Liquid Assets: Our Water Resources

Objectives:

• To understand the relationships among water quality, water pollution, personal lifestyle, and the ecological health of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin.
• To develop an awareness of water resources and water quality.
• To understand the differences between point and nonpoint source pollution.

Multiple Intelligences Learning Activities:

Verbal/Linguistic:

Write reflective journal entries on the impact of your personal lifestyles on the ake Pontchartrain Basin. Write an essay or a poem about the water cycle.

Logical/Mathematical:

Calculate the amount of water used by your families per day and complete a chart on agricultural runoff.

Visual/Spatial:

Design posters of ways in which water is wasted and conserved. Construct signs for the "Water Cycle Walk".

Bodily/Kinesthetic & Musical/Rhythmic:

Step through the paces of the water cycle to musical accompaniment, stopping to explain the processes and products along the way. Make a "thunderstorm".

Interpersonal:

Brainstorm lists of ways in which water is wasted or conserved. Construct lists of things that affect water quality in the Lake Pontchartrain Basin.

Intrapersonal:

Write reflective journal entries on your personal impact on water quality in the Lake Pontchartrain Basin. Develop your own mini action plan.

Water is the most important substance on earth. It's the basis of life on our planet. It cycles through Earth's various systems just like blood cycles through our bodies.

Water Cycle

Do you remember how the water cycle works? The sun's energy causes water to evaporate from the earth's surface. This process forms water vapor in the atmosphere. As water vapor rises, it cools and becomes a liquid again. This is called condensation. The condensed liquid returns to the earth as precipitation. If you've ever watched those huge cumulonimbus clouds gather over Lake Pontchartrain on a summer day, you probably weren't surprised by the afternoon showers that followed!

Rain showers like that are common in a large watershed like the Lake Pontchartrain Basin.

What Happens to all that Precipitation?

• Some of it is used by plants and animals in the Basin.....

• Some soaks into the ground and becomes part of the water table or an aquifer.....

• Some enters lakes, streams, and rivers as runoff.....

• Evaporation occurs again ~ and the cycle is complete.

Click the illustration for a larger view.

The water cycle, then, recycles earth's water supply over and over.

To demonstrate the water cycle, each person in your group or class can play the role of a water molecule passing through the cycle. Try this activity:

Water Cycle Walk

1. On poster paper or butcher paper, make a sign for each stage of the water cycle: sun, cloud, precipitation (rain, hail, snow, leet), surface water (lake, river, stream), and groundwater. Make signs to represent water use by plants and animals in transpiration also. Place each in an open space in the center of the classroom, (see diagram below).

2. On poster paper or butcher paper, make directional arrows to represent each process of the water cycle: evaporation, condensation, runoff, infiltration, transpiration (one each for plant and animal use). Place each arrow in its appropriate spot on the floor between two water cycle stages, (see diagram below).

3. Have students represent water molecules (perhaps wearing ballcaps with the brim tilted up, labeled H20) and have them do the "Water Cycle Walk" in small groups.

4. Play a tape of music with sounds of a stream, thunderstorm or ocean. After 10-15 seconds, stop the music as a signal for students to stand still. Each student can either explain the stage of the water cycle on which he/she is standing, or can respond to questions about the water cycle.

5. Repeat with remaining groups of students.

Click illustration far larger view.

Water Use

Water is all around us. It gushes from our faucets and showers and drinking fountains. We use it so frequently and casually that we take it for granted.

Do you know the source of tap water in the Lake Pontchartrain Basin? On the north shore of the lake, it comes from the northshore aquifers. Water for Orleans and Jefferson parishes is drawn from the Mississippi River. What's the source of the tap water in your community? Here in the United States, each person uses about 100 gallons of water every day. What impact does that have on water quality? Take this quick quiz and see!

Do you allow water to run when brushing teeth or washing dishes?

OR Do you run the water only when rinsing?

Do you wash your cars or pets on a concrete surface?

OR Do you wash them over a grassy area?

Do you let the water hose run unnecessarily when working outdoors?

OR Do you control the flow with a water nozzle?

Do you waste water by flushing tissues or hair down the toilet?

OR Do you save water and dispose of those things in a trash can?

Based on these examples, try to estimate your family's water use for a day:

Daily Water Use Chart

How do you think you and your family measure up?
Let's check!

To calculate the amount of water your family uses daily, weekly, monthly, and annually, complete one of the following activities:

1. The simplest way to measure water use is to read your family's water meter at the start and end of a 24-hour period. Subtract the first reading you take from the reading made 24 hours later. That's how much water your family uses in one day. Multiply the number of gallons used in one day times seven to find out how much water your family will use in a week. How would you predict your family's water use for a month? a year?
2. If reading the water meter is not possible, measure your family's water use by the following method. The chart provided above will be useful.

   • Keep track of each glass of water used, whether the person drank it or discarded it. Count 6-8 ounces of water per glass.

   • Record the amount of water used to make coffee, tea, juice, or drink mixes. Each quart uses 32 ounces of water.

   • Record the amount of water used for cooking, if any.When possible, measure it before use.

   • Keep track of the number of times household toilets are flushed. Each flush uses 3-5 gallons of water.

   • Keep track of water use during baths and showers. Each shower requires about 5 gallons of water per minute. A tub bath uses about 35 gallons of water.

   • Record the amount of water used for washing dishes.Washing dishes by hand requires about 10 gallons of water, while a dishwasher uses about 15 gallons.

   • Record the amount of water used for laundry. Washing clothes on the low cycle uses about 19 gallons of water; the high cycle, 45 gallons.

   • Keep track of any other water uses, such as washing cars or pets or watering the lawn.

Now total all the figures and determine your family's water use for a day, a week, a month, and a year. Amazing, isn't it?

How do the choices we make, good and bad, affect our water quality?

How can you improve the choices you make concerning your use of our precious water resources?

Put your heads together as a class and brainstorm:

1. List ways that water is wasted.
2. List ways to conserve water.

Make posters to share your knowledge with others.

No matter where we live, the water that meets all our needs for drinking and bathing and recreation comes from rivers, lakes, streams, or underground aquifers.

Which bodies of water in the Lake Pontchartrain Basin meet your water needs?

How do you think your use of water affects water quality in the Basin?

Water Quality

How do we measure water quality?

What is clean water?

What is polluted water?

In order to protect human health and aquatic life, government agencies set water quality standards that are measured in milligrams per liter (mg/L)--or parts per million (ppm). Some pollutants are measured in parts per thousand (ppt), while others are measured in parts per billion (ppb).

These concepts can be difficult to grasp, so consider such minute amounts of pollutants in more familiar terms:

This is how the water quality measurements are expressed mathematically:

There are many outstanding activities that you can do to explore water quality. You may even choose to take on water quality issues in the Lake Pontchartrain Basin as an action plan.

Factors that affect water quality generally fall into three major categories: biological, chemical, and physical. These factors must meet water quality standards set by the state of Louisiana. Here is a chart of the major water quality factors found in the Lake Pontchartrain Basin.

Lake Pontchartrain Basin Water Quality Factors

(chart adapted from Urban Stormwater Runoff: How to Stem the Toxic Tide)

These are only some of the factors that affect the lake basin's water quality.

Which others can you investigate?
Which factors are problems in your area?

Do you ever wonder why you can't swim in Lake Pontchartrain and other bodies of water in the Basin?

The Basin covers a large area, so there are many natural and human activities that depend on our water resources --- cities and towns, farms and ranches, business and industry, and recreation.

Activity: Lake Pontchartrain Basin Water Quality Factors

Using the "Sources" column of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Water Quality Factors chart, work with a partner and brainstorm a list of places and things in the Pontchartrain Basin that use water and affect its quality. You might want to refer to a map of the area for some ideas. Compare and contrast your list with the rest of the class.

How did your list match up with those of your classmates?

As you can see, water use in the Basin is extensive, so water quality is always a concern. If a family of four uses about 300 gallons of water in their home each day, just think of how many additional gallons are needed for growing food and for industrial use.

We must wrestle with ways to make the most efficient use of our liquid asset--water. We must gain an awareness for conservation of water and develop a willingness to do all we can to conserve it.

Water Pollution

"Everything is connected to everything else."
&
"Nothing goes away"

By now you are probably realizing the truth of these two basic environmental tenets, especially when it comes to water pollution. Simply put, water quality in the Lake Pontchartrain Basin is affected by everything and everybody!

*Refer to the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Water Pollution Map in Appendix

Water pollution comes from either a POINT or a NONPOINT SOURCE.
Let's look at some similarities and differences between the two types.

Point source pollution,
because it enters the water directly, can be easily traced such as from factories and chemical plants. But nonpoint source pollution, harder to trace and to treat, can cause long-term damage before the problem is handled. It can come from many different sources and travel long distances through a watershed before it is noticed.

Nonpoint source pollution
provides a greater chance for chemicals to mix and react together. This is known as the synergistic effect. A combination of two or more contaminants can be even more harmful than the original pollutants---and harder to treat.

In fact, nonpoint source pollution is the major cause of water pollution in the Lake Pontchartrain Basin.

Do you realize that most nonpoint source pollution comes from runoff? Rainwater or wastewater carries various pollutants along as it flows into our lakes, streams, and rivers. Urban runoff from the southshore of Lake Pontchartrain and agricultural/sewage runoff from the northshore are causing serious water pollution problems in the waterways of the Basin.

Here is a chart to help you understand some of the key nonpoint sources:

Nonpoint Source Pollution Chart: URBAN RUNOFF

Some of the same pollutants in urban runoff can also be found in
agricultural runoff. Which ones are they? How do they differ?
Are there any pollutants unique to agricultural runoff?

Complete the Following Chart:

Nonpoint Source Pollution Chart
Agricultural Runnoff

After a rain, all these pollutants -- urban and agricultural -- flow or are pumped into a lake, bayou, or river in the Lake Pontchartrain Basin. While we cannot clean up all forms of nonpoint source pollution as individuals, it is the responsibility of each of us to do what we can to help stem this toxic tide known as runoff.

PROJECT F.U.R. (Fight Urban Runoff), started by a group of students at Holy Cross School in New Orleans in 1990, has been battling this serious problem. They aim to educate the public about the causes of urban runoff in the basin, so that individuals will be able to take appropriate action. Project F. U. R. is featured in the video, "Pontchartrain Stories". Following is a profile of this award-winning project.

Project F.U.R.
(Fight Urban Runoff)

Holy Cross School New Orleans, LA

PROJECT F.U.R. (Fight Urban Runoff) is an ongoing environmental service project of students at Holy Cross School since 1990. PROJECT F.U.R raises public awareness about a used oil recycling program that benefits the Lake Pontchartrain Basin and the nation through energy conservation and the reduction of hazardous waste. If used motor oil is not recycled and is discarded improperly, it can present a serious hazard to our environment. Parish recycling centers, service stations and quick-change oil franchises are serving as collection centers. The oil collected at these sites is reprocessed and prepared for future marketing. With the donation of a "Crusher 1" used motor oil filter compactor, PROJECT F.U.R members are able to collect used motor oil filters and recycle them. Thus, the filter and the used oil inside are reclaimed and recycled, preventing them from posing a hazard to the Lake Pontchartrain Basin ecosystem.

PROJECT F.U.R.'s speaker program focuses public attention on urban runoff and its effects on Lake Pontchartrain. Flyers and brochures explain what residents can do to help stem this toxic tide. Knowledge without action is sterile. Other civic action projects by PROJECT F.U.R include the "STENCIL - A - CANAL" project. A network of high school students and teachers joins forces with civic organizations and local residents to stencil the logo, "Dump No Waste--Drains to Lake" on storm drain covers throughout the area. This serves to remind residents that hazardous materials dumped in storm drains have a negative impact on the Lake Pontchartrain ecosystem.

PROJECT F.U.R. conducts water quality testing in the Lake Pontchartrain Basin at several sites. Data is collected and evaluated for evidence of a decrease in runoff pollutants, allowing PROJECT F.U.R. students to fully participate in the scientific process. In addition, weekly water testing of the Industrial Canal is contributing to a comparative research of drainage canals in New Orleans, currently under assessment by the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation .

"Wetlands Ecology: A Service-Learning Project" is the latest phase of PROJECT F.U.R Student team leaders learn wetlands ecology firsthand by participating in field camps at selected wetlands sites and participate in volunteer projects to restore wetlands. They serve as peer instructors to other students in environmental science classes on a series of field trips.

A healthy lake is a major recreational and economic asset to New Orleans and the surrounding parishes. Achieving that al through public education and civic action is the intent of PROJECT F.U.R The dimensions of the challenge are enormous, but with its efforts supported by the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, PROJECT F.U.R has been very successful. While rendering significant service to the community, these students are experiencing the scientific, social, and political components of environmental issues.

For their efforts, PROJECT F.U.R has been the subject of magazine and television coverage and has won local, state, and national awards, including the President's Environmental Youth Award for EPA Region 6.

Activities: Water Cycle Walk Daily Water Use Basin Water Quality Factors Mini Action Plan Journaling

©1998 Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation

Lessons on the Lake is published by the
Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation
Metairie, LA