Exploring Your Watershed

Exploring Your Watershed

by | Aug 2, 2024

Do you know what is your watershed?

There was, is, and will be the same amount of water on planet Earth. Water is a finite resource. The United States Geologic Survey estimates Earth holds around 1,386,000,000 cubic kilometers of water. Only 330,520 cubic kilometers, less than 1% of all water on Earth, is freshwater. This freshwater is available in the soils, atmosphere, biosphere and used by humans.

We all have different connections with water. Maybe it is swimming. Maybe it is enjoyment of clean laundry. Maybe it is the iconic scenes in the 1992 Academy Award for Best Cinematography, A River Runs Through It. Yet, we all depend on water for life. How and why water moves across a landscape to sustain life is important to us all.

Watershed boundaries in the continental United States, also known as National hydrologic units

Watersheds in the Continental United States (usgs.gov)

Water located on land is called surface water. Water located underground is called groundwater. A watershed is the area of land where surface water and groundwater drain to a common place. Watersheds vary in size from as small as the size of your foot to as large as the watersheds spanning the continental United States. Larger watersheds are composed of smaller watersheds linked together.

Water gradually flows from higher to lower points in a watershed. Precipitation (i.e., snow, rain and everything in between) collects and moves within the drainage area in the watershed. Not all precipitation falling on a watershed flows out of the watershed. Precipitation soaks into the soil and through porous rock moving to lower points in the watershed, returning to and replenishing water stored underground. This groundwater can return to the surface of the watershed via springs or artesian wells, if the groundwater is under enough pressure.

Water can be removed before flowing out of the watershed as well. Precipitation returns to the atmosphere through evaporation as part of the hydrologic cycle. Plants facilitate evaporation to the atmosphere through transpiration where the roots of plants absorb water from the soil and the water evaporates into the air through the leaves of the plants. Human uses of water also impact how water moves through a watershed. Drinking water supplies, industrial operations, or building dams changes the movement of water through the watershed.

Each of us lives in a watershed. There is much benefit to have healthy watersheds. Healthy watersheds are essential to support ecosystems and the services provided, such as safe drinking water, outdoor recreation, economics, and overall quality of life. There are many metrics and assessments used to measure the health of a watershed. Do you know what is the health of your watershed?

United States Environmental Protection Agency's How's My Watershed interactive tool. URL is http://mywaterway.epa.gov

United States Environmental Protection Agency’s How’s My Watershed interactive tool (http://mywaterway.epa.gov)

The United States Environmental Protection Agency developed “How’s My Waterway” to provide the public with information about the condition of their local waters. How’s My Waterway offers three ways to explore your watershed. At the community level, you can see your watershed with details like the water quality, recreation, fish consumption, impairments, and associated plans working to remove impairments. At the state and national levels, you can find information about states/national water program(s) and specific water assessment(s) that affect your watershed.

What the United States Environmental Protection Agency's How's My Watershed interactive tool shows when looking to learn more about the watershed for Okaloosa County UF/IFAS Extension North office.

Example–watershed for Okaloosa County UF/IFAS Extension North office.

Let’s give it a try! Go to www.mywaterway.epa.gov in your web browser. Enter the desired address and select >>Go. On the left, you’ll see an interactive map outlining your watershed and the drainage basin(s) that make up the watershed. On the right, there are 10 different tabs allowing you to explore various metrics of the watershed. For example, there is a general tab reviewing the water conditions and states (i.e., good, impaired, or condition unknown) for all surface waters in the watershed. Using the arrow on the right, you can expand each water source to learn specifics about the data-determined state of the water.

Enjoy exploring your watershed! If you have questions about the interactive “How’s My Waterway,” wish to join an educational session to learn more, and/or desire accompanying curriculum, please email Dana Stephens at dlbigham@ufl.edu.

 

 

Understanding Salinity in Northwest Florida’s Waters with a Family Activity

Understanding Salinity in Northwest Florida’s Waters with a Family Activity

by | May 3, 2024

Understanding Salinity in Northwest Florida’s Waters with a Family Activity

Dana Stephens, 4-H Agent

Salinity is the amount of total dissolved salts in water. This includes all salts not just sodium chloride, or table salt. Salinity is important in aquatic environments as many flora and fauna depend on salt and the level of dissolved salts in the water for survival. People interested in the composition of water frequently measure chemical and physical components of water.  Salinity is one of the vital chemical components measured and often measured by a device determining how readily electrical conductance passes between two metal plates or electrodes. These units of electrical conductance, the estimate of total dissolved salts in water, is described in units of measurement of parts per thousand (PPT).

At the large scale, Earth processes, such as weathering of rocks, evaporation of ocean waters, and ice formation in the ocean, add salt to the aquatic environment. Earth processes, such as freshwater input from rivers, rain and snow precipitation, and ice melting, decrease the concentration of salt in the aquatic environment. Anthropogenic (human-induced) activities, such as urbanization or atmospheric deposition, can also contribute to changes in salinity.

Salinity and changes in salinity affect how water moves on Earth due to contrasts in the density of water. Water containing no dissolved salts is less dense than water containing dissolved salts. Density is weight per volume, so water with no dissolved salts (less dense) will float on top of water with dissolved salts (denser). This is why swimming in the ocean may feel easier than swimming in a lake because the denser water provides increased buoyancy.

Northwest Florida is a unique place because we have a variety of surface waters that range in salinity. There are ponds, lakes, streams, rivers, and springs, which have no to low salinity levels (0 to 0.5 PPT), and commonly referred to as freshwater systems. We house six estuaries—Perdido Bay, Pensacola/Escambia Bay, Choctawhatchee Bay, St. Andrews Bay, St. Joseph Bay, and Apalachicola Bay. Estuaries are bodies of water with freshwater input(s) (e.g., rivers) and a permanent opening to the ocean (e.g., Destin Pass in the Choctawhatchee Bay). Estuarine waters are termed brackish water (0.5 to 30 PPT) due to the dynamic changes in salinity at spatial and temporal scales. Waterbodies with an even more dynamic change in salinity are the coastal dune lakes Northwest Florida’s Walton and Bay Counties. Coastal dune lakes are waterbodies perched on sand dunes that intermittently open and close to the Gulf of Mexico. Sometimes these waterbodies are fresh and sometimes they have the same salinity as the Gulf of Mexico, like after a large storm event. Finally, the Gulf of Mexico, or ocean, has the highest salinity (> 30 PPT) among the waterbodies of Northwest Florida.

Here is an educational activity for the family to explore salinity and how salinity differs among Northwest Florida waters.

Understanding Salinity Activity--Join in this family activity to explore understanding salinity in water. Here is what you will need for the activity. Three containers for mixing. Four, clear glasses. Salt. Food coloring. Measuring cups. Spoons.

Salinity Activity for Families. Step 1: Prepare Water. Set three mixing containers on hard surface. Measure 1/2 cup of salt and 1/4 cup of salt. Pour 1/2 cup of salt into one container. Pour 1/4 cup of salt into another container. Add 1 cup of hot tap water to all three containers. Add different food coloring to containers with salt. Mix salt, water, and food coloring until completely dissolved in each container using separate spoons.Salinity Activity for Families-Step 2: Explore Salinity Densities. Pour contents of three containers into three clear glasses separately. Pour 1/2 cup from the clear water glass into the fourth, empty glass. Add water with a spoon from the lower salinity glass to the glass with clear water. Do this slowly along the side of the glass. Do not stir/share this glass. Add water with a spoon from the higher salinity glass to the same glass. Do this slowly along side of the glass. Do not stir or share the glass. Observe changes when adding the waters with different salinity levels.Salinity Activity for Families-Step 3: Questions to Consider and Discuss. What happened when the first colored water was added? What happened when the second color water was added? Why do you think this happened? How may salinity levels affect the density of water?Broad Questions for Consideration--Name some waterbodies in Northwest Florida where salinity may be the same and where salinity may differ. Why id density of water important in our waters in Northwest Florida?Salinity Changes Everything--thanks for participating. Please contact Dana Stephens at dlbigham@ufl.edu or 850-826-1316 for more discussion questions or family activities.