2016 NGWA Groundwater Summit

Geophysical Evaluation of Hyporheic Flow Beneath an In-Stream Structure in Fine Sediments

Monday, April 25, 2016
Confluence Ballroom Foyer (The Westin Denver Downtown)
Jenna Fontaine , Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
Todd Halihan, Ph.D. , Boone Pickens School of Geology, Aestus LLC, Stillwater, OK
Garey Fox, Ph.D., P.E., D.WRE , Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK

The hyporheic zone is a three-dimensional region where surface water and groundwater mix. In-stream structures can induce hyporheic flow due to a change in hydraulic gradient. Little research has been conducted to evaluate the hyporheic zone in fine sediments. This study uses electrical resistivity imaging to determine the presence of the hyporheic zone beneath a J-hook in the restored portion of a fine-grain losing stream in Oklahoma. A saline tracer was applied to track fluid movement with ERI over time based on tracer’s electrically conductive properties. Cross-sectional and longitudinal background images act as controls, while longitudinal datasets were collected during the inflow of tracer. Hyporheic flow was observed as deep as two meters below the J-hook in support of the original hypothesis, while some tracer may have propagated several meters deep as a result of fluid density differences.

Jenna Fontaine, Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
Jenna Fontaine is an undergraduate student in a 3-2 engineering program graduating in May 2017 with a BA in physics from the University of Puget Sound and a BS in civil engineering from Columbia University. She recently participated in an NSF REU at Oklahoma State University studying the effects of stream restoration on hyporheic flow. She hopes to apply her education to geotechnical development in third world countries.



Todd Halihan, Ph.D., Boone Pickens School of Geology, Aestus LLC, Stillwater, OK
Todd Halihan, Ph.D., P.Gp., is a Professor of Geology at Oklahoma State University and Chief Technical Officer for Aestus LLC. Halihan’s professional interests center in subsurface characterization and sustainable water supply. He has been an associate editor for Ground Water and has served as the Secretary-Treasurer of the U.S. Chapter of the International Association of Hydrogeologists. He served as the Chair of the Hydrogeology Division and the South-Central Section of the Geological Society of America. He currently serves on the Oklahoma governor’s Coordinating Council on Seismic Activity.



Garey Fox, Ph.D., P.E., D.WRE, Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK
Current Research Projects: Seepage Erosion Research Erodibility of Cohesive Soils – Mechanistic Detachment Rate Model Jet Erosion Test (JET) Macropore-Facilitated Contaminant Transport Subsurface Phosphorus Transport Stream/Aquifer Interaction Pesticide Fate and Transport Cow Creek Stream and Floodplain Rehabilitation Project Soil Piping and Internal Erosion