Recent Field Camp sessions dealt with the issue of water. This was a two-in-one experience for students as they divided their time on problems in two separate areas. One of the areas was near Salida, in Chaffee County Colorado, in the Upper Arkansas Valley. Water availability is a critical issue in this areas which relies on groundwater and whose population is expected to increase by 70% in the next 30 years.
The Field Camp students performed a deep seismic survey to accurately map the structure of the valley floor, the fault zones and the depth of the sediments filling the basin. This is the first such survey of the vlaley and the information will be vital to the county and municipalities as they plan for the future.
The second working site for Field Camp was on the High Trails Ranch at the Nature Place, just south of Florissant, Colorado. This area has suffered the effects of recent drought and wildfire activity. A recreational lake disappeared during the drought, and questions of groundwater movement and areas wells arose. The CSM students performed surveys to characterize and quantify the regional subsurface and aquifer geometry.
