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3A. Activity: Land Use and Contaminates Activity: Up or Down the Watershed.

“Life is like a watershed….what you get out of it depends on what you put into it.”

This is an activity which utilizes small groups to explore the connectivity of all Land Use activities. Students are given a piece of land through which a river runs. They are asked to assume the identity of a land user. Guidance is provided to identify the required features for each land use (see land use categories and minimum plot requirements). Students must draw a site plan for the specific land use assigned and provide rationale for their design. This activity is modeled after the Montana State University’s Project Wet activity entitled “Sum of the Parts”.

Students are given adequate time to sketch out their plot plans and then the plans are assembled and placed together so that a continual river runs through the plans (see diagram 1.).

Land Use roles categories and minimum plot requirements. Add or remove items which will enrich this activity.

1. Residential

a. House site

b. Well

c. Septic system

d. Lawn

e. garage

f. garden

2. Farm

a. House site

b. Well

c. Septic system

d. Barn

e. Livestock Pasture

f. Hay field

g. Corn field

h. Equipment shed

i. Fuel storage

j. Pesticide/Herbicide/fertilizer storage

3. Golf Course

a. Pesticide/Herbicide/fertilizer storage

b. Well

c. Club House

d. Septic system

e. Equipment shed

f. 18 hole course

4. State forest

a. Road system

b. Front gate

c. Camping facility

d. Well

e. Septic system

f. Ranger station

5. Restaurant

a. Building site

b. Well

c. Septic system

d. Parking

e. Trash storage

6. Hospital

a. Hospital site

b. Parking

c. Fuel depot

d. Wastes transshipment point

e. Water supply

f. Septic treatment facility

g. Incinerator

h. Steam plant

7. Waste water treatment facility

a. Water infow

b. Filtration facility

c. Floculation tank

d. Prechlorinator

e. Aerator tank

f. Bacterial digester

g. Tertiary treatment facility

h. Post chlorinator

i. Outflow to river

8. Paper maker

a. Office building

b. Paper Mill

c. Well heads

d. Septic

e. Waste water treatment plant

f. Outflow

g. Materials storage

h. Chemical storage

i. Machinery maintenance facility

Questions for Up & Down the Watershed Activity

1. Activity:

What types of wastes are associated with each of the land uses?

2. Where do the wastes go?
3. What are the sources of Nitrogen as a contaminant to the water table?
4. What are the sources of Phosphate as a contaminant to the water table?
5. What is the effect of soil variety on the gardens and lawns?
6. What types of soils will hold nutrients and what effect does this have on the gardens and lawns in a watershed and the water quality in that watershed?
7. What is a Non-Native Invasive plant?
8. Where would one likely find a Non-Native Invasive plant?
9. Design a study to test for the presence of Nitrogen and Phosphate in the watershed.
10. What is a Point Source and what is a Non-Point Source for contaminants in this watershed?
11. Are there any natural purification systems in place in this watershed? If so, describe them and how they function.
12. Activity: Natural and Man- Made water filtration mechanisms identify where they are found and their effect on water quality.
1. Natural water Purification

i. Hydrologic cycle

1. Evaporation

2. Condensation

3. Precipitation

ii. Size Exclusion Filtration

iii. Sedimentation

iv. Biological Action

2. Man- Made water Purification

i. Distillation

ii. Size Exclusion Filtration

iii. Ion Exchange Chromatography

iv. Charcoal Filtration

v. Chemical treatments

vi. Sedimentation