River Hydraulics Demonstration
1. Do board activity with students to have them predict how each factor will affect the
amounts of water in each area:
a. Compare impervious clear vs. impervious w/ vegetation
b. Compare pervious clear vs. pervious w/ vegetation
2. Set up 4 stations
a. Impervious w/ vegetation
b. impervious w/o vegetation
c. Pervious w/ vegetation
d. Pervious w/o vegetation
3. Break students into 4 groups and have them rotate and visit all 4 stations
4. At each station, fill water bottle. To begin the experiment, turn the bottle over and allow
water to flow (on raised bumps of the paint trays). When the bottle is first tipped, a timer
should be started. Mark the highest level of the water in the watershed.
5. After the water has been poured, students should record measurements after 3 minutes:
a. amount of water left in the watershed (flood level)
b. amount of water in the outlet (runoff)
c. amount of groundwater
6. Mark the level of water in the watershed after 3 minutes.
7. Leftover water can be poured in the sink and students move onto the next station
Tasks:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Hold bottle to pour into watershed
Mark water level at peak and after 3 minutes
Time experiment
Measure groundwater and runoff
Materials:
- 4 watershed w/ river channel (paint tray + pipe)
- 4 groundwater collection containers (black container)
- 4 outlets (runoff collection)
- 8 water bottles
- 4 measuring cups
- 4 barbecue skewers/wooden sticks to level watershed
- hole poking device
- tape
Test results:
Trial 1
Total: 48 oz
Flood Level (mm)
Groundwater
Runoff
Impervious with
Vegetation
21 oz
0 oz
27 oz
Impervious without
Vegetation
17 oz
0 oz
31 oz
Pervious with
Vegetation
29 oz
10 oz
9 oz
Pervious without
Vegetation
24 oz
3 oz
25 oz
Trial 2
Total: 48 oz
Flood Level
(Max, mm)
Flood Level
(after 3 mins,
mm)
Groundwater
Runoff
Impervious with
Vegetation
3.6 mm
1.9 mm
0 oz
22 oz
Impervious
without
Vegetation
2.7 mm
1.3 mm
0 oz
30 oz
Pervious with
Vegetation
2.5 mm
1.9 mm
11 oz
14 oz
Pervious without
Vegetation
2.3 mm
1.6 mm
4 oz
24 oz