Five students complete the WaTER Minor in May 2020

In May 2020, five undergraduate students completed the Minor in "Water and Sanitation for Health and Sustainable Development", aka "the WaTER Minor". In addition to their degrees in Civil and Environmental Engineering, these students are now qualified and well-trained to be of great service in the field of humanitarian engineering. Though the pandemic has added some constraints to their possible career moves, these students are not sitting around!

From left: Adella Kuster, Christina Gildea, Duncan Wright, Courtney Vanman, and Diana Phan

Both Adella and Christina have begun work towards an MS degree in Environmental Engineering at OU. Both students worked on water projects in northern Uganda for their intercultural immersion experience.

For her Masters research, Adella Kuster (Env Eng, '20) is evaluating the effectiveness of in-stream structures on reducing streambank erosion and stream migration near transportation infrastructure. She is studying various bank stabilization and river training techniques to prevent these occurrences.

Christina Gildea (Env Eng, '20) has begun her Masters research by studying the water quality effects of compost filter socks (CFS), which are sometimes high in nitrogen and phosphorus. These socks are a commonly-used stormwater best management practice often utilized on construction sites for sediment and erosion control. 

Adella and another student are learning the mechanics of manual well drilling in their Technical Field Methods course.

Duncan Wright (Env Eng, '20) has been accepted into the Peace Corps and will be moving to the Philippines in summer of 2021, once the pandemic is over.  He worked last summer in Uganda on repairing a broken hand pump water well at a clinic and orphanage. Duncan's passion is to serve others across the globe through his engineering knowledge. 

Courtney Vanman (Civ Eng, '20) has plans to return to Burundi where she has worked with an NGO that brings clean water to villagers in need. Courtney learned many of her development skills in the Technical Field Methods course that is offered every May on campus at OU, a course which includes two forms of water well drilling, biosand filter construction, water quality sampling and analysis, household water treatment systems, and field surveying with simple instruments. 

Courtney is mixing concrete in order to build a concrete slab in her Technical Field Methods course, one of the required courses for earning the WaTER Minor.

Diana Phan (Civ Eng, '20) has taken a position as a design engineer at IDS Engineering Group in Houston, Texas. She plans to work towards her P.E. license, while hoping to volunteer with service trips abroad as the opportunities arise. Diana has worked in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where she helped assess hygiene and sanitation systems in schools across the capital city. 

Diana is working with local personnel to conduct hygiene and sanitation surveys across all the public schools in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

We are proud of these five students,

and look forward to hearing about their continued adventures in places near and far!

Research on stormwater and stream management - Jason Vogel

Jason R. Vogel, Ph.D., P.E., serves as the newest of our WaTER Center Co-Directors. Three years ago, Jason was appointed as Director of the Oklahoma Water Survey, whose foci include monitoring, outreach, research, and education related to the water challenges facing the state and region. In addition to his responsibilities as director, Vogel is a professor in the OU School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science.

Jason Vogel discusses rainwater harvesting in an urban setting.

For more than 20 years, Vogel has worked to facilitate and develop solutions for water issues throughout the Great Plains. Prior to joining the Survey, he held faculty and research positions at Oklahoma State University (OSU) in the Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering and at the U.S. Geological Survey.

While at OSU, he developed an award-winning stormwater and stream management research and outreach program and is recognized as one of the leading experts in low-impact development stormwater management systems in the region.

One of Jason's professional passions is natural stormwater treatment systems.

Dr. Vogel's research team analyzes methods for bank erosion protection in streams and reservoirs. 

At the 2019 International Water Conference, Jason led a session that combined presenters from both the U.S. and a developing country, highlighting the water challenges that are common to both. Representatives from India and the U.S. discussed environmental flows and how these relate to ecosystem health, while those from Kenya and U.S. discussed surface water quality improvement and Bolivian and U.S. reps presented their work with environmental youth programs in country. 

Dr. Vogel's research team continues to conduct effective research in hydrology, water quality, stormwater, and streams. Recent and continuing studies include development of a water balance model for southeast Oklahoma, evaluating the effectiveness of in-stream structures on reducing streambank erosion, optimizing best management practices selection and placement in the Lake Thunderbird watershed, and utilizing floating wetland wavebreaks to reduce lakeshore erosion in reservoirs. His work also includes both teaching and research on the principles and technologies of low impact development both on campus and to professionals across the state of Oklahoma. 

We are privileged and proud to have Jason Vogel as a Co-Director of the OU WaTER Center!

Online Masters program in Hydrology & Water Security

One global issue that will become more and more important in the coming decades is water security, defined as the "ability to obtain equitable access to water of appropriate quantity and quality for human well-being". In order to understand this important issue, of course, one must first study hydrology, the science of the earth's water cycle.  The growth in populations, movement to urban areas, rise in standards of living and the ever-present reality of climate change all combine to make this topic both challenging and fascinating.

Stream flow and water quality are key parameters in healthy ecosystems.

The hydrologic cycle depicts the stocks and flows of water on earth. 

The University of Oklahoma now offers an online Masters degree in "Hydrology & Water Security". This is a 32-credit hour program designed to be completed in 21 months while working full-time. Current students (over 130 enrolled) have a wide variety of backgrounds - from environmental scientists, water managers, farmers, and fish and wildlife specialists

all the way up to moms and dads working from home!

Climate change effects on water resources bear an impact
on nearly aspect of our lives.

This unique, interdisciplinary program offers a core curriculum and three track options - Water Management, Water Quantity, and Water Quality:

The Water Management specialization offers a practical degree for those working with water across multiple industries – and includes courses related to water's impact on business and society.

The Water Quantity specialization offers additional technical background interested in predicting water availability and movement at various scales.

The Water Quality track offers a quantitative degree in the fate and transport of water quality constituents as they move through the hydrologic cycle. This track is for those working in environmental quality, waste load allocation, water reuse, and geo-environmental/health impacts.

Dr. Jeff Basara teaches about climate extremes - flash droughts and flash flooding - as part of the core curriculum in the online HWS program at OU.

The University of Oklahoma draws upon its international expertise in meteorology and water resources by providing faculty who are well-established and renowned in their respective fields. 

For more information and to apply, visit the website:

ouhydrologyonline.com

 

Mountain snow melt is an important element of the water cycle
that is being altered by a changing climate.

 

OU WaTER Center assisting Puerto Parada in El Salvador

OU students and WaTER Center personnel are assisting in the design of a water supply system to benefit residents in Puerto Parada, a village near the Pacific coast of El Salvador. The goal of the water system expansion is to increase the current distribution of clean water from 390 families to 946 families. 

Typical fishing and tourist boats in the Bay of Jiquilisco, Puerto Parada, in El Salvador.

The EWB - Iowa City professional chapter is taking the lead on the project. The computer software, EPANET, was used to develop a preliminary model of the existing Puerto Parada water system. Once an accurate model of the existing system is developed, then various conditions (i.e., pressure, flow rate, storage volume, piping, etc.) can be changed in the model to develop improvement alternatives to meet the project goals, including expansions to future service areas.

Students from the University of Oklahoma help install a water tank for a school garden in the Bajo Lempa region of El Salvador.

Students from the University of Oklahoma, under the leadership of Dr. Jim Chamberlain, have made several trips in the past to the same region, working with local leadership on several water supply projects. They have helped to install solar panels for water pumping, water tanks, and a community garden in a local school. 

Students from the service-learning organization, Sooners Without Borders, conduct water quality sampling and analysis in the tidal waters of El Salvador along the Pacific coast.

The future scenario for Puerto Parada will likely require the installation of one or more pressurized storage tanks near the well or along the water distribution pipeline. The tank volumes and pump sizing depend upon the average demand and peak flow rate of the community. Students on campus will get valuable design experience with this project, based on recommendations and parameters given to them from the local community. 

Highlights from the upcoming WaTER Conference

The sixth biennial OU International WaTER Conference builds on the theme:

Water Quality, Quantity and Equity: Paths to Security

The Conference will explore global water security from many angles and perspectives. This year's Conference features (by the numbers) -

• Six (6) outstanding keynote speakers - John Cherry, Soroosh Sorooshian, Jenna Davis, Leila Harris, John Butterworth, and Kyle Harper
• Twenty-six (26) breakout sessions
• Sixteen (16) oral presentations on "Hydrology and Water Security"
• Eighteen (18) poster presentations on various aspects of water security, and 
• Ten (10) members of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church Children's Choir for our Banquet entertainment.

Household WASH systems will be explored in an interactive game on Tuesday of the Conference - Sessions 15 and 18.

The completed, updated session schedule can be found on the Conference web page.

A few special sessions are highlighted here:

Monday - Sessions 4 and 8: Global Water Issues in the U.S. and Abroad: Similar yet Distinct

• Dr. Jason Vogel (Oklahoma Water Survey) leads a session in which presenters compare water challenges in a developing country with a similar challenge in the U.S. 
• Environmental flows - India and Oklahoma
• Surface water quality improvement - Kenya and Oklahoma
• Working with youth - Bolivia and Oklahoma

Tuesday - Sessions 15 and 18: Follow the Systems Road: A Game, Discussion and Presentations on WASH Systems

• Hosted by the Hilton Foundation, Stanford University, IRC-WASH, and Milennium Water Alliance
• Includes both a fun and interactive game (featuring music from the Wizard of Oz) to engage with the complexity of WASH. Presentations and discussions will focus on WASH systems components, practical on-the-ground examples of systems work and the role of partnerships in systems work. 

Tuesday - Session 26: Peace Corps Session with Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs)

• Volunteers reflect on their experiences abroad while answering questions about the mission and excitement of Peace Corps service

Education with youth in schools in Bolivia will be highlighted in Session 8.

In-stream flows - measurement and monitoring - will be discussed in Session 4.

Online registration closes on September 11. 

Participants may register onsite at the NCED Conference Center and Hotel.

Short courses and a WASH systems game - Conference 2019

Go to WaTER Conference page to register.

During our International WaTER Conference in the Fall (Sep 16-17, 2019), participants are invited to join in a game exercise during the Conference, and two short courses immediately following the Conference. These are described below:

"FOLLOW THE SYSTEMS ROAD" – A GAME, DISCUSSIONS AND PRESENTATIONS OF WASH SYSTEMS

 Hosted by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation and led by Stanford University, IRC WASH and the Millennium Water Alliance

This session will include both a fun and interactive game (featuring music from the Wizard of Oz) to engage with the complexity of WASH. Presentations and discussions will focus on WASH systems components, practical on-the-ground examples of systems work and the role of partnerships in systems work.  We hope you will join us for this lively session about WASH systems work! 

NOTE: This session is limited to 40 participants and if you sign up we ask that you commit to attend the full session in order to make the game a success for all participants. 

COST:               No additional charge (included in Conference registration)

WHEN:            Tue., Sept 17, 9:50 am-12:20 pm

WHERE:          Conference Hall (NCED), Norman OK

Water supply is a complex process that involves the understanding of human behavior.

Post-Conference Short Courses (Wednesday, Sep 18):

SAFE AND SUSTAINABLE WELL CONSTRUCTION

Instructor:  Stephen Schneider (NGWA)

Groundwater is perhaps the most important source of drinking water for many developing countries. The safe and sustainable extraction of groundwater via borehole wells is therefore a vital component of development work.  This course provides practitioners with basic knowledge required to ensure that wells are constructed properly so that their water supply can be safe and flowing for future generations. Topics covered in this full-day course include: water sampling protocol, proper sealing of the annulus, well siting, documentation, well designs, disinfection, yield testing, and final well completion. Participants will be given presentations, demonstrations and will gain some hands-on experience.

COST:              $50 - includes lunch

WHEN:            Wed., Sept 18, 8:00 am-5:30 pm

WHERE:          Fears Lab, 303 Chesapeake St., Norman, OK

The sustainable construction of water wells is a necessary component of global human development in many rural areas.

REMOTE SENSING HYDROLOGY: CAPACITY BUILDING FOR EMERGING REGIONS

 Instructors:  Dr. Yang Hong and HWS faculty

The purpose of this workshop is to educate the participants and make them better understand how to use remote sensing data to forecast water and water-related hazards such as flooding and droughts. The Remote Sensing Hydrology workshop will be conducted by OU’s Hydrometeorology and Remote Sensing Laboratory (HyDROS) and Hydrology and Water Security (HWS) program in collaboration with other departments which specialized in transdisciplinary research of remote sensing hydrology at the nexus of water, weather, and climate. The workshop will supply participants with information about radar and satellite remote sensing on hydrology and water security study, and capacity building in emerging regions. HyDROS will apply its more than 12 years of experience working with NASA-SERVIR and USAID in Africa, Asia and South America capacity building efforts to mitigate the water and water-related hazards. This workshop will include hands-on instruction on retrieval and using remote sensing data to conduct hydrological modeling at local, regional and global scales to predict natural hazards and disaster risk reduction.

COST:              $50 - includes lunch

WHEN:            Wed., Sept 18, 8:00 am-5:30 pm

WHERE:          National Weather Center, Norman, OK

The understanding of hydrology and water security can be greatly enhanced using the tools of remote sensing.

Go to WaTER Conference page to register.