Capstone Spring 2000 Syllabus

Environmental Studies 91: Capstone Seminar - Swarthmore College - Spring 2000

Water and Watershed Studies

Tuesdays, 1:15 - 4:00PM, Trotter 215 Seminar Room

Coordinator: Arthur E. McGarity

Purpose: The purpose of this class is to integrate knowledge and perspectives pertaining to water, its function in the environment and its meaning in society. The course will cover a wide range of topics pertaining to water science, and it will deal with many issues relating to human use of water resources. Specifically, you will learn much about the different components of the hydrologic cycle including groundwater, surface streams, and natural and artificial lakes. The effects of human exploitation of these components as resources will be explored simultaneously. Dams, reservoirs, flood control, hydroelectric power, and water supply systems are included. Additional topics include water quality measurement and wastewater generation and treatment. Finally, a major focus of the course involves the effects of urban development and suburban sprawl on watersheds in urbanized areas and restoration methods to mitigate these effects.

Fieldwork: The seminar will have a fieldwork component. Each student will become involved with a project that is just beginning at Swarthmore College. I have obtained funds from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (under section 319 of the Federal Clean Water Act) to perform an assessment study of Crum Creek, which flows through our campus. The project will continue for two years, and it is designed to involve students through integration of the College's curriculum with "community-based learning." Each student will select a fieldwork project (possibly a team project) related to the larger project. Also, all students will participate in a conference/workshop to be held at Swarthmore College on Saturday April 1 which will include speakers on watershed restoration topics and representatives of the different municipalities, institutions, nonprofit organizations, businesses, and other stakeholders that are concerned with Crum Creek.

Requirements: ( 1 ) Attendance at all Tuesday seminar meetings unless excused by the instructor, (2) attendance at the Crum Creek Conference/Workshop on April 1, (3) the fieldwork project, (4) a reaction paper (3-5 double spaced pages) for one weekly reading assignment plus serving as moderator of the discussion for that week's class (5) A term paper (approximately 10 double-space pages) on an in-depth study of a specific water entity of your choice: an actual watershed, river, lake, aquifer, etc., plus presentation of this paper to the seminar during the last two weeks.

Textbooks – Books for Purchase: (complete bibliographic information on these books is in the reading list, below)

  • E.C. Pielou, Fresh Water
  • Luna B. Leopold, Water, Rivers, and Creeks
  • Donahue and Johnson, Water, Culture, & Power: Local Struggles in a Global Context
  • Ann L. Riley, Restoring Streams in Cities: A Guide for Planners, Policymakers, and Citizens

Course Schedule and Reading Assignments: Reading assignments are taken from the required textbooks (above) plus a variety of other sources that are either on library reserve (in Cornell Library) or are distributed as handouts to the class.

  • January 18. Course introduction, Crum Creek assessment study orientation, and Crum Creek walk. Reading: Crum Creek: Past Present & Future by Rawson, et al.
  • January 25. Groundwater and aquifers.
    1. Pielou: Prologue plus chapters 1 and 2 (pp. 1-79)
    2. Leopold: pp. 9-37
    3. Donahue & Johnson: Introduction (pp. 1-5), Chapter 2 (pp. 9-34), Chapter 10 (pp. 187 - 208
  • February 1. Surface Streams I.
    1. Pielou: Chapter 5 (pp. 80-108)
    2. Leopold: pp. 39-57
    3. Riley: Introduction (xvii-xxii), Chapter 1 (pp. 1-39), Chapter 2 (pp. 41-88)
    4. Donahue & Johnson: Chapter 3 (pp. 35-46), Chapter 5 (pp. 73-93)
    5. McGarity: Watershed Assessment of Crum Creek (Proposal)
  • February 8. Surface Streams II.
    1. Pielou: Chapter 6 (pp. 108-148)
    2. Leopold: pp. 59-116
    3. Riley: Chapter 3 (pp. 89-110), Chapter 2 (pp. 111-160)
    4. Donahue & Johnson: Chapter 7 (pp. 123-139)
  • February 15. Natural Lakes and Ice Forms.
    1. Pielou: Chapter 7 (pp. 149-184), Chapter 8 (pp. 185-204)
    2. Cole (Limnology): Chapter 2 (pp. 8-29), Chapter 5 (pp. 107-126)
    3. Donahue & Johnson: Chapter 8 (pp. 141-161)
  • February 22. Reservoirs and Flood Control.
    1. Pielou: Chapter 9 (pp. 205-211)
    2. Leopold: pp. 155-173
    3. Riley: Chapter 5 (pp. 161-187), Chapter 7 (pp. 211-297)
    4. Donahue & Johnson: Chapter 11 (pp. 209-234)
    5. The Dublin Statement: http://www.rwp.sida.se/gwp/dublin1.html and dublin2.html
  • February 29. Flood Control and Hydroelectric Power
    1. Riley: Chapter 7 (pp. 211-297)
    2. Donahue & Johnson: Chapter 4 (pp. 47-71), Chapter 6 (pp. 95-119)

**** SPRING BREAK - no meeting on March 7 ****

  • March 14. Water Supply Systems and Institutions
  • Leopold: pp. 129 - 154
  • Wiessman & Welty: Chapters 1,2,3, & 4 (pp. 1-79)
  • Donahue & Johnson: Chapter 9 (pp. 163-186), Chapter 15 (pp. 313-338)
  • March 21. Water Quality and Introduction to Watershed Restoration
    1. ReVelle and ReVelle: Chapter 19 (pp. 417-433)
    2. Riley: Chapter 6 (pp. 189-210), Chapter 8 (pp. 299-334)
    3. Donahue & Johnson: Chapter 12 (pp. 237-261)

*** SATURDAY, MARCH 25: Crum Creek Conference ***

  • March 28. Urban Watershed Restoration
    1. Ferguson: Chapter 1 (pp. 1-12), Chapter 2 (pp. 13-29)
    2. Riley: Chapter 9 (pp. 335-403)
    3. Ridley Creek Conservation Plan
    4. Pennsylvania Manual for Best Management Practices
  • April 4. Water Quality: Biological Indicators
    1. Pielou: Chapter 10 (pp. 214-226), Chapter 11 (pp. 227-237)
    2. Cole: Chapter 3 (pp. 30-83), Ch. 7 (pp. 146-172)
    3. Nemerow: Chapter 1 (pp. 1-43)
    4. Chester Creek Conservation Plan: Preliminary Findings Report
  • April 11. Water Quality: Hydrological Aspects, Oxygen Balance, and Wastewater Treatment
    1. ReVelle and ReVelle: Chapter 18 (pp. 394-416)
    2. Tchobanoglous & Schroder: Chapter 4 (pp. 211-227)
    3. Nemerow: Chapter 2 (pp. 44-84)
  • April 18. Term paper presentations
  • April 25. Term paper presentations