GROUNDWATER

1. GROUNDWATER Little Drip GROUNDWATER GROUNDWATER

2. DIRECTIONS • As you watch this power point, look for the vocabulary in gold. Write the words and definitions in your science notebook. • There are questions asked by Big Earth, and these are in green and numbered Be sure to look carefully at these questions and try to answer them. • 3) Have fun and learn a lot! This slide presentation has two parts: Part One: Explain how water exists below the Earth’s surface and how it is replenished. (Benchmark 3). Slides 1-25 Part Two: Describe the origins of pollution in the hydrosphere. (Benchmark 4) Slides 26-39.

3. “Hey Big Earth, I’ve been thinking. I’m on my way down to this big body of water but what are my choices. Do I have any other places I could go?” “Sure Little Drip, you have lots of choices. Some of them, like this ocean, are salt water. Other salt water bodies include some bays, seas and of course all the oceans.” “What if I don’t like salt water. Do I have any other options?.” “Well there is always freshwater such as most lakes(a large body of water surrounded by land), rivers(a natural stream of water of considerable volume), and groundwater. These are called freshwater because they don’t have the salt content like the oceans.”

4. “Here is a list of percentages of where the water is actually located in what is called our hydrosphere. The hydrosphere is ALL the Earth’s liquid water. Freshwater is what human’s need to live you know. They need it to drink and for many other of their everyday activities?” EARTH'S WATER SUPPLY Oceans  97.3% Ice 2.19% Groundwater 0.5% Soil Moisture  0.005% Atmosphere  0.001% Inland Lakes  0.018% Rivers 0.000096% (1) Can you tell me, Little Drip, which of these forms of water is usable by humans? “Hmm, let me see. Wow! It looks only like a very small percent.”

5. Less than 1% is for human use. That is why it is so important for everyone to take good care of our water. “You are right. Most of the water, 99.7% is unusable by humans.

6. “After looking at that graph, I see most of the freshwater is called groundwater. What is the difference between freshwater ( lakes, rivers, streams) and groundwater? Or are they the same as groundwater?” “Surface water is like the water we are over. It is exactly how it sounds: water found on the surface like lakes, rivers and streams. Groundwater is the water in the ground. Here, let’s watch this video to learn a little bit about groundwater. Just click on the picture below, and Little Drip, be patient. A four minute video will start that will give you some more information just about groundwater and how important it is. We can then talk about it some more once you understand the basics.” http://www.leapingmedia.com/groundwater.html

7. “Wow, that was way cool! But I need to go slower so I can really understand all the details. Can you walk me through it step by step?” “Sure, first you saw that groundwater is just that, water under the ground. But how does it get there?”

8. “Hmm, it must come from clouds just like I do.” “Well, that’s part of the story. Groundwater comes from rain or snow seeping into the ground. Seep is a slow movement of water through the cracks and pores in the soil. Groundwater also comes from water deep within the ground. Lakes and rivers feed groundwater. But groundwater also feeds lakes and rivers.”

9. “Look at this picture. Here you can see that the rock and gravel beneath the soil is very porous. If is full of holes in or between the rocks that can hold air or water just like a sponge. “ “If the sponge was totally filled with water so that water would start to drip out, we would say that the sponge was saturated. So if the rocks in the ground are totally filled with water, then we say they are saturated.”

10. “You can see in this picture the saturated soil. Here, Little Drip, let me ask you a few questions about this picture to see if you really understand it. Answer them and then we will check your answers. • What color is the part of the ground that is saturated with water? “The ground saturated with water is purple. That means everything purple has water in all the pores or fractures.”

11. 3) What is the very top of the saturated soil called? “The very top of the saturated zone is called the water table. Below this, the ground is totally filled with water or saturated. Hey, just like a table is the top.” • 4) What do you notice about the water table and the surface water?” “Now for the last question. That’s a toughie. It looks like the surface water is as high as the water table.”

12. “Once again, excellent Little Drip. But let me explain surface water and the water table a bit more. When you see surface water you are seeing the top of the water table. Like when you are at the beach very near the water and you dig a hole in the sand. It doesn’t take long to see water below because you are digging to the water table and, below that the sand is saturated with water.”

13. “Yeah, but you said that the water moves in the pores of the rocks. How come sometimes I can’t get down between the pores?” “Let’s see, how can I explain this one. O.K. There are two different concepts here that we need to discuss: one is porosity and the other permeability. Later, we will go to the lab and do some activities with these concepts. But for now read on.”

14. “O.K. Lets see. From what I read, rocks that are more porous have more spaces and so they can hold more water. Clay is made of very small pieces. Each piece is surrounded by pore space. Therefore, clay has a lot of pore spaces, and clay can hold a lot of water. Gravel is made of bigger pieces. Although the pore space looks like a lot, there is a lot less of it compared to the spaces around the clay. It holds less water than the clay.

15. “Very good Little Drip. But how about permeability?” “O.K., now let me think a minute. Permeability is how the pores are connected - sort of like a maze. Some mazes are easy to find your way through while others are more difficult because of all the obstacles. Gravel Fine Sand Clay 5. Look at the water that has seeped through the gravel, sand and clay. Which one has more water passing through?

16. Gravel Fine Sand Clay Wow you are right on top of things. Yes, the gravel did let more water pass through. Its pores are connected in such a way that water moves through easily. We say gravel is permeable. The clay made it difficult for the water to pass through. Clay has a lot of pore space but it is much smaller spaces. Like squeezing through a small tight hallway. We call it impermeable.

17. “One last thing Little Drip. Before you can be an expert on groundwater, you need to know four more words.” “My brain hurts but bring them on!” Ouch!

18. “Here we go with number one: spring… “ “I know, something that is bouncy – hehehe!” “No silly, a spring is when the groundwater flows naturally out from the ground. Once this water reaches the surface it looks like a small stream flowing out of the Earth.”

19. “Sometimes it looks like a pool or small lake like this one in Michigan.” Kitch-iti-kipi, Upper Penninsula, Michigan

20. Marshall Aquifer “Here’s word number two: aquifer. An aquifer is an underground formation of permeable rock or soil. Remember, permeable rock lets water flow through it quite easily. So aquifers not only hold water but they can transmit the water to streams, springs or even wells. This one in Michigan is made of sandstone. http://capp.water.usgs.gov/aquiferBasics/images/map_marshall.gif

21. Have you ever had Perrier – Nestles – or Ice Mountain bottled water? Well, they pump 105 million gallons of water from this aquifer every year. #6 Little Drip, look back at the last slide. Is this aquifer located below Macomb County?” No, it is Northwest of Macomb County.

22. “Wow, what are the last two words?” “Here’s a picture of an artesian well in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The water is coming from an aquifer that is underground. The water isn’t being pumped out. It is coming out because of the pressure of the underground rocks (clay or shale).

23. And last, but not least: aquitard. “An aquitardis also underground. It is impermeable rock that is saturated with water. However, it does not provide much water to a well or spring.

24. Here is a great website to help you learn more about these topics. Visit this site at home to help you understand water. http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/mearth.html

25. Thanks so much Big Earth. I have learned so much about water. You were a great teacher. I hope everyone does their part to keep me clean! End of Part One

26. “Hmm, Big Earth, I have been thinking about all this groundwater. In the short video that I watched it said that, ‘Waste and Pollution keep me from my task’. What did they mean by “waste and pollution”? “Oh Little Drip, that is such a big question. Remember it said not to abuse groundwater. Well, you are polluted everyday, some intentionally and some unintentionally.”

27. POLLUTION GROUNDWATER

28. “Look at this picture of how you can look when a river or stream is polluted.” “Yuck, that is disgusting. Who would do that?” “Little Drip, it isn’t always intentionally but sometimes it is. Think about how some families pollute you. #7 Make a list of at least 10 things that you think humans do everyday that get into your groundwater system and cause pollution.”

29. “How did you do on your list?” “Wow, I came up with quite a few.” “Well, there are many sources of pollution. By sources of pollution we mean where the pollution initially or first enters the hydrosphere. Here are a few that we can talk about. 1. Household dumping 2. Agricultural run-off 3. Industrial waste”

30. “Most pollution on my list came from what businesses do, not those people who live in houses. What kind of pollution do they cause?” “The number one threat to clean water today comes from non-point source pollution. That's when rain carries pollutants into the water. The same water where we drink, swim or fish. Where do these contaminants come from? From cleaners people use around the house, paint in old paint cans, fertilizers they use on the lawn, litter they drop in the street, batteries thrown in the garbage, even detergents they use to wash their cars. All that is known as household dumping.” Household Dumping

31. “Some of this is put into the street sewers and called sewage. Sewage is any liquid or solid waste carried off in sewers or drains.” This makes me so sad! Why would people do something like this?

32. “Then Little Drip, there is agricultural run-off. Run-off is precipitation that has fallen and is running over the ground into our streams and rivers. Pesticides used to control insects, fertilizers from crop fields, as well as animal wastes from feedlots are often carried in run-off. These are all causes of pollution.” Agricultural Runoff “Can you see how animal and crop farms add to the pollution problem?”

33. Industrial Waste “And the third major source of pollution is from industry. Any product that people own or anything that makes their life easier is made from what we call industry. But the production of all these things has a downfall too.” “Let me guess. When factories produce all these items, there are waste products from them that pollute the water. These are called industrial waste pollutants. Gee, I can see that from the picture.”

34. "Can you suggest one way each of these is contributing to water pollution?" Can you suggest one way each of these is contributing to water pollution?

35. “Here are some of the most common things in each area that cause water pollution:” Household -deicing salts -landfill trash -house and garden chemicals -battery acids -car oil and gasoline -boat oil and gasoline Industry -animal wastes -fertilizer -pesticides -herbicides -sewage Industry -underground storage tanks -chemical spills/dumps -thermal, heat, pollution -pipelines -transfer and transport spills Agriculture

36. “This is scary. What can people do to continue to use me but keep me clean so I can be used for drinking water and other things?” “Well first of all. Nature does try to clean some of its water by natural processes. This is known as filtration. Anytime water passes through sand, the sand acts as a filter and removes some of the larger sewage items.

37. Humans even made “Waste Water Treatment Plants” to help them try to keep you clean. However, people need to do their part so the water doesn’t get polluted. # 8 What do you think people can do? Maybe we should making a list of 10 things that you can do to help prevent water pollution.” “If you need help, here’s a source that might help you Little Drip.” http://www.westchestergov.com/waterquality/checklist1.htm Detroit’s Waste Water Treatment Plant

38. Well, I remember the video. The song said: Protect Groundwater Be Aware of Groundwater Show You Care About Groundwater “ People could begin with their own families by being aware of what they do and educating their family members. Yeah, that’s a good one. If everyone did something in their own home to stop pollution, that would have to make a difference. If they even talked to their parents about the problem, maybe my water would stay cleaner. It’s a start!”

39. Try These Sites! Drinking Water and Ground Water, Kids Stuff http://www.epa.gov/safewater/kids/kids_4-8.html