Stormwater Pollution Classroom Activity: Teacher's Guide

Grade Level: K-12
Curriculum Connections: Fine Arts, Language Arts, Science, Technology
Class Time: 60 to 90 minutes

Objectives:

1. Students will gain an understanding of sources of water pollution, with a focus on stormwater pollution,
affecting the Town of North Hempstead community.
2. Students will learn about the Town's "Only Rain in the Drain" educational campaign.
3. Students will be able to identify the effects of stormwater pollution on local waterbodies and ways to
prevent water pollution in their community.
4. Students will explore their school grounds to understand how stormwater moves throughout the various
areas that make up the property.
5. Students will create posters to put around their school with the theme "Only Rain in the Drain!"

Materials:
1. Computer to help with visualizing of videos and pictures, research, and creation of posters
2. Computer paper, oak tag or poster board for creation of posters
3. Colored pencils, crayons, or markers for creation of posters

Initial Classroom Discussion (to provide background information):

Vocabulary (in bold): runoff, impervious, pervious, storm drain, aquifer, stormwater pollution, pesticide,
fertilizer, sediment, erosion, water quality control, decompose, septic system, cesspool, pathogen, organism,
microplastic, rain garden, rain barrel, native plant, drip irrigation, soaker hose, compost

1. Ask your students to think about rainwater and where it goes after it falls from the sky.
a. Into the soil
b. Gets taken up by plants
c. Evaporates
d. Moves underground into Long Island's aquifers which store all of our drinking water
e. Runs off of streets, driveways, sidewalks and roofs and goes into storm drains
f. If you think about your own neighborhood, most of what we live on is paved surfaces and water
cannot flow through them, which causes the water to flow over the surface, causing what is
known as runoff
g. These surfaces in which water cannot absorb are known as impervious surfaces; pervious
surfaces would be ones where water can pass through like soil, vegetation, sand

2. Ask your students if they know what a storm drain is, what one looks like
a. Show a picture of one on the computer for any that are unfamiliar and then ask students if and
where they have seen them around their neighborhoods

b. Explain how they work- most have pipes that lead straight to local waterways like streams,
harbors, bays etc.
c. Many people believe that the water from our streets is treated before it enters our local water
bodies- but this isn't true!

3. Discuss with your students what effects stormwater pollution can have?
a. Discuss that rainwater can pick up pollutants like oil, heavy metals (from cars), pesticides,
fertilizer, salt (from snow removal), sediment (from erosion of soil), animal waste and garbage
that can flow into these storm drains and end up in our bays and harbors.
b. Toxins like oil, heavy metals, and pesticides in stormwater can have many adverse effects on
plants, fish, animals and people.
c. Sediment can cloud the water and make it difficult or impossible for aquatic plants to grow, and
can also kill them. It can also smother the eggs of fish and other aquatic animals.
d. Too much fertilizer in stormwater leads to an overgrowth of algae, which can cause a loss of
oxygen in the water. This will suffocate plants and animals that live there.
e. Litter, such as plastic bags, six-pack rings, bottles and cigarette butts, washed into water bodies
can choke, suffocate or disable aquatic life, including aquatic mammals, fish, turtles and birds.
f. Salt can be carried into storm drains from snow melt on treated roads and can have a negative
impact on many plants and animals that live in freshwater habitats that cannot tolerate an
increase in salinity.

4. Discuss the Town's educational campaign, "Only Rain in the Drain"
a. What does it mean? It is very important that we only allow rainwater to go into our storm drains
to help prevent pollutants from getting into our local waterbodies
b. To reinforce stormwater pollution principles show your students the "Stormwater Police" video
created by the Town of North Hempstead
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZ_jt1_BBKo&t=32s

Student Activities:

1. OBSERVE THE STORMWATER SYSTEM AROUND YOUR SCHOOL

a. Walk with your students around the school grounds and observe the features of the grounds.
You will see buildings, sidewalks, parking lot, grass/lawn, trees, other vegetation, athletic
fields, playgrounds

b. As you walk around and identify each feature ask your students, which surfaces are pervious
(lawn, areas with vegetation, trees, bare soil, sand) and which are impervious (sidewalk, building
roofs, streets).

c. Look at each impervious feature and try to determine the path that stormwater would take.
Do gutters from buildings point toward a specific area?
Where might water flow? Into the street? Is there a nearby storm drain? Is there a slope
anywhere? Water would flow from higher elevation to lower elevation due to gravity
What pollutants might be picked up from each of these areas? Bird/animal droppings
from roofs, parking lots; heavy metals and oil from cars in parking lots; garbage, salt
from snow/ice removal

d. Now look at the pervious features.
Do you see any bare soil? What problems might this cause when rainwater hits it?
Erosion, sediment picked up by stormwater

Do you see grass or turf? What pollutants may come from these areas? Fertilizers,
pesticides; also grass has very short roots and does not absorb water very well, therefore
if there is a lot of rain, water can still runoff this pervious surface

e. Do you notice any water quality controls or things that can prevent pollutants from getting into
stormwater? These would include:
Signs saying not to dump waste into drains
Rain gardens- these help to capture stormwater from gutters or areas where runoff
occurs and therefore prevent pollutants from getting into storm drains (see next section
for more information)
Rain Barrels- these are containers that capture rainwater from the roofs of buildings,
which can be used for irrigation and prevent stormwater pollution (see next section for
more information)

f. Back in the classroom (or outside if weather permits) discuss some ways students can prevent
stormwater pollution at school and at home

Pet Waste
o Pick up after dogs and never throw pet waste down storm drains!
o As pet waste decomposes (breaks down), it takes up a lot of oxygen from the
water. This can suffocate fish and plant life by reducing the amount of oxygen
available to them. Pet waste also contains nutrients that encourage weed and algae
growth as well as bacteria that can harm humans and wildlife.

Septic Systems and Cesspools
o Some homes in North Hempstead still rely on a septic system or cesspool. This
means that everything that goes down the drain goes right into the ground.
Leaking and poorly maintained septic systems/cesspools release harmful nutrients
and pathogens (bacteria and viruses) that can be picked up by stormwater.
o Ask you parents to have your system inspected every three years and pump your
tank as necessary (every three to five years is recommended).
o Don't flush prescription drugs down the toilet! Ever!

Swimming Pools
o Swimming pools are chlorinated to keep mold and fungus from growing in your
pool- but chlorine kills marine life too! Your pool should always be de-
chlorinated before you empty it.
o Whenever possible, drain you pool into the sanitary sewer system or direct the
water to a vegetated section of your lawn. DO NOT drain into the street, where it
can flow into nearby storm drains and waterways.
o Properly store pool and spa chemicals to prevent leaks and spills.

Household Chemicals
o Properly dispose of household hazardous waste, such as insecticides, pesticides,
paint, solvents, used motor oil and other auto fluids, through the Town's S.T.O.P
(Stop Throwing Out Pollutants) program.
o Household hazardous wastes can poison aquatic life and people can become sick
from eating diseased fish and shellfish or ingesting chemically polluted water.
o Use low-phosphate or phosphate-free detergents since phosphates can cause algae
blooms and loss of oxygen in aquatic habitats.

o DO NOT pour household hazardous wastes into sinks, toilets, the ground, or
storm drains.

Litter
o Don't litter! If you see litter, pick it up and put it in a trash receptacle.
o Don't use plastic bags, which can easily blow away. Instead, ask your parents to
use re-usable shopping bags and re-usable glass food containers.
o Plastic bags and other plastic litter (like bottle caps, toothbrushes, plastic
wrappers) can fill up the stomachs of birds, fish, whales and other aquatic
animals, causing them to starve.
o Often plastic sinks and covers the sea floor, smothering the organisms (living
things) that live there.
o Scientists are finding microplastics (tiny fragments of plastic that have broken
off of larger pieces, or tiny plastic scrubbers from toothpaste and face washes) in
the world's oceans, and they are found in the cells of shellfish, birds, fish, and
marine mammals.

Yard and Garden
o Plant native plants instead of lawns. Native plants, or plants that are historically
from a certain geographic area and climate, have extensive, deep root systems and
can absorb a lot more water than short rooted lawn grasses can. They are also
tolerant of our climate and don't require much watering or fertilizer for growth.
o Build a rain garden! These bowl shaped gardens absorb stormwater and filter out
pollutants by using native plants.
o Install a rain barrel. These containers capture stormwater from roofs of buildings
and this water can be used for watering lawns and gardens.
o Vegetate bare soil areas to prevent erosion and sediment from being carried by
stormwater.
o Use drip irrigation or a soaker hose to water your plants instead of sprinklers.
Drip irrigation uses pipes with holes in them that allow water to drip out slowly
right into the soil, where it is needed. Soaker hoses are hoses with holes that
allow water to drip out. Sprinklers often waste water and cause runoff when they
spray water in the air.
o Compost yard and kitchen waste to create a natural fertilizer for your plants,
which will cut down on synthetic fertilizer use.
o If you use fertilizers and pesticides, use organic or natural ones and follow the
manufacturer's directions to avoid using excessive amounts that may be picked up
by stormwater runoff.
o Store fertilizers and pesticides in a proper place to prevent spills.
o Don't over water plants, which can cause water to runoff your property.

You or your parents can report any sources of stormwater pollution that lead to
discharges into storm drains to 311!
Help spread the word! Tell your parents, friends and family about "Only Rain in the
Drain" and how they can help prevent stormwater pollution!

2. DESIGN POSTERS TO SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT WATER POLLUTION
Ask students in small groups or individually to design a poster to put around your school that will
educate staff, teachers and students on the Town's "Only Rain in the Drain" campaign or about
stormwater/water pollution in general

They can use whatever materials you have on hand like computer paper or for a larger impact poster
board or oak tag
Students should be encouraged to be creative and can use any of the information that was discussed
during the lesson or they can research more information online or in books
Students can use a computer to print their posters or they can make them using crayons, colored
pencils or markers


Please contact 311 or email sustain@northhempsteadny.gov if you have any questions or comments about this
lesson plan!