“IN-HOUSE” AQUIFER MONITORING: A NEW LABORATORY INSTALLATION FOR MULTIDISCIPLINARY LEARNING

A nest of deep and shallow piezometers (ground-water monitoring wells) was installed at the site of a new science-education building for the University of Southern Indiana in November 2001. After completion of the building construction, these piezometers will be housed in a ground-water monitoring laboratory on the ground floor within the building. This piezometer nest was designed and installed primarily for undergraduate teaching and research purposes within the Department of Geology. This installation permits direct student access to a bedrock ground-water system used for local domestic supplies. The deep well was drilled to a depth of 33.5 m (110 ft) and the shallow well was installed at a depth of 18.3 m (60 ft). Intact bedrock cores were recovered from the piezometer screened intervals. The nest displays vertical hydraulic gradients and the geochemical signatures of deep and shallow ground water are distinct. Results from this technology are directly applicable to curricular elements in hydrogeology, environmental geology, sedimentation and stratigraphy, and geochemistry. Moreover, natural water samples are available to students and faculty in the chemistry department. This novel laboratory provides a controlled setting for understanding well installations and the use and application of water-quality monitoring instruments, environmental sampling equipment, aquifer testing, and digital recording devices. Drilling and well installation is a minor cost compared to other construction expenses and can be easily incorporated into building plans during a design phase. Finish design includes stainless steel casings mounted through a laboratory bench and the infrastructure for monitoring, pumping, and sampling.