SURF
YOUR WATERSHED
SUBJECT(S):
Earth science; Environmental science
GRADE
LEVEL:
6-12
SCIENCE
CONCEPTS:
A
watershed is the land area drained by a river and its tributaries.
Many factors affect the quality of water within a watershed.
VOCABULARY:
Impaired
waters; total maximum daily load (TDML)
LESSON
SUMMARY:
Students
will use the "Surf Your Watershed” and "Scorecard" web sites to
1.
Discover in which watershed they live and 2. Describe water quality issues at
local, county and state levels.
STUDENT
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Students
will be able to:
1.
Indentify the watershed within which they live.
2.
Describe water quality issues within their watershed and within their
county and
state.
MATERIALS:
Computers;
Internet access
BACKGROUND
INFORMATION:
Source:
http://www.epa.gov/owow/tmdl/overviewfs.html
Section
303(d) of the 1972 Clean Water Act requires states to develop lists of impaired
waters, those that do not meet water quality standards that states have set
for them. The law requires that states establish priority rankings for waters on
the lists and develop total maximum daily
loads (TMDLs) for them. A TMDL specifies the maximum amount of a pollutant
that a body of water can receive and still meet water quality standards.
The EPA must approve or disapprove lists and TMDLs established by states.
PROCEDURE
Part
I. Find Your Watershed and Assess
Its Health
1.
Go to the United States Environmental Protection
Agency’s “Surf Your Watershed” web site at
http://cfpub.epa.gov/surf/locate/index.cfm
2.
Find
your watershed using one of several methods provided.
Click
on the 8-digit HUC code for your watershed to see a map and to find some
additional information.
Name
of your watershed: _________________________________
3.
Click “Impaired Water for
this watershed”
How
many total waters are listed as impaired within your watershed?
____
List
the causes of impairment.
Part
II. Water Quality in Your County
Go to http://www.scorecard.org/
Enter
your zip code
Scroll
down to "Water"
Select #1: Find
out how your county's water quality stacks up against others in the
Scroll down the page to answer the
questions under each heading below.
·
Clean
Water Act Comparative Ranking
How does the percentage of Surface Waters with Impaired or Threatened
Uses (state + EPA data): in your county compare to the
National average?
What watersheds are found in your county?
·
Leading
Pollutants/Stressors of Surface Waters
What are the leading pollutants/stressors for rivers, streams, and creek in your county?
·
Leading
Sources of Water Quality Problems
What are the leading sources of
water quality problems for rivers, streams, and creeks in
your county?
Part III. Water
Quality of Your State's Rivers and Streams
Go back "Surf Your Watershed"
site: http://cfpub.epa.gov/surf/locate/index.cfm
and
select "Locate by state"
Click on "State Water Quality"
Use the links listed under "Rivers,
Streams, and Creeks" to answer the questions below.
What are the top 10 causes of impairment?