The Kennedy Field Station (KFS) is a multi-use, watershed facility located in Eastern Ontario on the Salmon River, an important tributary to the Great Lakes. The Field Station was donated to the Department of Civil Engineering in 2006 by Prof. Russ Kennedy, a former Head of the Department of Civil Engineering and senior administrator at Queen's. With naturalized riverfront, existing environmental instrumentation, a water control structure and a variety of soil and physical features within a sensitive geological setting, the KFS is an ideal teaching, research and outreach tool for Queen's University and its partner organizations. The Department is presently augmenting the facilities and instrumentation at the KFS and surroundings to develop a comprehensive watershed monitoring system spanning the length of the Salmon River. This critical mass of water quality and water flow sensors will create a model watershed unique to the nation.

Students on the CIVL 884 Groundwater summer course at the Kennedy Field Station, with Dr. Kent Novakowski from the Department of Civil Engineering.

The KFS has also undergone recent upgrades in order to deliver a vibrant array of teaching programs in watershed science and engineering. A full-function classroom, wet laboratory and outdoor teaching venue allow us to now support a range of unique, hands-on programs throughout the seasons. The first program was delivered by Dr. Novakowski last August at the KFS and was focused on the hydrogeology of fractured rock. Offered to graduate students and professionals across the province, this course allowed participants to engage in a intensive field experience with industry-standard and novel techniques particular to the charachterization of fractured rock. The course involved a mixture of recorded lectures, live lectures in the field classroom and hands-on experience with the testing equipment.