watersheds/human impact

Watersheds are located only in mountainous areas with high rainfall

• True
• False

If a homeowner dumps paint into the yard, the paint will ________________________.

• stay on the surface and cause no problems

• sink into the ground a cause no problems

• contaminate groundwater and surface water

• contaminate the air when it evaporates

The amount of water that becomes runoff is affected by ______________.

• the slope of the land

• how much vegetation is growing

• the amount of precipitation that falls

• all of these

A layer of permeable rock that allows water to flow freely is a ___________.

• wetland

• cave

• spring

• aquifer

An area of land where the surface water and ground water drain into a particular body of water.

• aquifer
• watershed
• subsidence
• divide

Water that collects in cracks and pores in underground soil and rock layers.

• surface water
• ground water
• aquifer
• watershed

Water from precipitation that drains into a gully  that slows into a stream, which in turn flows into a river lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, or the ocean.

• surface water
• ground water
• runoff 
• drainage

Runoff from agricultural land carries chemicals from fertilizers that collect in a lake. The buildup of chemicals can eventually cause--

• aquatic life, such as fish and turtles, to die from lack of oxygen

• excess water to fill the aquifer

• river tributaries to reroute, changing the flow of waterways

• rainfall levels to drop

Overflow during a heavy rainstorm from a wastewater treatment plant would result in –

• polluted runoff into nearby ponds.

• flooding in the local aquifer.

• weakened housing foundations.

• over-treated drinking water.

A student builds a model to show how pollutants move through an ecosystem. In plastic tub, the student places a layer of small marbles, covers it with a thick cloth, and then adds a layer of sand. The student then sprinkles red powdered paint on top of the soil. When the student sprays water onto the model, red color appears in the cloth and in the water in the layer of marbles. Which part of the model represents pollutants introduced by humans?

• The marbles

• The thick cloth

• Red powdered paint

• Layer of sand