Let’s go! Please go get your interactive notebook! Please get out your permission slip and $5 to turn in.
Which way is the water running?
Does being downstream matter?
February 16
*Houston Water sources: Lake Livingston (806 MGD) Lake Conroe (60 MGD) Lake Houston (150 MGD) Evangeline aquifer
1. Screening 2. Coagulation with alum; chlorine treatment 3. Mixing 4.settling tank – flocs sink to bottom 5. Filtration 6. disinfection with chlorine/ fluoride added
Does being downstream matter?
How can we meet water needs? Conservation Use more surface water (build more dams) Use aquifers (groundwater) Transfer water from other areas Desalinate ocean water
Consequences of using our ground water Overdraft – taking more water OUT of an aquifer than is recharging IN to the aquifer (What would happen to your bank account if you did this?)
February 16
*Water has mass and fills an aquifer through a recharge zone
*Subsidence – sinking of land due to aquifer overdraft
Brownwood subdivision Baytown
Brownwood 1953
Brownwood 1978
Baytown Nature Center today
Houston is switching to just surface water to protect the city from further subsidence. *Overdraft – taking more water OUT of an aquifer than is recharging IN to the aquifer *Overdraft leads to subsidence
*Texas Aquifers in trouble! Evangeline – Houston (overdraft and subsidence) Ogallala – Pan handle through South Dakota (overdraft by farmers) Edwards – Austin and Hill Country (overdraft from cities and ranchers) Label these on your map!
Check for understanding What clues on a map will show which direction is downstream? How are an aquifer and a recharge zone related? How are a watershed and a river related? How are subsidence and overdraft related? Why does it matter that our drinking water supplies are downstream of Dallas? Describe the tradeoffs between using surface water and using ground water.
Issue Analysis Project Project purpose: To analyze one aspect of our field trip to describe the challenges and possible solutions for living sustainably in Houston Due March