Coastside Science

Friday, April 25, 2025

Access code: gravity

California Waterways Map

(Place the waterways map in your binder.)

5. Answer the following on a separate sheet to turn in TODAY.

A. Why was the metal Mercury used in California Gold Mining?

B. Name two LOCAL (with 100 miles) Mercury mines.

C. How does ingesting Mercury hurt humans and wildlife?

D. What is an aqueduct?

E. What aqueducts “feed” Los Angeles?

F. Where is Mono Lake?

G. Where does Mono Lake get most of its water?

H. What ANIMALS depend on Mono Lake for their living?

I. Why was a lawsuit filed against The state of California regarding water rights and Mono Lake?

Hetch Hetchy and San Francisco Water

Answer the following and turn in to the blue in basket today.

Where is Hetch Hetchy Valley located compared to Yosemite Valley.
Find a picture of Hetch hetchy Valley before the dam was built. Compare it with a picture of Yosemite Valley now. How are they similar?
Who was John Muir and when did he live?
Why did John Muir fight against the O'Shaughnessy Dam?
What did the building of the dam do to Hetch Hetchy Valley?
Why did John Muir lost the fight to save Hetch Hetchy Valley?
Who benefits from the water in the valley now?
What is a MAJOR DAM PROJECT in Northern California that was recently approved? (Where is it and who will it benefit?)
What are the arguments against building the Sites reservoir?

10. What are the arguments FOR building the Sites reservoir?

Environmental Studies - April 17th - Thursday

Complete the following in a document and share with the teacher ….

California Water

(Answer question #1 question without, first, looking up any information.) When you turn on the water tap at home or school, where does most of that fresh water come from? In other words - where is the fresh water stored until we are ready to use it?
(Questions number two through eight require research.) California has almost 900 miles of coastline. Why do we not take the water we need for crops and drinking from the salty Pacific Ocean?
Where are desalination plants located in California?
What is an aquifer?
Name the top five uses of fresh water in California. (Agriculture? Drinking? Washing Teslas?)
Los Angeles is the largest city in California, yet receives the least amount of rainfall of an coastal city in the state. Where does Los Angeles obtain most of the fresh water it needs?
Looking at our biosphere as a whole, what percentage of water on Earth is available for us humans to drink and water crops? In other words, most of the water on Earth is in the oceans; how much is clean, potable water?
How are GLACIERS important for the fresh water supply for people?