Around and Around and Around

Groundwater is the drinking water for half the people in the U.S., and nearly everyone who lives in rural parts of the U.S. But what is it and how do we get it? Groundwater is the water that soaks into the ground and fills up the spaces between particles of sand, soil, and rock. Sometimes it comes back to the earth's surface by itself, and sometimes we have to pump it out of the ground using wells. Groundwater is part of the water cycle, which is the big circle water makes as it goes from moisture in the air to rain or snow to groundwater or water bodies like lakes, and then back into the air again. For a very cool animated water cycle, go to this website from Canada. You can read about the water cycle and see a great diagram (in over 50 languages!) on the U.S. Geological Survey website at ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/watercycle.html.

Now that you know about the water cycle, move on and learn more about groundwater. Check out "What is Groundwater?" on the Groundwater Foundation's website at www.groundwater.org/kc/whatis.html. When you get done, you should be able to name two possible sources of groundwater contamination. For more detailed information about groundwater try the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's website at www.epa.gov/superfund/students/clas_act/haz-ed/ff_05.htm. If you still want to know more, go back to the USGS website for lots more information about groundwater, and a few ideas for school projects, at interactive2.usgs.gov/learningweb/.

If you really want to be a groundwater expert and have the fun of meeting other kids from around the U.S. who care about groundwater and the environment, attend a Youth Groundwater Congress. Students ages 10-15 from around the U.S. will learn about groundwater, delve into important groundwater issues, strategize on ways to protect groundwater in their own communities, and learn about groundwater career opportunities. The congress includes lots of hands-on learning and tours. For more information see www.groundwater.org/pe/youth_congress.html.

Great Groundwater Games

Test your groundwater knowledge and have some fun with these quizzes and games:

* Challenge yourself with this groundwater quiz from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources at www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/caer/ce/eek/earth/groundwater/gquiz.htm.
* For three really fun games (and great groundwater info!) featuring Wellhead Willy check out the website for the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District at www.lpsnrd.org/docs/Games/games.htm.
* Check out all the activities in this fun water book from the Regional Water Providers Consortium at www.conserveh2o.org/pdf/activity_book.pdf.
* See how much you know about the physical and chemical properties of water by taking this quiz on the USGS site at ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/sc3.html.
* You can follow the adventures of Robocow and learn more about what farmers can do to protect water quality on the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada site at www.agr.gc.ca/pfra/flash/robocow/en/robocow_e.htm.

Get Your Hands Dirty

If you're the hands-on, gotta-try-it-myself type person, you can build and test your own aquifer. There's no right or wrong way to build a model aquifer, and there are plenty of suggestions available if you do an Internet search. To get you started, try this activity on the U.S. EPA site at www.epa.gov/ogwdw/kids/flash/flash_aquifer.html or
www.epa.gov/ogwdw/kids/grades_k-3_thirstin_builds_an_aquifer.html. One suggestion if you use these instructions: Wrap a small piece of pantyhose around the bottom of the straw and secure it with a rubber band to keep your "well" from clogging up.

Now that you've got a model aquifer, challenge yourself to see how many groundwater concepts you can demonstrate with the model. Check out the rules and some photos for Awesome Aquifers, a Science Olympiad event for middle school students. The rules and score sheet and other useful information are on the Groundwater Foundation's website at www.groundwater.org/pe/so_aa.html. If you're in middle school, why not sign up for (or start!) a Science Olympiad club and compete in Awesome Aquifers?

Let's Eat Some Rocks

As we said, there are lots of ways to build an aquifer. How about using ice cream, soda, and other tasty stuff? Here's an activity that gives you another chance to experiment with aquifers and reward yourself for all your hard work. And relax - we're not really suggesting you eat rocks. Go to Edible Earth Parfaits at www.groundwater.org/kc/activity4.html.

What Will YOU Be?

Has anybody asked what you plan to be when you grow up? Why not be a water scientist? As a water scientist you may get to do lots of cool things: think up and carry out research, use scientific equipment, and wade around in streams and wetlands. To get a better idea of how you might spend your day, check out two stories.

One is on the USGS website and details a day in the life of a water scientist at www.usgs.gov/homepage/science_features/water_scientist.asp. The second is about medical geology, which is a new area that looks at the connections between health and geology, including things like metals and minerals in drinking water. The Boston Globe has a story about a USGS geologist researching things like arsenic in water at www.boston.com/yourlife/health/diseases/articles/2005/08/15/body_and_soil/?page=1/.

There are many areas of science besides geology or hydrology that can affect groundwater quality. For example, phytoremediation uses plants to clean up contaminated soil. Those scientists figured out that pumpkins, like you might carve for a jack-o-lantern, are great at removing a very dangerous insecticide, DDT, from soil. Scientific American talks about this type of science in this article. If you decide science is your future career, don't neglect your English and speech classes because you'll want to be able to communicate the results of your work.

Two Cool Things

One of the cool things about protecting groundwater is that if groundwater is protected chances are very good that the rest of the environment will be protected, too. Of course, this is good for people and everything else that lives on good old Mother Earth. Another cool thing is that YOU can decide to help protect groundwater. How about:

Check out the Groundwater Foundation's ideas for ways to protect groundwater at www.groundwater.org/kc/kidsprotect.html and www.groundwater.org/ta/topten.html.

Pick up after your pooch. Wastes from pets washes off lawns and sidewalks and go into storm drains which usually go directly to lakes and rivers. Yes, pet poop is pollution! If you're looking for a group project, how about educating your town or neighborhood about cleaning up after pets? For more information see the U.S. EPA site at www.epa.gov/safewater/protect/pdfs/petwaste.pdf.

And yes, surface water bodies like lakes and rivers are often connected to groundwater. To learn more about how they're connected, see the Know Your Watershed site at www2.ctic.purdue.edu/KYW/Brochures/GroundSurface.html.

Get your class, club or family to help with World Water Monitoring Day on October 18. You'll test a local water body for temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, and turbidity, and then send in the results. Get the details on the World Water Monitoring Day site at www.worldwatermonitoringday.org/kidsstuff/kidsstuff.html.

Organize your school into a Groundwater Guardian school. Groundwater Guardians take action to protect groundwater and educate others about groundwater in their communities. Desert Hot Springs High School and Desert Springs Middle School in California, Holy Rosary Elementary School and Rossman Elementary School in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, and Suncoast Elementary School in Spring Hill, Florida all have Groundwater Guardian teams in their schools. Read more about our Guardian program at www.groundwater.org/gg/gg.html or e-mail Jennifer Nelson (jennifer@groundwater.org) in our office.

Special Thanks to the Following for News Items:
U.S. Geological Survey
Region of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Lower Platte South Natural Resources District
Regional Water Providers Consortium
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
World Water Monitoring Day
Know Your Watershed
The Boston Globe
Scientific American

Comments and Suggestions

If you have any comments or suggestions, please contact The Recharge Report editor Lorrie Benson at lorrie@groundwater.org.