What is a Watershed, Anyway?

What is a Watershed, Anyway?
or
My Mess Doesn’t Bother Anybody Else!

Don Everhart
Rolling Ridge Elementary
Olathe, Kansas
Adapted from “What’s in Our Water?”, National Geographic Society

Overview:
This lesson will illustrate how a watershed occurs. The lesson will also demonstrate how a material that is applied to the ground contaminates the soil around it, as well as contaminated the run off. This applies directly to Kansas with the application of herbicides and pesticides to farmlands. Students will also have the opportunity to see a map of the state of Kansas with the various watersheds.

Grade Level:
Grades 3 through 6. Younger students would need to watch the watershed portion as a demonstration. Older students could extend the lesson to incorporate various types of soils.

Time Needed:
One day could be utilized for the watershed demonstration with a short follow-up. One day could be utilized for the discussion of watersheds of Kansas with a written observation of both segments.

Geographic Themes:
Human-environmental interaction.

Kansas Social Studies Standards for Benchmarks, Grade Levels 5-K:
The student will understand the effects of economics, science, and technology in the classroom, school, community, Kansas, the U.S., and the different regions in the world.

The student will understand the connections among people, places, and environment in the local school and community, Kansas, the U.S., and different regions in the world.

National Geography Standards:

#14

How human actions modify the physical environment.

#15 How physical systems affect human systems.

Outcome:

The student will understand what a watershed.
The student will understand that materials applied to the soil affect more than the soil around it.
The student will understand that there are watersheds in Kansas, and specifically what watershed in which they are located.

Performance Objective:

The student will be able to construct a watershed under teacher supervision.
The student will be able to visually observe and write a written observation about the results of materials applied to soil.
The student will be able to utilize map skills to locate their area in relation to the watershed.

Vocabulary:

watershed fecal coliform

atrazine

Materials:

Newspaper
Aluminum foil, two pieces about 1 by 4 feet.
Two clear plastic cups with holes in the bottom (created by the teacher).
About two cups of clean sand.
Two different colors of liquid food coloring.
Two rectangular shallow aluminum foil pans about 9 by 12 inches.
Measuring spoon.
Spray bottle.
Water.
Waterproof object to hold up the middle of the watershed (a plastic jug works well).
Map of Kansas showing watersheds.

Procedure:

1. Ask students what a watershed is. As an explanation, a watershed is also known as a drainage basin. A watershed is the land area drained by an entire river system or by a river and its tributaries.

2. Students should begin to check to see from where their drinking water is taken (river, well, etc.).

Note to teacher: You may want to try this demonstration before attempting it with students. After completing the demonstration yourself, you may find you want to do it yourself instead of having students complete it.

3. Spread newspaper over a flat surface. You may want to do this outside for ease of cleanup.

4. Use aluminum foil to create a ridge. Have the ridge have peaks and valleys as in real life.

5. Put one pan under each side of the ridge. Use a plastic jug to elevate the ridge in the middle.

6. At the bottom of each side of the ridge, place a clear plastic cup with several holes punched in the bottom of the cup. Fill each cup with sand. The top of the aluminum foil should touch the top of each cup.

7. Pour about one tablespoon of red food coloring into one of the cups of sand. Tell students this represents a herbicide (a poison used to kill weeds in a farmer’s field) called Atrazine. It appears harmless because it is applied to the surface of the land.

8. In the other cup of sand pour about one tablespoon of blue food coloring. This represents fecal coliform, the poison from animal droppings, from the manure of a feed lot. It also appears harmless, because it lies on the surface of the land.

9. Question students as to what will happen to the materials “on the surface” of the land.

10. Begin spring the ridge with water. Water should flow down the sides of the ridge, into the pans.

11. Eventually, the water will seep through the sand and into the pans. The water in the pans will become discolored with the materials on the sand.

12. Students should have found from where their water is obtained for drinking. Have students inquire as to how many farmer’s fields drain into their water source, before their drinking water is obtained. Have students inquire if their are feed lots or other large farm sources of manure above where their water is obtained.

13. Discussion should follow as to what has happened. Also, discuss what could be done to avoid this situation.

Assessment:

1. Have students write about what a watershed is.

2. Have students write to the plant where their water is purified, and see if the person in charge can tell them if farmer’s apply Atrazine upstream from their water source. Asking the same person, find out if there are feed lots or other sources of manure.

3.

Use the Kansas river basin map, have students color in their river basin.

Extensions:

1. Have students use soil near their water source to see if their is a difference in the amount of “Atrazine” and fecal coliform that drains through the material.

2. Have a farmer who uses Atrazine explain what he sees as the pros and cons of using this material.

3. Have a water scientist explain how much Atrazine is considered inappropriate. Also, have this person explain if their are methods of removing Atrazine.

4. Have a stock raiser explain to students the methods he utilizes to prevent the runoff of water form animal waste.

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FHSU Geoscience | Kansas Geographic Alliance
National Geographic Society | Kansas Water Office
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e-mail: pphillip@fhsu.edu

irc staff / jh 03/16/98 (updated kn 06/21/99)
Disclaimer

#14	How human actions modify the physical environment.
#15	How physical systems affect human systems.

1.	Ask students what a watershed is. As an explanation, a watershed is also known as a drainage basin. A watershed is the land area drained by an entire river system or by a river and its tributaries.
2.	Students should begin to check to see from where their drinking water is taken (river, well, etc.). Note to teacher: You may want to try this demonstration before attempting it with students. After completing the demonstration yourself, you may find you want to do it yourself instead of having students complete it.
3.	Spread newspaper over a flat surface. You may want to do this outside for ease of cleanup.
4.	Use aluminum foil to create a ridge. Have the ridge have peaks and valleys as in real life.
5.	Put one pan under each side of the ridge. Use a plastic jug to elevate the ridge in the middle.
6.	At the bottom of each side of the ridge, place a clear plastic cup with several holes punched in the bottom of the cup. Fill each cup with sand. The top of the aluminum foil should touch the top of each cup.
7.	Pour about one tablespoon of red food coloring into one of the cups of sand. Tell students this represents a herbicide (a poison used to kill weeds in a farmer’s field) called Atrazine. It appears harmless because it is applied to the surface of the land.
8.	In the other cup of sand pour about one tablespoon of blue food coloring. This represents fecal coliform, the poison from animal droppings, from the manure of a feed lot. It also appears harmless, because it lies on the surface of the land.
9.	Question students as to what will happen to the materials “on the surface” of the land.
10.	Begin spring the ridge with water. Water should flow down the sides of the ridge, into the pans.
11.	Eventually, the water will seep through the sand and into the pans. The water in the pans will become discolored with the materials on the sand.
12.	Students should have found from where their water is obtained for drinking. Have students inquire as to how many farmer’s fields drain into their water source, before their drinking water is obtained. Have students inquire if their are feed lots or other large farm sources of manure above where their water is obtained.
13.	Discussion should follow as to what has happened. Also, discuss what could be done to avoid this situation.

1.	Have students write about what a watershed is.
2.	Have students write to the plant where their water is purified, and see if the person in charge can tell them if farmer’s apply Atrazine upstream from their water source. Asking the same person, find out if there are feed lots or other sources of manure.
3.	Use the Kansas river basin map, have students color in their river basin.

1.	Have students use soil near their water source to see if their is a difference in the amount of “Atrazine” and fecal coliform that drains through the material.
2.	Have a farmer who uses Atrazine explain what he sees as the pros and cons of using this material.
3.	Have a water scientist explain how much Atrazine is considered inappropriate. Also, have this person explain if their are methods of removing Atrazine.
4.	Have a stock raiser explain to students the methods he utilizes to prevent the runoff of water form animal waste.