Kesha is correct that we are doing a lot already to be stewards of our hydrosphere, but Ron makes a fair point that more can still be done. While we have laws to protect water quality, monitor conditions, and treat wastewater, stricter standards and further investment could help preserve this vital resource for future generations in the face of growing demands and climate change. Both viewpoints deserve consideration in ongoing efforts to balance environmental protection with economic needs.

1. 3/20 A/B Day
LEQ: How do we show our stewardship for
the limited natural resources in our
hydrosphere?
1. Why would you rather have a lake house next to a
lake with low turbidity?
2. What would you want the pH of your drinking
water to be?
3. What causes algal blooms?
4. What are bio-indicators used for?
5. Copy and complete: As the temperature of water
increases, the amount of dissolved oxygen
[increases/decreases].

2. Draw this in your notes:

3. Which one is which?!
Land and Water on Earth
Freshwater and Saltwater
Distribution of Freshwater

4. Blue: Water (71%)
Green: Land (29%)

5. Saltwater F
Blue: Saltwater (97%)
Red: Freshwater (3%)

6. Red: Frozen (70%)
Green: Groundwater/Aquifers (29%)
Purple: Lakes, Rivers, etc. (1%)

7. Today’s LEQ: How do we show our
stewardship for the limited natural
resources in our hydrosphere?
By the end of today, you should be able to…
1. List three ways that we are being stewards for
our environment
2. Explain two ways that we treat wastewater
3. Explain the trade-offs that we face by
protecting our hydrosphere

8. Focus Vocabulary:
146. Stewardship
147. Wastewater Treatment Plant
148. Septic System
149. Water Quality Standards
150. Trade-Off

9. Activating Strategy:
What do you know about
the oil spill in the Gulf of
Mexico last year?

10. Discovery Education:
Disaster in the Gulf: A Race against Time

11. CONTEXT CLUES:
“She is a steward for the environment. She
makes sure that she recycles, conserves
electricity, and teaches others about ways to
care for the earth. ”
“He shows great stewardship for animals. He
works at an animal shelter on the
weekends, raises money for homeless dogs
and cats, and helps pets get adopted into a
good home.” Stop and Jot: Write your own definition of

12. How could you be a
steward for the
environment if there was
another oil spill?

13. Ways YOU can be a steward for our
hydrosphere:
• Turn off the water while brushing your
teeth
• Put a bottle of rocks in your toilet tank
so that less water is used each flush
• Only wash full loads of laundry
• Take shorter showers
• Only run your dishwasher when it is
full

14. How do we show
our stewardship
for the
hydrosphere?

15. How do we show our
stewardship for the hydrosphere?
We PASS LAWS
We MONITOR We TREAT
AND
water : water:
REGULATIONS to
protect water:

16. We MONITOR water :
-we measure the quality of the
water around us to make sure that it
stays healthy
Ex: -pH levels
What are the different things we
-bioindicators
measure to tell if our water is
-nitrate levels
healthy or unhealthy?
-temperature
-dissolved oxygen level
-turbidity

17. What can we determine about the
water quality of this lake over
time? Is it getting healthier or less
healthy and how do you know?!
Tempera Turbidity Dissolved Acidity Nutrient Algae
ture Oxygen Level Count
March 65 30 NTU 10 ppm pH = 7.1 Nitrates: 100
degrees .1 ppm colonies
April 80 55 NTU 11 ppm pH = 9.2 Nitrates: 300
degrees .96 ppm colonies
May 90 120 NTU 15 ppm pH = Nitrates: 350
degrees 12.4 1.5 ppm colonies

18. We TREAT water:
Wastewater treatment plant: removes
city waste from water and puts clean
water back into lakes or tributaries

19. How does a wastewater treatment plant
work?

20. Discovery Education:
The environmental impact of the toilet

21. Life before wastewater treatment plants…
Many cities had no sewers and
relied on nearby rivers or
occasional rain to wash away
sewage. In some cities, waste
water simply ran down the
streets, which had stepping
stones to keep pedestrians out of
the muck, and eventually drained
as runoff into the local
watershed. This was enough in
early cities with few occupants
but the growth of cities
quickly overpolluted streets and
became a constant source of
disease.

22. Many underdeveloped countries do not
have wastewater treatment systems today.
Open
Sewer

23. We TREAT water:
Wastewater treatment plant: removes
city waste from water and puts clean
water back into lakes or tributaries
Septic system: removes waste from water
you use in your house

24. Septic tank- drain field
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FK_pm70Ij1U @2:04 seconds

26. Why is it
important to
treat water?

27. We PASS LAWS AND REGULATIONS to protect water:
Clean Water Act: Pick THREE key facts
- about each one and
- write them in your
graphic organizer!
Environmental Protection Agency:
-
-
North Carolina Water Quality Standards:
-
-

28. Water Quality Standards in North Carolina

29. Trade-Off: good things and bad things
that go along with our decisions
Staying up late:

30. Should our water quality standards in
North Carolina be STRICT or NOT STRICT?
Trade Offs:
-Keeps our -costs us a lot of
drinking water money to regulate
cleaner and enforce
-Keeps our aquatic -can cause problems
for farmers and the
and terrestrial
North Carolina
food webs healthy economy

31. Make a brochure to explain your decision!
Your brochure should include:
-3 things that we are currently doing to be stewards for
our hydrosphere
-4 reasons for why you think our water quality
standards should be more strict or less strict

32. Summarizer:
Two students are having an argument.
Kesha says that we are doing everything
we can to be stewards for our
hydrosphere. Ron says that we are not
doing nearly enough. Write 5-7 sentences
to explain which student you think is
correct. Be sure to give at least 4 reasons
explaining WHY you chose this opinion.