This past summer, I was awarded the Charles C. Avery Intern Scholarship, allowing me the opportunity to work with three different host agencies and organizations: the US Geological Survey, City of Flagstaff, and Springs Stewardship Institute. This internship exceeded my expectations in almost every way, from the people I was able to meet, the places I had the opportunity to work in, and the amount of experience I gained surrounding hydrological sciences.
My first day of the intern experience was spent along Oak Creek in Sedona, where I worked with the USGS Arizona Water Science Center measuring stream discharge, checking field gauging stations, collecting water samples, and measuring water quality parameters. The next day, we headed to Fossil Creek where we completed gauge reference checks and tested out stream discharge measurement methods. These first two days solidified my excitement and expectations for the internship, as I already had the opportunity to complete some intriguing work in two amazing environments. Throughout the rest of the summer, I assisted with various water quality and stream surveying work in Oak Creek, West Clear Creek, Lees Ferry, and the Verde River. I was also able to join the USGS for some drone work near Lake Mary, which was a great experience that I had never expected to gain out of the internship. With the USGS, I was able to experience a vastly diverse range of work surrounding hydrological sciences within various, unique locations across Arizona.
Work with the USGS at Fossil Creek.
Lake Mary water quality testing.
The next host I worked with was the Water Services department with the City of Flagstaff. During my first week, I began organizing water quality data to possibly be used for future transport modelling work. Soon after, I was able to intern at the Wildcat Hill and Rio de Flag Water Reclamation Plants, where I was given tours of how the plants operate, and where I was also able to participate in various water quality laboratory experiments. I also had the opportunity to intern at the Lake Mary Water Treatment Plant, where I learned about what goes into ensuring clean drinking water. This consisted of visiting well fields and water tanks throughout Flagstaff, assisting in chlorine level testing, and taking water quality parameter measurements at Lake Mary. Working with the City of Flagstaff granted me the chance to see what is being done at a local level to maintain proper water usage and high water quality standards.
When I thought my intern experience was just about coming to an end, I had the opportunity to work with a third host, Springs Stewardship Institute, where I was able to experience a whole lot more with the limited intern hours I had left. Before working with SSI, I was not too familiar with springs, however, I was quickly enlightened to how important (and puzzling) springs can be. My first trip with SSI was in the Bradshaw Mountains near Prescott, where we spent four days locating and surveying springs. The tasks I completed pertaining to the survey consisted of taking water chemistry measurements, deciphering the geology around the spring, and measuring flow, if any, from the spring. My next trip with SSI was to Glen Canyon, where we launched from Lees Ferry and began looking for springs to survey along the Colorado River. Travelling from spring to spring using a boat was a completely new and exciting experience for me (regardless of how cold the morning boat rides were). After returning from Glen Canyon, I joined SSI on another trip to the Bradshaw Mountains to complete a few more spring surveys, wrapping up my final intern hours.
Alkalinity titration at Horseshoe Bend.
The Charles C. Avery Intern Scholarship provided me with outstanding opportunities that helped prepare me for a career within a hydrology-related field, and I would highly recommend it to any student considering a career within hydrology. Thank you to each host organization, along with the technicians and staff that I was able to accompany both in the field and the lab this summer. Additionally, thank you to Donald Bills for helping me plan out the internship, as well as the Arizona Hydrological Society for providing this incredible opportunity.
Taite Stotts, Charles C. Avery Intern Scholarship 2025 Winner