Materials (download)

Last Updated: 2004-07-20

Introduction
Lesson 1: [PDF]
Lesson 2: [PDF]
Lesson 3: [PDF]
Lesson 4: [PDF]
Lesson 5: [PDF]
Lesson 6: [PDF]
Lesson 7: [PDF]

Exploring Aquifers

Description: Explore the importance of water, particularly groundwater. These lessons provide an opportunity to reveal interconnections between geology, aquifer location and water movement, population growth and development, and species evolution.

Number of Activities: 7

Introduction: "Exploring Aquifers"
Lesson One: "Geology of Aquifers"
Lesson Two: "Water Flow in Aquifers"
Lesson Three: "Water Sheds and Aquifers"
Lesson Four: "Water Uses of Aquifers"
Lesson Five: "Threats to Aquifer Water"
Lesson Six: "Water Regulations and Policies"
Lesson Seven: "Conducting an Impact Assessment of a Texas Aquifer"

Introduction: "Exploring Aquifers"

Time Frame: Two 45-minute class periods
Grade Level(s): 6th-12th

Academic Question(s):

What is groundwater?
Where are the major Texas aquifers located?
Why are these aquifers located where they are?

Objective(s):

To identify the location of 9 major aquifers in Texas

Key Terms: substrate, porosity, permeability, groundwater, zone of saturation, water table, and dissolution

Lesson One: "Geology of Aquifers"

Time Frame: Five 45-minute class periods
Grade Level(s): 6th-12th

Academic Question(s):

What are the parts of an aquifer?
How much water does an aquifer hold?
Are all aquifer water usable?

Objective(s):

To identify the major components of an aquifer
To learn to measure water storage in an aquifer
To evaluation water quality in an aquifer

Key Terms: water table, zone of aeration, zone of saturation, bedrock, carbonate, impervious layer, confining layer, artesian springs, sinkhole, faults, permeable layer, water bearing layer, contributing zone, recharge zone, confined zone, storage capacity, salinity, Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), estaurine, parts per million (ppm), serial dilution, desalinization

Lesson Two: "Water Flow in Aquifers"

Time Frame: Two 45-minute class periods
Grade Levels: 6th-12th
Academic Question(s):

How does water move through an aquifer?
What ways does water enter and leave the aquifer?
How much time does water spend in an aquifer?

Objective(s):

To understand the movement of water through an aquifer
To understand how and why water storage in an aquifer changes over time

Key Terms: cohesion, adhesion, capillary action, Pascal's principle, Bernouli's principle, bouyant forces, specific gravity, diffuse recharge, sinkholes, losing streams, well pumps, artesian wells, residency time

Lesson Three: "Watersheds and Aquifers"

Time Frame: Five days of 45-minute class periods
Grade Levels: 6th-12th
Academic Questions:

What is a watershed?
How does water move across a watershed and into an aquifer?
What are the origins, amounts, and quality of water in a watershed?

Objectives

To understand what a watershed is
To understand the relationship between a watershed and an aquifer

Key Terms: aquifer, watershed, topography, recharge zones, and drought

Lesson Four: "Water Uses of Aquifers"

Time Frame: Two 45-minute class periods
Grade Levels: 6th-12th
Academic Questions:

Who uses aquifer water?
What human activities depend on water in an aquifer?
What plant and animal species rely on aquifers?
How does groundwater compare with surface water for use?

Objectives

To understand the importance of aquifers to living things
To understand the importance of aquifers to the water supply of Texas

Key Terms: aquifer, municipal use

Lesson Five: “Threats to Aquifer Water”

Time Frame: Three 45-minute class periods
Grade Levels: 6th-12th
Academic Questions:

What is the impact of pumping on aquifers?
How does pollution impact aquifers?
How do droughts impact aquifers?

Objectives

To understand the movement of water through an aquifer
To understand the threats to water quantity and quality within an aquifer by human activities
To understand the threats to water quality and quantity within an aquifer by non human activities
To understand the relationship between a watershed and an aquifer
To understand the importance of aquifers to the water supply of Texas

Key Terms: precipitation rates, municipal use, drawdown, subsidence, MTBE, contaminants, filtration, nonpoint pollution, droughts, rain harvesting

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