Storm Drain Awareness – Lesson Plan, Page 1
Storm Drain Awareness
Lesson Plan
Concept/ Topic to Teach: That our actions in our neighborhoods impact the rivers and lakes
around us.
Standards:
Discipline: English and Language Arts
Strand: Language
Topic: Vocabulary and Concept 4.9, 4.10. and 4.13. Discussion, Grades 3-4: 1.2
Discipline: Science and Technology
Strand: Earth and Space Science Grades 3 - 5
Topic: Soil 5; Earth’s History 12; The Water Cycle 10
Grade: 3 - 6
Time Required: 1 hour
General Goal: Students learn the different ways non-point source pollution enters a river or
lake, why it is harmful, and how non-point source pollution can be reduced.
Specific Objectives:



Students will be able to list at least 4 kinds of non-point source pollution,
explain how non-point source pollution enters rivers and lakes,
list 4 ways to prevent non-point source pollution.
Vocabulary: absorb, fertilizer, impervious, impermeable infiltrate, non-point source pollution,
pesticide, point source pollution, pollutant, stormwater runoff, storm drain.
Required Materials:
 Storm Drain Awareness PowerPoint presentation, “What’s in Your River”
 4 storm drain models, set of pollutants for each model, spray bottle for each model
Housatonic Valley Association
1383 Pleasant Street
South Lee, MA 01260
413-394-9796
mass@hvatoday.org
Funding for this lesson bin was provided
by the Dr. Robert C. and Tina Sohn Foundation
Storm Drain Awareness – Lesson Plan, Page 2

Materials for optional demonstration: spray bottle of water, a potted plant or piece of
sod, and a piece of asphalt or cement, a roof shingle, or other samples of impervious
materials.
Step-by-Step Procedure:
Start with the powerpoint presentation. Each slide has notes accompanying it to help you
narrate the slides.
Show the first 9 slides of the powerpoint presentation, “What’s in Your River”. These slides
portray how the Clean Water Act did help to improve our nation’s rivers’ health, but that we
still have work to do. Then the stage is set to introduce the term, “stormwater runoff, by
comparing a slide of a natural watershed and a developed watershed. Stop after Slide 9 where
you can compare the runoff percentages for a natural watershed with a developed watershed.
Complete the following demonstration, if time permits.
Demonstration: A piece of concrete is placed in one tray and a chunk of sod is in another tray.
Have students predict what would happen if both surfaces were sprayed with water, then spray
both surfaces for the students to see the results. Have them brainstorm what outside surfaces
are like the concrete in the demonstration (roofs, sidewalks, pavement, asphalt, roads). These
are what we call impervious / impermeable surfaces, because the water doesn’t get absorbed.
The water runs off instead. Explain that the term used to describe rain or stormwater running
off of these hard surfaces is “stormwater runoff.”
Notice how clean the runoff is in the demonstration. Ask them if they think the runoff coming
off roads and pavements is as clean. If not, why not? Is there anything that might be get on the
on the impervious surfaces accidentally or on purpose that might get picked up in the runoff?
(Trash is usually the first ‘pollutant’ the students mention. Guide them to think about motor oil
spots in parking lots, salting the roads in winter and pet waste when owners walk their dogs.)
Let them know that they are going to figure out where all the stormwater run off goes when it
rains.
Divide the class into 4 groups, one for each model. Talk about each part of the model, which
surfaces are impervious? What does the brown area represent? (construction site).
Housatonic Valley Association
1383 Pleasant Street
South Lee, MA 01260
413-394-9796
mass@hvatoday.org
Funding for this lesson bin was provided
by the Dr. Robert C. and Tina Sohn Foundation
Storm Drain Awareness – Lesson Plan, Page 3
Invite students to
apply the pretend
pollutant on the
appropriate
location on the
model (apply them
in the order
according to the
chart.)Pollutant
Sources & Locations
Pretend
Pollutant
Prevention
Soil
Areas with bare soil, like
construction sites,
eroding stream banks,
etc.
cocoa powder or
cinnamon
Cover bare soil with straw
or mulch, use silt fences
and re-vegetate
immediately.
Motor oil
Leaking cars drip oil and
gas onto parking lots,
roads and driveways.
soy sauce
Fix leaks in your car as
soon as they are detected.
Recycle used motor oil.
Heavy rain can wash
excess chemicals off
lawns, gardens, and
agricultural areas.
garlic salt
Animal Waste
Dogs, cats, horses, cows,
wild animals, etc. can
leave their waste
anywhere.
chocolate
sprinkles
Pick up after pets, and
store manure away from
water bodies.
Litter
Human carelessness can
lead to litter anywhere.
pieces of foil
Education and awareness.
Gasoline
Pesticides
Fertilizer
apple cider
vinegar
onion powder
Follow instructions
carefully; use as little as
possible, and do not apply
before rain storms.
After each “pollutant” is put on the model, cap it and put it aside. Once all the pollutants are on
the models, ask, “What will happen when it rains?” Invite students to make predictions. (Most
often students notice the drain outlet into the river. Often they refer to it incorrectly as a
sewer.)Each member of the group should have a turn to ‘rain’ on the model. Keep passing the
bottle until the river is polluted with the runoff of the pollutants. Stop the rain. Remove the
Housatonic Valley Association
1383 Pleasant Street
South Lee, MA 01260
413-394-9796
mass@hvatoday.org
Funding for this lesson bin was provided
by the Dr. Robert C. and Tina Sohn Foundation
Storm Drain Awareness – Lesson Plan, Page 4
spray bottles from each group. Ask how would you like to be the fish, or swim in that river
now?
Remove the models and have students return to their seats.
Continue with the powerpoint presentation. Bring up slide 10. Let students know that the pipe
leading to the river is NOT a sewer (sewer pipes lead to the wastewater treatment plant). These
drains are called ‘storm drains’. Storm drains typically lead polluted stormwater runoff right to
our rivers and lakes. This is our number one water quality problem today. Be sure students
realize that storm drains have a very important function (to keep the roads from flooding) and
when first designed and installed, communities didn’t realize what a huge problem we were
creating for the rivers and lakes.
Discuss how each pollutant harms the river environment:

Gas and Oil coat the water and are toxic to plants and animals.

Pesticides are poisons designed to kill garden and agricultural pests but will also kill the
organisms living in our rivers and lakes.

Fertilizers make plants grow. When fertilizers wash into lakes and rivers it causes
increased aquatic plant growth which in turn results in decreased dissolved oxygen
levels as this plant matter decomposes. Besides disrupting the ecosystem, increased
vegetation makes swimming and boating difficult and is costly to control.

Soil erosion /sediments in water cover frog and fish eggs and blocks sunlight from
reaching the plants living in the water.

Animal waste is full of bacteria and viruses that can be harmful to humans and wildlife

Litter can injure or kill animals. For example, animals’ heads can get stuck in food
containers, their bodies can get tangled in fishing line, and they may try to ingest plastic
bags or other trash. Lead sinkers are the leading cause of death of the Common Loon.
Slides 19 – 28 are about the engineering practices (known as LID or Low Impact Development)
used to reduce the volume of stormwater and also clean the stormwater before it reaches the
Housatonic Valley Association
1383 Pleasant Street
South Lee, MA 01260
413-394-9796
mass@hvatoday.org
Funding for this lesson bin was provided
by the Dr. Robert C. and Tina Sohn Foundation
Storm Drain Awareness – Lesson Plan, Page 5
river. Amendments to the Clean Water Act in 1987requires our cities (including Pittsfield) to
better manage their stormwater runoff.
Slides 29 – 34 remind students about where the pollution ends up and provides some
suggestions as to what they and their families can do.
Help us get the word out! “Help Keep Our Waterways Clean” is an informational brochure
about storm drains which is provided with this lesson.. Please distribute this brochure to
students for them to take home to their parents. If more are needed, contact HVA’s office in
South Lee, MA (413-394-9796).
Extension Activities:
1. *Challenge students to “engineer” solutions to prevent the polluted runoff from
entering the river (see additional lesson, “Preventing Pollution Solutions Challenge” for
further details.)
2. Take the class outside and locate storm drains around the school grounds. When you
find them, look in and around them and discuss why they were put right there and
where the water comes from and probably goes. It is exciting to discover where the
stormwater enters a nearby waterbody.
3. *Contact HVA to organize a “storm drain decaling event” where your class affixes “Don’t
Dump, Drains to River” decals to the storm drains around your school (sample enclosed
in binder). HVA will confirm permission to decal the storm drains in a neighborhood of
your choosing. We recommend inviting parents to help chaperone small groups of
students.
4. Read Lynn Cherry’s “A River Runs Wild” a picture book about the history of the Nashua
River. The history of the Nashua River parallels the Housatonic River. This works well
before or after this lesson. (Also available with this lesson as a powerpoint
presentation).
5. Have students survey their parents about their knowledge of storm drains and non point
source pollution. Help the students develop a questionnaire. Compile the results as a
class and summarize it with a chart.
Housatonic Valley Association
1383 Pleasant Street
South Lee, MA 01260
413-394-9796
mass@hvatoday.org
Funding for this lesson bin was provided
by the Dr. Robert C. and Tina Sohn Foundation
Storm Drain Awareness – Lesson Plan, Page 6
6. Brainstorm other ways to get the message out to adults. One possible way is through
posters. In art class, invite students to share their knowledge by creating posters about
water pollution and how we can make a difference. Display them in town and/or in the
school.
7. Arrange for students to prepare a letter to the mayor, selectboard or city council, or
Town Administrator that asks what is being done about stormwater runoff in their
community.
8. Write a letter inviting town/city officials to help the students attach decals around the
school or another part of town (maybe around the town/city hall).
9. Older students could review water quality data collected from various points in the
Housatonic watershed and determine where water quality has been impaired.
Resources:
University of Wisconsin-Extension’s website lists numerous fact sheets about stormwater
runoff: http://clean-water.uwex.edu/pubs/storm.htm#stormie
University of Wisconsin-Extension’s Educating Young People About Water has a comprehensive
list of curriculum resources about water: www.uwex.edu/erc/eypaw/
Oceanside’s Clean Water Program Just for Kids:
www.oceansidecleanwaterprogram.org/kids.asp
EPA’s Polluted Runoff for Kids provides links to fun activities and games about nonpoint source
pollution: www.epa.gov/owow/NPS/kids/
EPA’s site about loon mortality due to ingesting lead fishing sinkers:
http://water.epa.gov/scitech/swguidance/fishshellfish/animals.cfm
Housatonic Environmental Literacy Program, “A Watershed Curriculum Guide” published 2011
by HVA and Massachusetts Audubon Society. Available at
http://www.massaudubon.org/HELP/curriculum.php
Housatonic Valley Association
1383 Pleasant Street
South Lee, MA 01260
413-394-9796
mass@hvatoday.org
Funding for this lesson bin was provided
by the Dr. Robert C. and Tina Sohn Foundation