The Water Cycle

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The Water Cycle
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The Water Cycle
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What are the most significant impacts on water
quality in Washington?
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What are the most significant impacts on water
quality in Washington?

• Program priorities established by the Washington
  State Department of Ecology
• Prevent Point Source Pollution
• 2. Reduce Nonpoint Source Pollution
• 3. Control Stormwater Pollution
• 4. Provide Financial Assistance
• 5. Cleanup Polluted Waters

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Water Quality Issues Urban Stormwater

• Where does this water come from?
• Where does it end up?
• What influences the quality of urban stormwater?

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Water Quality Issues Urban Stormwater
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Water Quality Issues Urban Stormwater
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Water Quality Issues Urban Stormwater
What sort of environmental impacts will changes
like this have?
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GIS Can Be Used to Analyze ISA (Impervious
Surface Area)
Figure Seattle area, WA. 1984-1992 TM Hybrid
Change Detection product showing urban expansion
of the metropolitan area. Areas of new urban
cover are shown in red overlain on a true color
TM background.
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Mitigating the Effects of Urban Stormwater
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Remember This?
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Water Quality Testing

• Parameters to Test
• Temperature
• pH
• Total Alkalinity
• Phosphate
• Nitrate and Nitrite
• Dissolved Oxygen

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Our Process

1. Outline your hypothesis and research plan.
2. Collect water samples and record observations at
   collection site(s).
3. Test water (in class Thursday, 2/1 each group
   can test up to 4 samples)
4. Analyze results.
5. Present results to class (Thursday, 2/8)

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Group Task

• In a group of 4, generate a list of questions
  about surface water quality in your environment.
• Use your questions to generate 3, testable,
  hypotheses.
• Share your ideas with the class!
• Select the hypothesis you are most interested in
  and outline the steps youll need to work through
  to test your hypothesis.