Who can tell me what a river is? Yes, a river is a part of the land that has water flowing in it at least some time of the year. Land, called banks, surrounds each side of a river. We also call this area the riparian zone, which just means the land on either side of the river. Who has ever seen a river? Is there one near our school or your home? What might be found in the riparian area of the river? (Possible answers: Plants, animals, insects, sand, gravel, bike path, bridge, sidewalks, etc.) For what purpose might we use a river? (Accept all reasonable answers, which might include: fishing, transportation, swimming, kayaking, drinking water, watering plants and gardens, transportation, etc.) Today we are going to learn about rivers and the water cycle. Ryley and Maisie are joining me on the bank, or the side of the river. They’re studying the river by taking photos of all the different things they can spot. Student are introduced to rivers, and to the components of the water cycle. They think about the effects of communities, sidewalks and roads on the natural flow of rainwater. Students also learn about the role of engineering in community planning and protecting our natural resources. De-Graft: That is cool. When we talk about rivers, one word that comes up is ‘flooding’. Do either of you two know what it means? De-Graft: Well historically, people used rivers to transport goods and bring trade to different areas. So, what kind of things do you think were transported on this river in the past?

Permeable: This type of land cover easily soaks up excess water. Example: Land with native plants growing on it. This type of land usually has not been compacted by human activities. Let's start by learning about the different parts of the water cycle, as illustrated in Figure 1. (Make the attached graphic of the water cycle into an overhead transparency to show students.) Engineers help design communities, including the sidewalks, lighting systems, roadways and buildings. It is the job of these engineers to make sure that they design ways for rainwater to move throughout the community without causing flooding that might harm the people living there.To help with this, engineers design storm drains into sidewalks or roads so that the rain has a place to go. Sometimes they design grassy areas next to sidewalks and roads to give the rain water places to go. Engineers might also design walls (barriers) on the sides of rivers to prevent flooding onto a road. Next time you are walking or driving around your community, see if you can find the paths that engineers have designed to keep the rainwater from forming puddles or floods. Is it working? Refer to the associated activity Floodplain Modeling where students design and create models of rivers to examine floodplains and how dams change the shape of rivers. The river begins in the valley formed by Rattlesnake Ridge to the east and Taylor Mountain to the west in the Raging River State Forest, managed by the Washington Department of Natural Resources. It flows northwest, crossing State Route 18, and then continues north past Tiger Mountain, crossing Interstate 90 near Preston, Washington, and joining the Snoqualmie River near Fall City, Washington. The Raging River watershed is part of the larger Puget Sound drainage basin. The average annual flow in the river is 149 cubic feet (4.2m 3) per second [4] and the drainage area is 32 square miles. [5] History [ edit ] When you look at rivers like the River Severn or the Thames, you can see how there are major towns and cities along the route of the river. This is because historically people built settlements near rivers for easy access to fresh water for homes and for farming. And also because rivers have acted as easy transport routes for boats to move people and goods from place to place. But how do rivers like this begin?Kaje, Janne. "Snoqualmie Watershed Water Quality Synthesis Report" (PDF). King County . Retrieved 30 January 2013. Maisie: Really small ripples in the river and because of the Sun, it's been reflecting onto it and making it all gold. The water cycle is also important to our fresh water supply used for drinking water, growing crops and industrial production. Since humans cannot drink the salty water from the oceans, we rely on freshwater from lakes, river and aquifers (underground reservoirs) to meet our needs for fresh water. When engineers alter the land by developing communities and roads, it changes the water cycle. For example, many problems with flooding in Chicago are due to the existence of so many paved areas. Originally, Chicago was built on marshy soil that absorbed significant amounts of water. Now, the heavy amount of water runoff during big storms has no place to go since pavement cannot absorb moisture. The water runs off the impermeable surfaces and into the local rivers, bringing them to dangerous near-flood levels. Engineers had the design challenge to build large underground storage tanks to hold storm water that can be used during storm-free times. Sometimes these tanks cannot hold the massive amount of water that flows as the result of a storm, so engineers in Chicago have suggested other alternatives to handle storm water runoff, including rooftop gardens, permeable alleys, green infrastructure, downspouts (which reduce the flow of water into the storm sewers), and rain gardens. Refer to the associated activity Permeable Pavement for students design and create models of rivers to see how human impacts change the permeability of riparian areas. Idea Web: Ask students to develop an idea web around the water movement for their local environment. How much precipitation is there? Is most of the precipitation rain, snow or something else? Where does the precipitation go? Are there many paved areas? Are there any rivers? Are there examples of how engineers have designed paths for the rainwater to flow off the pavement and onto grassy areas or rivers?

Within a natural or designed system, the transfer of energy drives the motion and/or cycling of matter. What do engineers do to help rainwater flow into grassy areas, away from pavement? (Answer: They design storm drains to capture water or specific grassy areas move the rainwater from the pavement.) Karen Sykes (February 13, 2003). "Hike Of The Week: Take your dog and bike to these nearby woods". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. In the winter of 2012 the Washington Department of Natural Resources began a public planning activity to guide the development of recreation opportunities in the Snoqualmie Corridor, including specifically the Raging River State Forest. Rivers provide critical habitat for plants and animals as well as an important source of fresh water or power for people in many cities and towns. Engineers recognize rivers as a valuable renewable resource and design ways to protect rivers and modify the flow of rivers for human benefit. They create reservoirs for drinking water, irrigation channels for growing food, and bridges for traveling across rivers. Environmental engineers study the impacts of these modifications on plant and animal habitat as well as changing floodplains and the possibilities of pollution from human activity.Floodplain Modeling - In this activity (a part of the Natural Disasters unit), students design and create models of rivers to examine floodplains and how dams change the shape of rivers. Semi-permeable: This land cover can soak up some water, but not as much as permeable surfaces. Examples: Farmland, soccer fields and lawns.

Permeable Pavement - Students design and create models of rivers to see how human impacts change the permeability of riparian areas. Close your eyes and think about when it rains on the school grounds. What happens to the water if it rains onto a grassy area? Right, the rain water soaks into the ground and plant roots "drink" the water. What happens if it rains onto the sidewalk or parking lot? Correct again! The rain water collects in puddles or runs off of the sidewalk into the grass or the street. Have you ever seen a really large puddle on the sidewalk or road where the rain has nowhere to go? Sometimes these puddles are so big that they make it hard to get to the other side (of the puddle, or the sidewalk!). Open your eyes. QELP - Raging River discharge". Seattle Central Community College. 26 November 1998 . Retrieved 27 December 2013. I’m on the River Severn at this point here on the map… But the river actually starts up in the Cambrian Mountains of mid-Wales here, and runs all the way into the Bristol Channel down here. The second longest river in the UK after the River Severn is the Thames, which stretches right across here and all the way through London. Engineers consider constraints (limitations) when building a community. These constraints might include the material and time requirements of building up the community, as well as the social, ethical and environmental considerations that are imposed by the building up of the community. As with most large projects, knowledge comes with experience. Engineers building up the community of Chicago did not have the experience they have now in knowing the effects of large communities of paved areas (which leave little land exposed to soak up rainwater). If those engineers had known then that this would become a problem, they might have planned scattered parks and areas with permeable surfaces to "soak up" the storm water. However, since the city was already designed and built as it is today, engineers are working to improve that situation by designing and maintaining a very expensive system for managing storm water underground to prevent floods.

Facts about Raging Rivers 3: the Washington Department of Natural Resources

Rivers often start in upland areas like this, from lakes, marshes and glaciers or even springs that bubble out of the ground.