Review safety techniques prior to entering the field. Use extreme caution in rapidly moving water areas. Use a watch to record the time of an event. Determine stream flow by using a formula. Show students how to measure stream flow.
Streams are an essential part of all watershed systems.
A stream's flow is an important ecological factor that has great bearing on the way a stream will affect the surrounding area. If a stream is flowing slowly it cannot carry as heavy a sediment load and has less power to cut new channels. If a stream is flowing rapidly it has an opposite effect. For example, streams affect erosion of agricultural land. This helps determine or shape the human practices that are used to control stream flow erosion such as reprap, jetties, channeling, etc.