Mapping water at my school
In this activity, students consider how their school fits into the water cycle. Students make observations and then map:
where water goes (or stays) when it rains on the school grounds
where and how the school gets its freshwater supply
where stormwater from the school’s roofs and immediate catchment area goes
where wastewater from the school goes.
Wastewater in the Waikato
Waikato Regional Council Senior Scientist Water Quality Dr Eloise Ryan describes some of the types of wastewater that are produced in the Waikato region.
Question for discussion
How do you think geothermal wastewater is treated to remove heavy metals and to cool the water?
By the end of this activity, students should be able to:
make observations about how their local environment is part of the global water cycle
make observations about the role of elevation in where rainwater runs off and pools
make observations about surface permeability and infiltration
identify the source of the school’s freshwater supply
discuss how the school deals with stormwater and wastewater
choose a starting point and track the movement of an imaginary water drop in the school environment
use online mapping tools to investigate water treatment intakes and wastewater treatment outputs (optional).
Download the Word file (see link below).
Activity idea
After learning about water in your local area, learn about water in your wider catchment with Mapping my local water catchment.
Acknowledgement
This article has been developed in partnership with the Waikato Regional Council as part of the Rivers and Us resource.
Waikato Regional Council
Waikato Regional Council is a local government body. They work with communities, iwi and industry to sustainably manage natural resources, enabling a strong economy and a high quality of life for all. Their activities help look after the region's water, soil, air, geothermal areas and coasts.
