Field Sites

CREW maintains several long-term (years to decades) field research sites, in conjunction with tribal, local and state partners.  These sites are located in multiple watersheds and address various water quality challenges.

• Tri-State Lead-Zinc Mining District of Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, USA. CREW has worked at numerous  locations in small headwater stream watersheds of the Tar Creek Superfund Site.  Several additional sites in Kansas and Missouri are also potential field sites.  A major focus is the long-term evaluation of the first two full-scale mine water treatment systems in the district, the Mayer Ranch and Southeast Commerce passive treatment systems.  CREW has research sites on Tar Creek, Lytle Creek, Elm Creek, Beaver Creek, Cow Creek, Coal Creek, Little Elm Creek, Garrett Creek and several small unnamed streams.
  
• Arkoma Basin Coal Fields of eastern Oklahoma/western Arkansas, USA. CREW has been involved in design, construction and/or monitoring of several operating passive treatment systems (Hartshorne, Red Oak, Lebosquet and Huntington) in this historic coal mining region.  CREW has also conducted work on Pit Creek, Gaines Creek, Fourche Maline Creek, Red Oak Creek and many abandoned and active coal mine discharges in this region.
  
• Grand Lake o' the Cherokees Watershed of Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas, USA. Along with other OU and Oklahoma State University partners, CREW works extensively with the Grand River Dam Authority (GRDA) on comprehensive watershed planning and management issues in this 27,000 square kilometer watershed.  Water quality related issues include impacts from row crop and pasture agriculture, confined animal feeding operations, urban development, the Tri-State Lead-Zinc Mining District, and recreational activities. Research topcis inclue sediment contamination, eutrophication and ecotoxicity.  Through work in the Grand Lake o' the Cherokees (GLOC) watershed, CREW efforts have expanded into these relatede areas of inquiry.
  
• Lake Thunderbird Watershed of central Oklahoma, USA. Lake Thunderbird serves as the drinking water reservoir for several cities, including Norman.  Reservoir water quality is detrimentally impacted (elevated nutrients and chlorophyll) by urban storm water runoff and other sources.  CREW has examined performance of low impact development best management practices for storm water management, potential water reuse scenarios, and related subjects.
  
• Cerro Rico Mining District near Potosi, Bolivia. This hard-rock mining region has been mined for nearly 500 years for silver, tin, lead, zinc and other metals.  It is a high elevation (>4300 m AMSL) desert (<25 cm/year) environment and metals-contaminated waters are used for irrigation, having direct impacts on human and ecological health.