Joanne R. Pompano
Find the local watershed and streams that are closest to your school. Show major point and non-point sources of water pollution on the map. Locate additional watersheds and show major pollution sources such as factories, sewage plants, etc. Indicate the flow of the pollutants as they move toward The Sound.
Discuss the land uses, such industrial, urban agricultural, forestlands, around the river. What pollutants will likely be picked up on its way to The Sound?
Prepare a large map and explanatory notes to show the path and final destination of the pollutants that enter the storm drains in a cities and towns throughout Connecticut.
Discussion Questions / Exercises:
1. Trace the path of pollutants that enter the water in your community and discuss where they are likely to end up.
2. Where are the reservoirs that provide drinking water for your community?
3. Are the watersheds protected?
4. If your water is drawn from a river, how many other communities upstream and downstream draw their drinking water from this river?
5. What changes are planned to meet future demands, such as building dams, reservoirs, and aqueducts?
6. Who is responsible for the pollution in Long Island Sound? What steps should be taken to prevent pollution from destroying the quality of water in the Sound?
Goal:
To increase vocabulary of scientific terms
Objective:
Student will participate in a quiz show format to test their skills in defining and understanding terms. Students will be divided into 2 teams. One student or teacher will serve as moderator.
Students will select a square and uncover a definition or term. Student must respond with the correct answer that defines term. Winning answers will be rewarded with points. Team with most points at end of game will win.
Definitions
1.
Bivalves:
a mollusk with two shells. Bivalves live in the ocean or fresh water. Examples: oysters, clams, mussels, and scallops
2.
Clean Water Act
-passed in 1972 this law dramatically increased the number of waterways that are once again safe for fishing and swimming
3.
Estuary
: The mouth or lower course of a river where the current meets the sea and is
affected by the tides or an arm or inlet of the sea 69
4.
Eutrohication
: The process through which waters become over-enriched with
nutrients. Nitrogen and phosphorus and leads to a severe depletion of oxygen.
5.
Hypoxia
: the condition when oxygen levels in water becomes too low to support life. Defined as less than or equal to 3 mg/l of dissolved oxygen. It occurs because nitrogen stimulates excessive growth of aquatic plants.
6.
Mantle
: The thin membrane that covers the visceral mass. The mantle secretes calcium carbonate the material that forms the shell of the mollusk.
7.
Mollusks
: animals with soft fleshy bodies that are often covered by a hard shell. They have three distinct body parts the head, the foot, and the visceral mass (or inside of the mollusk which contains the digestive system, the excretory system, the reproduction system and the heart.
8.
Protandric
: the ability to change gender several times during their lifetime.
9.
Siltation
: a condition that smothers oysters and prevents them from feeding. It is caused from eroded soil at land development sites, farm fields and forestry harvesting
10.
Watershed
: a geographic area in which all sources of water, including lakes, rivers, estuaries, wetlands, and streams and ground water drain to a common surface water body.
