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Dr. Rick Van Schoik
Managing Director
SCERP
Campus
Dear Rick:
This is a Letter of Intent regarding the submission of a formal proposal for the current SCERP budget cycle.
The title of the proposed project is: "Hydroecology of selected vegetative species in the Tierra del Sol watershed, San Diego County." The objective of the research is to document the impact of several vegetative species, among them red shank (Adenostoma sparsifolium) and blue elderberry (Sambucus mexicana) on the characterization of the fractured-rock aquifer (mostly granodiorites) that underlies the watershed. This 2.75 square-mile watershed lies immediately north of the U.S.-Mexico border and immediately east of the Campo reservation.
The impact of the proposed Campo landfill on the surface and groundwater of this watershed is closely tied to the existence of these two vegetative species. Water seeps readily through fractures, and specimens or communities of red shank and blue elderberry may indicate the presence of fractures. We plan to study their hydroecology (i.e., their water affinities and adaptations), to determine if they can be used to characterize the significant presence of groundwater or vadose-zone moisture near the surface. We will follow the principles detailed by Meinzer in his seminal work titled "Plants as indicators of groundwater" (Meinzer, 1927). The budget (estimated at $30,000) includes field equipment, recurrent travel to the study area (70 miles east of San Diego), and limited funds for students and supervising faculty.
Sincerely yours,
Victor M. Ponce
Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
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