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Chalkboard imageWater Science Activity Center

Opinion Surveys:

  • Biggest water problem in the future?
  • Vote for your favorite water body!
  • How serious are these environmental problems?
  • Water Shortage! How would you fix it?
  • Where does the water cycle begin?

Challenge Questions:

  • How much water falls during a storm?
  • How much water does a dripping faucet waste?
  • How much water does it take to grow a hamburger?

True/False Quizzes:

  • Water properties
  • Groundwater

Questionnaires:

  • How does your home drinking water taste?
  • What is your daily home water use?

Water Shortage!
How would you handle this water crisis?

Activity Description

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You've got a water crisis in your city, Mayor (fill in your name here). Because of the growing population, demand for more water, and the ongoing drought, you're running out of water! You are the mayor -- you are in charge. How will you solve the problem, since you want to do what's best for your community (and get re-elected)?

There are only two things you can do, increase the supply of water and/or decrease the demand for water. By using the form below, give us your opinions on what measures you'd use to tackle the problem (which is a real situation happening in many places all over the world every day). Start a class discussion about why you think some measures would work and some wouldn't. The discussion will get more complicated than you think!

Click on the Ups and Downs icon to see good and bad points about each measure.

What measures would you use to handle your water crisis?
Select an answer from 1 to 4 stars:

⭐ - "Bad idea, I wouldn't use it"

⭐⭐ - "Only a fair idea"

⭐⭐⭐ - "Pretty good idea"

⭐⭐⭐⭐ - "Great idea, I'd use it"

⇅ Mandatory restrictions on water use:

⭐
⭐⭐
⭐⭐⭐
⭐⭐⭐⭐

⇅ Find new water supplies (build a reservoir, new wells):

⭐
⭐⭐
⭐⭐⭐
⭐⭐⭐⭐

⇅ Raise the price of water:

⭐
⭐⭐
⭐⭐⭐
⭐⭐⭐⭐

⇅ Cut back/stop new developments:

⭐
⭐⭐
⭐⭐⭐
⭐⭐⭐⭐

⇅ Encourage water conservation:

⭐
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⭐⭐⭐
⭐⭐⭐⭐

⇅ Buy water from another city/state:

⭐
⭐⭐
⭐⭐⭐
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Where do you live (U.S. state/World area):

Back to the Activity Center.

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