For the ninth year in a row, our homeschool group is creating a service-learning project through the Jane Goodall Roots and Shoots program. This year, our students have chosen water conservation and awareness. They’re currently gathering information and deciding how to best focus their efforts. To help, I did some research and led them in a short activity to learn “Where Our Water Comes From”.
Although this activity was developed specifically for Colorado students, please feel free to adapt it for where you live.
Items Needed
- 10 pennies, dried beans, kernels of popcorn, or similar objects.
- A ruler, chopstick, or similar object.
- A short piece of yarn or string (12 inches long).
- A map of Colorado (ideally one that shows rivers and reservoirs – see resource below).
- A world map (optional).
The pennies are used to show percentages, with each penny equaling 10%. I did my best to present an accurate representation of our water resources and usage, drawing from the sources listed at the bottom of this post. Please refer to them for precise numbers and additional information.
As you move through each of these activities, have your student make some predictions about how the resources are distributed before giving them the answers.
Activity One: Colorado Precipitation
Put your ruler on a table pointing away from you. The ruler represents the Continental Divide. The top of the ruler is North. Right of the ruler is East. Left of the ruler is West.
Discuss how all water east of the continental divide flows to the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. All on the west side flows to the Pacific Ocean.
Q: What percentage of precipitation falls on the east versus west sides of the Continental Divide in Colorado? (Put pennies on each side with your guess.)
A: 80% on the west, 20% on the east
Activity Two: Colorado Population
Using the same setup, predict what percentage of our Colorado population lives on each side of the Continental Divide.
A: 80% on the east, 20% on the west
Activity Three: Moving Water to People
Lay your piece of yarn or string on the middle of the ruler and over to the left/west. This represents I-70, our main highway up to the mountains. Put all 10 pennies in the northeast corner (to the left of the ruler and above the yarn).
Q: How much water do we divert from the Upper Colorado Watershed (west of the Continental Divide) over to communities on the front range?
A: 5 pennies (50%)
Look at the map below from American River website titled Upper Colorado Watershed Diversions. On this map, you can see the tunnels that carry the water under the Continental Divide.
You can also see a map of all the major Colorado Rivers on the American River website.
Related topics to investigate on your own: How the tunnels were conceived and created, water rights (a complex topic), and the path of the Colorado River and all the states that rely on it for water.
Activity Four: How Colorado Uses Its Water
How do you think we use water in Colorado? Who do you think is the biggest consumer of water in our state?
A: 8.6 pennies (86%) of our water is used for agriculture. That is well above the national average of 70%.
Activity Five: Denver Water Use
In the metro Denver area, how is our water supply used?
A: Here’s how it looks in terms of pennies:
- 5 pennies – single family homes
- 2 pennies – multi-family homes
- 2 pennies – businesses
- 1 penny – irrigation and public agencies
Activity Six: Water Use in Your Home
How does your family use water? How many ‘pennies’ do you use for different tasks that require water?
A: Here’s the breakdown for an average household supplied by Denver Water:
- 1 penny for your toilet
- 1 penny for your shower
- 1 penny for your washer
- 1 penny for your faucets
- 1 penny for leaks, dishwasher, bathtub, and other
- 5 pennies on watering lawns
Note: Most members of our homeschool group live in Lakewood or Littleton which are both supplied by Denver Water.
The Big Picture
Every day, the average American family uses about 552 gallons of water. Compare this to the average African family, which uses about 5 gallons of water a day.
African Wildlife Foundation
There are many other ways to look at water, particularly in a global sense. I hope you enjoyed these activities and that they inspire you to pursue more information.
Stay tuned for more on our water service project!
Recommended Reading and Resources:
A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park – Based on a true story, ages 8-ish and up. (Teens and adults will also find this an interesting read.)
Denver Water: Where Does Your Water Come From?
American Rivers: Do You Know Your Water, Colorado? This page has a map of Colorado Rivers and also a map of the Upper Colorado Watershed Diversions (includes the location of diversion tunnels).
Denver Water: Water Use Average Single Family Customer Water Use Chart