A Historical Trip through Chesters Watershed

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Water, Water, Where Art Thou?

• A Historical Trip through Chesters Watershed

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Historical background

• Water is a hot topic today? Where does our water
  come from? How does it get to be drinkable? What
  is a watershed?

• All of these questions and the ones you will
  develop will help you understand why water is an
  important commodity. Lets get started.

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Watershed from 10.42 mi

• Chester is in an unique watershed situation. The
  Chester Creek/Crum Creek runs in a
  Northern/Southern direction and empties into the
  Delaware River. Frances J. Fax River and the
  Council-Three Rivers runs in an easterly to
  westerly direction through Chester.
• These waters entwine through the flood plane of
  Chester and when there is a substantial amount of
  rain fall flooding occurs.

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• Here we are at school at about 1033 ft from the
  earths surface in a northeasterly direction.
  Crum Creek is the L shape directly north of the
  School.

• How does this impact our watershed? Waste from
  treatment plants? Run off from High Way?
  Pollutants in the air/soil? You are about to
  enter the realm of ..

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Activities/Lab Explorations
Science Exploration are you up for the
Challenge????
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Lab Engagements

• Activity One
• You are a raindrop
• We will be going outside to act out how water
  falls

• Sailing along into Activity Two
• Properties of H2O

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• Raindrops fall onto the ground and into the
  watershed, how is this possible?
• Purpose To think and act like a rain drop, you
  will run/walk/ or roll to where you think the
  raindrop enters the watershed.
• Supplies you and your partner, stopwatch, paper
  and pencil to record, and your flags (six).
• Procedure you or your partner will act like the
  raindrop and the other will place the flag after
  you have landed, record the distance and time it
  took. Repeat at another location.
• Conclusion What did you learn? Discuss it with
  your partner and record your answers. Be
  prepared to report out in class. Make a chart of
  time verse distance (sec/cm)

8

• Water, Oil, and Dye and the change in
  temperature.
• Purpose Inquiry based, to understand how
  various pollutants affect the water shed.
• Predict the effect of oil, and dye will have on
  water when the temperature is at 26C, 16C, and
  35C. Record your predictions first.
  (Hypothesis)
• Water, Oil, and Dye and the change in
  temperature.
• Supplies two 10mL graduated cylinders, three
  50mL beakers, 15mL of water, 10mL of oil, and
  dye 5 -7 drops, ice, thermo mentor, and a source
  for heating water.
• Procedure 1. Place the room temperature water
  into the beaker first, then place the oil on top.
  Note what happens between the water and oil. 2.
  Place the dye on top. 3. Observe and record
  what happens to the dye. 4. Repeat steps 1 to 3
  using the water at 16C. Make sure to keep
  good observations! 5. Repeat steps 1 to 3 for
  the water at 35C. Make sure to keep
  good observations! 6. Make chart of the three
  temperatures and your observations.
• Conclusion Which temperature reacted the most
  dramatically? Why? Did the oil have an affect
  on the dye? Why or Why not? What effects would
  this be if it was in your water supply?

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People Places Thoughts!

• Water is the only drink for a wise man.-   Henry
  David Thoreau
• Our bodies are molded rivers.-   Novalis

• In every glass of water we drink, some of the
  water has already passed through fishes, trees,
  bacteria, worms in the soil, and many other
  organisms, including people...  Living systems
  cleanse water and make it fit, among other
  things,for human consumption. -   Elliot A.
  Norse, Animal Extinctions

• The underlying attraction of the movement of
  water and sand is biological. If we look more
  deeply we can see it as the basis of an abstract
  idealinking ourselves with the limitless
  mechanics of the universe.-   Sir Geoffrey
  Jellicoe

• Children of a culture born in a water-rich
  environment, we have never really learned how
  important water is to us.  We understand it, but
  we do not respect it. William Ashworth, Nor Any
  Drop to Drink, 1982

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Questions/Comments

• Review key points from Activity one and answer
  the following questions.
• What did you like or not like?
• How did this activity affect the way you perceive
  the watershed?

• Make a chart/diagram of what you found out.
• Describe in you own words how you can learn more
• What impact will this have on your life?

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Interconnections

• Review key points from Activity two, this time
  imagine if you lived or worked at Rivertown.
  would our you use your water supply efficiently?

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Old Chester, PA Rivertown                      
                                                  
                                                  
                             
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What difference would there be if you
lived here at Boat Dock?
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Water Proverbs and Sayings
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A stepping stone to A drop in the bucketA flood
of tears Blood is thicker than water Break the
ice Crying bucketsSink or swim Somebody is all
wet Something smells fishy Still waters run
deepTreading water Troubled waters Wash my hands
of the whole thing Watered down Wet behind the
ears Wet your whistle
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Ending Thought
You won't miss the water until the well runs dry!
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Thank you for your time! Judith L-Odom
Science and a Sense of Place Institute 2006