EARTH SCIENCE/GEOLOGY: 

 

Steve Mattox

Water quality

I am interested in collaborating to explore connections between unknown sources of E. coli, the Grand River, and beach closings on Lake Michigan. In addition to summarizing past events and research we will become proficient at field and lab techniques and design single-day sampling campaigns along the river. Additional research partners will probably include the Annis Water Resources Institute and the Kent County Health Department.

 

Peter J. Wampler

Environmental Geology and Sustainability

Since construction of Grand Valley State University’s (GVSU) Allendale Campus began in 1960, infrastructure has steadily increased to accommodate a growing student population. By 2004, this growth had resulted in roughly 170 acres of impermeable surfaces (buildings, parking lots, and walkways) with rapid and abundant runoff. The GVSU campus developed when local ordinances allowed for capture and collection of stormwater into storm sewer pipes with direct discharge downstream without treatment or management; a practice that continued until 1995. The storm sewer pipes discharged into a series of ravines leading to the Grand River and ultimately Lake Michigan. As a result, significant erosion and degradation of the ravine watercourses has occurred, destabilizing ravine slopes, negatively impacting wildlife habitat, and degrading water quality in the Grand River and Lake Michigan.  Research efforts to date have included extensive hydrologic monitoring, baseline surveys, and water sampling for geochemical constituents and sediment.  Several green infrastructure projects, including green roofs, rain gardens, porous pavements, and wetland construction have partially restored the natural hydrology of the ravine ecosystems and will at least partially reduce erosion rates caused by land development.

Teachers working on this project will have the opportunity to: 1) identify and evaluate alternate uses for the water generated from hard surfaces; 2) monitor and evaluate multiple Best Management Practices (BMPs) for reducing the amount of runoff being generated; 3) measure impacts to the ravine system adjacent to campus using surveys, water and sediment samples, and geomorphic mapping; 4) participate in long term data collection and monitoring of the constructed wetlands west of campus; and 5) use geographic information system tools to model runoff and land use changes on campus.