by James Jacobs
I am looking for old water loggers for my Ph.D. research. For my Ph.D. in hydrogeology at the University of California Santa Cruz, I am studying the impacts of sea level rise, extreme tides, and heavy rains on urban wastewater and stormwater infrastructure.
I will be measuring groundwater elevation, conductivity, and temperature and am proposing a large network of water loggers in low-lying communities in the San Francisco Bay area in northern California. The depth of sewer infrastructure is expected to
be about 10 feet below ground surface or less, but utility trenches exist in the area to depths exceeding 25 feet.
In coastal areas, both leaky sewer pipes in engineered utility trenches and leaky stormwater drains create unintended preferential pathways (Figure 1). Given certain subsurface characteristics and sewer pipe conditions, these pathways act as French
drains, causing coastal inland flooding to appear in unexpected places. In addition, higher groundwater may solubilize buried contaminants, allowing for migration of toxins through utility trenches or leaky sewer pipes.
I am seeking unneeded water loggers that can be donated to this two-year project. Although water level loggers have undergone significant improvements in battery life and other technical advances, the older ones will work for my Ph.D. research. For
example, the Solinist LTC Junior, or LTC Levelogger, are older models of water loggers which still work but have been improved upon by the manufacturer.
Equipment sponsors Solinist and EnviroTech have generously donated used water loggers to the project, and I am continuing to search for more water loggers. I will send
prepaid mailing labels for any donations. If needed, the donations can be made through a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization such as the University of California Santa Cruz.
More project information is available from the Paytan Biogeochemistry Lab at UCSC here.
I have been a member of NGWA since 1989 and appreciate your
help. I can be reached by email at jaajacob@ucsc.edu or by cell phone at (510) 590-1098.