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Grand Valley State UniversityScholarWorks@GVSUAWRI Reviews Annis Water Resources Institute2-1-1989Water Resources Review - February 1989Annis Water Resources InstituteFollow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/awri_reviewsPart of the Natural Resources Management and Policy CommonsThis Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Annis Water Resources Institute at ScholarWorks@GVSU. It has been accepted forinclusion in AWRI Reviews by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@GVSU. For more information, please contact scholarworks@gvsu.edu.Recommended CitationAnnis Water Resources Institute, "Water Resources Review - February 1989" (1989). AWRI Reviews. Paper 9.http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/awri_reviews/9Volume 2, Number 1WATER RESOURCE REVIEWWATER RESOURCES INSTITUTEGRAND VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITYFebruary 1989GVSU - WRI Selected as "Regional Center" for GEMThe W. K. Kellogg Foundation hasawarded a grant of $580,680 to theWater Resources Institute of GVSU inorder to establish the first "RegionalCenter"for the Groundwater Educationin Michigan Program (GEM). GEM isa new statewide program administeredLy Michigan State University. Theprimary purpose of GEM is to developeducational programs which lead logi-cally to the protection of groundwaterresources. At GVSU, the WaterResources Institute will be involved infour very different but related programareas, all of which have groundwaterprotection as their ultimate goal. These"areas of emphasis' include the follow-ing:K-12 EDUCATIONCOMMUNITY OUTREACHNFORMATION NETWORKI NGJROUNDWATER RESEARCHIn the area of K-12 Education, theWater Resources Institute faculty andstaff willbe involved in the developmentof "Groundwater" curriculum. This cur-riculum will highlight groundwater is-sues and promote stewardship of thisvalued resource. The Institute intends toaccomplish this task by organizing stateand local educators and creating "cur-riculum modules". These modules willbe designed so as to be easily integratedinto education programs already estab-lished by area schools . The idea here isto involvearea teachers in the design ofappropriate curriculum, and then as-GI'lUllI v..ucy Swte UnJ.....UyW»ler Rc.OIU1:Ci lo.liluleGEM Rcl:ioWlICeater » Are... of Ewph... l.GEM REGIONAL CENTERGVSUWATER RESOURCES lNSfITUTEW. K..KEu.DGG FOUNDATIONGROUNDWATU< UlUCATION IN .UCWGANAdaW1~~let~ Cluu1sure implementation through a series oftraining workshops .Also being targeted is the education ofcommunity leaders and decisionmakers. This is the focus of theInstitute's Community Out-ReachProgram. The intention is to create anoverall awareness of groundwaterproblems that currently exist, then intro-duce the tools at our disposal to dealwith these problems.Of particular inter-est in this regard is the development,adoption, and implementation of pollu-tion prevention strategies by local unitsof government.In regard to Information Networking,the Institute willserve as a focal point forthe collection and dissemination of datarelating to groundwater management.To be more specific, the Institute willlink western Michigan to a centralizedinformation and database managementsystem being developed by MichiganState University. This innovative datastorage and retrieval system is calledGEMNET. This new network willprovide information on such topics ascurrent groundwater legislation, up-coming conferences, and othergroundwater projects.The GVSU Water Resources Institutehas three ongoing GroundwaterResearch Projects which deal directlywith GEM activities. Professor MelvinNorthup is investigating the use of com-puter applications in aquatic education.His work has led to the development ofinterfacing capabilities allowingmicrocomputer automation of waterquality monitoring aboard theD. J . ANGUS, GVSU's research vessel.Professor Northup is currently workingon interactive groundwater programsfor use in K-12 science instruction.(Refer to accompanying article, GEM -TeachinglLearning Aids, page 3.)Professor Norman Ten Brink has beenperfecting methods to accurately map,and otherwise identify, variousgroundwater characteristics. Includedin this analysis is the probability andpotential for contamination at specificgeographic location s.Professor Edward Baum has developedanalytical and statistical techniqueswhich allow the assessment of complexgroundwater chemical data. These tech-niques result in graphic displays whichare more easily understood by thegeneral public . (Refer to accompanyingarticle, Groundwater ChemistryResearch, page 3.)Professor Ron Ward, Director - WaterResources Institute, shall spearheadGEM at Grand Valley State University.Another staff member is John Koches,Research Associate, who will be• GVSU-WRI..."RegionalCen ter" for GEM• Directors Notes• Costa l Process and Hazards• Research VesselD. J. ANGUS...Banner Year• Groundwater ChemistryResearch• Watershed ManagementResearch• Interactive ComputerProgram...A Learning Ex-perienceFrom the Director:I am delighted to have this opportunity to report on the continuing development of the Water Resources Institute (WRI).Since the last Update our Institute has grown in scope and obtained some significant financial support for some of our on-going activities.Two new faces, John Koches and Tonya Cnossen, have officially joined the WRI staff. John serves primarily in the GEMprogram, while Tonya is the WRI secretary. The addition of these two positions has greatly strengthened our capabilitiesto serve the west Michigan community.A 3-year, $561,000 grant has been obtained from the W. K: Kellogg Foundation to establish the WRI as the first regionalcenter in the GROUNDWATER EDUCATION IN MICHIGAN (GEM) PROGRAM. This grant will fund our ongoinggroundwater research and provide for an educational outreach program designed to protect and enhance our groundwaterresources.A 25,000 grant from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation supported our 1988 public education program abroad the GVSUresearch vessel D. J. ANGUS. That program of demonstration cruises introduced 222 K-12 teachers, 808 K-12 students,and over 600 of the general public to our region's water resources.In addition to the grants mentioned above, we have pending other water resources grant applications which will enhanceour service to the community. We are optimistic that one or more of those applications will be successful.The new home for WRI, room 103Loutit Hall, is currently being remodeled and occupancy is expected to be March 1.Thatnew facility will provide office, library, and laboratory space, and will alleviate some of our current congestion.The following pages provide greater detail on some of the items mentioned above. However, from this brief report, I amcertain that you can appreciate the development of WRI. All of us in the Institute are proud of our achievements to da te,and we look forward to the continued improvement and expansion of our water resources programs.Sincerely,Ron Wardworking to provide out-reach betweenthe University and local units of govern-ment/area industry. For more informa-tion concerning GEM, or the WaterResources Institute in general, simplycontact Professor Ward or John Kochesat 616-895-3749.COASTAL PROCESS ANDHAZARDSDr. William Neal, Department of Geol-ogy, continues his work as coeditor andcontributing author to the "Living withthe Shore" Series. "Living withChesapeake Bay and the Virgin ia Shore"was published in January, and the volumeon the Maine coast followed. Severalvolumes are currently in various stags ofwriting and editing, including Georgia,Connecticut, the Pacific Northwest,Massachusetts, and Lake Michigan.Dr. Neal expects to work on the Mas-sachusetts volume this summer underFEMA grant support through DukeUniversity.Geology seniors Kurt Thompson andGraham Crockford are doing a generalanalysis of threatened coastal propertyand relations between beach width andengineering structures along segment sof the Atlantic Coast in the Carolinas,using a video record. If the techniqueyields meaningful results, a similarproject may be attempted along ourlocal shore.Results of last year's cooperative workin Portugal will be published in theMarch issue of the Journal of CoastalResearch, and a second manuscript is.planned. Results of a cooperative studyduring an August 1988 visit to Colum-bia, S.A. also are being summarized ina manuscript which will be completedby summer. At the same time, Dr. Nealwill be cooperative investigator in aproposed study of beach nourishmentin the Great Lakes. Project funding iscurrently being sought.RESEARCH VESSELD. J. ANGUSThe 1988 season for the research vesselD. J. ANGUS was busy from April toNovember. During those months arecord 2,405 students, teachers andothers participated in demonstrationcruises. Also, new locations were ex-plored when Pere Marquette Lake atLudington was visited.The season started in April when agroup of visiting professors fromPoland and Yugoslavia were shown asmall portion of Lake Michigan nearGrand Haven. In May, regular activitiesbegan with schools from Free Soil,Grand Rapids, Muskegon, Martin andother cities taking part in samplingwater and bottom sediments from LakeMichigan, the Grand River, SprinjLake and Muskegon Lake.Later in May the boat was used byGrand Valley students enrolled in Biol-ogy 475/575, Ecology of the GreatLakes. When not in use with Universitystudents, the D. J. ANGUS was busywith groups of girl and boy scouts, busi-ness associations, Science Olympiadwinners, teacher workshops and cour-ses taught by University faculty.In all, 808 K-12 students, 222 teachersand 614 GVSU students were able toexplore and study the aquatic environ-ment in the Grand Haven area. Theteachers in the Ludington district wereshown sampling and analysis techni-ques when the D. J. ANGUS was usedin Pere Marquette Lake and in thenearby waters of Lake Michigan.May 1989is solidly reserved by teacherswho will take their students on board tobecome active young scientists sam-pling and analyzing the water and bot -tom materials of Lake Michigan , SpringLake and the Grand River . It appearsat this time as if 1989will be as busy andrewarding as the 1988 season.iROUNDWATER CHEMISTRYAESEARCHDr. Edward J. Baum, GVSU Depart-ment of Chemistry, ha s recentlypublished his latest technical reporttitled, "The Use of Pattern Recognitionto Study Groundwater Chemistry".(WRI Technical Report, TM-88-2,GVSU,11/28/88)Pattern Recognition is a multivariateanalytical technique which has shownconsiderable merit in the study of airpollution. In fact, it is in this field of re-search that Professor Baum firstdeveloped these statistical methods.Pattern Recognition has proven mostuseful when working with large andcomplex data sets. Such data sets cansimply overwhelm traditional methodsof data analysis. Unlike traditionalstatistical methods, pattern recognitiontechniques grow increasingly accurateas the number of variables increases.Pattern Recognition uses graphic dis-lays to visually uncover subtle relation-,..,hips in the data being analyzed . Profes-sor Baum offers his readers the follow-ing as an observation."Whereas the human capacity toremember and manipulateinformation is limited, the humanability to sense patterns is excellentand this ability is exploited in theexploratory step by presenting datagraphically. "While Pattern Recognition has neverbeen applied to groundwater studiesbefore, the technique shows con-siderable promise, particularly given theincreased availability of groundwaterchemical data. Professor Baum indi-cates that such techniques can help tofocus on key chemical constituents ingroundwater supplies. It is thus possibleto identify and then classify aquifer sys-tems based on their chemical composi-tion . Perhaps more importantly, thestatistical technique can chemicallycharacterize a pollution source, andeven measure the impact of contamina-tion on ground water reserves. UsingPattern Recognition it would be pos-sible to differentiate between numerouspollution sources, all affecting the sameaquifer with similar pollutant loadings.Professor Baum uses data sets whichoriginated from three geographic areasin Michigan.These include Bay Count y,Calhoun County, and Ottawa County.For more information about PatternRecognition, or to request a copy of theabove mentio ned report, contact JohnKoches, Research Associate, WRI.WATERSHED MANAGEMENTRESEARCHProfessor Frederick B. Bevis has ac-cepted an ambitious project included aspart of WRI's current program ac-tivities. Professor Beviswill evaluate theusefulness and application of the com-puter model called AGNPS (Agricul-tural Non-Point Source Pollution).As the name implies, AGNPS wasdeveloped to assess pollutant contribu-tions to surface waters resulting fromconventional farming practices. Themodel was developed by the U.S. SoilConservation Service and was adoptedfor use in several Great Lakes ' states,but has met with some criticism here inMichigan. As a result, there are few ex-amples documenting the use of this as-sessment procedure. Except for re-search activity underway at the Instituteof Water Research, Michigan Sta teUniver sity, there appears little interestwithin the state which would prompt theevaluation of this analytical tool. (MSUResearch efforts are referenced inWATER IMPACTS, Volume 10, Num-ber 1- January 1989)Not only will Professor Bevis attempt toevaluate AGNPS as a instrument topredict pollutant contribution fromagricultural activities, but he will, in ad-dition, evaluate the model's effective-ness to deal with a variety of land uses.Professor Bevis has thus far limited hisevaluation to areas within Ott awa Coun-ty. Preliminary findings are expectedlate this academic year.GEM TEACHING/LEARNING AIDSAs reported in our feature article, Dr.Melvin Northup, Natural ResourcesManagement, has been working on avery specific component ofWRI's GEMactivities. Professor Northup is workingto develop interactive computer teach-ingllearning aids which highlightgroundwater education principles. Thepresentations being prepared integrat eanimated graphics, sound, andbranched program - learning techniquesin a self-contained package. Theprograms developed will run on anyminimally configured IBM PC or com-patible system. Initial releases will bedesigned targeting junior high schoolgrades. It will not be necessary to pur -chase any additional software beyondDOS.Each teachingllearning program will be"menu driven" allowing each individualto select his or her own starting point.This might include a review of relevantterms, a browse through bibliographicalreferences, or a presentation of simplehydrogeologic concepts.Currently, seventeen major programtopics are planned. These include an ex-amination of how people affe ctgroundwater, what we can do to preventgroundwater contamination, and evensuggests experiments and field trips thatmight be employed to heighten educa-tional experiences.PUBLICATIONANNOUNCEMENTS:D. J. ANGUS Use Manual (TM-88-1)D . J . ANGUS Annual R eport(CR-88-I)The Use of Pattern Recognition toStud y Groundwater Chemistry(TM-88-2)Groundwater Quality in Ottawa Coun-ty, Michigan (MR-89-1)Wells and Groundwater Survey AlongM-45 , Allendale and TallmadgeTownships, Michigan (TM-88-3)Well Log Database Operations Manual(TM-89-I)WATER RESOURCESINSTITUTERon Ward, DirectorWater ResourceReviewJohn K. Koches, EditorContributing Authors:Don HallWilliam NealMelvin NorthupEditor's AssistantTonya CnossenEDITORSNOTES:Wat er Resource Review is a publica tionof the Water Resources Institute, GrandValley State University. Reproductionof materials contained are encouragedand permission is not required. For fur-ther information write:WATER RESOURCE REVIEWWater Resources InstituteGrand Valley Stat e UniversityLouti t Hall of ScienceAllendale, MI 49401(616) 895-3749Articles for possible publ ication can besubmitted (double-spaced) to the ad-dress above.

Water Resources Review - February 1989

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Water Resources Review - February 1989

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