Mariposa Lake Draining

Lake Mariposa had high levels of phosphorus and poor water quality, resulting in decreased species diversity. The video shows several images of the restoration project at the Mariposa Recreation Area.

Video

Jasper County

Iowa Core Standard

MS-LS2-4

Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence that changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect populations

Driving Question

Why would a lake need to be drained?

Probing Questions

How does sediment enter a lake?
Why is sediment so bad for water quality?
How does poor water quality affect the organisms that live in the water?

Classroom Suggestions

Students could:

Investigate what happens when substances are added to aquatic ecosystems.
Research watersheds and the effect of fertilizers and other pollutants on aquatic systems.

Resources

Jasper County Conservation | Drone Footage of Restoration: Jasper County Conservation drone footage and explanation of the restoration project.
Ferguson Foundation | Crumpled Paper Watershed Lesson Plan: Lesson plan on how to do a watershed model in your classroom.
PBS LearningMedia | What is a Watershed?: This video explains watersheds
Science Buddies | Too Much of a Good Thing?: Lab instructions testing the different concentrations of fertilizers on aquatic ecosystems.
Science News for Students | Fighting Big Farm Pollution: This could be used as an extension or after the entire unit is over. It is an interesting article about a teen scientist who developed a way to fight fertilizer pollution.
Fullerton College ( W. Sean Chamberlin PhD) | Algae in a Bottle Experiment: Another algae experiment, a little more focused on photosynthesis, but could be altered to test for the effects of fertilizer.
Purdue University Extension Discovering the Watershed Lesson to help students understand human impact on watersheds and how they affect water quality and indicator species.
Maryland DNR | Lake Waterford Fish Kill Activity: Article and activity where students can relate water quality to changes in fish population.

Contributors

Photos courtesy of Jasper County Conservation & Google Maps.

Submitted by Sammie Hofmann.