​Drinking Water: Protecting the Source 
FFA Source Water Protection curriculum

​At the request of the US EPA Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water, Elaine coordinated a revision and update of FFA Source Water Protection lessons. Drinking Water: Protecting the Source offers hands-on activities, supplemental web and community resources, assessments, and community stewardship strategies. Content includes the water cycle, drinking water basics, the watershed approach, and agricultural conservation practices to protect water quality. 

The project was initiated with an evaluation of K-12 water education materials that included topic areas related to drinking water sources. The report identifies youth curricula that meet source water education needs, and outlines gaps that could be filled through expansion of existing materials, or by creation of new source water education materials. 

Source Water Education Report [PDF]. 1999. Compiled by Cindy Jelenchick, outreach specialist, under the direction of Elaine Andrews. Funding was provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water. 

• Educators will find appendices useful in clarifying needs for developing curricula or in developing new curricula. Appendices include a bibliography of source water education materials and recommendations for what to include in a source water curriculum. Included in the report is A Source Water Education Assessment Worksheet, a tool to evaluate curriculum for coverage of source water topics; and a Source Water Education Assessment Example, which illustrates how the worksheet was completed and how the results were used to evaluate a national watershed curriculum. 

Based on study findings, and in collaboration with an US EPA Advisory Group, ERC staff reconfigured the draft FFA curriculum and activities to better align with source water education goals, available resources, and proven water education strategies. 

Lessons may be accessed via www.ffa.org/resources. To see educational materials, educators use the educator link in the navigation panel, and then link to “Classroom and laboratory instruction” for a list of resources. Educators must register, and then log in.

Lesson 1 – Water in your community: Where does it come from? Where does it go?
Lesson 2 – Water on and under the farm: Where does it come from and how is it used?
Lesson 3 – What is the source of my drinking water? Source Water!
Lesson 4 – What are the threats to water quality in agricultural areas?
Lesson 5 – What is the relationship between soil and drinking water quality?
Lesson 6 – Drinking water safety – Health concerns and testing
Lesson 7 – Drinking Water Treatment
Lesson 8 – Drinking Water Quality and Quantity Concerns On and Near the Farm
Lesson 9 – Who Protects Source Water?
Lesson 10 – How Does the Government Protect Public Water?
Lesson 11 – Land Use Decision Makers and Their Roles in Drinking Water Protection
Lesson 12 – From Field to Faucet: Introduction to Farm Conservation Practices
Lesson 13 – From Field to Faucet: Farm Conservation Plans and Source Water Protection
Lesson 14 – From Field to Faucet: Nutrient (N/P) Management and Source Water Protection
Lesson 15 – Water Protection in Rural Communities: Examples of Funding and Technical Assistance
Lesson 16 – Source Water Protection Downstream
Lesson 17 – Source Water Protection in Agricultural Communities: The Watershed Management Approach
Lesson 18 – Beyond the Watershed: Water Use and Conservation
Lesson 19 – Climate Change Impacts on Agricultural Water Resources
Lesson 20 – Stewardship