 Get out your project packet.  Read over the questions in Part B.  Get out a sheet of paper and be ready with something to write.

 Since water is scarce in many parts of the world, and populations continue to grow, civil and agricultural engineers design systems that deliver water, natural gas and other resources from far away to the people who need them.  The Romans built channels to bring water to their cities. They are called aqueducts.

 The Romans constructed aqueducts to bring a constant flow of water from distant sources into cities and towns, supplying public baths, latrines, fountains and private households.  Waste water was removed by the sewage systems and released into nearby bodies of water, keeping the towns clean and free from noxious waste.

 They built huge and extensive aqueducts, which is Latin for waterway.  These under- and aboveground channels, typically made of stone, brick, and volcanic cement, brought fresh water for drinking and bathing as much as 50 to 60 miles from springs or rivers.  Aqueducts helped keep Romans healthy by carrying away used water and waste, and they also took water to farms for irrigation.

 The engineers who designed them used gravity to keep the water moving. If the channel was too steep, water would run too quickly and wear out the surface. Too shallow, and water would stagnate and become undrinkable.  The Romans built tunnels to get water through ridges, and bridges or sipphons to cross valleys.

 Read more about the different types of techniques used in building aqueducts in your project packet.

 To achieve a consistent, shallow slope to move the water in a continuous flow, the Romans lay underground pipes and constructed siphons throughout the landscape.  Workers dug winding channels underground and created networks of water pipes to carry water from the source lake or basin into Rome. The pipes were typically built in concrete, but were sometimes made of lead when the government provided enough cash(lead was very expensive in 300 B.C.).  When the pipes had to span a valley, they built a siphon underground: a vast dip in the land that caused the water to drop so quickly it had enough momentum to make it uphill.

 It took 500 years to build Rome’s massive system, which was fed by 11 separate aqueducts. To this day, Rome’s public fountains run constantly, as do smaller faucets that provide fresh water to anyone who stops for a drink.

 Before their development of aqueduct technology, people relied on local water sources such as springs and streams, supplemented by groundwater from privately or publicly owned wells, and by seasonal rain- water drained from rooftops into storage jars and cisterns.

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 List all the reasons you can think of as to why aqueducts were so important to the Romans.  Why were they beneficial?

 1. Name two different techniques used in building aqueducts.  2. What forces causes aqueducts to flow?  3. Do you have any questions about your project? If so, write them on the back of your exit slip.  3 rd period –Science Fair projects

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