A CAMPUS BASED WELL FIELD USED TO EDUCATE STUDENTS ON WATER AND ENVIRONMENT

A college campus based well field has been and is still being monitored for water levels and testing for pH, and temperature, along with some basic chemical parameters such as nitrate and phosphate. The well field is used in several courses at Indiana University – Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) that include introductory general geology to upper level hydrogeology courses.

A lab was designed around this well field in the introductory general geology lab course. Students were required to measure water levels, along with temperature and conductivity, and to write a three-page report on the lab. Students learned to use some simple instruments, collected some real numbers, and analyzed and interpreted their data. Also provided to the students was data of a sixty-eight month pH, conductivity and water level for analysis.

There is a steady increase in water levels in the wells, although there was a sharp decline within the month of October 2007. The pH’s trend is slightly downwards with a range between 6.0 and 9.0. However, the pH appears to have become steady over the past twelve months. Conductivity data shows a slight general decline, but with a wide spread, ranging from 50 to 1000 microsiemens per centimeter (µS/cm). The water temperature is cyclical in accordance with the season. The nitrate level is generally under the 10 ppm maximum allowed in drinking water by the US EPA. This well field was used in educating students on water in general and how their activities or lack thereof could affect their environment. Some students revealed that this field hands-on approach was the most rewarding activity in the lab course.