Why is
Puget Sound
important?
Puget Sound is anestuary–aplacewhere saltwater from thePacific
Oceanmixeswith freshwater flowingdown from rivers and streams.
About 10,000 streamsflow intoPuget Sound. Thereare4.3million
peoplewho livearound theSound, andanaverageof 236people
movehereeveryday! Puget Sound ishome tomillionsof fishandother
creatures, like salmon, orca, sea stars, andeven the six-gill shark! As
peoplewho livenear Puget Sound, we relyon it toprovideuswith food
(like salmon, crabs, andoysters), places toplay (likebeaches, parks, and
forests), andplaces togo toworkand school.
Puget Soundneedsus too
Just asweneedPuget Sound, theSoundneeds us to take careof it too.
ThePuget Sound regionwasonce full of forests, wetlands, andgrasslands
that absorbedandbenefited from rainfall. Asour humanpopulationhas
grown, thosenatural landscapes havediminishedasweusemore land
for driveways, roads, and rooftops.
Thesehard surfaces areknownas
impervious since theydon’t letwater soak into the soil.
Polluted runoff is
water that “runs” across impervious surfaces andwashes into stormdrains
when it rains. Runoffpicks uppollutants andother garbageas itmoves
across the impervious surfaces. The runoff thenends up in thenearest
bodyof water - our streams, rivers, lakes - andeventually collects inPuget
Sound! Thepollutants are verydangerous for the fishandotherwildlife,
aswell as thepeople that dependon theSound for food, cleanwater,
recreation, and jobs.
How canyouuseengineeringdesign
process to transformyour community?
Can you findwhere you liveonamapof
Puget Sound?What is your favoriteplace
in the region? Is there something you
coulddo tomake it better?
Ask
What is theproblem?
What will success look like?
Imagine
Brainstorm!
Choosea solution.
Create
Make it! Try it out.
Improve
Make it better!
Plan
Draw it!Makea
materials list.
2
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER5, 2016 |
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