Week4

This week the students reflected on Week 3's discussion. The students then participated in "Who Polluted the Potomac?" activity. Each student played a part in the "Who Polluted the Potomac?" This story provides the student with a visual of how the Potomac has become polluted compared to what it was like in John Smith's day of the early settlers. Below is the story that was read to them as they played their part. You can see this story at the following website -- []

Interactive Story: Who Polluted the Potomac?
For many thousands of years, people have lived on the banks of the Potomac River. They hunted in the forests, harvested foods from wetlands, and caught fish in the river. Imagine that the jar of water in front of you was taken from the Potomac River by a First Nations person about 500 years ago.
 * How does it look to you?
 * Does this look like water that you might drink? swim in? eat fish from?

One of the first explorers to visit the river kept a journal of his discoveries. He wrote about the aboriginal villages, the tributaries of “sweet water,” and seeing so many fish that he and his crew tried to scoop them out with a frying pan. Soon colonists began to arrive. They found fertile land for farming, forests teeming with wildlife, and a river that provided ample food and water. It was an outstanding environment for settlement, and the colonists prospered. (Students may immediately recognize direct similarities like transportation and food, but may not realize that the water they use everyday also may come from a local waterway to their tap.) The river has changed a lot since it was first explored. This is the story of those changes. Listen for the name of the character printed on your canister. When you hear your character named, open the canister, and dump its contents into the river. Years went by, and occasional storms drenched the area. High winds whipped through the trees and blew leaves into the water. Gradually, a city grew on the banks of the Potomac. Developers cleared wetlands and forests to build houses and businesses. Rains washed loose soil from construction sites into the river. (If the response is “no,” ask if the river had leaves or soil in it when explorers first drank from it). At first, the city was small. Upstream, farmers planted crops to feed the city’s growing population. Some of these crops grew right up against the banks of the river, and fertilizer washed off the land and into the water. Other farmers kept pigs and other animals in their barnyards. As rainwater drained out of the barnyard, it carried some of the manure into a little creek behind the farm. The creek flows into the river.
 * How do you think the colonists used the river?
 * Do we use our rivers in the same way/s today? What are the similarities and differences in the way we use the river?
 * Is this water safe to drink?
 * Would you swim in it? Is it safe for wildlife?
 * Would you drink this water now?
 * Would you swim in it? Go boating on it?
 * Is it safe for wildlife?

As the city grew, more and more people began to move to the nearby countryside. These rural houses are not connected to the city sewer system. Wastewater from these houses flows into septic tanks under the ground. One homeowner has not maintained the septic tank and poorly treated sewage seeped into the river. To meet the electricity needs of the city, area officials decided that they would need to generate more power. Far upstream, a coalmine was dug. Rainwater drained down into the mineshaft and soaked the piles of wastes and scraps from mining. This made the rainwater become acidic—sort of like strong vinegar. Then the acid water trickled off the banks and back out into the river. To burn the coal, and produce the power, an electric power plant was built along the river. Gasses coming out of the smokestacks combine with moisture in the air to form acids. The pollution falls back to earth as acid rain or smog. (Possible answers might include: noticing evidence of dead animals, testing for pH levels with litmus paper or chemical testing, viewing water samples under a microscope, performing organism counts, etc.) Now, the city is one of the largest metropolitan areas in the country. Traffic congestion is a big problem for commuters who drive their cars to and from work. Car exhaust fumes (just like power plant fumes) cause acid rain. If a car is not kept in good repair it might also leak oil or other fluids, which will be washed off the pavement and into the river with the next rain. And how do the residents of the city and its suburbs spend their time? In one neighborhood, lots of gardeners are out working in their yards. Many of them are using weed killers and insect sprays to keep the lawns pretty. The next rain will wash these poisons into a little creek nearby, and then into the river. One father is teaching his daughter how to change the antifreeze in their truck. They pour out the used antifreeze into the driveway. Antifreeze is sweet tasting and can poison animals that lick it. It can also get into the nearby creek and poison fish. Nearby, a boy washes the family car. The soapy water rushes down the driveway into the storm drain; the storm drain empties into the river. The grease and grime on a car can contain asphalt from the roads, asbestos from the brakes, rubber particles from the tires, toxic metals, and rust. If the boy had gone to a local car wash, the water would have been treated before it returned to the river. Next door, a family is cleaning out their garage. They find an old rusty can with a tattered skull and crossbones label still stuck on it. What could it be? It looks dangerous and they want to get rid of it before someone gets hurt. But how? Junior gets an idea: “Let’s pour it down the drain out by the curb!” So the mysterious liquid goes down the storm drain. The poison is out of sight – but is headed for the river. On nice days, many people head down to the river. Some zoom up and down the river in motorboats and don’t notice that a little engine oil leaks into the water. A group of friends have spread blankets on the shore for a beach party. Lots of families are picnicking in the shore. With the next storm, that trash will wash into the river. On the shore a person fishing snags a hook on a log, and breaks off the nylon fishing line.
 * Would you drink this water now?
 * Would you swim in it? Go boating?
 * How could we determine if this water was safe for wildlife?