Storm Water Volume
Melinda O. Miller
G.W. Carver Middle School
Chesterfield County Public Schools
Developed with funding from the American Council of Engineering Companies
of Virginia and the MathScience Innovation Center
Question(s)
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Grade/Subject
How big does the storage container need to be to hold the runoff from a
storm?
How is volume determined?
Grade Five Science, Grade Six Science, Physical Science, Life Science,
Earth Science, and Math
Virginia Standards of Learning: 2010 Science 5 (5.1, 5.6, 5.7); 2010 Science 6
(6.1); 2010 Life Science (LS.1, LS.11); 2010 Physical Science (PS.1); 2010
Earth Science (ES.1, ES.8, ES.10); 2009 Math 5 (5.8)
21st Century
Curriculum
Engineering: Nature of STEM (1.23); Design and Build (2.23); Civil
Engineering (4.44)
Background
Rain is like a shower or bath for all things outdoors. All the dirt, grime, grease,
oil, and waste that is on our buildings, in our yards, on the streets, driveways,
and parking lots is washed away by the rain. This water is called stormwater or
storm runoff. Stormwater often flows into ditches or storm drains. From there it
may flow to a wastewater treatment plant for cleaning or it may flow directly
into our streams, lakes, and rivers. Engineers build systems to catch this
stormwater and clean it up before it enters our watersheds. But, once we catch
the water, we need a place to hold it until we can clean it up.
When rain falls in your school yard or in your neighborhood, where does it
land? While this might seem like a simple question, its answer can tell you a lot
about controlling runoff. If rain falls on paved or solid surfaces (like roads,
driveways, or rooftops), almost all of the water will run off. If rain falls on
grassed areas, more than 50% of the water may still run off the surface. If rain
falls on areas planted in dense shrubs and trees, very little water will have a
chance to run off, and most will sink into the soil.
In this activity, we will look at collecting the stormwater that runs off of a
parking lot. Because a parking lot is paved, none of the water that lands on it
during a storm is able to sink into the ground. One hundred percent of the rain
that falls needs to be collected. And, because it is a parking lot, there is motor oil
and antifreeze from the parked cars and very often litter from careless shoppers.
How big does our collection tank need to be?
Storm Water Volume
http://MathInScience.info
©MathScience Innovation Center, 2007
Materials
The following materials are required for each student group:
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Jelly roll pan (this will be our parking lot)
Masking tape
Ruler
Calculator
Water (rice or sand may also be used)
Large beaker
Rectangular containers (these will be our collection tanks)
Safety
Remember to follow your regular classroom rules for labs and activities.
Procedure
1. Gather your materials.
2. Measure the length and width of your pan. Record your measurements in the
Data Table. Be sure to record your units!
3. Using your ruler, measure from the bottom of the pan up 1 cm and mark this
height with masking tape. This will be your fill line.
4. Place your pan on a flat surface.
5. Carefully pour water (sand or rice) into the pan up to the fill line.
6. Using the formula for volume, calculate the volume of the water in the pan.
V = length x width x height
7. Record the volume.
8. Note the maximum volume that your beaker will hold. Record that volume
in the Data Table. Remember that 1 ml = 1 cm3.
9. Measure the length, width, and height of each of the rectangular containers.
Record your results in the Data Table.
10. Calculate the volume of water that each container will hold. Record your
calculations in the Data Table.
11. Compare the volumes of the other containers. Choose one container whose
volume is greater than the water collected from the parking lot. Carefully
pour the water from the “parking lot” into your collection tank.
Data Analysis /
Results
Storm Water Volume
DATA TABLE
Length
(L)
Width
(W)
http://MathInScience.info
Height
(H)
Volume =
LxWxH
©MathScience Innovation Center, 2007
Parking Lot
Beaker
1 cm
**
**
**
Container 1
Container 2
Container 3
Conclusion /
Questions
References
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What was the volume of water collected in the parking lot?
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What was the volume of the beaker? Why didn’t you have to calculate the
volume of the beaker?
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What was the volume of each container?
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How many of the containers would hold all of the “stormwater” collected in
our parking lot?
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Many storage containers are built underground like the one at the Virginia
State Capitol. Which container do you think would be the best choice to
collect the stormwater from our parking lot? Explain your choice in 2-3
sentences.
Check out the links below for other activities in relation to stormwater:
Cynthia Lanius, Similar activity for cylinder volume.
http://math.rice.edu/~lanius/Geom/cyls.html
Stormwater Activity Book by Krista Kuester and Nancy Mesner. Excellent
reproducible activities about stormwater.
http://extension.usu.edu/_sites/wq/PDF%27s/wholestormbook.pdf
MathScience Innovation Center
Information on educational programs available to students, teachers and school
divisions and procedures for registering for programs.
http://msinnovation.info
Storm Water Volume
http://MathInScience.info
©MathScience Innovation Center, 2007