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Peer reviewed modules into STEM topics

Freshwater is the limiting factor for terrestrial life on earth, and as human populations have grown and expanded through the centuries, they have competed for access to clean water, sometimes leading to conflict. Here, readers will find a chronology of water conflicts compiled by Peter Gleick, co-founder and President Emeritus of the Pacific Institute, "a global water think tank that combines science-based thought leadership with active outreach to influence local, national, and international efforts in developing sustainable water policies." This chronology, which underwent a major revision in 2018, summarizes water conflicts (defined here as events including violence or threats of violence) dating as far back as 3000 BCE, including the year, region, conflict type, description, and information sources. Water conflicts are categorized based on the role water played in the event: triggers, where water was the root cause of the conflict; weapons, where water itself was a tool of violence; and casualties, where water resources or systems were "intentional or incidental casualties or targets of violence." As of this write-up, the chronology includes more than 650 water conflicts (with nearly 300 occurring since 2010), and it can be viewed as a table or interactive map, both of which can be filtered by date, region, and conflict type.

In many places, water for municipal and household use comes from underground aquifers. If the groundwater in such a place became contaminated, the consequences could easily affect entire cities or more. How does something like this happen? This classroom lab resource offered by Science Friday opens with a ten-minute video explaining one example of this very situation, which occurred in 2015 at the Gold King Mine in Colorado, and the efforts to mitigate it. The lesson provides an introduction to groundwater hydrology with helpful diagrams and a downloadable worksheet to check students' understanding. The most valuable part of this resource may be its detailed instructions for building reusable classroom groundwater models from easily obtained materials, as well as its accompanying instructions for using the models to simulate the contamination of an aquifer. This standards-aligned, hands-on activity was written with high school students in mind and is estimated to take two hours of class time. Downloadable handouts and data spreadsheets are included.

In 2015 and 2016, headlines throughout the United States were captured by a human-made water crisis in Flint, Michigan: a chain of events that resulted in the city's approximately 100,000 residents being exposed to dangerous levels of lead contamination in their tap water due to financial decisions made at the state level. In this 12-minute video from the popular SciShow series (featured in the 8-27-2014 Scout Report), host Hank Green provides a fast-paced yet approachable explanation of the complex chemistry that lay behind Flint's water crisis. The video begins with a short overview of the decisions that created the situation, then goes into a brief history of using lead pipes for water and the US regulations designed to safeguard the numerous places that still use lead pipes. However, the bulk of the video is devoted to the multi-layered chemical interactions that exacerbated the problems with Flint's water and the resulting negative public health effects.

Water frequently has a profound impact on how a city develops. This peer-reviewed virtual exhibition published by the Environment & Society Portal (featured in the 11-03-2017 Scout Report) explores the role that water played in the struggles experienced by Bogota, Colombia's capital, on its path to becoming a modern city. This exhibition features visuals such as historical photographs and maps, primary source documents, and interpretive essays that provide context for the reader. Organized into four chapters, The City's Currents "examines every day and gendered experiences of water, such as washing clothes or bathing, as well as urban infrastructural interventions including the domestication of rivers for water supply and wastewater disposal systems." This thoughtfully crafted exhibition is enjoyable for anyone curious about the history of water and urban life.