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The Clean Water Act: A Policy Solution

Driving Question

Can we create sustainable urban design solutions that work with the natural water cycle?

Big Ideas

We all have a role to play in maintaining our health and the health of our waterways. Everything we do and everything we don’t do makes a difference.

 We can’t make new water so consider whose  role and responsibility it is to take care of the water we have, forever.

Summary

In response to the catastrophic environmental condition of our nation’s waterways during  the 1960’s, Congress established the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970 and passed the Clean Water Act in 1972.

Engage

Start a class discussion about who takes care of our shared resources using the prompt:

We all have unique and important roles and responsibilities to help maintain our public health and the health of our waterways

This is an opportunity to discuss the idea of regulation and policy, but, in addition to connect it to the public responsibility to get involved in protecting our shared resources.

Explore and Explain

Students may need a refresher on how a bill becomes a law. Slide 5 (hidden) in the Slide Deck has a link to a brief video if a review is needed.

Slide 6 (hidden) provides a link to a brief history of the Clean Water Act. Some of this information may be covered in the Saavas unit on the Clean Water Act.

In this activity (Slide 7) students review the three key pieces of legislation that set the regulations for drinking water.  The Safe Drinking Water Act and the Lead and Copper Rule are not covered in the unit material so this activity may be done as a jigsaw with students identifying key ideas and details from one of the three policies. Students can then analyze how the three policies work together to fill in gaps or modify/revise what was previously written.

Slide 8 provides a look into the Philadelphia Water Department drinking water quality process and report. It details how Philadelphia is responding to the policies and regulations established in the legislation.

The drinking water treatment process is covered in a bit more depth in the next Learning Activity: Drinking Water and You.

Elaborate

Slide 9 poses some guiding questions for looking at the water quality report.

Slide 10 provides some comparison data from Wilmington, DE and Reading, PA.

Students may analyze how data may be different, changing over time, and due to location/geography.

What are the factors that impact the contaminants in drinking water? How does location/geography, the watershed play a part in water quality.

Extension

Assign additional research on environmental legislation and regulation.

Ask student to write to their Congressional Representative to express your view about the EPA and environmental regulations.

Drinking Water and You

Teacher Support

Driving Question:

Can we create sustainable urban design solutions that work with the natural water cycle?

Guiding Questions:

Engage

What has already been done?

Explore and Explain

How did the Clean Water Act become Law?

Elaborate

What contribution do we want to make to ensure water quality in Philadelphia for ourselves and for future generations?

Students will be able to:

Identify the local, regional, and national events that influenced the policies that led up to the Clean Water Act.

Identify the different groups that have taken action to save our waterways since the 60’s and make a timeline of the significant people and institutions and their actions.

Describe how a bill becomes law, and how the regulations included in the law are implemented in Philadelphia.

Articulate and plan an action they can take to contribute to ensuring water quality in Philadelphia for ourselves and for future generations, in order to write and sign a pledge to do so.

BASIC TERMS
Act noun
A written ordinance of Congress, or another legislative body

Congress noun
A national legislative body of a country

Enforce verb
To compel observance of a law

Federal adjective
Relating to the central government of the United States (Washington D.C.)

Legislation
noun
Laws, considered collectively

Regulation noun
A rule or order issued by an executive authority or regulatory agency of a government and having the force of law.

ADVANCED TERMS
Interstate adjective
Existing or carried on between states

Legislative adjective
Having the powers to make laws

Identify the different types of people that have taken action to save our waterways since the 60’s and make a timeline of the significant people and institutions and their actions.

Describe how a bill becomes law, and how that law can be enforced in order to make the case (in writing or verbally) for the unique role that policy plays in improving our lives.

PA STEELS Standards

Environmental Literacy and Sustainability
3.4.9-12.C
Analyze and interpret how issues, trends, technologies, and policies impact watersheds and water resources.

3.4.9-12.D
Apply research and analytical skills to systematically investigate environmental issues ranging from local issues to those that are regional or global in scope.

Student Materials

Student Worksheet

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