Geology Students Collect Data in Bull Bayou

May 1, 2017

National Park College (NPC) Geology students participated in a project estimating the total annual discharge from Bull Bayou Creek into Lake Hamilton. Creek temperatures were 57 degrees Fahrenheit.

According to the National Park Service, Bull Bayou Creek drains approximately 18 square miles from parts of the Zig Zag Mountains and the Marzan Basin. The drainage basin collects runoff and contributes spring flow into Bull Bayou Creek before it flows into Lake Hamilton.

Two groups of students selected a different location of Bull Bayou Creek to perform data collection. They collected GPS location, water temperatures, width of stream, average depth of stream and average velocity. Students measured stream flow rates two ways. First, students used a tennis ball and a 33-meter tape to calculate velocity and then compared the data to that collected using a flow rate sensor connected to a Vernier Lab Quest Mini with a computer. They measured stream width using a 33-meter tape and stream depth with a meter stick. They stretched a rope across the stream and used cloth pens to mark off ten equal increments. At each increment, they collected both stream depth and velocity. Upon returning to the classroom, students entered their data into a spreadsheet, for final calculations.

Results of the project indicated that group one estimated Bull Bayou’s contribution of water flowing into Lake Hamilton was approximately 32,732,740 m3 and group two 26,043,542 m3 of water. The two group’s total discharge estimates were averaged for a total of 29,388,141 m3 per year. Finally, the data was converted from cubic meters of water per year to cubic feet of water per year for an averaged total of 1,037,536,377 cubic feet per year.

Pictured left to right: Cesar Valdez, Tyler Robertson, Alex Clark, Edgar Valdez, Aaron Whitt, Amanda Lambright, Trevor Hockett, Hannah Rice, Chris Reyna, Brandon Hargrove, Tarik Kirkendoll, Gavin Collins, Isabelle Mears, Mary Mote and Amy Heathcock.

Pictured left to right: Aaron Whitt, Trevor Hockett, Tyler Robertson and Alex Clark dividing Bull Bayou into ten equal increments for measuring depth and velocity.