Tuesday, November 01, 2011
10:55 AM
Reflection 
1.  Make a drawing showing where you think water out of your faucet comes from?
Think first!
Be like a scientist and think before you leap into the field or crack open a book.   If you stop to think about it, you probably know more than you think.  So put all the minds in your group together, think about the question and then draw a picture. 
Starting with a glass of tap water and going backwards in steps , decide where you think water comes from.  The glass of water is filled with water that is safe to drink from the tap.  Where does the pipe go?  Hint:  Go all the way back to the sea.   Draw your picture below.
2.  How much rain can we expect every year in San Diego?
People have been keeping records of monthly rainfall totals near downtown San Diego for over x years.  The information collected over time is summarized in this interactive graph.
Click on the graph ► 
a.
Making sure you are reading the graph correctly
Set the graph to look at rainfall in the "calendar view".
Look at the monthly rain fall for 1922.
How many inches of rainfall fell in December?
Answer:
b.
Making sure you are reading the graph correctly
How many total inches of rain fell in 1922?
Answer:
c.
Analyzing data
Was 1922 a year of particularly high rainfall?
You will need to explore data for other years  to make a comparison.
Answer:
d.
Name the months that usually receive little or no rain?
Remarkably, native plants in our region are accustomed to this situation. 
Answer:
e.
What is the average amount of rain we can expect each year?
Like native plants and Native Americans, if we lived on natural supplies of water, this is what we would have to live on each year.  
Local history
"Old Mission Dam, whose associated aqueduct and flume extended about 5 miles to the Mission of San Diego de Alcalá, was one of the first major irrigation engineering projects on the Pacific coast of the United States. It impounded water from the San Diego River, and for much of the year provided an assured supply, which was released as needed for agricultural and domestic purposes."
 - Excerpt from the National Park Service
Pasted from <[link]> 
Place to see
Old Mission Dam at Mission Trails Park

Mural of Old Mission Dam that was produced by WPA for Roosevelt Junior High School (now moved to Balboa Park)
Answer:
f.
Expert challenge
Scientists who study water resources usually discuss California rainfall by "water year" instead of "calendar year".  Why?
The "calendar year" runs from January through December.
The "water year" in California runs from October through September.
The year assigned to a water year is the year in which it ends.