Activity 4 - Rivers and Drainage Basins

Use the resources listed below to help you complete this activity.

To learn more about this topic, visit the following web sites:

Parts of a River System

Earth's Water: Rivers and the Landscape - USGS
Review some of the ideas presented in the EarthComm chapter.

Mississippi River Delta Basin, Natural Resources Conservation Service
The Mississippi River is a fantastic example of how a delta can change overtime. Explore this site to learn about how the the Mississippi River Delta has changed throughout geologic time.

Drainage Divides

Know Your Watershed, What's a Watershed Fact Sheet? Purdue University
This site provides lots of information about watersheds, how they are vulnerable to pollution, and useful links to related sites.

Surf Your Watershed - Environmental Protection Agency
This site allows you to look up the watershed your community is located in and obtain an environmental profile of your watershed.

Locate Your Watershed

River Systems and Community Growth

California's Coastal Streams and Rivers
Excerpts from this article focus on the benefits streams provide to the biosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere.

Inquiring Further:

To learn more about water quality issues, visit the following web site:

The National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Homepage - USGS

To learn more about river pollution and ecosystems, visit the following web sites:

Know Your Watershed, Total Maximum Daily Load Fact Sheet - Purdue University

Stream Ecosystems - Streams: A National Heritage Worth Preserving, Alabama Cooperative Extension System

To learn more about dams and river systems, visit the following web sites:

Hoover Dam Learning Packet Online

Colorado River - Frequently Asked Questions,
Hoover Dam National Historic Landmark

To learn more about river systems and wastewater treatment, visit the following web sites:

Army Corps of Engineer Locations
Click on your state/district to be taken to a new site

Office of Wastewater Management
Environmental Protection Agency

Wastewater Treatment - Portland District

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Last updated: May 11, 2010

This project is supported, in part, by the National Science Foundation and the AGI Foundation. Opinions expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Foundation.