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Middle School High School |
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Hidden Pictures
(Protection and Prevention of Groundwater Contamination)
Description: Students will look at pictures of everyday activities and items, and will assess how these may contribute to groundwater contamination. Students will make oral presentations based on their findings about contaminants that also include students' solutions to minimize or eliminate groundwater contaminants.
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- Goals and Objectives
- Procedure and Teaching Suggestions
- Student Activity
- Extension
- Additional Resources
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Students will learn about state and local policies and laws governing groundwater usage and contamination prevention.
Students will be able to demonstrate knowledge of several possible contaminants, sources of these contaminants and possible means of prevention.
Ground water is one of our most important natural resources. More than 50% of the population depends on ground water for drinking. Through research we are learning that this resource is not as plentiful as once thought and is in danger of contamination and depletion. The growth of population, industry, and agriculture produces significant demands on water resources available. Water use must be carefully planned for growth and progress while maintaining and protecting ground water resources for the future.
1. Have class view the UNCW educational documentary, "Troubled Waters," paying special attention to groundwater - sources, concerns, and contaminants. What is ground water and where does it come from? Most of us believe that there are abundant water resources. Consider and discuss.
2. Learn more about ground water from the NC Division of Water Resources Ground Water Branch Web Site Information.
3. Learn about ground water management
Read comments from Ralph C. Heath and Richard K. Spruill in the article
"The N.C. Coastal Plain: An area in need of ground-water management."
4. What is the NC Water Use Act of 1967?
Read more about this law and what it means to ground-water management.
Click here to open the PDF file, "NC Water Use Act of 1967."
This PDF requires Adobe Acrobat - click here to download the Adobe Acrobat Reader.
5. How much ground water is used? Conduct a data analysis from data provided by the NC Division of Water Resources Ground Water Branch Web Site Information.
Note: Numbers are shown in millions of gallons used per day.
A sample Excel spreadsheet has been created for you. Spreadsheet requires Microsoft Excel software.
Questions to answer:
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A. What does the data from the charts you created illustrate?
B. What would happen if surface water resources declined dramatically?
C. What are the different souces of ground water?
D. How do we use ground water?
E. What is an aquifer?
F. How does aquifer depletion contributes negatively to ground water supply?
G. Do you think more laws should be enacted or that currently laws should be strictly enforced to limit the depletion of water resources?
In his "Troubled Waters" interview transcript, John N. Morris, Director, Division of Water Resources, North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), says, "Think of a bucket that's completely full of sand, you can throw several cups full of water on the sand, it sinks down and fills up the pores between the sand grains. If you had a straw with a filter on the end of it, you could withdraw that water back out of the sand. That's basically what we are talking about; the rain sinks down into the ground and fills up these pore spaces and we can with draw it through wells when we need it."
On the topic of aquifer depletion, John N. Morris has this analogy, " What we have discovered over a period of decades is that we've taken out more water than it can recharge, so it's like having a big bank account and a small income, one day your banker calls and says: "I'm sorry son but your going to be broke next week". Now the solution to that is that we have to gradually reduce the amount of water we're withdrawing from those aquifers and that is what the permit system does. The other equally important part of the solution is that these communities need to develop other water sources that will be sustainable for their future needs."
John N. Morris Interview (Microsoft Word document)
1. Read A Groundwater Protection Program for the Citizens of North Carolina, pages 1-2, 20.
This PDF requires Adobe Acrobat - click here to download the Adobe Acrobat Reader.
2. Divide class up into groups. (Recommendation - 8 groups) Provide each group with a picture of a potential contaminate of groundwater.
Water and Pollution
"Water, whether it's from groundwater or particularly, from surface waters, from rivers or lakes tend to be highly polluted. Again, because often there are no controls on industries and municipalities on the pollution size, these sources are becoming increasingly contaminated. That makes an unsafe supply for the people who rely on it." Sandra Postel, Director, Global Water Policy Project, Amherst, MA
Review the categories and pictures listed below. Have each group answer the following questions after discussing the question and its relevance: (Recommendation - allow as much time as possible for group discussion and inquiry)
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1. What is the object or situation presented?
2. What is the relevance of this object or situation to the potential contamination of ground water?
3. How could this object or situation cause contamination of groundwater?
4. What can be done to prevent contamination regarding this object or situation?
5. What signs or signals would indicate contamination of groundwater as a result of this object or situation?
Agriculture
- Farms |
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Cleaning Products - Household Chemicals |
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Gas - Fuel
Sources |
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Construction |
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Landfills -
Garbage |
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Highways |
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Gardening -
Pesticides - Fertilizers |
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Water Wells
- Septic Systems |
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Groups will present their findings of each contaminant to the entire class. It is recommended that all students contribute verbally to practice public speaking skills. (Recommendation - conduct presentations by guiding students through the problem given, create your own rubric for acceptable completion of the assignment using a +/- chart)
Example Answer: Supply Trucks - Gas - Fuel Sources
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What .
- Any leak to trucks carrying fuel
- Spills of fuel or other fuel sources
- Vapor spills of transport vehicles
- Accidents of supply trucks
- Hoses breaking on a supply truck vehicle during transfer of gas, chemicals, etc.
- Improper maintenance of truck
- Inadequate containment of spills
- Inadequate clean up
- Odor
- Visible equipment failure
- Behavior of responsible parties
- Poor maintenance of equipment
- Proper Maintenance
- Leak detection and control
- Follow all laws and regulations
- Remove abandoned tanks or unused equipment
How .
How you know .
How can we prevent this .
5. Using information from acceptable answers, lead the class through discussion and inquiry of ideas not mentioned.
Create a large chart on the board, or with bulletin board paper using the objects or situations presented in the pictures:
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Agriculture - Farms
Cleaning Products - Household Chemicals
Gas - Fuel Sources
Construction
Landfills - Garbage
Highways
Gardening - Pesticides - Fertilizers
Water Wells - Septic Systems
6. Lead a class discussion in what they have learned from online reading material. Begin with this quote,
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"I believe that today, we're clearly trying to educate the public as to
what lies ahead with respect to water resources. We are looking at water
quality, water storage, environmental impact; upstream, downstream effects,
where we have dams and the economics associated with it as well." Colonel
Ray Alexander, District Engineer and Commander, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
Wilmington District
Colonel Ray Alexander Interview (Microsoft Word document)
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We have to have continued vigilance, continued efforts to make sure
that as the economy grows and as our population grows, and we keep
the appropriate water quality controls in place to make sure that
all of our water is still useable. ” --John Morris Director, Division of Water Resources, North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources |
Develop a brochure for others in your school or community on ground water contamination prevention.
Speak to students of younger grades about what you have learned and how they can be involved.
Read more on A Groundwater Protection Program for the Citizens of North Carolina. How do you think you can be involved to educate others on this topic? How do state programs regulate the use of ground water resources? NC DENR Ground Water Section
NC Water Law - Groundwater Protection
