Hydropower

HYDROPOWER SCIENCE AND SAFETY 15 investigate Step 1: Take a stormwater walk. With a partner, walk around your school grounds and observe the storm water system. On a separate sheet of paper, answer these questions: • When it rains, where does the runoff fromyour school flow? Does it enter a nearby stormdrain, river, lake, and/or canal? • Look for trash that could flow into stormdrains or nearbywaterways. Where is this trash located? Step 2: Select an area tomonitor. As a class, discuss what you found and agree upon the area you will monitor. It should be an area with trash that could be carried into local waterways by stormwater runoff. If you do not have trash at your school, your teacher can help you identify another area tomonitor in your community. Step 3: Count the trash. Every day for one week, at the same time of day, a group of students will go to the area to count all the pieces of trash there, pick themup, and put them into garbage cans or recycling bins as appropriate. (Be sure to wear gloves.) Record the daily trash count on the first row in the chart below. At the end of the week, calculate the average. Step 4: Teach others. Work as a class tomake posters about the importance of putting trash into garbage cans and recycling bins so that it does not end up in local waterways. Hang your posters where other students will see themdaily. Step 5: Count the trash again. After your posters have been up for one week, repeat Step 3. Record the daily totals and the average on the second row below. Step 6: Evaluate your results. Did the amount of trash go down after your poster campaign? If so, congratulations! If not, discuss as a class some factors that might explain your findings, and brainstorm other ways to reduce water pollution from your school. Try this three-week class project to help keep trash out of local waterways. ACTIVITY: Daily Trash Count Week 1: Week 3: Mon. Tues. Wed. Thurs. Fri. Average protect your local waterways