The document provides information about watersheds including:
1. A watershed is defined as an area of land where all of the water that is under it or drains off of it goes into the same place. Precipitation collects and drains off into a common outlet such as a river, lake, or ocean.
2. Water flows from high to low elevations within a watershed, following patterns. It can accumulate in low lying areas.
3. Pollution such as soil erosion, sediment, chemicals, and waste can negatively impact water quality within a watershed.
The document provides information about watersheds including:
1. A watershed is defined as an area of land where all of the water that is under it or drains off of it goes into the same place. Precipitation collects and drains off into a common outlet such as a river, lake, or ocean.
2. Water flows from high to low elevations within a watershed, following patterns. It can accumulate in low lying areas.
3. Pollution such as soil erosion, sediment, chemicals, and waste can negatively impact water quality within a watershed.
The document provides information about watersheds including:
1. A watershed is defined as an area of land where all of the water that is under it or drains off of it goes into the same place. Precipitation collects and drains off into a common outlet such as a river, lake, or ocean.
2. Water flows from high to low elevations within a watershed, following patterns. It can accumulate in low lying areas.
3. Pollution such as soil erosion, sediment, chemicals, and waste can negatively impact water quality within a watershed.
The document provides information about watersheds including:
1. A watershed is defined as an area of land where all of the water that is under it or drains off of it goes into the same place. Precipitation collects and drains off into a common outlet such as a river, lake, or ocean.
2. Water flows from high to low elevations within a watershed, following patterns. It can accumulate in low lying areas.
3. Pollution such as soil erosion, sediment, chemicals, and waste can negatively impact water quality within a watershed.
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
You are on page 1of 11
WHERE THE
WATER FLOWS... Watershed’s and their relationship to water management and planning Expectation and learning goals
Expectation:
Grade 8 Science and technology within the biodiversity unit.
3.2 page 151, Demonstrate an understanding of the watershed as a fundamental
geographic unit, and explain how it relates to water management and planning
Learning Goals:
1. Understand what a watershed is
2. Understand how pollution influences water quality What is a watershed?
The term drainage basin is often used to describe a watershed
Water flowing from a higher elevation to a lower elevation
It is an area of land where precipitate collects and drains off into a common outlet such as a river, lake, bay, ocean or another body of water.
It includes the surface water, as well as any rain runoff, snowmelt and streams or rivers that run downslope towards the shared outlet.
It also includes the Groundwater underneath the earth’s surface.
Flow of a water in a watershed
A diagram of a watershed that shows the key attributes and how every water system is connected. Watershed Cycle Water flows from a high area to a lower area and collects in a large body of water as it flows downstream
Once collected some of the water will evaporate and collect in the form of clouds
This water will then travel away from the body of water and fall back to earth in the form of precipitation
Rainfall or snowmelt is now at a higher elevation than the drainage basin
This water will then flow back downstream completing the cycle Diagram of the cycle of water in a watershed Water Quality
Water quality is the measure of the chemical, biological and physical
characteristics of water in relation to a standard of use, such as drinking water for humans. Water quality can be affected by multiple factors such as:
- Soil erosion - Decayed organic matter
- Sedimentation - Litter - Leaching - Pesticid - Pollution - Toxic and hazardous chemicals - Runoff Instructions and requirements → Each group will receive a set of materials. → Each watershed must include: - 2 mountains or large hills - 3 to 4 rolling hills - A larger area somewhere in the watershed where most water will gather - BE CREATIVE! → Once you have created your own watershed use a permanent marker to mark where you think the water will flow. → Choose one person to be the sprayer. The spray bottle will act as a rain cloud. Take the spray bottle and spray your watershed while the other group members observe. → Discuss with your group if the water followed your prediction and give reasons why or why not. Next step
What is pollution? How does pollution affect our water?
→ The sparkles and food colouring will act as pollutants.
→ Add the pollutants to your watershed, wherever you’d like and then spray with water. Observe how the pollutants flow through the watershed and discuss with your group members. Questions to think about...
What is the size of a watershed?
How did the water flow over the land? What patterns did you observe?
How did the water accumulate? Where did the water accumulate?
In what directions did the water flow? Why did the water move in the way it did?
What is a model? What is the the purpose of a model?
References
APEC Water. (n.d.). What are the key factors that influence water quality? Retrieved from http://www.freedrinkingwater.com/water_quality/quality2/j-
