There are more than 1 million miles of water pipelines and aqueducts in the United States and Canada. That’ s enough to circle the globe 40 times.
Your School, Your Water— Your Effluent?
There are more than 1 million miles of water pipelines and aqueducts in the United States and Canada. That’ s enough to circle the globe 40 times.
Your School, Your Water— Your Effluent?
Effluent? This word even sounds yucky. It’ s the term for everything you send down the drain or toilet. It’ s a fact of life. With nearly five million people in Colorado, it’ s a big fact of life!
Most effluent is treated before it re-enters rivers. In rural areas, it enters a septic system before being released to the ground.
In our watershed, it’ s important to understand our total impact. How much water we use, what we use it for and how we recycle it can make an impact on the environment and downstream users.
Now, let’ s get personal. Earlier we asked you to think about your watershed. This time, look around your school or home and note your observations.
Step One Start by drawing a map of the grounds and buildings. It doesn’ t have to be exact. Include and label locations where water is used. Also show where runoff water goes( If it enters a storm drain, label where that system takes the water).
Step Two Now, identify and label any possible sources of runoff pollution.
Step Three Write down your suggestions for reducing the amount of runoff pollution.
For the next set of questions, you’ ll need to do some research. In addition to using maps and the Internet, you may need to ask a school administrator or maintenance person the questions.
1. Where does the water for your school come from? ___________________________________ ___________________________________
2. How much water does it take to keep your school operating for a month? ______________________________
3. Bonus question: How many gallons per student per day does that equal? ________________ ________________
4. What part of the school uses the most water?( Landscaping? Kitchen? Other?) ___________________________________ ___________________________________
5. What do you, other students, and the staff use water for? ___________________________________ ___________________________________
6. Where does waste water end up when it goes down the drain? _________________________________ _________________________________
7. Where does runoff go? If it goes into a storm drain, where does that drain empty out? _________________________________ _________________________________
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