Students discover the direct link between land use andthe water quality of streams, rivers, and lakes whenthey observe how pollutants from various land uses canbe carried by runoff through the watershed, eventuallyreaching one of the Great Lakes.

Building upon their prior knowledge of the water cycle,students explore how groundwater moves and howit interacts with surface water in a watershed.

Students discover that many contaminants cannot be seen,smelled, or tasted, so water chemistry analysis has tobe done to ensure the safety of drinking water. Studentsperform a serial dilution to observe that even an extremelysmall concentration of a contaminant can still pose a threatto human health.

Students are introduced to the physical, chemical, andbiological characteristics of an ecologically healthystream and to the procedures used by scientists andaquatic biologists for assessing the health of a stream.

Students identify common pollutants in storm water,compare the quantity of runoff from different land covers,and then apply this knowledge to their comparison oftwo aerial photos taken in 1975 and 2010, respectively, tohypothesize how land use and cover changes may affectthe quantity and quality of storm water runoff.

 Students reflect on what is “great” about the Great Lakes.Next they investigate aquatic food chains in the GreatLakes and how some contaminants can bioaccumulate inGreat Lakes and inland lake fish, resulting in state fishconsumption advisories.