THE COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY GETWET OBSERVATORY: A FLUID LEARNING ENVIRONMENT PROMOTING DEEPER UNDERSTANDING

A groundwater well field installed on the Colorado State University campus in Spring 2006 provides undergraduate students with an education experience focused on hands-on exposure to the linkages between surface- and ground-waters. The GetWET Observatory consists of six monitoring wells adjacent to Spring Creek, a regulated perennial stream that experienced a high magnitude flood in 1997 and record drought in 2002. Three principal teaching goals have been established for the site, including: 1) providing non-majors with quantitative, real-life hydrogeologic experiences that increase awareness of the importance of the groundwater portion of the water cycle, 2) field-based, interdisciplinary learning opportunities in surface and groundwater hydrology in five courses for geoscience majors, and 3) support for K-12 science teachers via professional development workshops, well access, inquiry-based classroom and field activities, and equipment loans. Laboratory-based exercises under development include a basic site characterization where CSU students collect data on water levels, hydraulic and tracer tests, and general water quality indicators. Students then develop potentiometric surface maps as a basis for flow-net analysis, evaluate drawdown and recovery data to determine hydraulic conductivity of the unconfined aquifer, analyze and interpret tracer data to determine additional aquifer properties and the interaction with surface water, and interpret water quality results based on compliance with regulatory standards. Well-logs and cores completed and described by students during drilling are used to develop subsurface cross-sections and to further define aquifer properties. There will be continuous logging of hydraulic head, temperature, and specific conductance in several wells. A web accessible database will allow students to make annual and seasonal comparisons that enhance student understanding of surface and groundwater processes over time. Publicity generated during the well field installation resulted in an offer to collaborate with a river monitoring group tied to state regulatory agencies, as well as donations by industry partners of an automated well monitoring system wirelessly linked to a web server for real-time access via the Internet.