Geology 3266 Hydrology
Project Deliverables
A. From Your Syllabus:
“The Project will involve the study of a watershed in New Jersey which has a working gauging station at its outlet, and several rain gauges nearby. Students will:
1. explore the watershed, taking photographs of major streams, gauges, retention and detention basins, and other structures as found, and all members of the project team in their field area, and
2. apply applicable hydrologic methods to the data, including the preparation of a storm hydrograph and pertinent storm hyetographs for the same storm, and
3. will discover past flood events and changes made to prevent floods, to include interviews with residents, witnesses and officials,
4. and will prepare a 15 minute PowerPoint presentation, with all group members speaking at the end of the year. Each student will prepare and present at least three PowerPoint slides for their group’s presentation, each slide clearly marked with their name.
Your grade for the project will depend in part on your team-mates appraisal of your work.”
B. Sources of data See Homework 9 for detailed instructions!
1. Watersheds empty into an outlet. Project watersheds need one automatically reporting flow rate gage at their outflow. Available gages may be found here:
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nj/nwis/current/?type=flow
2. The ultimate source of water in a watershed is precipitation. Project groups need at least one automatically reporting USGS rain gage within their watershed, or multiple gages surrounding the watershed (no more than 4 needed with no three on a line). The data are available here:
http://climate.rutgers.edu/njwxnet/dataviewer-netpt.php?yr=2010&mo=12&dy=1&qc=&hr=10&element_id%5B%5D=24&states=NJ&newdc=1
C. Organization
Groups may be comprised of three to six students.
Typical roles are as follows:
Project Manager: in charge of scheduling, field assignments, and logistics.* Assures deliverables are finished, correct, and submitted on time. Organizes the PowerPoint presentation content, including photographs, documents, graphs and tables provided by the team. Helps with everything.
* Logistics: What stops will we make? Who is bringing the Latitude/Longitude and directions to the outflow gage? Who is bringing maps, a camera, a GPS? Does the camera need batteries or a recharger? What about food and rest stops? If it is going to rain, do we want to collect our own rain data (Extra Credit) with coffee cans and rulers, to compare to the outflow gage downstream?
Project Engineers/ Hydrologists/ Supervisors: in charge of assigning data gathering and calculation tasks, checks and signs all calculations. Assures calculation/hydrograph deliverables are correct and ready on time. Submits written copies of the calculation/hydrograph deliverables. Helps with everything.
Researchers/Historians: in charge of research tasks, including internet searches, organizing team member interviews and fact checking. Assures historical deliverables are correct and ready on time. Provides a written copy of the historical deliverables including all photographs, interviews, and documents related to the group’s findings. Helps with everything.
D. Deliverables.
1. Due tomorrow.
a. Team member list with job title and description,
b. The name of the watershed selected is the Great Swamp Watershed,
c. The name of the outlet flow gage selected is “Millington”
Report the watershed area, see the first page of the Millington Gage.
d. Provide a list of rain gages selected. For rain gages, try Basking Ridge, Morristown, and Chatham, but check to be sure hourly data is available. Then look for one more rain gage outside of the watershed, but as close as you can find.
e Attach color maps of the watershed with the drainage divide, named rivers, the Millington outlet gage, and rain gages marked on the map and explained on a color coded key. The maps on HW 9 will give you a start.
2. Due Thursday, June 13th Hydrology Graphs for
A report on the flood days studied
a. The dates of Tropical Storm Irene rain in New Jersey
b. the source of data for the watershed, with url links,
c. including the hyetograph and hydrograph for a storm you studied. Include in your report the rain and flow tables from the storm event that are the basis of your graphs, plus all calculations and assumptions you made.
Summer 1 the whole class works together today.
3. Due June 17th Field Work Take photos of stops and team members.
During interviews, be polite and avoid aggression, you represent the University. Dress neatly.
a. Both teams visit the flow meter. Its location is given on its web page. See HW 9. Take photographs of the facility and your team members.
b. Both teams visit the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge HQ off of Pleasant Plains Road, north of Whitebridge Road, first right after the refuge entrance. WARNING: CLOSED ON WEEKENDS AND OTHER DAYS. Try to find people the other team did not talk to; many people work here.
Ask: if they flooded due to Irene, and where, and if other storms had worse flooding. Remember we are asking about floods (Irene), not wind (Sandy).
Ask: Have any flood control changes been made in the past? Can they regulate any water levels, for example near the first bridge along Pleasant Plains Road after the HQ?
Note: keeping this low area natural does a lot for flood control, this is a detention basin, however it’s not deep and some homes are built around the perimeter.
Ask: what does the government do when a home within or near the refuge comes up for sale?
THEN
Team 1 (students closer to the hallway) At the east end of White Bridge Road, visit the area along the road from the crossroads with New Vernon = Long Hill to the dead end where Orange Wilderness Trail Starts. There are houses along the way. Ask about Tropical Storm Irene flooding. This end is near Meyersville.
When drive around to the end of Woodland Road near Chatham, at the end of Blue Wilderness Trail.Finally, drive to nearby Meyersville Road, also near Chatham. In all these, try for interviews with homeowners near the swamp. Stay together, don’t enter houses. Cautions: The Meyersville Road at Meyersville center is not the right one. Also, Google calls White Bridge Road “Whitebridge Road”.
Team 2 Students further from the hallway. Visit homeowners, Raptor Trust, and Lord Stirling Environmental Center along White Bridge Road Then follow Pleasant Plains Road. Also try for interviews with homeowners in/near the swamp. Stay together, don’t enter houses.
Caution: again, Google calls White Bridge Road “Whitebridge Road”.
4. Due the day before the presentations, June 25th.
a. The historical findings, in writing, about past flood events and changes made to prevent floods, to include interviews with witnesses and officials, photographs, and documents discovered by your team.
AND
b. A copy of the spoken text for each student’s three PowerPoint slides.
5. Due Wednesday, June 26: PowerPoint presentations. Each group will have 10 minutes per student, minimum three (3) slides per student with the name of the student clearly marked. No giving slides away to others.
6. All groups will send to the instructor, via e-mail, a copy of the PowerPoint presentation.
Evaluation sheets for your team members and classmates will be provided.
Attendance at ALL presentations is required.