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FUN FACTS |
Here are some fun facts and a recipe to use with your friends!
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It takes approximately one gallon of water to process a quarter pound of hamburger.
- It takes approximately 2,072 gallons of water to make four new tires.
- It takes 39,090 gallons of water to manufacture a new car, including new tires.
- There are approximately one million miles of pipeline and aqueducts in the US and Canada (enough to circle the earth 40 times).
- Water is the only substance found on earth naturally in three forms – solid, liquid, and gas.
- One gallon of water weighs 8.34 pounds.
- 66% of the human body is water.
- 75% of a chicken is water.
- 80% of a pineapple is water.
- 95% of a tomato is water.
- 70% of an elephant is water.
- 80% of an ear of corn is water.
- About 75% of your brain is water. Think about it, and use it to absorb more facts and tips on using water wisely.
- Strive not to drive! It takes approximately 6 gallons of water to produce one gallon of gasoline.
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Edible Earth Parfaits
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Build an edible aquifer! Learn about confining layers, how
pollution gets in groundwater, and what happens with too much
pumping. Since this activity involves eating, don't forget to ask
your friends about food restrictions and allergies.
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What you need:
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- Blue or red food coloring
- Vanilla ice cream
- Clear soda pop
- Crushed Ice
- Variety of colored
cake decoration sprinkles
and/or sugars
- Drinking straws
- Clear plastic cups
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What to do:
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- Fill a clear plastic cup 1/3 full with crushed ice. The ice
represents gravel and soil.
- Add enough soda to just cover the ice. The soda
represents water.
- Add a layer of ice cream to serve as a confining layer
over the soda and ice, or water-filled aquifer.
- Add more crushed ice on top of the confining layer of
ice cream.
- Sprinkle colored sugars and/or sprinkles over the top,
which represents soil and becomes a porous top layer.
- Add the food coloring to a separate cup of soda. This
represents contamination. Watch what happens when this cup of
colored water is poured on the top of the aquifer. Keep in mind
that the same thing happens when contaminants are spilled on the
earth's surface.
- 7. Using a straw, drill a well into the center of the
aquifer.
- Slowly begin to pump the well by sucking on the straw.
Watch the decline in the water table. Notice how the
contaminants can get sucked into the well area and end up in the
groundwater by leaking through the confining layer.
- Add more soda. This recharges the aquifer just like a
rain shower.
- Drill, rain, eat, and enjoy the aquifer.
10.
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* Edible Earth Parfaits was adapted from Making A Bigger Splash,
co-published by
The
Groundwater Foundation and the
US EPA, Region
VII.
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