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=The Chesapeake Bay Watershed and the impact of the bay on Our Life: Ground Water, Water filtration= =[|Play the Water Cycle Game]=

Discover the story of Ground Water
Watch this musical animation while learning about the importance of groundwater to living things -- including people -- and how to help protect this hidden resource. The Groundwater Story is designed for kids and adults who like watching funny cartoons while learning. (This Flash animation requires [|Macromedia Flash 5] (external link) or newer to view. Flash **file size is 6.5 Mb**; time to download depends on your connection speed and how busy our Web server is at the time.)

What is groundwater?
When rain falls to the ground, the water does not stop moving. Some of it flows along the surface to streams or lakes, some of it is used by plants, some evaporates and returns to the atmosphere, and some sinks into the ground. Imagine pouring a glass of water onto a pile of sand. Where does the water go? The water moves into the spaces between the particles of sand. Groundwater is water that is found underground in the cracks and spaces in soil, sand and rock. Groundwater is stored in--and moves slowly through--layers of soil, sand and rocks called aquifers. Aquifers typically consist of gravel, sand, sandstone, or fractured rock, like limestone. These materials are permeable because they have large connected spaces that allow water to flow through. The speed at which groundwater flows depends on the size of the spaces in the soil or rock and how well the spaces are connected. The area where water fills the aquifer is called the saturated zone (or saturation zone). The top of this zone is called the water table. The water table may be located only a foot below the ground’s surface or it can sit hundreds of feet down. Groundwater can be found almost everywhere. The water table may be deep or shallow; and may rise or fall depending on many factors. Heavy rains or melting snow may cause the water table to rise, or heavy pumping of groundwater supplies may cause the water table to fall. Water in aquifers is brought to the surface naturally through a **spring** or can be **discharged** into lakes and streams. Groundwater can also be extracted through a **well** drilled into the aquifer. A well is a pipe in the ground that fills with groundwater. This water can be brought to the surface by a pump. Shallow wells may go dry if the water table falls below the bottom of the well. Some wells, called **artesian wells**, do not need a pump because of natural pressures that force the water up and out of the well. Groundwater supplies are replenished, or **recharged** **,** by rain and snow melt. In some areas of the world, people face serious water shortages because groundwater is used faster than it is naturally replenished. In other areas groundwater is polluted by human activities. In areas where material above the aquifer is permeable, pollutants can readily sink into groundwater supplies. Groundwater can be polluted by landfills, septic tanks, leaky underground gas tanks, and from overuse of fertilizers and pesticides. If groundwater becomes **polluted**, it will no longer be safe to drink. Groundwater is used for drinking water by more than 50 percent of the people in the United States, including almost everyone who lives in rural areas. The largest use for groundwater is to irrigate crops. It is important for all of us to learn to protect our groundwater because of its importance as a source of water for drinking and irrigation. Source Water Protection is a process that enables citizens to protect local groundwater supplies which serve as a source for drinking water. The Groundwater Foundation offers a workshop and guide to assist communities in their [|Source Water Assessment and Protection] efforts. In addition, The Groundwater Foundation can help raise awareness in your community through the [|Groundwater Guardian] program. Want to share share basic groundwater information with your community? Informative [| Groundwater Basics brochures] are available for purchase.

Jones Falls, facing north from Lombard. ||  ||  Picture how Baltimore has changed and how people have polluted the land, by building on it.
 * [[image:http://www.livingclassrooms.org/slurrp/hm/hm1col.jpg]]

The Jones Falls has been paved over!
 * Streams have been culverted underground and become part of the storm drain network.
 * Buildings have been replaced by a highway, a large expanse of impervious surface. ||

== **The Virtual Runoff Model** This activity will walk you through an experiment that explores what happens when **precipitation** (i.e. rain, snow, sleet, etc.) falls on different types of land. We will do this using a **model**. A model, in this case, is a small-scale representation of a real-life situation that we use to help us understand the details of what goes on in the real system. As you answer the questions, the students in the pictures will add elements to the model and execute the experiment. Click on the link and learn! ==
 * [[image:http://www.livingclassrooms.org/slurrp/hm/hm2.jpg]] ||  || [[file:chesapeake bay watershed.pdf]] ||