Water is an important commodity in the American culture. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that agriculture accounts for approximately 80 percent of the nation’s water use. In agriculture, water is used to grow fruits, vegetables and crops as well as raise livestock. Even further, water in agriculture is used for irrigation and the application of pesticides and fertilizers. In Kansas, 29 percent of corn acres are irrigated.
Maintaining good water quality is something farmers strive for to help maintain a healthy ecosystem and to preserve the water that we drink. Farmers practice proper natural resource management to meet domestic water quality standards. Cooperation between agriculture and domestic water users is necessary to provide adequate water quality for both parties.
In this lab, students will test water quality from difference sources of water. This lab is best suited to be delivered right after the Soil Erosion Lab. Preventing soil erosion is the number one way that Kansas farmers can protect from fertilizers and pesticides getting into the water supply. Farmers are not the only ones who impact water quality in our communities. Consumers, businesses and industries can also impact water quality. Fertilizer and pesticides could all be applied on golf courses, lawns and parks and all have an impact on water quality. This lab is designed to get students thinking about how
- Students will construct a scientific explanation, based on evidence, for how the uneven distributions of groundwater resources are the result of past and current geoscience processes.
- Students will analyze data on how management practices can impact the quality of surrounding groundwater.
- Students will plan and conduct an investigation of the properties of water and its effect on Earth’s materials and surface processes.
- Students will research ways farmers are protecting water supplies by controlling the amount of soil runoff.