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Groundwater Unit Table of Contents 5-6 Groundwater Unit Table of Contents Lesson 1 : Groundwater Introduction Explore: How much water is there? Lesson 2: Porosity and Permeability Explore: Permeability and Porosity Lab Lesson 3: What is an Aquifer? Explore: Build an Aquifer Lesson 4: Groundwater Pollution Explore: A Little Pollution Goes a Long Way, Dilution and Pollution Lab Explore: Pass It On Lesson 5: Geysers and “Hot Spots” Explore: Create a Geyser Glossary Resources & Acknowledgements 5-6 Idaho State Standards Lesson 1 Introduction to Groundwater OBJECTIVES 1. Students will learn where groundwater is found and its importance. 2. Explain where groundwater fits into the water cycle. 3. Define appropriate groundwater terms. ENGAGE— Q: If you are thirsty and want a drink of water, you might get it from the kitchen sink or from a drinking fountain. Where do you think this drinking water comes from? (Have students brainstorm or share ideas). BACKGROUND INFORMATION: About half the people in the U.S. and almost the entire rural population of this country depend upon groundwater for their drinking water. In the state of Idaho, 96% of the population depends upon it. Within Teton Valley, you probably are on a well that pumps water from underground to your faucet. Groundwater is also one of the most important sources for irrigation, which provides farmers with a way to water their fields. Groundwater is found in permeable underground layers of gravel, sand, sandstone and fractured rock known as aquifers. Many people picture groundwater as underground lakes and rivers, but it is actually water that fills up the spaces between rocks and soil particles underground—kind of like how water fills up a sponge. Groundwater can be found almost everywhere. Groundwater supplies are replenished, or refilled, by rainfall and snowmelt. In some parts of the country, people face shortages of groundwater because it is used up faster than it can be replaced. In other areas, groundwater is polluted by human activities. In this unit, we will learn about groundwater, where it is stored, how it gets there, where it goes, why it is so important to keep it clean and how to conserve it. EXPLAIN AND DEVELOP: 1. Transparency 1-1: Discuss the concept of how water is stored underground. 2. Transparency 1-2: Water cycle Student worksheet 1-2: Water Cycle Explain where groundwater fits in the water cycle and where it comes from. 3. Student worksheet 1-3: Groundwater Glossary and Diagram Define groundwater terms and have students label the groundwater diagram. Transparency 1-3: Groundwater Glossary Diagram EXPLORE (optional) : How much water is there? In order to get students to realize how little drinking water there is on earth, and how much of that is groundwater, do the following activity. MATERIALS: 2 1000ml beaker 100 ml cylinder 10 ml cylinder eye dropper salt dry erase marker PREPARATION: Fill one of the 1000 ml beakers with tap water. Line up the remaining containers in a line, largest to smallest as follows: 1000 ml beaker, 100 ml cylinder, 10 ml cylinder and the eye dropper. Set up the containers in a location that the whole class can see. PROCEDURE: 1. Show the class the liter (1000 ml) of water and tell them it represents all water on earth. 2. Ask where most of the water on earth is located. Pour 970 ml of water in a 1000 ml beaker to simulate the water in the earth’s oceans (97%). Add salt to it to make it unfit for drinking. 3. Pour 24 ml of the remaining 30 ml of tap water into a 100 ml cylinder (80%). This is the amount of water locked up in icecaps, glaciers and snowy mountain ranges. 4. Pour the remaining water from the larger 1000 ml beaker into a 10 ml cylinder and mark on the side the amount of groundwater to surface water with a dry erase marker. Out of the 6ml of water you have left, only 1.5 ml is surface water. The remaining 4.5 ml is groundwater. 5. Finally, the amount of clean, fresh, useable water from this cylinder is only one eye dropper or .003 ml. Remove a single eye-dropper of water and discuss that this precious drop must be managed carefully. Note: On a global scale, this useable fresh water amount ends up to be 7 million liters a person. This is in comparison to the total amount of all water per person on earth (including salt water etc;) which totals 233.3 billion liters. EXTEND AND APPLY: 1. Student worksheet 1-4: Groundwater, True or False? 2. Student worksheet 1-5: Groundwater Fact Sheet (page 1) Let’s Do the Math! (page 2) 3. Transparency 1-5: Let’s Do the Math: Groundwater Use in the U.S. Use this transparency in conjunction with student worksheet 1-5 to illustrate the national, regional and state use of groundwater. Groundwater: Where do we find it? In the Empty Spaces in Rock Gravel & Sand In UnderGround holes caves & Caverns Soaked into Limestone Sandstone & Other rock layers Illustration courtesy of the “The Water Sourcebooks” EPA/904-R-94-017 (a-d) Transparency 1-1 The Water Cycle Transparency 1-2 THE WATER CYCLE Match the letters on the diagram with the descriptions below. 1. ____ Water falls to the earth in the form of precipitation (rain, snow) 2. ____ Snow melts into lakes and rivers and into the ground 3. ____ Water evaporates from the land, plants and animals into the atmosphere 4. ____ Groundwater enters lakes and streams 5. ____ Water condenses to form clouds in the atmosphere 6. ____ Surface water runs off hillsides into lakes and streams 7. ____ Water evaporates from lakes, ponds and streams into the atmosphere 8. ____ Water soaks into the ground (groundwater) Groundwater 1-2 THE WATER CYCLE Match the letters on the diagram with the descriptions below. 1. H Water falls to the earth in the form of precipitation (rain, snow) 2. B Snow melts into lakes and rivers and into the ground 3. A Water evaporates from the land, plants and animals into the atmosphere 4. G Groundwater enters lakes and streams 5. C Water condenses to form clouds in the atmosphere 6. F Surface water runs off hillsides into lakes and streams 7. E Water evaporates from lakes, ponds and streams into the atmosphere 8. D Water soaks into the ground (groundwater) Answer Key: Groundwater 1-2 Groundwater Glossary Transparency 1-3 G R O U N D W A T E R G L O S S A R Y : Write each term in the correct place on the groundwater diagram below. groundwater: water that infiltrates into the earth and is stored in usable amounts in the soil and rock below the earth’s surface; surface water: water found above the surface of the land, including lake, rivers, streams and ponds. aquifer: an underground layer of rock or soil that is saturated, or soaked through, with usable amounts of water. pollution: substances that contaminate the air, water, or soil and cause harm to human health or the environment. porous: having pores or cavities that can hold substances such as water. recharge: the addition of water to the ground. What possible ways is water added to the ground? Examples: 1._____________________ 2._______________________ discharge: the flow or pumping of water from the ground; the opposite of recharge. What possible ways could water be “lost” from the ground? Examples: 1._____________________ 2._______________________ Groundwater 1-3 G R O U N D W A T E R G L O S S A R Y : Write each term in the correct place on the groundwater diagram below. groundwater: label anything referring to water underground surface water: label the body of water on the diagram aquifer: Possible answers: label the sandy layer underground label the water droplets underground pollution: label the factory porous: label the inset referring to the pore spaces between the rocks recharge: the addition of water to the ground. What possible ways is water added to the ground? Possible answers: rain, snow, snowmelt, percolation, runoff, irrigation Label any of these answers for “recharge.” discharge: the flow or pumping of water from the ground; the opposite of recharge. What possible ways could water be “lost” from the ground? Possible answers: pumping/wells, springs Label any of these answers for “discharge.” Note: The important part of this exercise is to understand the water cycle and some key groundwater terms. Answer Key : Groundwater 1-3 Groundwater: True or False? Write T if the statement is true and F if the statement is false. 1. ____ Groundwater comes from lakes and rivers underground. 2. ____ Groundwater is found beneath the earth’s surface. 3. ____ Groundwater can’t get polluted. 4. ____ Groundwater is part of the water cycle. 5. ____ One person’s actions can affect groundwater. 6. ____ Groundwater is stored in between the rocks and soil underground. 7. ____ The water from your kitchen sink can come from underground. 8. ____ Most of the earth’s water is found underground. Groundwater 1-4 Groundwater: True or False? Write T if the statement is true and F if the statement is false. 1. F Groundwater comes from lakes and rivers underground. 2. T Groundwater is found beneath the earth’s surface. 3. F Groundwater can’t get polluted. 4. T Groundwater is part of the water cycle. 5. T One person’s actions can have an effect on groundwater. 6. T Groundwater is stored in between the rocks and soil underground. 7. T The water from your kitchen sink can come from underground.
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