) Ch. 5
Soil moisture - the capillary fringe, pore water tension, and water table recharge Ch. 6

3/18 Regional groundwater flow - recharge and discharge areas; regional flow systems; interactions Ch. 7
with surface water bodies; read case studies of major groundwater flow systems
Geology of groundwater occurrence Ch. 8

3/25 Geology of groundwater occurrence Ch. 8
Exam #2 on 3/28 covering material from 2/14 to 3/26

4/1 Chemistry of natural waters - introduction; units and solubility; reactions and activities Ch. 9
carbonate reactions and equilibrium; Piper plots, Stiff diagrams etc.

4/8 Ion exchange; isotope hydrology (stable and radiogenic isotopes) Ch. 9
Groundwater quality and contamination - water quality standards; sample collection; Ch. 10
groundwater monitoring

4/15 Groundwater quality and contamination - transport of solutes; advection, diffusion, dispersion, Ch. 10
retardation; sources of contamination; remediation of groundwater contamination

4/22 Management of groundwater resources Ch. 11

Final exam on 5/2/02 from 2:00 - 5:00 PM covering material from 4/2 to 4/23