Water-Earth Dynamics, Challenge 3: Groundwater - Knowing What You've Got Before It's Gone

You are part of a team of four young filmmakers who are participating in the annual Austin School of Film/SXSW Film 24-hour film competition.  You have only 24 hours to script, shoot, and edit a 15-minute short film according to a set of guidelines.  This year, the genre is documentary films and the topic, "Texas Groundwater - Knowing What We've Got Before It's Gone."

Your challenge is to create an educational video that compares the Ogallala Aquifer with the Edwards (Balcones Fault Zone) Aquifer, in terms of (1) geology and hydrologic regime (flow, recharge and discharge, depletion rates, groundwater/surface-flow interactions, and water quality); (2) illustrates how these factors influence the aquifer's susceptibility to contamination and groundwater withdrawal; and (3) provides information about the monitoring systems in place for each aquifer, as well as remediation policies, and the future of each aquifer.

Products

A. Your script must include at least 10 vocabulary words; discuss geohydrology, water quality, groundwater withdrawal and use, monitoring systems, and contamination remediation policies; and discuss the future of each aquifer.

B. Your film may include scenes of the landscape and the geology and interviews with experts and water users, as well as maps, animations, and cartoons to illustrate the following:

1. The geology and hydrologic regime (flow, recharge and discharge, depletion rates, groundwater/surface-flow interactions, and water quality) of each aquifer.
2. The relationship between geology and hydrologic regime and each aquifer?s susceptibility to contamination and groundwater withdrawal.
3. The monitoring systems and remediation policies in place for each aquifer, as well as the future of each aquifer.

Rubric

Printable version of the Rubric