Alabama Water Watch Citizen Monitoring Program

1. Alabama Water WatchCitizen Monitoring Program

2. Today’s Outline: • Review: what is a watershed? • Alabama Biodiversity • The Water Cycle • River Continuum Concept • Stormwater Runoff 6. Water Chemistry Certification for Alabama Water Watch

3. Review: What are Watersheds?

4. 1. Watersheds • Major Alabama Watersheds • Watersheds = an area within which all surface water drains to a common waterway

5. 2. Watersheds • Watersheds can be nested: smaller ones within larger ones

6. 3. Watersheds • Basin: A collection of watersheds draining to the coast at a single point. • E.g., Mobile Basin

7. 4. Watersheds • Birmingham straddles 2 major watersheds: • Cahaba and Black Warrior • Watersheds and Basins: great concept for teaching • Social sciences/studies • Natural sciences Themes: Everybody Lives in a Watershed. We are all connected through our watershed.

8. 5. Biodiversity • The more diversity of watersheds, the more species an area will have. Extensive Watershed diversity in Alabama: • 2 major river basins • 13 major watersheds • Vast network of rivers

9. The Big Picture: The Water Cycle

10. 6. The Water Cycle Our’ Blue Planet Water Distribution on Earth • 97.2% in oceans • 2.8% on land • 2.2 % is ice • 0.6 % is groundwater • <0.01 % is lakes • <0.001 % is rivers

11. The Water Cycle (Aka: The Water cycle)

12. Linking the Water Cycle to Watersheds, to Biodiversity: The River Continuum Concept

13. 7. River Continuum Concept • Rivers change as the progress from the headwaters to the coast • Size • Speed • Habitat types • Biodiversity

14. 8. River Continuum Concept • Headwaters: • Small creeks and streams • Rocky substrate (bottom material) • Narrow streams, often steep hillsides • Forested margins, well-shaded

15. 9. River Continuum Concept Midreaches • Wider channel • Much direct sunlight • More nutrients than headwaters • More plants than headwaters • Substrate: smaller materials: smaller rocks and sand

16. 10. River Continuum Concept Lower Reaches • Slower current • deeper channel • “Muddy water” • High nutrient levels • Substrate: shifting sands and silts • Few plants • Swamps

17. 11. River Continuum Concept • Estuary: interface of freshwater rivers and oceanic waters.

18. 12. River Continuum Concept • The different zones of a river (headwaters to lower reaches) provides different habitats for different species. • But even within a small area, different habitats support different species. The more diversity of natural habitats and conditions, the more species will be supported.

19. Threats to Rivers: Focus on urban runoff

20. 13. Threats: Urban Runoff The Major Threats to Rivers: • Dams • Sedimentation • Pollution • Over-extraction of water • Invasive species • Stream channelization • Urban Runoff – a place to start teaching about watersheds

21. 14. Threats: Urban Runoff • Runoff: Water from precipitation that flows across the surface to the nearest drainage • Stormwater: runoff from developed areas

22. 15. Threats: Urban Runoff Effect of Impervious Surfaces • What causes runoff? • Impervious surfaces block the absorption of rainwater into the ground. • Impervious surfaces: pavement, streets, roofs, sidewalks

23. 16. Threats: Urban Runoff • Effects of increased Runoff • More and higher floods • Low flows during dry season • Sometimes: discharge of raw sewage into rivers • Increased pollutants • Fine sediments • Hazardous chemicals • Nasty bacteria • Nutrients

24. 17. Threats: Urban Runoff Flooding: • Because rainwater doesn’t percolate into the soil, stormwater gets rapidly ‘dumped’ into creeks, streams and rivers. Trussville, May 2003

25. 18. Threats: Urban Runoff • With floods, stream habitats altered and destroyed • High volumes scour stream substrates • Secondary bank erosion • Loss of habitat

26. 19. Threats: Urban Runoff Low flows • Because groundwater isn’t recharged, there is little in reserve to keep streams flowing when rains are infrequent.

27. 20. Threats: Urban Runoff • Sewage Discharge • Stormwater system • Collects rainwater and directs it away from developed areas. • In some cities, including B’ham, stormwater was linked to sewage system. • When it rains…

28. 21. Threats: Urban Runoff …Sewage treatment plants can’t handle the large volume of water. • Stormwater and sewage dumped into streams and rivers • Yuck.

29. 22. Threats: Urban Runoff • Runoff and Pollution • Runoff contains toxins: Runoff contains contaminants: oil, gas, other car drippings, fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, detergents, etc.

30. 23. Threats: Urban Runoff • Runoff containssediments: sand and silt • From construction • From developed areas

31. Threats: Urban Runoff • Sediments fill and cover habitats in river. • Esp Sand and silt • Crevices between rocks needed for fish, insects, mussels, etc.

32. Threats: Urban Runoff • All this impacts our drinking water

33. 24. Threats: Urban Runoff • Why use Urban Runoff as a starting point for teaching about watersheds? • It is an urban problem • Urban students will be familiar with stormwater systems and problems • It is wherever you are • Easily observed in or near your school • Impacts are far-reaching, involving social and environmental issues

34. 25. Threats: Urban Runoff Community–building themes • Everyone lives in a watershed • Anywhere you stand, you are in the watershed • We share the watershed with each other, and with the ecosystem Questions to stimulate thought • Where does the water go from any location? • What is the nearest creek or stream, and where does it go? • Where does stormwater from our school and our homes flow? • Who lives downstream from us, and how are we affecting them? • Who lives upstream from us, and how are they affecting us? • What can we do to be better watershed citizens?!