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Lesson 6: Forests to Faucets

Lesson 6: Forests to Faucets. Definitions. AQUIFER - underground stream of water that has filtered down through layers of earth/rock and sits on an impermeable rock such as shale . WATERSHED – regions drained by a single drainage network, river or stream.

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Lesson 6: Forests to Faucets

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  1. Lesson 6: Forests to Faucets

  2. Definitions • AQUIFER - underground stream of water that has filtered down through layers of earth/rock and sits on an impermeable rock such as shale. • WATERSHED – regions drained by a single drainage network, river or stream. • ECOSYSTEM – region that supports abiotic and biotic life, generating and renewing soil, water containment and filtering, and replenishing the aquifers.

  3. Forests are able to provide drinking water partly because vegetation has many layers, including shrubs, smaller plants and trees. This vegetation provides surface area that can collect water. During storms, as much as 25% of the rainwater adheres to branches, leaves and twigs. Rainfall also collects and forms puddles in depressions on the ground. This collected water can then filter slowly to recharge lakes, rivers, streams and underground aquifers.

  4. Many communities spend billions of dollars to repair damage done to the landscape by erosion and construction, upgrading water treatment plants that have been degraded by pollution. (New York State spent 1.6 billion replanting and reforesting watersheds rather than spending $8-10 billion to replace a treatment plant ---saving billions by paying attention to the ecosystem!) The US spends 19 timesmore on water treatment chemicals annually than the federal government invests protecting lakes and rivers from pollution.

  5. The USDA Forest Service estimates that by 2050, 23.2 million additional acres of forest may be lost to development. By contrast to forests, the parking lots, roads, and rooftopsassociated with development do not store rainfall. These channel water in concentrated flows that quickly discharge into rivers and streams , causing runoff, erosion, and flooding.

  6. Watersheds are regions drained by a single drainage network, river or stream. These areas are home to forests which replenish water supplies within the watershed ----345 billion gallons of water per day to all communities across America. (24% from groundwater and 76% surface water) We may not live in a forest, but we all live within a watershed!

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