1. Friends of the River: California
river conservation organization
Any reasons to believe that this is a "special interest" organization? What is the "interest"? Click on News and Alerts - Read and summarize in one sentence (each) the top two news briefs. Is this gorup "pro" or "con" on dams?
2. Massachusetts Water Resources
Authority: is the water safe to drink?
Where is most of the water consumed in Massachusettes stored? What is the water treatment process between the storage and the tap? Click on "water system" amd scroll down to "household tips". Record any tips that you have not heard before. Do you follow these tips? Which, if any, would not be appropriate for California?
3.
10 Tips for Water Conservation
Summarize the tips you see on this page that you are not already aware of. How do you check for a toilet leak? What can you use instead of a garbage disposal? What can your water meter tell you? Is a bath or shower a better use of water?
4. European Rivers Network homepage
What is new with the Ilisu dam project? Why is this project controversial? Briefly summarize the opponents view, the proponents view and the view of the bank that is pulling its financial support (UBS). Click on the BBC article at the bottom of the summary and read the article.
5. Israeli-Palestinian Water Dispute
This is a very complicated political situation to say the least. Evaulate this site for bias. Does it lean one way or another? After browsing the info, does a reasonable solution seem possible? Explain you answer with specific details either from this site or others.
6. Hogwatch: water pollution and industrial farming
Tour the "key issues" and briefly summarize the important info. What is happening in North Carolina? What is a pig facotry like? What are "lagoons"? What are some solutions to this problem?
Why should we be concerned about contaminated sediment? What are the major contaminants? What species are affected? How are we managing the problem?
Click on the "Beachgoers Guide" and check the conditions of your favorite San Diego Beach. Are our beaches more or less clean than those in L.A.? Summarize three ways you can get involved in the health of your local beaches.
9. International Rivers Network: linking human
rights and environmental protection.
Briefly summarize the mission statement of this group. Do you expect biased information? Choose one of the "current headlines" and summarize the information you find there.
10. "Red Tides" and Harmful Algal Blooms
(Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute)
What are HABs? Sketch the life cycle of a HAB. What effects do Harmful Algal Blooms have on higher trophic levels? What human illnesses are caused by "red tides"? Are these mostly fatal diseases?
11. NOAA Exxon Valdez - Ten Year Report Summary
Would you characterize this info as optimistic or pessimistic? According to the report, what has happened to the flora and fauna around Prince William Sound? What still needs to be done?
Read and summarize both the top italicized paragraph and the summary waaaaaaayy down at the bottom of this page. Also take a look at one of the maps to see where in the world this problem is happening.
13. Water quality
in the US - 1998 summary report
What percentage of rivers, lakes and estuaries are in "good" condition? What percent are polluted? What percent of Great Lakes shoreline studied is not polluted? What is the status of wetlands?
14. EPA - MBTE in drinking water
What is MBTE? How does it get into drinking water? How can you tell if it is in your water? How can you remove it from the water?
15. Water and Waste International
Choose two stories "From the Wires" that catch your interest and provide the general gist in one sentence each.
End of Water Activities