Fred the Fish and Urban Stew An exploration of the Jordan River and storm drain pollution

Jordan River, Utah Starts at Utah Lake, runs to Great Salt Lake (approximately 44 miles). Runs through several rural, suburban, and urban areas. Has been named one of the most endangered natural landscapes in the United States.

Storm Water and Storm Drains Storm water is the water produced by rainstorms and snowmelt. When storm water falls or runs through urban areas, it often washes nutrients and toxic substances from the streets and parking lots into storm drains. The water that enters the storm drains is piped into the nearest river. But guess what?

The shocking news: MOST OF THE STORM WATER IS NEVER TREATED AT A WATER TREATMENT FACILITY!! So what happens when polluted storm water enters the Jordan River? Discuss amongst yourselves…..

Today’s Assignment Discover the many ways that we pollute our rivers… often without even realizing it!

A river in a protected wilderness area… Imagine a clean river as it meanders through a protected wilderness area… what would it look like?

Meet Fred the Fish In this river loves Fred the Fish. He has lived in this stretch of river all of his life, but now he is going on adventure and will be traveling through the city as the river flows downstream.

Construction As his journey begins, Fred swims past a large construction site where a new mall is being built. There is a lot of loose soil where the land has been leveled, and as it starts to rain, some of it washes into the river. How is Fred?

Fertilizers Fred nears a suburban housing development. Some fertilizers from the lawns washed into the river a few months ago. It made the plants in the river grow very quickly, but eventually the river couldn’t provide them with all the nutrient they needed so the plants started to decay. Their decomposition is using up some of Fred’s oxygen.

Oil Fred swims under a highway bridge. Some cars traveling across are leaking oil. The rain is washing the oil into the river below. How is Fred?

Road Salt During a recent cold spell, ice formed on the bridge. County trucks spread salt on the road to prevent accidents. The rain is now washing salty slush into the river.

Litter and Garbage Fred swims past the city park. Some picnickers didn’t throw their trash into the garbage can. The wind is blowing it into the river. How is Fred?

Washing Cars As Fred nears another neighborhood, he sees bubbles floating in the water. Someone in the neighborhood is washing his car on the street and the soapy water is running into the river.

Pet Waste Up ahead, a stream joins the river. Fred wants to swim fast through this stretch, because he knows the stream runs along a trail where people don’t pick up after their pets. How is Fred?

Household Hazardous Waste Finally, Fred swims past a trash pile, where people have dumped everything from soda bottles to paint cans. Much of the waste is household hazardous waste that should have gone to the county waste collection so it would not pollute the river.

So what’s the big deal? It’s just a river, right? The lowdown on the impact of H20 pollution in the Jordan River: Plants Aquatic insects Birds Fish Ultimately, humans also suffer. Streams and rivers provide urban wilderness areas, and they are used for recreation, agriculture, and drinking water. It is only with pollution prevention efforts by local citizens that waterways will remain cleans and safe.

What can we do to improve the situation locally? Let’s go through the pollution sources again and see what ideas we have: Soil Fertilizer Oil leaks Road salt

Pollution sources, part 2 Litter Car washing supplies Pet waste Household hazardous waste

Is there anything else we can do? Can we educate other people about the dangers of storm drain pollutions (and ways to prevent it)? Who can we educate? (Families, other students, teachers, churches, community councils, youth groups, etc.) How can we educate? 2 ways!

Stenciling the storm drains Many volunteers have gone through their neighborhoods and stenciled warnings on their community storm drains.

Power Point Presentation You will work in groups of 4 to create your own Power Point presentation about the impacts of storm drain pollution. Using the Internet, you will gather information about the various pollution sources we discussed, and ways we can be more environmentally friendly.

Then….. You will schedule time to present your Power Point in another Geography or Science class. You can take Fred the Fish along and tell his story to introduce the concept of storm drain pollution.