When Sedgwick County struggled this past spring because of too much rain, we relied on hydrologists to solve groundwater problems, even if we didn’t realize it.

“There are a lot of important aspects to it that people don’t really think about,” said Wichita State Hydrogeology Professor Andrew Swindle.

Hydrogeologists perform a number of jobs that keep the water clean and flowing. They deal with everything from water management to water monitoring to water cleaning.

For students studying hydrogeology, there’s only so much they can learn from a textbook. That’s where WSU’s Ninnescah biological field station comes in. Andrew recently spearheaded a project to add a hydrogeology site at Ninnescah, which is resulting in many practical applications for students and researchers. 

The idea for the new hydrogeology site was sparked when Andrew’s soils class hit groundwater at 10 feet while taking core samples at the field station. With a depth that shallow, Andrew realized it would be possible to put in a hand-dug well. That way, his hydrogeology classes could do all of the hands-on aspects of geology, instead of just talking about them in class.

He initiated the process by writing a grant to the Kansas Geological Foundation. But after conversations with WSU alumni and a representative from the foundation, Andrew was encouraged to think a little bigger and aim a little higher.

That led to him reaching out to consulting companies to see who had drill rigs and who might be interested in giving donations. A former student of Andrew’s worked for GSI Engineering and graciously set up a meeting to talk about the wells. 

Andrew knew he wanted the site to house nine wells long-term, but envisioned getting one or two donated at the meeting. To his surprise, GSI agreed to go ahead and put in all nine wells up front, as well as a large diameter pumping well. That was two years ago, and the site was recently finished during the fall 2019 semester.

“They agreed to do all of this work pro-bono, but we had to do it on their schedule, so it took a while to finally get it all done,” he said.

The wells sit on a 10-acre piece of land that has been geoprobed and well characterized down to the bedrock. This allows visitors to the site to perform experiments with accurate modeling and precision.

“This is a big deal, especially for a department as small as ours,” Andrew said.

This field site gives WSU students unique access to hands-on learning experiences. Andrew took students to observe the site during the drilling process, and he has already held class at the finished site several times. The closest comparable site he knows of is in Minnesota, so students in WSU’s geology program will definitely have an edge when applying for jobs in the area after graduation.

The closest comparable site he knows of is in Minnesota, so students in WSU’s geology program will definitely have an edge when applying for jobs in the area after graduation.

Because he has access to such a large hydrogeology field, Andrew wants to make sure he takes full advantage of it. He wants students to get as much hands-on learning experiences as possible.

“The plan is to restructure the class completely, so we can go out there a lot,” he said.

The site also serves as a great spot to do research. The biology department has a multi-year experiment running on the surface, which could lead to collaborations to see how the sub-surface is affected.

A researcher from the University of Texas at Arlington is already using the site for research. Andrew also has plans for his own research at the site. He hopes more people get inspired to conduct research there, too.

Andrew encourages those interested in the site for research or teaching to reach out. He wants to make sure this unique asset is not wasted. 

“I try to do as much educational outreach as possible, so if there were, say a high school teacher who wanted to bring their students out to mess with this, that would be fantastic,” he said.