November 4, 2008
For Immediate Release
For an Interview:
Joel Bradford
(801) 420-8184
Last month Utah Valley University undertook a project to rescue an ancient Mexican tribe, known as the Tarahumara, from the effects of water shortage. The school’s Department of Earth Science sent a team of eight people, three faculty members and five students, to conduct an analysis of water resources in the Sierra Tarahumara Mountains. They plan to return next fall with the completed data.
The Tarahumara are famous for living very traditional lifestyles with little influence from the outside world. Nearly all the water for the villages comes from wells. Many of the wells that are drilled, however, fail to yield adequate water, forcing the Tarahumara to devote more of their limited resources to drilling additional wells.
Living dead center of the continental divide, rivers on both sides flow away from the tribe, while the volcanic rock underneath proves anything but beneficial in maintaining the limited supply of water they do have. It is no wonder that finding water is a long lasting battle in desperate need of fixing.
"We were trying to find where the water is at," said Joel Bradford, team member and assistant professor of earth science. "If we do then it increases chances of them finding water so they can drill."
The UVU team studied the geology, hydrology and water chemistry of the area. Their work included studying the types of rock, including the locations and characteristics of fractures in the rock, since most of the groundwater flow is likely to take place within fracture zones. They also analyzed the performance of existing wells in order to identify any correlations between well performance and geologic conditions, and groundwater chemistry to see if chemical trends yielded clues to flow paths and to ensure that the water is safe to drink. Then they mapped the water table to determine groundwater flow paths.
"The team collected a huge amount of data, which will be analyzed by the students and faculty over the next few months," said Daniel Horns, chair of the Department of Earth Science. "The work should provide guidance for well drillers in time for a follow-up visit next fall."
This trip is just one of many similar missions completed by the Department of Earth Science. Since 1999, they have traveled all over central Mexico; however, most trips deal with the issue of surface water as opposed to ground water and include anywhere from eight to 20 volunteers.
This particular mission, being specific in nature, was limited to students from an introductory hydrology class. The UVU faculty members included Joel Bradford, Steve Emerman and Mike Bunds.
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