Your Place in the Watershed

Transcription

1 Your Place in the Watershed Subject Area: Natural Resources Unit Title: Colorado Watersheds Grade Level: 4th & 5th grade Objectives: To help students understand the concept of watersheds and the importance of protecting Colorado s valuable water resources. Colorado Content Standards to be covered: GEOGRAPHY Standard V- Students understand the effects of interactions between human and physical systems and changes in meaning, use, distribution, and importance of resources. SCIENCE Standard III - Life Science: Students know and understand the characteristics and structure of living things, the processes of life and how living things interact with each other and their environment. Standard V- Students know and understand interrelationships among science, technology and human activity and how they can affect the world. Materials: paper copy of watershed map handout copy of pollution sources handout Anticipatory Set: Create and model filling out a Vocabulary Map (see below left) by having students fold a piece of paper into 1/2 and then 1/2 again. Then they should open the paper and write in the middle the word watershed. In the upper left corner they should write the definition or what it is. The definition is: an area of land that collects water which drains into a body of water. Then they should write in the upper right what it isn t. Take a look at the Colorado watershed map handout that shows the main river basins or watersheds. Now find where you live. What it is: Example: Vocabulary Word: Watershed What it isn t: Draw a Picture or Sentence: Next, identify the watershed you live in. This is probably where your drinking water comes from. If you live on the front range (east of the Rockies), you may actually get some of your water from another watershed. To serve the needs of the people east of the Rockies, some water is piped through the mountains from different watersheds. In the bottom left write an example such as: Colorado, Missouri, Rio Grande or Arkansas (refer to map handout) etc. Finally in the lower right they should draw a picture or use the word in a sentence. 1

2 Watershed Handout Input: Where does water come from? Water is all around us. In fact, it covers 75% of the earth. It s found in the atmosphere, in rivers, lakes, polar ice caps, glaciers, oceans and in the ground. Water moves in a never-ending cycle. It moves from the earth to the sky and back to earth in the form of rain or snow. This process is called the water cycle. When you brushed your teeth this morning...you did brush your teeth, didn t you? Where did that water come from? Nearly everyone in Colorado is dependent on water that starts as snow or rain in the mountains. Streams start out in the mountains, and as they flow downhill they get bigger and become rivers. Rivers empty into lakes and reservoirs. The lakes and reservoirs become storage systems for much of Colorado s drinking water. Everyone lives in a watershed. No, it s not a small building you d find on a farm. All of the land area from which water drains into a river or lake is known as a watershed. The map above shows Colorado s main watersheds. In addition to surface water, some of the water that flows downhill soaks into the ground. This is ground water that is stored in aquifers. About 40 times more water is found in aquifers than on the surface, but most of the water we get for our use is from the surface. Protecting our source water To protect our water, we need to learn about the things that can harm it. Some of the most common pollutants include: fertilizers and pesticides from farms and homes acid mine drainage, metals or other chemicals from abandoned mine sites oil, grease, and chemicals that wash into storm drains or directly into rivers and streams soil eroded from construction sites, farms and forests 2

3 harmful germs, such as bacteria from livestock waste, pet waste and leaking septic systems (human waste) oil or fuel that leaks from underground storage tanks All communities from small towns to major cities depend on lakes, reservoirs, rivers and ground water for clean drinking water. So every community has a responsibility to protect it, and guess what? You are part of that community. That means you must protect water starting at home. Chemicals, Fertilizers, and Pesticides You may not realize it, but you and your family use chemicals at home. They are used for cleaning, lawn care and killing weeds and insects. Even batteries, flea collars and many medicines contain chemicals. Did you know that the mercury found in one old fashioned thermometer can pollute up to 25,000 gallons of water? Schools have chemicals in their science labs, art and shop classes, and janitor s closet. Golf courses, farms, mines and many other businesses use chemicals. It s easy for chemicals to get into our drinking water. When something is known to be harmful to humans, we call it hazardous. When we are done with these chemicals they become hazardous waste. It s important to know how to get rid of them properly. They usually end up in landfills, storm drains, sewers, septic tanks or just dumped on the ground. These are all bad ideas! Never dump chemicals on the ground. You should never dump them down the drain or throw them in the trash. It s best to get rid of hazardous waste from your home at a Household Hazardous Waste Facility. Check with your local community to find out where they are located. Some waste materials can even be recycled. Pollutants That Run Into Storm Drains Stormwater is a natural part of the water cycle. Stormwater runs over driveways, parking lots, roads, sidewalks, and fields. It collects pollutants on its way. Then it ends up going down a storm drain into a waterbody or directly into a river or lake. Soil From Construction Sites, Farms, and Forest Land When it rains, floods or snows, stormwater can end up in our source water. With it comes dirt from construction sites, farms or forest land. People need to be careful to make sure as little soil or silt as possible ends up polluting our water. Animal Waste Just like other pollutants, animal waste from farms, ranches, feedlots and wildlife can end up in our source water. Many farmers and ranchers have solved this problem by using the waste as a source for fertilizer. Pet waste is a problem too. That s why it s important to be a pooper scooper and clean up after your pet in your own backyard or when you take a walk. Then, animal waste doesn t have to be a pollution problem. Septic Systems Have you ever thought about what happens to water once it is used and leaves your house? Many towns and cities use sewer systems. These systems use large pipes. The pipes take wastes from homes and businesses to a wastewater treatment plant. But, if you live in a small town or in the country you are probably not connected to a sewer system. You probably use a septic system. Homes and businesses use them to treat wastewater so that it doesn t pollute our source water. Septic systems are buried underground. They are usually made out of concrete or fiberglass and contain a leach field that can leak. This can pollute drinking water and harm fish and plants. Homeowners need to make sure that their septic systems are pumped out regularly. This helps prevent pollution to our water. Also, septic systems shouldn t be located close to surface waters or places where waste can t be treated before it reaches the source water. Storage Tanks Underground storage tanks are used for holding gasoline and oil. You can find these tanks at gas stations, car dealerships, trucking companies, farms, and even homes. The problem is that fuel can spill and the tanks can leak. And guess where the leaking fuel can end up? In our ground water supply! All it takes is one leaking tank to create a water supply emergency. It is the responsibility of the owners of these tanks to follow 3

4 laws and make sure fuel doesn t get into our water. Sometimes there are old tanks that are abandoned or forgotten. They may still contain fuel and, as they get older, they may leak. These tanks should be removed. VOCABULARY : fertilizer manure or chemical mixture used to put nutrients into the soil pesticides chemicals used to control insects, weeds and diseases septic systems a small sewage (liquid and solid waste) treatment system common in rural areas Checking for Understanding: At the end, of this section choose one of the following for a quick check: ask the students to partner share and think, pair and share, do a quick 3 word write up as an exit slip, do a quick sketch or give each other a quick thumbs up or down to check for understanding. Determine the level of mastery for each student and provide individual remediation as needed. Procedures/Activities: 1. Divide the class into small groups or pairs 2. Pass out the pollution sources handout, and explain that every team needs to find and label the 10 pollution sources represented. 3. Go through the answers with your students, discussing how easy it is for our water resources to become polluted. Closure: Ask your students for possible sources of pollution that they are aware of in their environment. Discuss ways these can be found and fixed so everyone can enjoy clean water. 4

5 Pollution Sources handout Pollution Sources handout key 5