Watershed Detectives: Making Science Relevant Jessica Gordon City of Austin Watershed Protection Jessica.Gordon@austintexas.gov
Watershed Detectives: Making Science Relevant The Fish Kill Mystery Austin-based, hands-on watershed investigation (7 th 8 th Grade) Flash Flood Alley: The Power of Water Flood Safety Awareness Activities (6 th -8 th Grade) Field Investigations Field trips to local caves, streams, and springs (6 th -8 th Grade)
Turn Around Don t Drown Flooding is the #1 weather-related cause of death in Texas 75% of those deaths are caused by people driving across a flooded road or bridge You can lose control of your vehicle in as little as 6 of water. Most cars will float and be swept away in 18 of moving water.
Flood Safety Curriculum Students will: 1) Understand factors that cause flooding and how flooding affects their community. 2) Build a model of a low water crossing to demonstrate that the force of water can push a car off the road. 3) Use GIS and atxfloods.com to determine if they live in a floodplain and if there are low water crossings on their way to school. TEKS: 7.8A-C, 8.3B-C, 8.9C
Engagement Videos Austin Roads Flood in a Flash: www.austintexas.gov/depar tment/flood-safetypreparedness Flash Flood Alley: Swept Away: youtu.be/tybo6t4_6_u
Shoal Creek (Lamar and 10 th ) 11/15/02 Bastrop Park Rd 1A 1/25/2012 Engagement Photos Shoal Creek 1981 Colorado River 1935 Students brainstorm about flooding in their community and possible causes thereof.
Students will: construct a watershed model that includes a low water crossing create flooding conditions Exploration observe a car wash off the road in their model
Explanation Students discuss what the floodplain is on their model, why the car washed off the road, and advantages/limitations of their models. Students will learn more factors that affect flooding in Central Texas Teacher will address common misconceptions about the frequency of 100-year floods.
Factors Affecting Flash Floods Alley Copyright 2005 FloodSafety.com Geography, Geology, Topography, Weather Patterns: Balcones Escarpment Steep terrain Storms coming from Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and Gulf of Mexico colliding over Central Texas Heavy Rainfalls Rocky and clay-rich soils
Extension/Elaboration Do you live in a floodplain? Do you travel over any low water crossings on your way to school? Students will use www.atxfloods.com and a GIS web viewer (http://arcg.is/2axqrif) to find out if they live in a floodplain and to identify where low water crossings are located in Austin and learn how to find out information about emergency road closures. Flood Safety & Preparedness: www.austintexas.gov/department/flood-safetypreparedness
Watershed Detectives Web Map http://arcg.is/2axqrif
Students will: Evaluation discuss/answer questions about floodplains, factors that affect flooding, 100-year floods, low-water crossing safety precautions, how flooding reshapes landforms and affects ecosystems, etc. conduct a streamflow-to-pounds conversion activity
Guiding Questions Are floods a natural part of the environment? How do floods impact the ecosystem? How can floods reshape the land? What types of new environments might be created? How might floods be helpful to the environment as well as destructive? What factors affect flooding in Central Texas? What is the chance of an 100-year flood happening? Can three 100-year floods occur in the same year? Explain why or why not.
Water is a Powerful Force Each gallon of water weighs 8.33 pounds, so a cubic foot of water (7.48 gallons) weighs 62.31 pounds. Multiply the amount of cfs of water that is flowing by 62.31 to get the force (in pounds) that is hitting an object every second. 100 cfs = 6,231 pounds of force. 10 inches of rainfall in 24 hours can push some Austin creeks to flood with 500,000 lbs of water per second.
Stop Animation Video