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WATERSHEDS

WATERSHEDS. Presented by (Your Name Here). Connecting Weather to the Environment. Produced by the COMET ® Program in partnership with the National Environmental Education Foundation. Watersheds: Connecting Weather to the Environment. What is a watershed? The System of Watersheds

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WATERSHEDS

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  1. WATERSHEDS Presented by (Your Name Here) Connecting Weather to the Environment Produced by the COMET® Program in partnership with the National Environmental Education Foundation

  2. Watersheds:Connecting Weather to the Environment • What is a watershed? • The System of Watersheds • Where does our water come from? • Weather & Watersheds: • Rain • Flooding and Tropical Storms • Drought • What You Can Do

  3. What is a watershed? A watershed is an area of land from which all runoff drains, or 'sheds' to the same river, lake, or other body of water.

  4. Everyone lives in a watershed You’re already in one! Your own backyard is part of a watershed. You don’t need to visit the Grand Canyon to see a watershed.

  5. The System of Watersheds Each is part of a larger picture or mosaic. Watersheds are like pieces of a puzzle:

  6. A Nested System Watersheds are also like Russian Matryoshka or nesting dolls. Larger watersheds contain smaller watersheds, which contain even smaller ones.

  7. Watershed Addresses Just as our homes have street addresses, our neighborhood watersheds have environmental addresses.

  8. (Your City’s) Watershed Address Insert a map of your watershed on this slide. Resources for finding your watershed: USGS Science in Your Watershed: water.usgs.gov/wsc EPA Surf Your Watershed: www.epa.gov/surf

  9. Where does our water come from? Condensation Precipitation All of our freshwater starts as precipitation, which moves continually through the hydrologic cycle. Snowmelt Springs Infiltration into the ground Streams and rivers Lakes Evaporation Aquifers Ocean Storage Groundwater flow to oceans

  10. The Surface-Groundwater System Groundwater also flows up into surface water bodies. Surface and underground water bodies form an inter-connected system. Surface water recharges groundwater storage.

  11. Drinking Water Sources Most water systems (80%) in the U.S. use a ground water source for drinking water, but the majority of the population (66%) are served by surface water sources.

  12. (Your City’s) Drinking Water Identify where your city’s drinking water comes from. Visit http://www.epa.gov/safewater/dwinfo/index.html Is it surface water or groundwater?

  13. Weather & Watersheds: Rain • Dumping of garbage by cities • Surface water running off yards, streets, paved lots, and farm fields • Trash washed into the ocean from beaches • Waste dumped by factories What is the most common cause of pollution in streams, rivers, and oceans?

  14. Sources of Pollution Precipitation runoff from farms, lawns, and paved surfaces is the leading source of water pollution in America today.

  15. What’s in the water? Main pollutants: Fertilizers Herbicides Insecticides Oil, grease, and toxic chemicals from urban areas Sediment Road Salt Bacteria and Nitrogen Air pollutants

  16. Weather & Watersheds: Flooding A flood occurs anytime a water body overflows or when an unusual amount of water collects in dry areas.

  17. Flash Flooding A flash flood is a particularly dangerous type of flood that occurs within 6 hours or even an hour after the start of rainfall.

  18. Causes of Flash Floods Flash floods are typically caused by intense thunderstorm downpours, but… …the failure of a dam or levee can also trigger flash flooding.

  19. Urban Flooding Less water goes into the ground, and… More heads for the nearest stream or low-lying area. Because urban watersheds contain so many paved surfaces…

  20. Flooding from Tropical Storms Hurricane Floyd (1999) Sometimes a hurricane’s worst punch comes after the storm has passed. This was the case with Hurricane Floyd, which left North Carolina inundated with historic and deadly floods days after the storm.

  21. Weather & Watersheds: Drought 1. Reduced soil moisture (plant stress) 2. Reduced water levels in lakes, reservoirs, wetlands How can drought impact a watershed? 3. Reduced water flow in streams, rivers, springs 4. Groundwater depletion, land subsidence 5. Water quality problems

  22. Drought in Your Area Is your area experiencing drought? Resources: U.S. Drought Monitor - http://drought.unl.edu/dm/monitor.html Click on your state for a close-up view of drought stages.

  23. Protecting Watersheds: What You Can Do Everyday Simple Ways to Protect Your Watershed • Don’t Dump or Litter • Water and Landscape Wisely • Control the Flow • Pick up After Rover • Fix that Leak • Participate in a Cleanup

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