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Imperviousness at Brookside School

Imperviousness at Brookside School. We all live in a watershed! A watershed is an area of land that drains into a common body of water. Everything that

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Page 1: Imperviousness at Brookside School. We all live in a watershed! A watershed is an area of land that drains into a common body of water. Everything that

Imperviousness at Brookside School

Page 2: Imperviousness at Brookside School. We all live in a watershed! A watershed is an area of land that drains into a common body of water. Everything that

We all live in a watershed!• A watershed is an area of land that drains into a common body of water.• Everything that happens in a watershed can affect its water quality.

Page 3: Imperviousness at Brookside School. We all live in a watershed! A watershed is an area of land that drains into a common body of water. Everything that

We live in the Passaic-Hackensack Watershed.

This map shows the major rivers and streams. This map shows all the smaller tributaries as well.

Page 4: Imperviousness at Brookside School. We all live in a watershed! A watershed is an area of land that drains into a common body of water. Everything that

This watershed is comprised of two smaller watersheds:• Passaic Watershed• Hackensack Watershed

Allendale is located in the Passaic Watershed,shown here in neon green.

Allendale’s approximatelocation is marked with a red star.

(I actually live in the Hackensack Watershed!)

Page 5: Imperviousness at Brookside School. We all live in a watershed! A watershed is an area of land that drains into a common body of water. Everything that

Inside the Passaic Watershed are even smaller subwatersheds. (sometimes called catchments). Brookside School lies in the Ramsey Brook subwatershed.

Page 6: Imperviousness at Brookside School. We all live in a watershed! A watershed is an area of land that drains into a common body of water. Everything that

The amount of impervious (or impermeable) surface in a watershed greatly impacts the

quality of the bodies of water there.

The more impervious surface, the more surface runoff and the less infiltration. Therefore, there is also less subsurface flow. Infiltration and subsurface flow are crucial for maintaining high water quality.

Permeable Land Surface Mostly Impermeable Land Surface

Page 7: Imperviousness at Brookside School. We all live in a watershed! A watershed is an area of land that drains into a common body of water. Everything that

The results of several studies suggest this relationship between percentage of impervious

cover in a watershed and water quality:

From Rhode Island Dept. of Env. Mgmt.And the University of Delaware.

Percentage of Impervious Surface

Effect on Watershed

< 15 % Protected

15% - 35% Impacted

> 35% Degraded

Page 8: Imperviousness at Brookside School. We all live in a watershed! A watershed is an area of land that drains into a common body of water. Everything that

The highest quality water is found in watersheds with 100% permeable (or pervious) surfaces.

Page 9: Imperviousness at Brookside School. We all live in a watershed! A watershed is an area of land that drains into a common body of water. Everything that

Even 10 – 20% imperviousness alters the natural processes of the water cycle somewhat:

Page 10: Imperviousness at Brookside School. We all live in a watershed! A watershed is an area of land that drains into a common body of water. Everything that

When the level of impervious surface reaches 35%, water quality is negatively affected:

Page 11: Imperviousness at Brookside School. We all live in a watershed! A watershed is an area of land that drains into a common body of water. Everything that

Once the amount of impervious cover reaches 75%, the water can be severely degraded:

Page 12: Imperviousness at Brookside School. We all live in a watershed! A watershed is an area of land that drains into a common body of water. Everything that

Large amounts of impervious surface also increases the chances of both droughts and flooding. Allendale has experienced both extremes in recent years.

Lawn and Garden Watering with both Automatic and Hose

Sprinklers is Limited to:

• Odd House Numbers: Wednesday, Friday, Sunday

• Even House Numbers: Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday

Hurricane Irene: September, 2011.

Water Restrictions: Summer, 2013.

Page 13: Imperviousness at Brookside School. We all live in a watershed! A watershed is an area of land that drains into a common body of water. Everything that

For our next project, we will map our school property to determine the percentage of impervious land surface at Brookside.

Page 14: Imperviousness at Brookside School. We all live in a watershed! A watershed is an area of land that drains into a common body of water. Everything that

Parts of the school property are impermeable, like the parking lots and blacktop play area, as well as the building roof. (left)

Other parts of the school property are permeable, such as the outdoor classroom, the athletic fields, and the area adjacent to the brook. (right)

IMPERMEABLE vs PERMEABLE SURFACES

Page 15: Imperviousness at Brookside School. We all live in a watershed! A watershed is an area of land that drains into a common body of water. Everything that

In your Journal, answer these questions:

1. How does impervious surface impact waterways?

2. How can we determine the percentage of impervious surface at Brookside?

3. Make your own prediction: What percentage of Brookside property do you think is impermeable? Explain how you came up with this amount.