Measuring the Discharge and Sediment Load in Boneyard Creek

Boneyard Creek, UIUC campus, IL

Who said learning geometry can't be fun? In a real life lesson in geometry, physics, and aquatic chemistry, UMS WaterWorks students put on waders to measure the discharge and sediment load in Boneyard Creek on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Led by a team of scientists from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and the Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS), students learn techniques for measuring how much water and sediment are moving down the river. USGS scientists also showed the students how a USGS stream gage operates and introduced them to high-tech methods for measuring water velocity. The scientists from the two agencies visited the class the week following the field work to help the students compute the discharge and sediment load using mathematical relationships.

(Left) UMS WaterWorks students, USGS scientists, and ISWS scientists pose for a picture on the U of I campus; (Right) Students put on waders

(Left) Laura Keefer from the ISWS leads the students in suspended sediment sampling; (Right) Kevin Johnson from the USGS informs the students about the remote stream gage.

(Left) Students hard at work in nature's classroom; (Right) Kevin Johnson from the USGS demonstrates the use of acoustic devices for water velocity measurement.

(Left) Ryan from the USGS helps students make discharge measurements using a Price AA meter; (Left) Students explore the Boneyard Creek

(Left) Suspended sediment sampling; (Right) Discharge measurements

Laura Keefer explains to WaterWorks students about the operation of the Ben C. Yen memorial stream gage.