Part of the Understanding Our Environment project that is designed to engage students in investigating specific environmental problems through concrete activities and direct experience, this unit uses an in-depth study of a local stream or river to raise questions about the nature, sources, and uses of water. Students begin by identifying the course and uses of a local body of water and building a relief model of the course of water, and conclude with a field study that includes sampling and water quality testing. The objectives are: understanding the role of the water cycle; understanding the importance of water in our lives and the role water plays in supporting all living things; considering the impact of human activities on local waterways, local and global sources of water, and the water cycle; appreciating how people depend on a supply of fresh water; identifying sources and effects of water pollution; creating models of the water cycle, the course of a waterway, and a pond-water environment; collecting and analyzing data on water use and quality; studying and surveying a local waterway to determine its importance to people and other living things and its role in the environment; and acquiring field skills and knowledge students can apply to designing a follow-up cooperative project on water quality. (JRH)