Watershed in a Box

You and your groupwill build a simplerunoff model and useit to demonstratehow nonpoint sourcepollution can affectsurface water.Whether you live in acity, town or ruralarea, nonpoint sourcepollution can be aproblem.

DESCRIPTION:

TIMEThe runoff model is very easyto build and takes approximately15 minutes to construct. Thisactivity would work well at a clubmeeting.

AGEThis activity is appropriate forages 8 and up.

COSTAll supplies for the watershedmodel can be found in grocerystores, craft stores or your home.

OBJECTIVESBy participating in this activity,your group will:

1. Define a watershed.

2. Use powdered drink mixto represent nonpointsource pollution anddemonstrate how thispollution affects surfacewater.

3. Design a community thatwill try to minimize theeffects of pollution onsurface water.

YOU WILL NEED:For each model:

◆ A box cover or othershallow box that is12" x 12" or larger

◆ Foam pieces, styrofoam,®

or paper

◆ Heavy-duty aluminum foilor white plastic bag

◆ Permanent markers

◆ Spray bottle

◆ Cup of water

◆ Powdered, unsweeteneddrink mix – two or threedifferent colors

◆ Bucket

BACKGROUNDNo matter where you live, thewater quality in rivers andstreams is determined by whathappens on the land aroundthem. The land around a streamor river is called a watershed.

One watershed is separated fromanother watershed by a low rise,the crest of a hill or a mountainchain. Rain or snow that falls onopposite sides of the higher landcauses water to flow into differentwatersheds.

Not all watersheds are the same.Some watersheds are hilly, whileother watersheds are flat plains.In all cases, precipitation that fallson the watershed flows over landto reach the lowest point – a lake,river or stream.

As water flows over land, it picksup soil, chemicals and otherpollutants and carries them tolakes, rivers or streams. This watertransportation system is calledrunoff.

In rural or agricultural areas,runoff water carries a widevariety of materials, includingpesticides, soil and animal wastes,directly into waterways.

In urban areas, hard surfaces suchas driveways, sidewalks, rooftopsand roadways prevent water fromsoaking into the ground. As aresult, the runoff water, which canbe contaminated with road salt,heavy metals, or automobile fluids,flushes quickly into storm drainsthat dump directly into streamsand rivers.

Pollutants that do not have asingle source are called nonpointsource pollution. This pollutionoriginates from many differentplaces.

Everyone lives in a watershed. Wemay not realize that what happenssomewhere in the watershed willeventually have an impact on thelowest point in the watershed – alake, a river, or a stream.

HOW TO MAKE THE MODEL1. Get a box.

Use a box cover or a shallow boxto contain the runoff model.

2. Create land forms.

Arrange pieces of foam orcrumpled paper to represent hillsand land forms in the bottom ofthe box. Encourage your groupto be creative. Remember, thehighest points should be near thebox walls. Leave a gully or valleyin the middle of the box torepresent a stream or river.

3. Cover the land forms.

Cover the land forms with a largepiece of aluminum foil, shiny sideup. Start in the middle of the boxand gently press the foil into allof the hills and valleys, workingyour way towards the box walls.

Push the edges of the foil up alongthe walls of the box and fold thefoil over the edge of the box. Becareful not to tear the foil.

4. Create a community.

With a permanent marker, drawon the foil to outline the streams orrivers in your model. Next, drawhouses, roads, farm fields, feedlots, stores or anything else thatyou want in your community.

5. Add some pollution.

Sprinkle different colors ofpowdered drink mix onto themodel. The colors representdifferent kinds of pollution. Forexample:

◆ Use red powder torepresent yard carechemicals and sprinkle itaround the houses.

◆ Use green powder torepresent salt on the roadsor automobile waste andsprinkle it along roadwaysor in a parking lot.

◆ Use brown powder torepresent exposed soil at afarm field or a construc-tion site.

◆ Use blue powder torepresent human oranimal waste and leavelittle piles of powder nearhomes and farms.

6. Ask what will happen.

Ask the group what they thinkwould happen if it rained.

7. Make it rain.

Using the spray bottle to repre-sent a rain storm, spray water onthe hillsides. Watch the waterflow towards the rivers andstreams.

8. Follow up.

Ask the group to tell you whathappened. Then ask the grouphow they would redesign thecommunity to prevent waterpollution.

9. Try it again.

Dump the water from the modelinto a bucket. Remove the foilfrom the model and set it aside.Place a new piece of foil on thewatershed. Ask the group toredesign the community toprevent water pollution.

Sprinkle powdered drink mix inthe appropriate areas. Let it rain.Was there an improvement?

STEP 4

STEP 7

STEP 5

RESOURCES

Environmental Resource Guide:Nonpoint Source PollutionPrevention Air and WasteManagement Associationc/o Joel Anne SchweiltzhelmP.O. Box 1020Sewickley, PA 151431-800-275-5851www.awma.org

It All Adds Up Video SeriesThis video series is availablefrom the DNR’s Madison office,phone 608-264-6127 or608-266-0140.

The five video titles include:

It All Adds Up (overview, 22 min.)

Conservation in the ‘90s: Meeting theWater Quality Challenge (19 min.)

From Barnyard to Stream: ManagingManure for Water Quality (17 min.)

Streamside Protection: Finishing theJob for Water Quality (14 min.)

From Curb to Stream: Cleaning UpOur Urban Waters (19 min.)

Pointless PollutionBullfrog Films, Inc.Oley, PA 195471-800-543-FROGwww.bullfrogfilms.com

This 28-minute award-winningvideo focuses on how nonpointpollution has affected the lives ofpeople in four regions of thecountry.Appropriate for grades 7-12.

Water Action Volunteers is acooperative program between theUniversity of Wisconsin–Extensionand the Wisconsin Department ofNatural Resources. For moreinformation, contact the Water ActionVolunteers Coordinator at608-264-8948.

WAV materials revisedSummer, ©2001.