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The next meeting of the
District Governing Board
is scheduled for
Jan. 13, 2009, at 1 p.m.
at District Headquarters
in Palatka.
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Lesson 3: Experiment
A drainage basin with chocolate
Here is what you do:
- How vegetation and slope of the land affect stormwater runoff in a watershed
- plastic box or pan at least 1 foot by 2 feet in size
- coarse sand or builder’s sand, enough to fill half the box
- two 8-ounce cups
- an 8-ounce measuring cup
- chocolate syrup
- one 4-inch by 4-inch square of sod or several smaller grass plugs
- water
- Fill the plastic box (or the pan) half full of sand. Diagonally, from the top corner of the box to the bottom corner, make a surface water (river) channel. Scoop sand from the middle of the box up onto the sides to form riverbanks. Make a steep slope on one side of the river. Make a gentle slope on the other side.
- Place the sod square or several grass plugs on the side with a gentle slope. This represents wetland vegetation.
- Position one student on each side of the “river” holding the 8-ounce cups of water. These students will make it “rain” on the river. Very slowly, and at the same time, have one student pour water on the sandy side while the other pours water on the grassy area. Observe which runoff flows faster and drains into the “river” first.
- Repeat Step 3 using ¼ cup of chocolate syrup. The syrup represents stormwater pollution. Observe what happens.
- Repeat Step 3 again, pouring 4 ounces of water on the syrup. Observe what happens.
- Using a map of your county, locate the natural surface water bodies.
- What color is used on the map to show water?
- What water body is closest to your school? Is it a river or a lake? Use the map scale and figure out how far away from the school this water body is located.
- Which major road would you take to travel from your school to the water body?
- What water body is closest to your house? How many lakes are located within your county? Do they all have names? Make a list of the five largest lakes you can find in your county.
- Does the St. Johns River travel through your county? Do other rivers run through your county?
- Can you locate any creeks or streams?
What do you think?
- What part of this experiment represents stormwater runoff?
- Which side of the “river” had the fastest runoff? Why?
- Did you see anything in this experiment that would help you decide whether the sand is permeable or impermeable? If so, what?
- What effect did the grass or sod have on stormwater runoff? On pollution?
- Did the chocolate syrup “pollution” stay in one place? How does water pollution affect fish and wildlife?
- List several things that determine the speed of runoff in a drainage basin.
Make a difference.
Give nature a hand in protecting our water resources! Think about what happens when rainwater falls back to Earth. When rain falls onto your yard, does it stay there? What pollutants could rain pick up in your yard? Do your parents use pesticides on your yard plants or grass?
If your family uses pesticides, ask them to check all pesticide labels. Some pesticides are very toxic. Ask your parents to buy the ones that are safe for the environment.
Caution: Stay away from all plant fertilizers and pesticides. They may look harmless, but they could be very dangerous to your health.
Return to:
WaterWays student index
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