Science links for grade 5 students.

Freshwater: Clean Water for Drinking and Agriculture

• EPA Water Cycle animation (by epa.gov – a review of the water cycle)
• Florida Water Cycle diagram (by Southwest Florida Water Management District)
• Florida’s Hidden Water Sources (by Southwest Florida Water Management District)
• We All Live in a Watershed (by Southwest Florida Water Management District)
• Florida Watersheds and River Basins and Tampa Bay Watershed (by protectingourwater.org)
• Is Your Watershed Healthy? (by state.fl.us)
• Gross or Good? (by state.fl.us)
• Is Your Yard Florida-Friendly? (by state.fl.us) * Essential: Know the 9 Florida-Friendly Landscaping Principals *
• Florida Toxic Slime: (TV ad on YouTube by Florida Water Coalition) Extra fertilizer that is not used by the plants in a lawn or garden will get into the groundwater and then into canals, rivers, and the ocean. Fertilizers and pollution from factories that get into the water can cause an increase in numbers of phytoplankton. We need phytoplankton to produce oxygen. If we pollute the water so phytoplankton die, we destroy an important source of oxygen, but too many phytoplankton is a problem also. Nature needs to be kept in a balance. Too many phytoplankton can release chemicals that kill fish and cause skin irritations for people. President Obama and our local Florida government need to know that we want our waters protected and clean.