Map Resource Guide for Teachers New York City's Water
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Map Resource Guide for Teachers New York City’s Water Story: From Mountain Top to Tap What does this map tell us? Objectives New York City’s Water Story: From Mountain • To help students understand where their Top to Tap (see addendum) has been created to water comes from and the implications of help young people explore the New York City building, operating, and maintaining a Water Supply System and how the water cycle water supply system. affects their everyday lives. Maps are also tools • To learn about watersheds as a living, for finding our way. Students can locate places working, natural landscape. and natural and human-made features within • To identify the natural and constructed the watersheds and New York City that relate to features of the New York City Water supply their study of water; they can examine and system. compare different features by exploring their • To encourage discussion about many physical and cultural characteristics and how relevant topics, including geography, they function in our interdependent world. topography, climate change, land use, The map can complement multi-disciplinary engineering, scale, economics, water lessons. It can foster an understanding of the quality, eminent domain, watershed geography of the region during past times and protection, forestry, technology, how today it has played important roles in the conservation, stewardship, and careers. life cycle of people, their ideas, and living environments. Suggested Activities Graphic symbols, place names, lines, shapes, 1) Use New York City’s Water Story: From colors, patterns, elevations, and scale are just Mountain Top to Tap to explore the some of the valuable map-reading skills that can New York City water supply system. be developed while students are engaged in Ask your students: If a raindrop fell cooperative learning activities. within a watershed, how would it get to consumers? What path could water Background take if it were to spill over a dam Encompassing almost 2,000 square miles, the instead of going through an aqueduct? New York City Water Supply System consists of 2) Map scavenger hunt: Identify the the Croton, Catskill, and Delaware Watersheds. largest and smallest reservoir, the Within these three watersheds, rain and snow highest and lowest reservoir elevations, are captured and stored in 19 reservoirs and the legend, compass, etc. three controlled lakes, with a capacity to hold 3) Using the map’s photographs and approximately 580 billion gallons of fresh water. captions, create a storyline for water One billion gallons of water is delivered each travelling from a reservoir to NYC. day to 9 million people completely by gravity. 4) Design your own map that features your environment. 5) Create a folktale about the water Essential Questions system and its history. History/Social Studies: 6) Create a reservoir timeline. • 7) Research the history of the water Before looking at this map, where did supply system, its impact on local you think your water came from? How communities, agricultural and does this map shift the way you view recreational activities, watershed your environment? protection, and other topics. • How is water a part of New York City 8) Research the Watershed Memorandum history? of Agreement (1997) and the Filtration • How has the history of our water supply Avoidance Determination (2007). system shaped our traditions and ideas 9) Use the Watershed Activity to about water as a society? familiarize students with watersheds. • What is the historical timeline of the 10) Discuss this quote from naturalist and NYC water supply system? Catskill Mountain resident, John • Where else might NYC have gone to get Burroughs: water? What challenges would this alternative have presented? “ To find the universal elements enough; to • Why do you think NYC had to look for find the air and the water exhilarating; to be water outside of the city? What is refreshed by a morning walk or an evening eminent domain? saunter . to be thrilled by the stars at night; • Who are some of the key figures in the to be elated over a bird's nest or a wildflower creation of NYC’s water supply system? in spring - these are some of the rewards of the • What other primary and secondary simple life.” sources could we use to learn more from this map? 11) Introduce vocabulary in the Glossary. • 12) This map can spark conversation about What is the value of maps? many other themes. Follow-up lessons Water Cycle can cover topics such as: a. Stream ecology • Why is water important? b. Forest management • How do you use water? c. History of the water supply • How much of our Earth is covered in d. Drinking Water quality e. Wastewater treatment water? How much is fresh water? f. Harbor Water Quality • How is water recycled by natural g. Water Conservation processes on Earth? h. Careers • What other organisms and ecosystems 13) Introduce and discuss some of the depend upon the water cycle? essential questions listed below. • How do the properties of water affect 14) Compare the 1938 Water Supply of living things and the natural New York City map with the new Water environment? Story map. (See addendum) • How does seasonal change affect • How do plants, animals, and landforms temperature and weather conditions differ within the watersheds and New over time? York City? • How can you describe the properties of • How do living and nonliving things water? interact in this system? • Why are there different climates on • What investigations do scientists Earth and how can climate be altered? perform? How do scientists gather, use, and share water quality Watersheds information? • What is a watershed? • What role does the government play in • How does land-use differ across the regulating water? How is New York City watersheds? How do air, water, and water regulated? How is bottled water land interact? How do plants and regulated? animals interact? • How has technology changed the way • How do people interact within the water systems are designed, watersheds? constructed, operate, and are • How are plants, animals, and water in maintained? What are some current an ecosystem connected? What local, national and global water supply organisms thrive in Croton, Catskill and issues? Delaware Watersheds? How does this compare to the organisms found Drinking Water Quality thriving in New York City? • How do forests influence water quality? • What are the processes that help shape What is the value of trees (and how do the land? their many parts function)? • How do plants, animals, and people • Which forms of energy affect our water respond to environmental changes? supply system (heat, electric, sound, Water Supply chemical, mechanical, light)? • How do the properties of water affect • How were communities impacted by living things and the natural the building of reservoirs? environment? • How do we gather data about our water • How does weather impact water supply system? quality? • How do natural events impact our • How is water tested? What parameters water supply? are used? Who performs these tests? • What force allows water to travel • How is water quality protected? naturally from watersheds to NYC? • What is climate change and how does it • What are dams and how are they impact water supplies and water constructed? What are spillways and quality? how do they connect to natural systems? Water Use and Wastewater Treatment • How can you help ensure that wastewater treatment works • How is water used at home and school? effectively? How can you help protect • How much water do you use? stream and harbor water quality? • What is wastewater? Where is your wastewater treated? How is your Our Role in the Community wastewater treated? What other • How were our reservoirs created? How processes are used for treating were local communities impacted? Are wastewater? these impacts still apparent today? How • What are sewers and how do the does this relate to economics? different types of sewers function? • Do you think that the lives of students What are storm drains? who live in the watershed or New York • What is the proper way of disposing of City are very different than yours? If so, cooking grease? Why? how? • How does water waste and the • How do we pay for water? improper disposal of waste (such as cat • What does conservation mean? How litter and sanitary-wipes) impact can we conserve water? wastewater treatment and harbor • water quality? What rights and responsibilities do we have as consumers and stewards of • How can climate change and severe rain water? events impact wastewater treatment • and harbor water quality? How can How would you attempt to solve a increased population impact water conflict in the community wastewater treatment? (Scarcity, pollution etc.)? • • How is stormwater managed in your What other questions come to mind community and in other watershed and when you look at this map? New York City communities? What is • How can we best inform the community green-infrastructure? about the importance of stewardship? • Where does wastewater go after • What stewardship activities already treatment? Where does it go in other exist? parts of the watershed and NYC? • How can we best inform the community • Why is New York City harbor water about the value of creating and quality monitored? What parameters sustaining natural habitats? are tested and why? • What jobs and careers are available in • What chemical and biological tests can water-related fields? How can you take you perform on drinking water, advantage of these opportunities? streams,