The Streets to the Sea Challenge Teacher/Advisor Competition Application

Name _________________________________________________________________________________

School Name __________________________________________________________________________

Street Address _________________________________________________________________________

City _________________________________________________ Zip ______________________________

Work Phone ________________________________ E-mail __________________________________

Cell Phone _________________________________ Fax _____________________________________

Additional Teachers or School Staff participating in the Challenge _______________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Student Leaders: (5 max per school team; to represent team during final round of competition)

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Number of additional students participating in the Challenge __________________________

E-mail or fax to Edward Murphy no later than May 1, 2015 Fax (818) 623-4957 | E-mail: emurphy@treepeople.org

Generation  Earth  is  an  environmental  education  program  of  the    County  of  Los  Angeles  Department  of  Public  Works,  presented  by  TreePeople  

The Streets to the Sea Challenge

Instructions

1. Form a Challenge Team with at least five student leaders and one adult supervisor (teacher or campus advisor), and complete the Competition Application.

2. Obtain a campus map and use the Campus Water Audit included in this packet to complete a survey of your school site to identify excess water flows, drainage problems, or other water-based impairments. Write a three paragraph summary of your findings, highlighting key problem areas.

3. Research or invent a simple, easy to implement solution (stormwater pollution prevention hack) to one of the problems identified in your Audit, using readily available materials.

4. Complete a working model for your stormwater pollution prevention hack for testing and demonstration. Document using photos and/or diagram, or a video.

5. Develop an outreach campaign using infographics, videos, posters, flash-mobs, plays or social media to help show your campus peers how your stormwater pollution prevention hack works, and how they can assist in implementing it throughout the campus or community.

6. Document your stormwater pollution prevention hack and your outreach campaign in action, and evaluate its success using a metric of your choosing (hacks installed, students reached, trash screened, water captured or reused, etc.).

7. Submit your materials to the Generation Earth Competition Coordinator, Edward Murphy, for participation in the competition: Edward Murphy | Generation Earth Stormwater Specialist emurphy@treepeople.org | phone (818) 623-4857 | fax (818) 623-4957

The Streets to the Sea Challenge

Official Rules

1. At least one teacher and five students must be part of the Challenge Team in order to participate.

2. Use only the Campus Water Audit provided in the competition packet to survey, evaluate, and analyze the campus watershed for potential impairments in surface flow or pollution.

3. Stormwater pollution prevention hack designs must include at least one measureable element, such as number of hacks installed, students reached, trash screened, water captured or reused for evaluation and comparison.

4. All materials, including Campus Water Audit, Stormwater Pollution Prevention Hack Design, and Outreach Campaign (and supporting media such as videos, posters, and social media) must be submitted no later than midnight on May 1, 2015.

Helpful Resources

1. EPA’s Interactive Water Filtration Lesson www.epa.gov/safewater/kids/flash/flash_filtration.html Lesson on natural water filtration with build instructions, and example video that teaches about pollution issues and provide a resolution.

2. Instructables www.instructables.com Website that features do-it-yourself projects and guides for simple installations featuring everything from simple to complex technology

3. Pinterest www.pinterest.com Great resource for looking up and sharing various project and outreach ideas using simple household materials (requires account)

THE UR

BAN W

ATER CYCLE

HOW TO SU

RVEY

WATER FL

OW ACROSS

YOUR CAM

PUS

WATER AUDIT

Name(s) _________________________________________________ Date _____________

Location ___________________________________________________________________

1) Obtain a map of the school. A simple, hand drawn map can be used, if a map is not available.

2) Use colored markers or pencils to mark the map and identify what is found.

3) Walk around the entire area looking for the items listed below on the audit and marking their location on the map.

LOOK FOR…

1

Places where water can get into the ground (grass, bare dirt, garden, etc.)Use GREEN to show these places on your map.

2 Sources of water (faucets, drinking fountain, sprinkler, hose, etc.)Use BLUE to show these places on your map.

3 Places where water travels (gutters, down spout, drain, concrete, asphalt, etc.)Use PURPLE to show these places on your map.

4 Trash and other things that could be harmful to water (food trash, candy wrappers, motor oil, pet waste, etc.) Use a RED X to show these items on your map.

a) Use arrows to show the direction water would travel. Remember water fl ows from

higher points to low ones.

b) Circle on your map where you found trash and other areas of concern.

The continual circulation of water from

the atmosphere to the earth and its return to the

atmosphere through precipitation, percolation,

and evaporation is also known as the water cycle.

The cycle begins when rainwater falls onto the earth and percolates down into the soil. The soil acts as a natural fi lter, cleaning the water that collects in aquifers (underground layers of soil that store water). This underground water is called ground water and supplies water to wells and natural springs. When it rains, water that is not absorbed by soil travels over land as runoff, fl owing downhill and collecting in streams and rivers, which fl ow into lakes and oceans. Evaporation occurs when the sun draws water from lakes, rivers and oceans into the atmosphere where rain clouds form, completing the cycle.

Water goesback upinto the air.

Rivers flowto the ocean.

Some rain flowsinto rivers.

Some rain dripsinto the land.

Rain falls fromthe clouds.

RAIN FALLS FROM THE CLOUDS

SOME RAIN DRIPS INTO THE LAND

SOME RAIN FLOWS INTO RIVERS

RIVERS FLOW TO

THE OCEAN

WATER GOESBACK UP

INTO THE AIR

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THE HYDROLOGIC CYCLE WHAT HAPPENS TO THE CYCLE IN AN URBAN ENVIRONMENT?

THE CAMPUS WATERSHED

Your school campus is part of this urban

water cycle. The land area of the school

directs water from rain, sprinklers, faucets

and garden hoses across your campus

everyday. As the water travels, it picks up

trash and other pollutants and carries them

into the storm drain system, negatively

impacting the environment beyond your

campus. You, your peers, teachers,

administrators, and maintenance staff are

responsible for what fl ows off the campus,

into the storm drains and to the ocean.

WHY IS URBAN RUNOFF DANGEROUS?

Urban runoff from rainwater and water from garden hoses,

sprinklers, and other outdoor sources, travels over concrete and

asphalt picking up pollutants (cigarette butts, automotive fl uids, trash,

pesticides, and pet waste) and carrying them straight to the ocean.

In our neighborhoods, clogged catch basins fi lled with trash attract rats

and rodents, and create unpleasant odors. Clogged storm drains increase

street fl ooding and cost millions of tax dollars to clean. At the ocean local

offi cials close beaches regularly after rain storms due to the pollutants and

toxins fl owing through storm drains into Santa Monica Bay and San Pedro

Bay; swimmers who swim near these discharge areas have increased risk

of viral infections and illness; and marine life is harmed or killed.

WHAT IS HAPPENING ON YOUR CAMPUS?1 Conduct a water audit on your campus.

2 Record where water fl ows over the watershed, what it may take with it, and where it goes.

3 Use the attached audit to record what you fi nd.

4 Continue your investigation by seeking answers to the questions on the back of the audit.

Generation Earth Student Action Guides are available to students working

on a project. These guides are designed to help you plan a project, create

and prioritize tasks, keep track of progress, and evaluate the results.

CHECK WITH YOUR TEACHER OR ADVISOR FOR HOW TO GET THESE FREE GUIDES, OR CALL 818.623.4870.

RAIN FALLS FROM THE CLOUDS

SOME RAIN DRIPS INTO THE LAND

SOME RAIN FLOWS INTO RIVERS

RIVERS FLOW TO

THE OCEAN

WATER GOESBACK UP

INTO THE AIR

RAIN FALLS FROM THE CLOUDS.

RAIN HITS CITY STREETS, SIDEWALKS, AND PARKING LOTS, AND SLIDESOFF INTO THE GUTTER AND CHANNELED INTO A CATCHBASIN.

THEN, RAIN AND DEBRIS IS CARRIED

INTO THE STORM DRAIN,

EMPTIED INTO THE LOS ANGELES RIVER,

WATEREVAPORATESBACK INTO THE SKY.

AND SENT TO THE OCEAN.

RAIN FALLS FROM THE CLOUDS.

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RAIN HITS CITY STREETS,SIDEWALKS, AND

PARKING LOTS, IT SLIDES OFF INTO THE GUTTER

AND IS CHANNELED INTO A CATCHBASIN.

THEN, RAIN AND DEBRIS

ARE CARRIED INTO THE

STORM DRAIN.

EMPTIED INTO THE LOS ANGELES RIVER.

AND SENT TO THE OCEAN.

WATEREVAPORATESBACK INTO THE SKY.

THE HYDROLOGIC CYCLE WHAT HAPPENS TO THE CYCLE IN AN URBAN ENVIRONMENT?

As a city grows, land is cleared and developed creating miles of paved surfaces (streets and parking lots), buildings and houses. These surfaces severely limit the amount of rainwater that can be absorbed by soil. To prevent this water from fl ooding streets, engineers created a fl ood control or storm drain system. This complex system of catch basins, underground pipes, and open fl ood control channels carry urban runoff straight to the ocean, without any treatment. This, however, interrupts the natural hydrologic cycle by discharging water directly to the ocean, rather than allowing much of it to absorb slowly into the ground. Without this natural system of fi ltration, water reaches the ocean directly, carrying with it any pollutants it may have picked up along the way.

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Does your school campus have dry, compacted ground that doesn’t absorb water and sends dirt and debris into the street gutters and drains?

Are there any areas of concern, such as clogged catch basins, blocked storm drains, leaky faucets or areas where water fl oods?

Are there areas where concrete and asphalt can be removed to make space for trees and areas that allow water to soak into the ground?

Based on the path water takes across campus, what pollutants does it pick up along the way?

Set up an interview with the facilities manager and/or maintenance staff to fi nd out what potentially harmful products they use including fertilizers and cleaning products.

After nutrition and lunch, what happens to the trash that is sprayed off the ground with hoses?

MORE TO DO AND QUESTIONS TO ASK

TAKE ACTION

BASED ON YOUR FINDINGS, CREATE A PLAN TO REDUCE POLLUTED RUNOFF. IDEAS INCLUDE:

1 Get mulch (ground up leaves and branches) from the school district or other local source and place it below trees, in planters, and on bare, exposed dirt. Mulch absorbs water, and slows the fl ow of water so it can seep into the ground.

2 Create an awareness campaign on the benefi ts of keeping trash and other pollutants off the ground.

3 Talk to campus maintenance about buying and using non-toxic fertilizers, cleaning products, etc.

4 Design a rain garden or planted swale (a slightly depressed area of land) in an area that typically fl oods to allow water to soak into the landscape.

5 Write articles in the school newspaper on how your campus is helping to reduce urban

runoff based on people making different choices.

DETERMINE YOUR URBAN RUNOFF REDUCTION GOALS AND CHALLENGE STUDENTS, TEACHERS AND SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION TO MEET THEM.

RAIN FALLS FROM THE CLOUDS

SOME RAIN DRIPS INTO THE LAND

SOME RAIN FLOWS INTO RIVERS

RIVERS FLOW TO

THE OCEAN

WATER GOESBACK UP

INTO THE AIR

RAIN FALLS FROM THE CLOUDS.

RAIN HITS CITY STREETS, SIDEWALKS, AND PARKING LOTS, AND SLIDESOFF INTO THE GUTTER AND CHANNELED INTO A CATCHBASIN.

THEN, RAIN AND DEBRIS IS CARRIED

INTO THE STORM DRAIN,

EMPTIED INTO THE LOS ANGELES RIVER,

WATEREVAPORATESBACK INTO THE SKY.

AND SENT TO THE OCEAN.

RAIN FALLS FROM THE CLOUDS.

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6

RAIN HITS CITY STREETS,SIDEWALKS, AND

PARKING LOTS, IT SLIDES OFF INTO THE GUTTER

AND IS CHANNELED INTO A CATCHBASIN.

THEN, RAIN AND DEBRIS

ARE CARRIED INTO THE

STORM DRAIN.

EMPTIED INTO THE LOS ANGELES RIVER.

AND SENT TO THE OCEAN.

WATEREVAPORATESBACK INTO THE SKY.

WHAT HAPPENS TO THE CYCLE IN AN URBAN ENVIRONMENT?

THE UR

BAN W

ATER CYCLE

1 Reduce, reuse and recycle, and keep litter and hazardous waste off the ground.

2 Fix sprinklers and other sources of water so they don’t spray onto concrete and asphalt surfaces.

3 Direct water from hoses and other sources of water into grass and planters, instead of the street.

4 Place mulch (ground up leaves and branches) below trees, in planters, and on exposed, bare dirt.

5 Direct rain downspouts from the roof to fl ow into grass and planters instead of across concrete, gutters and the storm drains.

6 Plant trees to capture rainfall and direct the water into the soil below.

7 Create berms (small embankments) around the edges of grass and other planters to prevent water from fl owing over concrete, and enabling it to seep into the ground.

8 Report clogged stormdrains to 1-888-CLEAN LA.

9 Keep cars tuned up to prevent oil leakage onto the street.

10 Pick up after pets.TE

N TH

INGS

YOU

CAN

DO T

O HE

LP R

EDUC

E PO

LLUT

ED R

UNOF

F

AN ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION PROGRAM

WWW.GENERATIONEARTH.COM WWW.888CLEANLA.COM

OF  THE  COUNTY  OF  LOS  ANGELES  DEPARTMENT  OF  PUBLIC  WORKS