Course Overview

This course covers fundamentals of subsurface flow and transport, emphasizing the role of groundwater in the hydrologic cycle, the relation of groundwater flow to geologic structure, and the management of contaminated groundwater. The course will cover the following topics: Darcy equation, flow nets, mass conservation, the aquifer flow equation, heterogeneity and anisotropy, storage properties, regional circulation, unsaturated flow, recharge, stream-aquifer interaction, well hydraulics, flow through fractured rock, numerical models, groundwater quality, contaminant transport processes, dispersion, decay, and adsorption. It includes laboratory and computer demonstrations, and is a core requirement for Environmental and Geoenvironmental M.Eng. program.

Course Requirements

Assignments

Assignments will be due either one or two weeks after they are handed out depending on their length. Grades will be reduced 10% for each day late.

Exams

In-class midterm and a final exam.

Grading

Outline

1. Background
   • Hydrologic Cycle
   • Water Budgets
2. Groundwater
   • Darcy's Law and Hydraulic Potential
   • The Steady-state Groundwater Flow Equation
   • Streamlines and Flow Nets
   • Regional Flow and Geologic Controls on Flow
   • Transient Flow, Aquifer Storage and Compressibility
   • Unconfined Flow
   • Groundwater Interaction with Streams and Lakes
   • Numerical Methods
   • Flow in Fractured Rock
3. Well Hydraulics
   • Thiem and Theis Equations
   • Pump Tests and Slug Tests
4. Contaminant Transport
   • Advection and Dispersion
   • Sorption and Diffusive Mass Transfer
   • Aquifer Remediation
5. Vadose Zone Hydrology
   • Unsaturated Flow, Retention Curves and Richard's Equation
   • Infiltration and Evapotranspiration
6. Couples Flow and Transport
   • Density Driven Flow, Freshwater/Saltwater Interaction
   • Heat Transport and Groundwater Flow
7. The Role of Groundwater in Large-scale Water and Chemical Budgets

   Calendar

   Calendar schedule.

   Lec #	TOPICS	KEY DATES
   1	Course Introduction, Water Balance Equation
   2	Aquifers, Porosity, and Darcy's Law
   3	Hydraulic Head and Fluid Potential
   4	Continuity and Flow Nets	Problem set 1 due
   5	Groundwater Flow Patterns	Problem set 2 due
   6	Groundwater/Surface Water Interactions	Problem set 3 due
   7	Transient Systems and Groundwater Storage
   8	Pump Test Analysis	Problem set 5 due
   9	Numerical Modeling of Groundwater Flow	FEFLOW® problem set 1 due
   10	Superposition
   11	Solute Transport in Groundwater
   12	Soil Moisture I
   13	Soil Moisture II	FEFLOW® problem set 2 due
   14	Natural Tracers
   15	Hydraulic Conductivity: The Permeater