Clean Water (for teachers)

Join the Watershed Institute’s Science Director, Steve Tuorto, PhD., and his science staff to learn how rainwater mixes with nutrients, pesticides, fertilizers, and many other chemicals we use to create non-point source “people” pollution. This mixing of pollutants into stormwater runoff is the most serious threat to the future of clean drinking water and healthy river & stream ecosystems. Learn how our Science and Advocacy departments are working on projects that are paving the way for better laws and actions for managing rainwater to keep our watersheds healthy. Investigate the sources and mechanisms for non-point source pollution and devise solutions in a neighboring community.

• Visit various stream locations and measure the pollution levels to investigate the impacts of urbanization and stormwater management on water quality.
• Examine how managing rainwater in natural ways can help reduce pollution and flooding; visit places at the Watershed Institute and in the community that have implemented these solutions.
• Teachers will visit, assess, and design solutions to stormwater pollution using “green infrastructure” in the community as part of an ongoing Watershed research project funded by the NJDEP for stormwater pollution control.

About the Watershed Science Teacher Academy

The Watershed Science Teacher Academy is a research-based partnership with Princeton University which offers invaluable experience for educators teaching kindergarten through high school.

Learn from field-based experiments and data collection with scientists in environmental science and engineering to implement the Next Generation Science Standards into your curriculum.