BACK TO SCHOOL!

Smell the crispness in the air…hear the sounds of high school/college bands…see the crowds of shoppers at the mall—yes it’s back to school time!  That can only mean back to the books, homework and tests.  So I thought it would be fun to get you and your kids ready for the school year by playing a trivia game about water and groundwater.  Good Luck!  Answers and grading scale are at the end of the test—but don’t peek!

1)   How long can a person live without water?

       a.  Approximately 2 days

       b.  Approximately 5 days

       c.  Approximately 1 week

       d.  Approximately 2 weeks                    

 

2)   Name a possible source of groundwater contamination. 

a.       Fertilizer

b.      Landfill

c.       Septic tank

d.      All of the above

3)   What is water stored in an aquifer called? 

a.       Surface water

b.      Groundwater

c.       Aquafina

d.      River water

4)   What is the name for an underground layer of sand, gravel or other rock that is a source of groundwater to wells or springs? 

a.       Well

b.      Sand pit

c.       Aquifer

d.      None of the above

5)   The same water that Shakespeare used to wash his ink pens may be the water that you used to brush your teeth this morning. 

a.       True

b.      False

6)   What percent of people in the U.S. rely on groundwater for drinking water? 

a.       25%

b.      50%

c.       75%

d.      None of the above

7)   How much of the world’s water is found in glaciers? 

a.       2%

b.      4%

c.       8%

d.      10%

8)  Over 80 percent of the trash floating in the ocean is what? 

a.       Aluminum

b.      Cardboard

c.       Plastic

d.      Metal

9)  About how many gallons of water does it take to produce a hamburger, fries and soft drink?

a.       100

b.      500

c.       1000

d.      1500

10) Who has the responsibility to protect groundwater?

       a.  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

       b.  State agencies

       c.   Federal government

       d.  All of us

Answers:

1) c; 2) d; 3) b; 4) c; 5) a; 6) b; 7) a; 8) c; 9) d; 10) d

8-10 correct answers – A+

4-7 correct answers – B

0-3 correct answers – You need to study more – check out the fun groundwater trivia game, Dripial   Pursuit and many other educational materials at The Groundwater Foundation’s online catalog www.groundwater.org 

 

Questions were taken from Dripial Pursuit, a product of The Groundwater Foundation.

Clean Drinking Water: A Precious Commodity

Last week ranked right up there as one of the scariest of my life.  You see, my 10-week old grandson had been quite ill with a high fever since Sunday night. Then on Wednesday, the city in which they live declared a boil order for the city due to e-coli in the water.  My son immediately knew he needed to call the baby’s doctor in order to discuss treatment.  First step, take in a soiled diaper for sampling.  As is often the case, the results could not be obtained for a couple of days.  Talk about a long and somewhat grueling wait.  In the interim, the doctor did give the baby an antibiotic just in case. 

Today we just found out that this precious little baby tested negative for e-coli.  And, thank goodness he is feeling much better now.  However, what this reinforced for me is how very important the work of The Groundwater Foundation is to all of us.  So many times we think that things like this will never happen to us.  Fortunately my grandson did not have e-coli in his system, but just the scare made me realize that each of us must be vigilant in our day-to-day lives in order to make sure that the water we drink is suitable for consumption.  We must educate everyone to care about this precious resource and to do their part to protect it. 

Today is a good day!  My grandson is no longer sick.  I get to share my story with you.  And each of us has the opportunity to protect groundwater.  To learn more on how to protect groundwater, visit The Groundwater Foundation website, www.groundwater.org. 

Evaluating Groundwater Concerns

By Brian Reetz, Program Coordinator

One of my favorite parts about working at The Groundwater Foundation is spending time in communities and talking with the people. It doesn’t matter if it is the mayor, the local business owner or just someone walking down the street, it is important to me that all of them become aware about groundwater and the impact they can have on it.

When I make presentations in communities, I have them fill out a simple evaluation when they first come into the room. I don’t want to even have them talk to me first, just fill out the simple form that you see here.

I recently used the form during a visit to Fairbury, Nebraska. Of course they all feel that clean drinking water is “extremely important” to them but many of them initially say clean groundwater is just “very important.” But by the end of my presentation, I’m sure they switch over to the extremely side! I like to think that they are at least very informed about groundwater issues in their area by the end (many of them have great questions) and then know that they use groundwater every day. 

So how about you? Print out the survey and mail it in to me today or email it back to me (breetz@groundwater.org) and include any questions that you might have. You can send a hard copy to The Groundwater Foundation, PO Box 22558, Lincoln, NE 68542.