Fourth grade students of Teresa Button’s class at Caston Elementary created a watershed to learn how various pollutants travel with water from their sources. Photo provided by Fulton County SWCD.

News Release

FULTON — Megan Malott with Fulton County Soil & Water Conservation District worked with fourth grade science students of Teresa Button at Caston Elementary School May 10 in a watershed education program, focusing on water quality.

Malott instructed the students using a watershed demonstration to explore how various pollutants travel with water from its original source.

The demonstration includes building a basic “topography” on a table to represent landforms. Cards were distributed to students representing a community, such as farm, golf course or business district. The students then created their community by placing the cards on the topography.

Pollutants were represented adding a variety of food products to the model and then rain was simulated with a water can. Sponges were used to represent wetlands and buffer strips.

Students, as a group, discussed how pollutants including animal waste on a farm can be carried by water downhill into areas such as streams and parking lots. Leah Walthery, Cass County Soil & Water, then discussed with the class ways to prevent this from happening. One way is with filter strips.

Fulton County SWCD and Cass County SWCD joined forces in presenting the program. Supplies for the demonstration was donated by Logansport Home Depot.

For more pictures and videos of the event, visit facebook.com/FultonCountySWCD.