Watershed Park Artesian Well EarthCache
grafinator: Hasta la vista baby?
Watershed Park Artesian Well
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Difficulty:
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Watershed Park is Delta’s largest parcel of park reserve. The
municipality acquired the majority of the lands now identified as
Watershed Park in the 1920’s and early 1930’s to facilitate the
development and preservation of a dependable water supply for East
Delta and Ladner. This was based on the existence of artesian wells
on the land and is the source of the park’s name.
The 153 hectare park is dominated by a second growth coniferous
forest. Eleven kilometers of gravel trails wind their way through
the park for cycling, walking, jogging, horseback riding and nature
appreciation. Venture down to the Artesian Trail by the old
pumphouse and observe salmon in Watershed Creek.
Artesian Wells
Artesian wells were named after the former province of Artois in
France, where many artesian wells were drilled by Carthusian monks
since 1126. The technique was also known much earlier in Syria and
Egypt, although whether the monks of Artois learned of it from
outside sources or discovered it independently is unknown.
An artesian aquifer is a confined aquifer containing groundwater
that will flow upwards out of a well without the need for pumping.
An aquifer provides the water for an artesian well. An aquifer is a
layer of soft rock, like limestone or sandstone, that absorbs water
from an inlet path. Porous stone is crushed between impermeable
rocks or clay. This keeps the pressure high, so when the water
finds a hole, it overcomes gravity and goes up instead of
down.
Why is a well Artesian?
In recharging aquifers, this happens because the water table at its
recharge zone is at a higher elevation than the head of the
well.
Pascal's law predicts the theoretical hydrostatic pressure P:
where ? (rho) is the density of the fluid, g the acceleration due
to gravity, and z is the elevation. In practical terms the pressure
is expressed as metres water column (zr - zw).
"Fossil water" aquifers can also be artesian if they are under
sufficient pressure from the surrounding rocks. This is similar to
how many newly tapped oil wells are pressurized.
To log this cache, you will first have to fullfill a few
requirements.
1) Take a photo of you or your group at the EarthCache location,
and post it with your log.
2) Take a close up photo of your GPSr and the artesian well
together. Your latitude and longitude must be readable in the
photo. Post it with your log.
3)Identify 2 different species of plants and/or trees at the
location. Email me their common and scientific names.
4)Measure the flow rate of the small hole in the well. Do this by
filling a small container of known volume and timing how long it
takes to fill it. Then convert your time into minutes to tell me
approx. how much water is flowing out in one minute.
5)Taste the water and tell me if you enjoyed it.
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)