Stream Table
River System Model
Basic Instruction booklet
Cass County Soil Conservation District
1665 43rd Street South, Suite 103 – Fargo, ND 58103
(701) 282-2157 extension 3
What is a Stream Table?
The stream table is a fun, hands-on, educational tool aimed at helping students of all ages
understand how our river systems work. The stream table is designed to help demonstrate how
sediment, vegetation, and flowing water interact to form river channels. It is important to
understand how river systems work before conservation strategies can be implemented.
How do I use it in my classroom?
Complex concepts are easier to comprehend when demonstrated. Hundreds of years of fluvial
processes are demonstrated in minutes. Students make decisions such as where to build a house,
plant a crop, raise livestock, plant trees, grass, or put rocks for support. The table allows students
to try different strategies and get immediate results from their creative ideas. The stream table is
effective in teaching the value of well vegetated river banks in protecting property, fish, and
wildlife. Our staff will be happy to help in the instruction or you can use the table by yourself.
A packet of educational information and instructions on how to use the stream table is supplied.
Stream Table Contents
Sand (this is sandblasting sand made of recycled plastic)
Drain cover
Plastic Animals
Plastic Plants
Plastic Labels
Rocks
PVC Tubes (for demonstrating culverts, etc.)
Clean-up supplies – Dust Broom, Dust pan, Sponge
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Provided free to the public as outreach collaboration between Cass County Soil Conservation District and the Natural Resource
Conservation Service. Equal opportunity providers and employers.
Set-up
1. Add 2- 5 gallon buckets of water into pull out drawer tank. Place the bucket on the floor
under the drain plug in case of any dripping.
2. Build stream and desired landscape.
a. Channel
b. Direction of Flow (How do they know?)
c. Tributary (Name some of neighboring rivers)
d. Flood Plain (Relate to spring floods)
e. Head waters / source (Relate to Red River headwaters @ Wahpeton/Breckenridge
or Mississippi headwaters @ Itasca State Park)
f. Mouth (Easy way to remember you spit things out of your mouth)
g. Delta (Relate to Mississippi and gulf)
h. Meander (Remind these move and change)
i. Outside Bend (cut bank) (the most erosion - don’t want to build on this bank)
j. Inside Bend (slip face)
k. Define Erosion
3. Plug in the table. Make sure the spigot on the back of the table is off, or turned all the
way to the right. When ready flip the red switch on the side of the table to get the water
pumping. (You may have to turn it on for a couple seconds to get the pump primed, turn
it off, and then on again before the water will run.)
4. Water flow can be regulated by turning the spigot knob on the table.
5. When finished turn off the pump with both the spigot and the red on/off switch and
unplug the table.
* If pump is making lots of noise and the stream table is filling with water clear drain of
sand. (Drain will need to be cleared frequently during use)
*If stream table is making a sucking sound, add water to table.
Clean-up
1. Drain water by pumping water out into a sink/buck or by pulling the plug in the drainage
basin.
2. Use a sponge to remove the residual water that cannot be pumped out and from the sand.
3. Pull plug from drainage basin to drain water. Use the sponge to soak up any excess water
from the sand and the drainage basin.
4. Place all cleaned props back into the tub and leave on top of the stream table.
5. Please fill out the evaluation form with your feedback
6. Please have 1-2 people available to help load the table when we come to pick it up.
PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT THE STREAM TABLE IS RETURNED IN GOOD CONDITION
SO THAT OTHERS SCHOOLS MAY USE THIS RESOURCE!
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Provided free to the public as outreach collaboration between Cass County Soil Conservation District and the Natural Resource
Conservation Service. Equal opportunity providers and employers.
Educational Ideas for the Stream Table
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Options
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Start by explaining this is a demonstration of erosion in a river system.
Show and explain Posters of Red River and North Dakota Rivers
Label the parts of the river as you build it in the stream table
 Or, ask students to label parts of the stream table river system with the plastic
cards.
Turn on water (medium speed)
Carve out a river without any figures in it.
Let river run its course for a short while
Point out erosion taking place,
 Point out differences in erosion occurring at different water depths.
 Point out increased erosion on the outside bends of the river.
 Note at the bottom erosion may take place without water pressure this is due to
Ground Water seepage (relate to Fargo high water table and bank slumping)
Ask if they know how to stop that erosion and talk about conservation measures can be
taken to help stop erosion
Turn off water
Give each student an item out of the toolbox and tell them they are making a
conservation choice for their neighbors (classmates).
Ask students to put these items into the table one at a time, knowing that their choice
may impact another classmate’s choice.
Turn on water (slower speed)
Ask them to make observations about whether or not their conservation choice is
working and why.
Discuss changes that occurred- from original channel to one after the water has been
running.
If time permits – demonstrate how the Red River would have formed after the glaciers.
Push sand back up to top of table smooth out like a flat glaciated plain
Explain how glaciers flattened the land, and how they scrape the land due to rocks etc...
Turn the water on and watch the river channel form (sometimes you will need to help
the river form a good channel)
It is also possible to demonstrate pollution.
Do this at the very end of demonstration!!
Add food coloring in one spot for point source pollution or
Bury an ice cube with food coloring in it to demonstrate nonpoint source pollution.
Vary Stream Table incline by placing different sized blocks under table
Vary water flow rate
Vary water hose location
Provided free to the public as outreach collaboration between Cass County Soil Conservation District and the Natural Resource
Conservation Service. Equal opportunity providers and employers.
Background
Rivers are flowing bodies of waters. There are rivers on every continent (except Antarctica).
Rivers are an important part of the Earth's water cycle and the sculpting of the Earth's
topography as they carry huge quantities of water from the land to the sea.
The Course of a River
Rivers generally start at a source, like a snow melt (such as a glacier) or a natural spring. Most
rivers flow into a larger body of water, like an ocean, sea, or large lake.
The early course of a river is often in steep, mountain areas, with rapidly-flowing cold water. As
a river continues along its course (which is always changing), the surrounding terrain flattens out
and the river widens. Rivers often meander (follow a winding path) along their middle course.
Tributaries (smaller rivers or streams) and runoff flow into the river, increasing the river's
volume (the amount of water it has). Rivers often have increased volume and water speed in the
spring, as snow at the river's source melts.
Most rivers end when they flow into a large body of water. The end of the river is called the
mouth. At the mouth, there is usually a river delta, a large, silty area where the river splits into
many different slow-flowing channels that have muddy banks. New land is created at deltas.
Deltas are often triangular-shaped, hence the name (the Greek letter 'delta' is shaped like a
triangle).
The Water in a River
At the source of a river, the water is relatively pure. As the water flows downstream, it picks up
silt and minerals (including mineral salts) from the soil and rock in the river bed. Many other
chemicals enter river water as it flows downstream, including animal waste, human sewage,
agricultural (farm) runoff, urban runoff, and mining/factory effluent.
Erosion
The course of a river changes over time, as erosion caused by the flowing water and sediment
sculpts the landscape around the river. Rivers erode land and carry it downstream towards the sea
or lake it flows into. This kind of erosion can even form canyons, like the Grand Canyon (eroded
by the Colorado River), waterfalls, like Victoria Falls (formed by the Zambezi River), oxbow
lakes, and other formations.
As eroded soil is carried downstream, it is deposited at areas where the river slows, especially
where the river meets the body of water it flows into (often the ocean or a lake), forming a fertile
river delta that has muddy swamps and/or sandbars.
Estuaries
An estuary is the area where a river meets the sea or ocean, where fresh water from the river
meets salt water from the sea. Estuaries are often called bays, sounds, or harbors (like Tampa
Bay, Puget Sound, or Boston Harbor). Salt marshes are low, grassy, coastal areas surrounding an
estuary; the tides often overflow the marsh.
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Provided free to the public as outreach collaboration between Cass County Soil Conservation District and the Natural Resource
Conservation Service. Equal opportunity providers and employers.
Since salt water is heavier (denser) than fresh water, when the two meet, the heavier salt water
sinks and the lighter fresh water rises. The rate of change in salinity (the amount of salt in the
water) with depth is called the salinity gradient.
Estuaries are transitional areas between rivers and seas, and are home to many organisms that
have adapted to life in brackish water (water that is saltier than river water but less salty than sea
water).
Animals and Plants
Rivers provide a home, drinking water, and/or a hunting ground for many organisms.
Rivers and People
Rivers provide drinking water, irrigation water, transportation, hydro-electrical power, drainage,
food, and recreation opportunities.
Definition of Terms
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Banks - Banks are the sides of a river or stream between which the water normally flows.
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Bar - Coarse grained deposit of sediment from a stream or ocean currents.
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Bed - The bed (also called the river bed) is the bottom of the river or other body of water.
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Channel - A channel is an area that contains flowing water confined by banks.
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Delta - A delta is a large, silty area at the mouth of a river at which the river splits into
many different slow-flowing channels that have muddy banks. New land is created at
deltas. Deltas are often triangular-shaped, hence the name (the Greek letter 'delta' is
shaped like a triangle).
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Erosion - The removal of weathered sediment or rocks by the forces of wind, water, and
ice.
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Flood Plain – The flat area on either side of a river channel.
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Fluvial - Involving running water. Usually pertaining to stream processes.
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Headwaters - Headwaters are streams and rivers (tributaries) that are the source of a
stream or river.
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Inside bend - On the inside of the bend, where the river flow is slower, material is
deposited.
Provided free to the public as outreach collaboration between Cass County Soil Conservation District and the Natural Resource
Conservation Service. Equal opportunity providers and employers.
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Meander - Sinuous shaped stream channel. Usually found in streams flowing over a very
shallow elevation grade.
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Mouth - The mouth is the end of a river, where it empties into a large body of water.
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Outside bend - The force of the water erodes and undercuts the river bank on the outside
of the bend where water flow has most energy.
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Oxbow lake - An oxbow lake is a stagnant lake that is formed alongside a winding river
when the river changes path because of soil erosion, leaving an abandoned stream
channel, cut off from the rest of the river.
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Point Bar - Stream bar deposit that is normally located on the inside of a channel bend.
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Riparian - Riparian means located by the banks of a river, stream, or other body of
water.
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River - A long narrow channel of water that flows as a function of gravity and elevation
across the Earth's surface. Many rivers empty into lakes, seas, or oceans.
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Riverbed - A riverbed is the bottom of the river or other body of water.
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Source (headwaters) - The source is the beginning of a stream or river.
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Stream Channel - Long trough-like depression that is normally occupied by the water in
a stream.
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Tributary - A tributary is a river or stream that flows into another stream, river, or lake.
Provided free to the public as outreach collaboration between Cass County Soil Conservation District and the Natural Resource
Conservation Service. Equal opportunity providers and employers.
Educational Ideas for the Stream Table @ water festival
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Start out with students sitting.
Explain ground rules for table: no hands in table, when it’s time to view the table,
everyone needs to make room so everyone can see. Every time there is a hand in the
table or arguing about arranging around the table, everyone has to take one big step
back.
Explain that this station is a demonstration of the ways in which rivers change and
move and the many things that can impact our local sources of water.
Ask the class if they can point to the nearest river.
If they are from the valley, you can also ask them to point to where most of their water
comes from (students will point to Red….hopefully 
Explain that the red river a river that many people and animals depend on for food,
recreation and habitat, making it very important, like many other watersheds in the U.S.
So, it’s important for us to learn more about this important river.
Bring out the laminated labels, place in stream table when going over them.
The Red river, like all other watersheds has a beginning and an end.
 The beginning of the river is called the “headwaters” or “source.”
 who knows where this area is?
 The headwaters of the Red river is in Breckenridge
 From there the red river flows which direction north or south?
 The red river flows north
So, the red river starts at the headwaters and flows north until it reaches the end of the
river or the “mouth” of the river where all the water flows into a big lake.
 Does anyone know what that lake is called? Lake Winnipeg.
 Any what country is Lake Winnipeg in? Canada.
 So the red river flows north from the headwaters to the mouth which is at what
lake?
As the red river flows from the headwater to the mouth, it passes through winding
bends.
 Can you see how my stream table is winding, like a snake?
 That’s because rivers like to flow in “S” patterns called meanders.
 So everyone with their finger draw an “S” shape, that’s the shape of a meander.
Ask teacher if they will arrange students around stream table.
Provided free to the public as outreach collaboration between Cass County Soil Conservation District and the Natural Resource
Conservation Service. Equal opportunity providers and employers.
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Continue with…so, as the Red river flows from the headwaters to the mouth, through
these “S” shaped meanders, it passes through river banks.
 These are the flat sides of land on either side of the river. (you can also point
out river banks on the red if visible).
Do you see how some river banks stick out like fingers and some don’t?
 The river banks that stick out like fingers are called inside bends
 And the ones that don’t are called outside bends.
 You can point to bend and have students all call out if it is an inside or outside
bend.
Now, these bends have special names for a reason.
 It’s because water flows fast around one and slow around the other.
 So, water flows faster around the outside bend, and slower around the inside
bend.
 So does water flow faster or slower around the outside bend? Faster.
 And since water flows faster around the outside bend, something else happens
faster there. Any guesses? Erosion happens faster there.
 And erosion is one thing that we are going to see on the table today.
One other thing that we are going to see on the table today is pollution.
 Let me ask you a question – what kinds of things do you think could be
pollutants to the red river, the same place you get your drinking water?
i. Trash
ii. Leaves & grass
iii. Soap, oil, etc…
 So, if I dropped a big bag of grass and leaves into the red river right here, do
you think all of that yard waste could make it to Lake Winnipeg?
i. It sure could, except when it got there it may look green and slimy like
this show picture of algal bloom (leaves and grass create algal blooms in
Lake Winnipeg that turn it green and takes away all the oxygen that fish
and aquatic life need to survive).
 What if you dropped something down a stormdrain – does everyone know what
a stormdrain is? The big drain in the street all the water goes down when it
rains.
i. Show picture of stormdrain & sticker.
ii. Yep, anything you drop down the sotrmdrain goes directly into the river!
iii. So if I dropped a tennis ball down the stormdrain, where would it go?
The river.
iv. So if I dropped trash down there where would it go? The river.
v. And let’s remember that our water also comes from the river right?
vi. Do you like trash in your water? Do fish like trash in their habitat?
vii. So nothing goes down this drain but what? Clean water.
 Ok, so who’s ready to see the stream table?
 Before I start this I want you all to pay attention to a few things:
i. Watch the inside and outside bends to watch for erosion.
ii. Watch for pollution in Lake Winnipeg.
Provided free to the public as outreach collaboration between Cass County Soil Conservation District and the Natural Resource
Conservation Service. Equal opportunity providers and employers.
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I’m also going to ask that each of you prepare 1 observation to share with the
class after the table has been turned off.
Turn on table.
Ask for observations
Fill out journals.
Really, the main points are to introduce most (I usually don’t get to all) of the vocabulary words
on the board (most of these are parts of the river where the river begins and ends). Also just
talking a little bit about pollutants and how they get into the water.
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Provided free to the public as outreach collaboration between Cass County Soil Conservation District and the Natural Resource
Conservation Service. Equal opportunity providers and employers.