Waterful, Florida

In the old days, settlers sought the most beautiful and convenient places to build their towns. This was when the number of people living in Florida was few and the water was plentiful.

After the initial settlers, many more people moved to Florida, causing the environment to change. Today people continue moving here and the water resources are showing signs of stress.

Imagine establishing a new town in the 1990s. Think of all the factors that must be considered. Can a new town bring in thousands of new residents without harming the environment?

Finding a balance between making room for all the people who want to live in Florida and preserving the environment is the goal of this activity. In it, your students will create plans to build a new town - Waterful, Florida. In creating their plans, the students will weigh the economic and environmental consequences of building the new town. The students will apply their personal values while forming their plans. The Southwest Florida Water Management District assists city and county planners in 16 west central Florida counties in making decisions about growth and the protection of water resources.

Learning goals

• To apply personal values to problem solving in a small group setting
• To learn about balancing the needs of people and the preservation of the environment and water resources

Subjects

• Language Arts
• Science
• Social Studies

Materials

• photocopies of Waterful map, class set
• photocopies of student activity page, class set
• butcher paper

Sunshine State Standards

Language Arts: Reading, LA.A.1.3; Listening and Viewing, LA.C.1.3, LA.C.2.3, LA.C.3.3; Language, LA.D.2.3.  Science: How Living Things Interact with Their Environment, SC.G.2.3; the Nature of Science, SC.H.1.3, SC.H.2.3. Social Studies: Time, Continuity, and Change, SS.A.4.3; People, Places, and Environments [Geography], SS.B.1.3, SS.B.2.3, Economics: SS.D.1.3

Activity

In small groups, discuss the various design considerations of building a new town along the Gulf Coast in what is now a wilderness area. The new town will be called Waterful. As your group reaches agreement on design issues, draw the town's layout on the map provided to you - or draw your own on a sheet of butcher paper. When you are finished, present your design to the rest of the class, explaining the reasoning behind the decisions you made.

Extension

Who Gets the Water?, a new middle-school curriculum available from the Southwest Florida Water Management District, features a number of student activities based upon balancing economic and environmental concerns. The curriculum is available through teacher workshops. See the teacher workshop flyer included in the Splash! packet.

Problem

According to estimates, the population of west central Florida will grow by roughly 30 percent between 1996 and 2020. With water already scarce in many of the counties within the Southwest Florida Water Management District, solutions are needed to accommodate future residents, the water needs of people and the preservation of the environment.

Solution

In this activity, you will weigh the feasibility of building a new city in an imaginary coastal wilderness area.

• Will building a new city accommodate population growth?
• Will building a new city meet the water needs of everyone living in the area?
• Will building a new city bring more harm than benefit to the water and other natural resources of the area?
• Can you think of other solutions to this problem?#

Design features

• Roadways
• Bridges
• Housing subdivisions/Apartment complexes
• Business/Shopping Districts
• Parks
• Schools/City Hall/Fire/Police

Environmental Considerations

Where will the town's supply of drinking water come from? Building wellfields to draw the ground water from the underground aquifers is one option. But since Waterful is located near the Gulf, there is a chance that if the wellfields draw too much water that the ground water could become contaminated with salt water.

You may also choose to build a water treatment plant to draw water from the Waterful River in order to supply the town drinking water. Likewise, a possibility exists that if too much water from the river is withdrawn, it could harm fish and ecosystems that depend on the river.

A more costly option is to build a seawater desalination plant that will draw upon the vast water resources of the Gulf. This is potentially the most environmentally safe option, but also the most expensive.

Birds and wildlife need long, uninterrupted stretches of wilderness called greenways in order to migrate. Birds follow greenways while migrating between northern and southern climates. Other animals, like bears, will pass through greenways in search of food. Can you find ways to keep some greenways for the movement of animals in your town? (Hint: some cities are building tunnels under roadways for animals to pass through. What are the pros and cons of building tunnels?)

Automobiles are the number one cause of bear deaths in Florida. The Waterful area has one of the last remaining black bear populations in the region. Can you find ways to make your roads safe for bear crossings?

Certain dangers exist in the area. Heavy rains and potential hurricanes can destroy homes - particularly the ones nearest water. One of the primary reasons no one ever settled in the Waterful area is the heavy flooding the area receives.

Recently, however, researchers have found that wetlands slow floodwaters and help prevent damage to homes and businesses. The more wetlands an area has, the less chance it has of severe flooding. Is it possible to design a town without disrupting its wetlands?

The law protects mangrove swamps from development. Mangroves are trees with roots showing above water. Mangrove swamps form along some of Waterful's salty shores. Every year the mangrove trees lose their leaves, which becomes food for small creatures. These creatures then become food for manatees and other animals. Can you find ways to provide people access to the coast while protecting the mangroves?

Economic Considerations

What are factors that will encourage people to move to Waterful? What will support the town's economy? Tourism? Factories? Farming? Recreational attractions? Affordable housing?

Highways will allow people better access to the town. The better the roadways, the more freely people will be able to travel. Good roads and access will bring more business into the area. Where can you place roadways that will best suit the town?

People enjoy living near water and will pay more for homes near lakes, rivers and the coast. Opening these areas to development will assure that people will want to move to Waterful. Which of the areas in Waterful do you believe are best suited for housing?

No Name Island could become one of the most popular beaches on the Gulf coast - if it is developed. Developing a beachfront with roads, restaurants and hotels will bring business, jobs and people to the area. Would developing No Name Island be in the best interest of the town?

One reason people may wish to live in Waterful is the natural environment that surrounds the town. Since all the homes in the town will be new, do you think that building Earth friendly homes would attract people to Waterful? These homes would feature recycled building materials, solar panels to provide hot water and cisterns that would collect rain water for use in the toilets and laundry room. Do you believe these are the kinds of homes Floridians want to buy?

Explain your answer.