Field Hydrology at the Branson Field Lab
Red Canyon Creek, Wyoming
I co-teach the hydrology portion of the University of Missouri's Branson Geology Field Camp program. Students conduct a complete hydrogeological investigation of a reach and adjacent meadow along Red Canyon Creek. The investigations include installing wells and piezometers, logging soil borings, measuring hydraulic conductivity via bail tests, mapping the water table and groundwater flow paths, measuring groundwater chemistry, and conducting in-stream tracer tests to measure stream discharge rates.
The Branson Geology Field Camp now includes an optional week of advanced hydrology! Projects include the Sinks Canyon Dye Tracing Test.
SURFACE WATER COMPONENT:
I have developed the stream tracer test component of the field course. Students set up constant-rate and slug injection tracer experiments and record the
tracer concentration over time at different field stations. They use the results of their field work to measure discharge rates along the
creek. The students estimate discharge based on the plateau concentration of the tracer, integration of the slug tracer curve, the arrival time of the tracer, and velocity-area measurements. These techniques are then compared to evaluate the reliability of the different methods.
Students measuring water velocity using a current meter:  |
Students measuring water velocity using a float near a flume that is also used to measure stream flow:  |
Students measuring the pH, dissolved oxygen and specific conductance of the water:  |
Showing how the dye moves through the channel:  |
GROUNDWATER COMPONENT:
For the groundwater component of the course, students map the water table across the meadow using the over 30 wells and piezometers
installed on-site. They also contour a hydrogeologic cross-section adjacent to the channel where we have installed a transect of closely-spaced
wells and piezometers. To determine the groundwater velocity and discharge rate across the meadow, students calculate the hydraulic gradient
across the site using their water table maps and do a bail test to measure the hydraulic conductivity of the subsurface material. Finally,
the students measure nutrient (nitrate and phosphate), dissolved oxygen, and reduced iron concentrations in the subsurface and in the stream.
| Students learning to use a Geopump to collect a soil core and install a monitoring well: |
Students measuring hydraulic conductivity via a bail test: |
| Student using a Chemetrics comparitor to measure the dissolved oxygen content in a water sample: |
