CHEATING THE HYDROLOGIC BUDGET: TEACHING PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS TO UNSUSTAINABILITY

The hydrologic cycle and the quantification of it using the hydrologic budget equation are among of the first concepts presented in most academic courses dealing with hydrogeology and in almost all modern textbooks. ‘Cheating' the hydrologic budget equation is an interesting way to show students how professionals apply other hydrogeologic concepts and equations to help the supply of water meet the demand for water in the ever escalating race against unsustainability. Rewritten as an equality between water supply terms and water demand terms, the hydrologic budget equation combined with a simple graph of quantity versus cost that shows typical curves of supply and demand can be used to show students how science interacts with economics, technology, and government policy. The rewritten hydrologic budget equation also can be used to show students how induced stream infiltration, artificial recharge basins, reverse osmosis, aquifer storage and retrieval wells, saltwater intrusion barriers, and catchment basins are used to cheat the hydrologic cycle and supply additional water to meet unsustainable demands.

Applied problems can be developed and presented to students using EXCEL spreadsheets to be solved using EXCEL's intrinsic mathematical, statistical, and graphing functions. Examples include induced stream infiltration at Columbus, Ohio, artificial recharge at Leaky Acres in Fresno, California, and aquifer storage and retrieval wells at Wildwood, New Jersey. This type of problem-based learning enables students to see how the theoretical concepts and principles presented in class are used by professionals to address local water supply and demand problems. Use of (simplified) real-world problems gives students a means to practice their quantitative skills, a sense that their academic knowledge can extend beyond the classroom, and confidence in their problem-solving abilities.