Watershed Detectives:

Making Science Relevant

Jessica GordonCity of Austin Watershed Protection

Jessica.Gordon@austintexas.gov

Watershed Detectives:

Making Science Relevant

• The Fish Kill Mystery– Austin-based, hands-on watershed investigation

(7th – 8th Grade)

• Flash Flood Alley: The Power of Water– Flood Safety Awareness Activities (6th-8th

Grade)

• Field Investigations – Field trips to local caves, streams, and

springs (6th-8th Grade)

Turn Around Don’t Drown

• Flooding is the #1 weather-related cause of death in Texas

• 75% of those deaths are caused by people driving across a flooded

road or bridge

• You can lose control of your vehicle in as little as 6” of water.

• Most cars will float and be swept away in 18” of moving water.

Students will:

1) Understand factors that cause flooding and how

flooding affects their community.

2) Build a model of a low water crossing to

demonstrate that the force of water can push a car

off the road.

3) Use GIS and atxfloods.com to determine if they live

in a floodplain and if there are low water crossings

on their way to school.

TEKS: 7.8A-C, 8.3B-C, 8.9C

Flood Safety Curriculum

Engagement Videos

• Austin Roads Flood in a

Flash:

www.austintexas.gov/depar

tment/flood-safety-

preparedness

• Flash Flood Alley:

Swept Away:

youtu.be/tYBo6t4_6_U

Engagement Photos

Students brainstorm about flooding in their

community and possible causes thereof.

Bastrop Park Rd 1A 1/25/2012 Shoal Creek (Lamar and 10th) 11/15/02

Shoal Creek 1981 Colorado River 1935

Exploration

Students will:

– construct a watershed

model that includes a

low water crossing

– create flooding

conditions

– observe a car wash off

the road in their model

Explanation

• Students discuss what the floodplain is on their

model, why the car washed off the road, and

advantages/limitations of their models.

• Students will learn more factors that affect

flooding in Central Texas

• Teacher will address common misconceptions

about the frequency of 100-year floods.

Factors Affecting Flash Floods Alley

Copyright 2005 FloodSafety.com

Geography, Geology, Topography,

Weather Patterns:

•Balcones Escarpment

•Steep terrain

•Storms coming from Pacific Ocean,

Atlantic Ocean, and Gulf of Mexico

colliding over Central Texas

•Heavy Rainfalls

•Rocky and clay-rich soils

Extension/Elaboration

• Do you live in a floodplain? Do you travel over any

low water crossings on your way to school?

– Students will use www.atxfloods.com and a GIS

web viewer (http://arcg.is/2axqRiF) to find out if

they live in a floodplain and to identify where low

water crossings are located in Austin and learn

how to find out information about emergency road

closures.

• Flood Safety & Preparedness:

www.austintexas.gov/department/flood-safety-

preparedness

Watershed Detectives Web Map

http://arcg.is/2axqRiF

Evaluation

• Students will:

– discuss/answer questions about floodplains, factors

that affect flooding, 100-year floods, low-water

crossing safety precautions, how flooding reshapes

landforms and affects ecosystems, etc.

– conduct a streamflow-to-pounds conversion

activity

Guiding Questions

• Are floods a natural part of the environment?

• How do floods impact the ecosystem?

– How can floods reshape the land? What types of

new environments might be created?

– How might floods be helpful to the environment as

well as destructive?

• What factors affect flooding in Central Texas?

• What is the chance of an 100-year flood

happening? Can three 100-year floods occur

in the same year? Explain why or why not.

Water is a Powerful Force

• Each gallon of water weighs 8.33 pounds, so a

cubic foot of water (7.48 gallons) weighs

62.31 pounds.

• Multiply the amount of cfs of water that is

flowing by 62.31 to get the force (in pounds)

that is hitting an object every second.

• 100 cfs = 6,231 pounds of force.

• 10 inches of rainfall in 24 hours can push some

Austin creeks to flood with 500,000 lbs of

water per second.

Stop Animation Video