| Grade Level: |
Subject Areas |
| High
School
Senior Project |
- Science
- Environmental Studies
- History
- Math
- Economics
- Behavioral Sciences
|
Description: Students
will research the current water crisis, beginning locally and expanding
to the global level, thinking of possible solutions and means of getting
information out to the public.
Go directly to:
| Skill
Areas |
- Time managment
- Interview skills
- Public speaking
- Qualitative research
- Quantitative research
|
| Vocabulary |
- natural disaster
- urbanization
- aquifer
- aquifer depletion
- water quality
- conservation
- upstream/downstream issues
- transboundary conflicts
- saltwater intrusion
|
| Class
Time |
- Senior Project - Class time as permitted by teacher, but majority
of time commitment will be outside of the standard class time.
|
Goals and objectives
|
Materials and Equipment
- "Troubled Waters " Video
- Mentor
- Internet access
- Senior Project guidelines
|
To become knowledgeable on the current status and impact of water scarcity
from a global perspective
To understand how global issues are relative to an individual's life
To understand how an individual's life can impact local, state, and
global situations
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Teaching
Preparation
There is an international crisis involving the
amount of water available for everyone to survive comfortably. Many countries
don't even have enough water to grow crops and/or to drink. Of many countries
that do have water, the source is contaminated. Many areas are creating
laws and regulations that will begin the first steps to the solution. According
to John H. Morris, Director of the North Carolina Division of Water Resources,
"We have three major laws that regulate water use in North Carolina.The
most important one is the Water Use Act which says if there is an area of
the state where we are threatening to deplete the water resource or where
we have damaging competition for water, the Environment Management Commission
can declare that a Capacity Use Area, then we can regulate water use by
permit within that area. "
It is a positive step that the problem is being addressed, but more community
involvement is necessary; adults, youth, politicians, and community leaders
must become involved.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
(FAO), "by the year 2030, more than 8 billion people will inhabit the earth,
requiring 60 percent more food than today. And since agriculture is the
primary user of water, increasing crop production means withdrawing ever
more water from our finite and already strained supplies."
"Due in part to rapid population growth and urbanization in developing countries,
water use or households, industry, and agriculture will increase by at least
50 percent in the next 20 years.Increased competition for water will limit
the availability of water for irrigation, which in turn will constrain the
world's production of food." -- Global Water
Outlook to 2025: Averting an Impending Crisis
Our local reservoirs are continuously being drained and our natural reservoirs
(aquifers) are also being depleted because we are relying on them so heavily
that we are taking more than Mother Nature can produce naturally. Our streams
and rivers are diminishing, leading to saltwater intrusion, which could
cause a major problem for irrigation and meeting water requirements for
human and other species' survival. According to Dr. Richard Spruill, Associate
Professor of Hydrology at East Carolina University, there is a problem of
saltwater intrusion in eastern North Carolina. "In eastern Pitt County,
we know that we have salt in parts of our aquifer.We know of several places,
just north of Wilmington, in the Hampstead area for example, where saltwater
intrusion has occurred.. It's occurring more frequently today because we're
removing so much water from the fresh water part of the aquifer system too
close to the part of the saltwater system.It is difficult to get rid of
it, it will take a ling time to flush the salty water out of the aquifer."
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Student Activity
This project may be completed over the course of a semester or as a senior
project. Prior to beginning research, it is important to view the documentary
"Troubled Waters:The Illusion of Abundance."
While viewing the documentary, note the different issues facing your state,
nation, and the world today. Make note of the terminology and issues. Your
project will consist of the following items:
- Type a 10-15 page research paper, incorporating the following:
- Research the following topics relating to water scarcity.analyze and
explain what is going on, what has been done, what has not been done,
what needs to be done.elaborate on the topic of water scarcity in an effort
to create awareness for people everywhere
- Global issues
- Relate global issues to your local issues
- Population growth
- Waste
- Urbanization
- Food source as a result of water scarcity/use
- Natural disasters (drought, flood, etc.)
- Uneven geographic distribution of water
- Aquifers and aquifer depletion
- Environmental concerns
- Conservation
- Comparisons between urban and rural areas
- Problems occurring in both
- Similarities and differences
- Interbasin Transfer issues
- Upstream and downstream issues
-
- Choose a country with water crisis
- Current water situation
- Who can help, who should help
- Solution
- Compare to the US
- Ideas to put into the paper other than mandatory requirement listed
in the portfolio section:
- Talk about natural disasters and there effects on water availability
- Effects of Water scarcity on economy:
- Waternet.rug.ac.be/general.htm
- IWMI projects that by 2005 water scarcity will cause annual global
losses of 350 million metric tons of food production
- Increased competition for water will limit the availability of
water for irrigation, which in turn will constrain the world's production
of food
- 7 principles of water saving
- Interview local government officials and community leaders, family, and
friends and get their views on water issues.
- 5 people total.at least 1 government official, at least 1 community
leader, at least 1 family member, at least 1 friend
- Questions (feel free to create more of your own):
- Are you aware that there is a water shortage throughout the world?
- What do you think are the causes?
- What do you think should be done to solve the problem.what could be
done?
- Do you support environmental legislation relating to water usage and
scarcity issues?
- Do you know what aquifers are? Do you know where the local reservoir
is located?
- Would you be willing to support future endeavors to improve the current
situation dealing with water scarcity?
- Are you familiar with the water cycle.how it really "works"?
- Etc.
- Documents created:
- PowerPoint or other visual presentation
- 10-15 page essay
- Minimum of 8-10 minute speech.pretend you are running for office
and the big issue is water scarcity.what will you do to improve the
situation, what are your thoughts on the matter, how will you execute
your ideas, how much money will it cost to fix the problem (tell how
you got your numbers)
- Portfolio covering all findings with sections for:
- Interview questions and results
- PowerPoint or other visual presentation printout (each slide individually;
in color)
- Copy of 10-15 page essay
- Articles relating to water scarcity
- Internet and publications
- Charts of trends, growth, etc.
- List of sources
- A list of ways you use water
- Anything you could do to limit your usage
- Chart monitoring your usage throughout the semester
- Summary of your water behavior over the semester (have you changed
your water habits? have you improved? gotten worse? etc.)
- Summary of things you have done to educate others about the issue
of water scarcity over the semester
- List of terms and definitions that you have learned, relevant to the
water scarcity project
- A song or poem relating to the water scarcity issue written by you
or someone else (make sure to site the author)
- A motto or slogan for your project
- Pictures, graphics, etc. relating to the water scarcity project (cutout,
taken, downloaded, etc.)
- During the process of the entire project, camera footage should be taken
during interviews, trips to sites, etc. From the camera footage a 5-8 minute
short video should be prepared dealing with the topic of water scarcity
in your area. The focus of the content should be all findings documented
in your essay, presentation, and portfolio materials. Your school media
center should have access to video equipment.
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Extension
“Water
is the one substance from which the earth can conceal nothing; it
sucks out its innermost secrets and brings them to our very lips.
”
Jean
Giraudoux
|
N/A
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Additional
Resources
Conservation Council of North Carolina
http://www.serve.com/ccnc
North Carolina Nonpoint Source Management Program
http://h2o.enr.state.nc.us/nps/bigpic.htm
North Carolina Clean Water Management Trust Fund
http://www.cwmtf.net
UWIN - Universities Water Information Network
http://www.uwin.siu.edu
Water and Conflict
http://waternet.rug.ac.be/general.htm
Food and Agricultre Organization of The United Nations
http://www.fao.org/NEWS/2000/000306-e.htm
World Health Organization, Fact Sheet
"Water - Too much or too little - The foremost casue of natural disasters"
http://www.who.int/inf-fs/en/feature203.html
Asian Development Bank
3rd World Water Forum: Water and Poverty
http://www.adb.org/Water/theme1.asp
Third World Centre for Water Management, Mexico
http://www.thirdworldcentre.org/home/akbiswas/www/evolume17no4.html
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