Welcome to the HydroGIS Lab

      Posted by Dr. Kyle Murray on May 3, 2009

The HydroGIS Lab is part of the Department of Geological Sciences and the Center for Water Research (CWR) of the University of Texas at San Antonio ( UTSA). Laboratory facilities are under the direction of Dr. Kyle Murray and Dr. Alan Dutton. Our facilities enable our research group to conduct state-of-the-art research in Hydrologic Modeling and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), as well as research into renewable energy (algae based biofuels).

Our 950 square-foot laboratory facility is designed for a full-spectrum of field-based, wet and dry laboratory-based, and computer-based research in water resources and GIS science and engineering. The HydroGIS Lab facilities complement lab facilities maintained by our colleagues in the Department of Geological Sciences, and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Our research activities support students seeking Bachelor's, Master's and Doctoral degrees. Local projects have been supported by private land-owners, San Antonio Water System, City of San Antonio, Bexar Met Water District, City of Kenedy, Edwards Aquifer Authority, and others. Other projects have been supported by Colorado Department of Transporation, Water Environment Research Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, and U.S. Geological Survey. Collaborators have included Trinity University, Southwest Research Institute, Texas A&M University, Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Colorado School of Mines, Instituto de Geosciências, Universida de Federal da Bahia, and Universidad de Almería.

Dr. Kyle E. Murray

Dr. Murray holds a PhD in Geological Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines (2003), an MS in Hydrogeology from Wright State University (1997), and a BA in Geography/Environmental Studies from Shippensburg University (1995). He has been an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geological Sciences at the UTSA since 2004. Since joining the faculty of UTSA he has taught Introduction to Earth Systems, Engineering Geology, Environmental Hydrogeology, Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Internet Served GIS, and GIS for Water Resources.

He has received numerous research grants and contracts from local, state and federal sources. Most research projects emphasize the use of GIS as a primary tool for managing, analyzing, and presenting results of watershed-scale studies. Dr. Murray enjoys multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional, and international research collaborations. A summary of his teaching, research, service, and consulting activity are available here: Dr. Murray's CV.

Areas of Research:

  • »Management of Surface Water and Groundwater Resources

  • »Biofilms and novel treatments for removing biofilms from groundwater wells

  • »Algae-based Biofuel Production and co-product Utilization

Dr. Alan R. Dutton

Dr. Dutton has more than 25 years experience in Texas hydrogeology, numerical modeling of water resources, and studies of water quality for interpreting regional groundwater flow systems. From 1982 to 2004 he worked at the Bureau of Economic Geology (BEG) at The University of Texas at Austin on a variety of sponsored-research and usually multidisciplinary projects. At BEG he supervised graduate research assistants on my projects and was supervisor or co-supervisor for five M.S. and Ph.D. studies. Dr. Dutton joined the faculty at UTSA in 2004 and now serves as the interim chair of the Department of Geological Sciences.

During his research career he has studied the physical and chemical hydrogeology of several Texas aquifers and has been closely involved indeveloping groundwater models for the Ogallala (High Plains) aquifer, Carrizo-Wilcox aquifer, Edwards (Balcones Fault Zone) aquifer, Gulf Coast aquifer; North Texas Trinity-Woodbine aquifers, and for alluvial aquifers.

At UTSA he has been teaching two graduate-level courses in hydrogeology: Introduction to Hydrogeology (ES5603) and Advanced Hydrogeology (ES5703). He teaches Advanced Hydrogeology as a lab-focused groundwater modeling class in which students learn basic modeling principles but with emphasis on using the USGS code MODFLOW. The lab sections give the students a working knowledge of three popular graphics-rich user interfaces for MODFLOW, including Processing Modflow for Windows, Groundwater Vistas, and Visual Modflow.

Current Students

  • BS Degree Programs

  • Andrea O'Neil (2009)


  • MS Degree Programs

  • Daniel Lupton (2009)


  • PhD Degree Programs

  • Somenath Ganguly (2012)
  • John Joseph (2010)
  • Keith Muhlestein (2010)




Graduates





  • MS Degrees Completed

  • Erin Manitou (2008)
  • Leigh Symank (2008)
  • Landon Yosko (2008)
  • LeeAnne Lutz (2007)
  • Miriam Juckett (2006)


  • PhD Degrees Completed

  • Evelynn Mitchell (2007)
  • Sheeba Thomas (2007)