Week Two

We decided that we would start this week off by going out into the field  to do some research. We went to Duck Creek, which is a small stream close to St. Ambrose. Even though we got out there at roughly 9:15AM, the heat and humidity were quite high. I decided to wear waders so I wouldn't get wet. Into the water Susa and I went, while David and Jessica stayed on the side of the stream. We decided that for our first time out running field tests we would just try and see if the falling head setup would work. The first trial was successful and from that position we decided to move up the stream about two or three steps each time. At each position, we would run three trails in order to obtain an average of the data. We then decided to test a cross section of the stream. In doing so we would run three trails at a position and move half a meter horizontally across the stream. We continued to do this until we got to the opposite side. The last meter we hit mud when putting the column into the stream. Due to this the test didn't work and we couldn't calculate any K-values. The area of Duck Creek that was chosen seemed to work well and hopefully the data obtained will be able to guide us in the right direction. As for the waders, well they weren't so successful. There ended up being small cracks in the them and by the end of testing, I had standing water in the waders. Next time, I don't think I will be wearing them. For tomorrow we will be running more tests back in the lab setting, continuing our testing of the different sands that we have.