Where Does Your Drinking Water Come From?

Transcription

1 Where Does Your Drinking Water Come From? INTRODUCTION In this lesson, students will first learn about surface and ground water sources for drinking water. Then, they will learn about the processes and procedures of a water treatment center either by taking a fieldtrip to a treatment plant or by conducting online research via websites such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Geological Survey s Water Science for Schools. Students will learn where their drinking water comes from, how the water gets to the treatment center, what is done to treat the water and where the water goes once it leaves the treatment center. Many of these steps require energy; students will learn in more detail how much energy is used to transport and treat the water that comes out of the tap and later present what they have learned to others. LESSON OVERVIEW Grade Level and Subject: Grades 5 8; Science and English Length: Three class periods (plus fieldtrip and presentation time) Objectives: After completing this lesson, students will be able to: Identify the source of their drinking water and how it is transported to the water treatment facility. Explain how drinking water is treated and what energy is required in this process. Describe where the water goes after treatment and the amount of energy required to transport it to homes and businesses. Present their new knowledge and understanding to others. National Science Standards Addressed: This lesson addresses the following National Science Education Standards from the National Academies of Science: Content Standard: NS SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY As a result of their activities in grades 5-8, all students should develop an understanding of: Abilities of technological design Understandings about science and technology Content Standard: NS PERSONAL AND SOCIAL PERSPECTIVES As a result of their activities in grades 5-8, all students should develop understanding of: Personal health Populations, resources, and environments

2 Natural hazards Risks and benefits Science and technology in society This lesson addresses the following National Education Standards from the National Council of Teachers of English: Content Standard: NL-ENG.K-12.4 COMMUNICATION SKILLS Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes. Content Standard: NL-ENG.K-12.5 COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes. Materials Needed: Reproducible #1 Sources of Drinking Water Reproducible #2 Sources of Drinking Water ANSWER KEY Reproducible #3 Preparation for the Water Treatment Facility Fieldtrip/Interview Reproducible #4 Preparation for the Water Treatment Facility Fieldtrip/Interview Teacher Guide Reproducible #5 Preparation for Water Treatment Facility Research Reproducible #6 Preparation for Water Treatment Facility Research Teacher Guide Transportation for a class fieldtrip Computers with internet access Technology and materials for class presentations Assessment: Students will be assessed through the following activities: Completion of Reproducible #1 Sources of Drinking Water. Participation in planning interview or research questions and the completion of Reproducible #3 Preparation for the Water Treatment Facility Fieldtrip or Reproducible #5 Water Treatment Facility Research. Participation in the fieldtrip, interview or research in Activity Three or Activity Three (Alternate). Participation in the planning and presenting of information to a chosen audience.

3 LESSON BACKGROUND Relevant Vocabulary: Aqueduct: a conduit for water; a structure or hollow that transports water; often from a remote source and usually by gravity. 1 Aquifer: an underground layer of water-bearing permeable rock or unconsolidated materials (gravel, sand, silt, or clay) from which groundwater can be usefully extracted using a water well. Embedded Energy: also known as Cumulative Energy Demand, represents the sum of all the energy inputs into a product system, from all stages of the life cycle (for example, extraction of materials, processing, transportation, manufacture, etc). 2. Ground water: the water beneath the surface of the ground, consisting largely of surface water that has seeped down; the source of water in springs and wells. 3 Micro-Filtration or Ultra-Filtration: a purification process that helps to remove any suspended solids in water. 4 Ozonation: a purification process that helps to kill bacteria and other micro-organisms. 5 Precipitation: water that falls to the ground in solid or liquid form: snow, rain, sleet, hail. 6 Reservoir: a large store of a substance; an artificial lake or holding area where water is collected and kept in quantity for later use. 7 Reverse Osmosis: a purification process that helps to remove some chemicals and heavy metals from water. 8 Runoff: a surplus of rain, melted snow, or other precipitation that exceeds the capacity of seepage or drainage and flows over the surface the land. 9 Surface water: all water naturally open to the atmosphere (including rivers, lakes, reservoirs, ponds, streams, impoundments, seas, and estuaries). 10 Sustainability: development, processes or practices that meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. 11 Ultraviolet Radiation: a water purification process that helps to kill bacteria and other micro-organisms Aqueduct, Merriam-Webster. Retrrived 10 March 2010 from 2 Greening the Building Lifecycle, Department of the Environment and Heritage. Retrieved 10 March 2010 from 3 Groundwater, Dictionary.com. Retrieved 10 March 2010 from 4 Micro- Filtration. Gleick, P.H. and Cooley, H.S. (2009). Energy Implications of Bottled Water. IOP Publishing ltd. UK. P.5. 5 Ozonation. Gleick, P.H. and Cooley, H.S. (2009). Energy Implications of Bottled Water. IOP Publishing ltd. UK. P.5. 6 Precipitation, Extreme Science. Retrived 10 March 2010 from Reverse Osmosis. Gleick, P.H. and Cooley, H.S. (2009). Energy Implications of Bottled Water. IOP Publishing ltd. UK. P.5. 9 Runoff, WordNet Princeton. Retrieved 10 March 2010 from 10 Glossary, Wai anae Ecological Characterization. Retrieved 10 March 2010 from 11 Barnaby, Frank. Our Common Future: The Brundtland Commission Report. Allen Press on behalf of Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Retrieved 28 January 2010 from

4 Water table: underground zone below which the ground is wholly saturated and above which the ground is not fully saturated. 13 Water treatment: the removal of solids and other contaminants to make water drinkable. 14 Well: a supply of water from the Earth; a hole or shaft in the ground dug or drilled to obtain water stored in an underground water supply. 15 Information: Many people understand that water is a limited and precious resource that we should conserve and use wisely. Likewise, many know that fossil fuels are also limited non-renewable resources and their combustion releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, contributing to global climate change. Few people, however, realize how inextricably these two concepts are linked. A substantial amount of energy is required to treat and transport drinking water to people s homes. Energy is sometimes used to pump water from its source to the water treatment plant. The process of removing contaminants from the water during the treatment process uses more energy. Often the greatest amount of energy is used in the process of pumping purified water from the water treatment plants to storage reservoirs and then to people s homes and businesses. The Army Corps of Engineers runs the Washington Aqueduct in Washington, D.C. Three percent of their total energy costs are used to get water from the river source to the treatment center, 23% is used for water treatment, and 74% is dedicated to pumping water to reservoirs. 16 Even after the water reaches our homes, additional energy is used to heat the water that comes out of our faucets. What this means is that every time we turn on the tap, water AND energy are being used. For every gallon of tap water that flows, a certain amount of energy was used to treat, heat and transport it to us. This is what is referred to by the term embedded energy in water. We pay for the use of drinking water, but don t realize that a significant part of the economic and environmental cost is related to the energy used to produce it. In summary, saving water also saves energy, thus releasing fewer carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere. A growing population in the United States and worldwide will increase the demand for clean water (an already limited resource in many places), which will require the use of more energy to produce it. As long as our energy sources are primarily fossil fuels such as oil, coal and gas (also limited resources), the more turning on the tap will contribute to global climate change. 12 Ultra Violet Radiation. Gleick, P.H. and Cooley, H.S. (2009). Energy Implications of Bottled Water. IOP Publishing ltd. UK. P Water Table, Dictionary, Biology Online. Retrieved 10 March 2010 from 14 Water Treatment, WordNet Princeton, Retrieved 10 march 2010 from Data supplied by Vikas Singhal, Manager of Budget and Finance at the Army Corps of Engineers Washington Aqueduct. February 3, 2010.

5 Resources: Water Science for Schools, U.S. Geological Survey, Sources of Drinking Water, Excel Water Technologies, Ground Water & Drinking Water FAQs, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Local Drinking Water Information, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Drinking and Groundwater Statistics, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Drinking Water Resources, Frequently Asked Questions about Water, New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, Aquifers, Water Science for Schools, U.S. Geological Survey, Washington, D.C. Drinking Water, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Standards and Risk Management, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Watershed Assessment, Tracking & Environmental Results, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Water Cycle, New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, Instructor Preparation: 1. Before beginning this lesson, identify your local water treatment facility. Also, you might find the following U.S. Environmental Protection Agency site on local drinking water helpful: Call your local facility and arrange for a class fieldtrip. Explain that your students will have prepared questions and they want to find out specific information about the following: the source of the drinking water (the name of the stream, river, lake or aquifer). how far away the intake is located and how long the aqueduct is, if applicable, or how deep the water is when it is pumped to the surface. how and where the water is stored before it is pumped to homes and businesses. the energy used to pump the water from its source to the treatment facility, the energy used to treat the water, and the energy used to pump the water to reservoirs and homes and businesses. how the treatment center works (what they remove from the water and how, and what they are unable to remove). You may want to find out if there is a particular person who could help your group find answers to the topics above and ask if that person would be available for your tour. Ask if there are any safety precautions or guidelines your students will need to know in advance, and be sure to ask whether

6 students are allowed to take photographs. For security reasons, some water treatment centers do not allow photos. Note: If this trip is not possible for your class, the fieldtrip can be substituted with an interview with someone at your local water treatment plant via , phone, webcam, skype, or other method of communication. A representative from the water treatment facility visit could also be invited to visit the classroom. Otherwise, students may conduct their own research with a thorough examination of online resources such as Water Science for Schools, by the U.S. Geological Survey, found at and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Ground Water and Drinking Water, found at In this case, replace Activity Three with Activity Three (Alternate). 2. After the students participate in the fieldtrip, interviews and/or research, they will be sharing this information with others, through a school assembly, poster displays, presentations to younger students or community members, student announcements, website, podcast, or other medium. It is helpful to present students with realistic options and/or have this organized in advance. Be sure students have audience(s), venue(s), and any necessary technology in mind so they can focus on information, solutions and presentation relevant to that audience. LESSON STEPS Warm-up: Do You Know Where Your Tap Water Comes From? 1. Ask your students if they know where the water comes from when they turn on the tap at school or at home. 2. After hearing their ideas, tell them that in this lesson they will be learning exactly where the water comes from that they use to drink, shower, cook, water plants and lawns, and to do laundry. Then, ask your students if they think it is important for people to know the source of their water. Explain that this is a question that you want them to think about as they go through the lesson. After the final activity, you will ask them to respond to this question. Activity One: Sources of Drinking Water 1. Pass out copies of Reproducible #1 Sources of Drinking Water. Ask students to read the text, examine the diagrams, and answer the questions. They can work individually or in small groups. Small groups will allow students to work together and to share ideas, especially for the last three questions. 2. When finished, use Reproducible #2 Sources of Drinking Water ANSWER KEY to review the answers as a class, being sure that students know the difference between ground and surface sources of water.

7 3. Emphasize that all of the substances that people wash down drains, leave on streets to be washed away in storms, or discharge through pipes end up in the very water that we drink and use. Activity Two: Preparation for a Fieldtrip to Your Local Water Treatment Facility This activity focuses on preparation for a class fieldtrip to a water treatment plant, an interview with a water treatment facility worker, and/or student research of water treatment facilities and other related issues. Note: If this trip is not possible for your class, the fieldtrip can be substituted with an interview with someone at your local water treatment plant via , phone, skype, or other communication. Otherwise, students may conduct a thorough examination of online resources such as Water Science for Schools, by the U.S. Geological Survey, found at and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency s Ground Water and Drinking Water, found at In place of interview questions, your students will be using Reproducible #5 Water Treatment Facility Research to come up with questions they would like to answer during Activity Three (Alternate): Researching Your Water Treatment Facility. 1. Explain to your students that they will be taking a fieldtrip to and/or researching their local water treatment facility (or studying the inner workings of a water treatment plant). This facility is responsible for obtaining fresh water, removing contaminants, meeting drinking water standards, and getting the water to homes and businesses. As the students visit the facility, speak with a plant representative, and/or conduct research, they will have an opportunity to ask questions. Let them know you would like them to prepare a set of questions beforehand. 2. Pass out copies of Reproducible #3 Preparation for the Water Treatment Facility Fieldtrip or Reproducible #5 Preparation for Water Treatment Facility Research. Either as a homework assignment or in small groups during class, ask students to use the worksheet to develop and record questions they would like to ask when they visit the water treatment center, conduct their interview and/or perform research. Have them keep in mind that in an interview, questions that require specific details are often better than questions that elicit very general responses. 3. Use Reproducible #4 Preparation for the Water Treatment Facility Fieldtrip/Interview Teacher Guide or Reproducible #6 Preparation for Water Treatment Facility Research Teacher Guide to help elicit possible interview questions or research topics from the students. 4. As a class, discuss their ideas and produce a list of questions for the fieldtrip, interview and/or research. Have the class prioritize the questions in case there is not enough time to get answers to all of them. Activity Three: Take a Fieldtrip to Your Local Water Treatment Facility

8 This activity focuses on preparation for a class fieldtrip to a water treatment plant. If this trip is not possible for your class, the fieldtrip can be substituted with an interview with someone at your local water treatment plant via , phone, skype, or other communication. 1. Prepare your class for the fieldtrip. Tell students that many people do not think about where their water comes from and what it takes to get clean water to their homes. They simply turn on the tap and, like magic, the water appears! After this visit, students will be able to share what they learn with others. 2. Explain to students the expectations for their behavior and review any security requirements that may have been provided by your facility contact. Make sure to provide adequate timing and account for any necessary permission forms. 3. Revisit student-developed research topics from Reproducible #3 Preparation for Water Treatment Facility Fieldtrip/Interview. Organize and prepare students so they know who will ask questions, and who will take notes or photographs, if allowed. (It may be that your class is allowed to take photos of some parts of the process, but not others. Remind students that they should always ask for permission to take a photo before doing so.) 4. Let students know that they will be sharing this information with others, so they should focus on information relevant to that audience, as well as solutions or actions they can take. 5. On the fieldtrip, be sure to get a contact name and address so a thank you note can be sent. You may also want to ask if there is an address to which students could ask any additional questions that are raised once they get back to school. Activity Three (Alternate): Researching Your Water Treatment Facility If the fieldtrip or interview is not possible for your class, students may instead conduct a thorough examination of online resources to learn about their local watershed, water treatment facility, and other information. 1. Revisit student-developed research topics from Reproducible #5 Water Treatment Facility Research. Students should conduct research based on the questions they prepared ahead of time. 2. Have students visit websites such as: Ground Water & Drinking Water FAQs, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, o This is a great place to start for answering Frequently Asked Questions on groundwater and drinking water. For more information on your drinking water you can also visit their question and answer database on this site or call the EPA's Safe Drinking Water Hotline at Water Science for Schools, U.S. Geological Survey,

9 o This site includes a step-by-step guide describing what happens at each stage of the water treatment process and how pollutants are removed to help keep our waterways clean. Local Drinking Water Information, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, o This site allows you to find data and contact information for your state drinking water program. Standards and Risk Management, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, o Here you can find information on contamination and regulation of drinking water. Watershed Assessment, Tracking & Environmental Results, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, o This site unites water quality information from several independent and unconnected databases. 3. Let students know that they will be sharing this information with others, so they should focus on information relevant to that audience, as well as solutions or actions they can take. Activity Four: Teach Others What You Learned 1. Explain to your students that many people do not know the source of their tap water, what is done to treat it, and how much energy it takes to deliver it to their homes and businesses. You would like them to share what they have learned with others, with the goal of educating others and demonstrating specific actions they can take to make their actions more sustainable. 2. Engage your class in a discussion about the audience they would like to address. This could include another class or grade, the school community, parents, the larger community or another school. 3. Once the audience is selected, decide what specific information would be most important to share with that audience. What should they learn that they probably do not know? What actions can they take that will actually have an impact? You could provide these questions as a homework assignment and before following up with a class discussion. List the student ideas on the board and have the class prioritize the information that should be shared. 4. Be sure students focus on presenting information as well as actions, how-to s or suggestions for their audience to use this new information constructively. For example, if students discovered that the most common form of solid pollution in their watershed is plastic bags, they can encourage their audience to use reusable shopping bags. If students discovered that there is a water shortage in their area, they can instruct the audience on relevant water conservation practices. 5. Discuss the best media for addressing this information with this audience. For example, creating a presentation or video might be most effective when showing to other classes or to the whole school during an assembly. A podcast or website might help to reach a different

10 audience. Exhibit stations with students answering questions and a class oral presentation might be best for a parent audience that comes to school for the presentation. A welldesigned pamphlet might work best to deliver the message to parents and community members at home. Allow students to discuss their ideas and rationale, and work toward a class decision. 6. Students should work in small groups to create their presentation or display. Each group could address a different audience. 7. Provide class time to help students get organized and explain the timeline and expectations of the project. If the class is working in groups, allow time for rehearsals or class presentations, having students critique each other s work before the final presentation or publication. Wrap Up: Celebrate the Class Project and Share their Experiences 1. Once the class s presentation project(s) are completed, find a simple way to celebrate and acknowledge the work of the students. (Perhaps juice and snacks could be provided.) 2. Gather in a circle to allow students to share their experiences. Discuss as a class or have each group could address these questions. a. If there was one single class project, what went well? b. What would they do to improve their project and its impact if they were to do it again? Why or why not? 3. Finally, ask students to share the following: What they learned that had the most impact on them and why? What they learned that most surprised them? What solutions did they learn about that would have the biggest impact on water and energy issues in the area? What actions they are willing to take in their own lives to address what they have learned? 4. Consider writing a class pledge about sustainable actions and behaviors students (and teachers) will commit to based on their new knowledge. Extension: Tap Water versus Bottled Water? 1. Based on their new knowledge about the water in their area, ask students to share their opinions of the safety and cleanliness of tap water. Have them consider which water they consider safer to drink tap water or bottled water and why. Have them consider what they learned on their fieldtrip about how their water is cleaned and regulated. Do these same standards apply to bottled water? Students could do additional research on the internet to further inform their position. Ask each student to explain their opinion and why verbally or

11 in writing. Consider holding a class debate so they can share their views with their classmates. 2. Depending on the audience and success of the students presentation projects, consider extending the message out to the community to raise awareness and involvement in the issue of water quality. Create Public Service Announcements, flyers, posters, etc. Organize a service project committed to a water-related issue such as watershed clean-ups or storm drain marking. CONCLUSION In this lesson, students learned about various sources of drinking water. Through a fieldtrip to a local water treatment facility or online research, they learned where their tap water comes from, how it is treated, and how much energy is used to treat and transport it to their homes. Finally, students shared what they learned with a new audience, including suggestions about what people can do to make the use of water and energy more sustainable. LESSON PLAN CREDITS Margaret Pennock Author Curricula Writer, Middle School Science Teacher, Sidwell Friends School David Wood Author Curricula Writer, 8 th Grade Science Teacher, Sidwell Friends School Brenna Holzhauer Author, Editor Education Manager,

12 Sources of Drinking Water Directions: Read the text below and examine the diagrams before answering the questions. The drinking water that comes out of your tap either came from a surface source of water such as a lake, stream or river, or from a ground source of water such as an aquifer. Surface Water Sources Rain and melted snow flow over the Earth s surface as runoff. This water can flow into streams, rivers and lakes. People also build human-made lakes, called reservoirs, by damming rivers or excavating pits for storing runoff. Water treatment facilities pump the water from these surface water sources through aqueducts to the treatment center where the water is treated for contaminants before going to homes and businesses. Aqueducts are conduits for water; usually involving a

13 structure or hollow that transports water. Large cities tend to rely on surface sources of water. About 66% of Americans get their tap water from surface sources. 17 Ground Water Sources The ground beneath our feet actually can store water. Some runoff from rain and snow is absorbed into the soil and can move down into rocks. It may be difficult to imagine, but there are spaces between rock particles through which water can flow. Rocks that are saturated with water (those that have all of the spaces between rock particles filled with water) are illustrated in blue below. The upper boundary of this saturated zone is called the water table. Above the water table, the ground contains water but is not completely saturated. This unsaturated area is illustrated in gray. There is some moisture in this zone, because this is where plant roots receive their water. Some rock types are more porous than others. Highly permeable rocks hold more water and water can move more quickly through them as much as several meters a day. Less permeable rocks may contain water that moves only a few centimeters a day http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/earthgwaquifer.html.

14 People can access this ground water through natural springs (places where ground water is exposed at the earth s surface) and by pumping water up from the saturated zone, which is also known as an aquifer. Ground water serves mostly small towns and rural areas in the United States. Approximately 35% of Americans get their tap water from ground water sources, including 10-20% that has a private well for obtaining water

15 Questions about Sources of Drinking Water Name: 1. List at least three sources of surface water for drinking. 3. What are two ways in which humans construct storage places for surface water? 3. Which type of communities tend to use surface water for drinking? 4. How does ground water get into the ground? 5. Do you think that the water table remains stationary or do you think the level of the water table fluctuates? Explain your answer. Consider natural and human factors in your answer. 6. How does your knowledge about where our drinking water comes from change your thinking about our human behavior? Use specific examples.

16 Sources of Drinking Water ANSWER KEY Directions: Read the text below and examine the diagrams before answering the questions. The drinking water that comes out of your tap either came from a surface source of water such as a lake, stream or river, or from a ground source of water such as an aquifer. Surface Water Sources Rain and melted snow flow over the Earth s surface as runoff. This water can flow into streams, rivers and lakes. People also build human-made lakes, called reservoirs, by damming rivers or excavating pits for storing runoff. Water treatment facilities pump the water from these surface water sources through aqueducts to the treatment center where the water is treated for contaminants before going to homes and businesses. Aqueducts are conduits for water; usually involving a

17 structure or hollow that transports water. Large cities tend to rely on surface sources of water. About 66% of Americans get their tap water from surface sources. 20 Ground Water Sources The ground beneath our feet actually can store water. Some runoff from rain and snow is absorbed into the soil and can move down into rocks. It may be difficult to imagine, but there are spaces between rock particles through which water can flow. Rocks that are saturated with water (those that have all of the spaces between rock particles filled with water) are illustrated in blue below. The upper boundary of this saturated zone is called the water table. Above the water table, the ground contains water but is not completely saturated. This unsaturated area is illustrated in gray. There is some water in this zone, because this is where plant roots receive their water. Some rock types are more porous than others. Highly permeable rocks hold more water and water can move more quickly through them, as much as several meters a day. Less permeable rocks may contain water that moves only a few centimeters a day http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/earthgwaquifer.html.

18 People can access this ground water through natural springs (places where ground water is exposed at the earth s surface) and by pumping water up from the saturated zone, which is also known as an aquifer. Ground water serves mostly small towns and rural areas in the United States. Approximately 35% of Americans get their tap water from ground water sources, including 10-20% that have a private well for obtaining water

19 Questions 1. List at least three sources of surface water for drinking. Streams, rivers, lakes and reservoirs. 2. What are two ways in which humans construct storage places for surface water? 1. Building dams to dam rivers. The lake behind the dam can be used to collect and store drinking water. 2. People also use large equipment to excavate human-built lakes, called reservoirs, which act as storage areas for water. 7. Which type of communities tend to use surface water for drinking? Large urban areas. 8. How does ground water get into the ground? Through rain and snow melt absorbing into the soil and seeping or percolating down through the ground. 9. Do you think that the water table remains stationary or do you think the level of the water table fluctuates? Explain your answer. Consider natural and human factors in your answer. The level of the water table fluctuates according to precipitation patterns, weather cycles, and geologic changes in the rock that stores the water. Pumping of water from the ground can alter water table levels, as can human changes on the surface such as increasing paved or impervious surfaces, which decreases the surface area that can absorb water into the ground How does your knowledge about where our drinking water comes from change your thinking about our human behavior? Use specific examples. Answers will vary, but possibilities include that all of the substances that we dispose of down our drains and toilets, down our streets, and through discharge pipes ends up in water source either surface or ground that people use for drinking. We need to take care to protect our water sources. 23

20 Preparation for the Water Treatment Facility Fieldtrip/Interview Directions: For each category below, list several questions that you would like to find answers to when you visit or speak with the local drinking water treatment facility. Once completed, select the ten questions that you think are the most important to ask. 1. What questions about the source of your drinking water would you like to ask? 2. What questions about how the water is treated would you like to ask? 3. What questions about the use of energy in various steps of the process would you like to ask? 4. What additional questions would you like to ask?

21 Preparation for the Water Treatment Facility Fieldtrip/Interview Teacher Guide Directions: For each category below, list several questions that you would like to find answers to when you visit or speak with the local drinking water treatment facility. Once completed, select the ten questions that you think are the most important to ask. 1. What questions about the source of your drinking water would you like to ask? Possibilities include: What is the specific source of our drinking water? How far away is the access point and how does it travel to the treatment center? Why is the access point located in this particular place? Does the water travel through an aqueduct? If so, how long is the aqueduct? In the case of pumped ground water, from how deep is the water pumped? What kind of rock is the water stored in? 2. What questions about how the water is treated would you like to ask? Possibilities include: What are the types of solids that you most commonly find in our water that need to be removed? What do you do to clean solids such as mud and trash out of the water? How do you kill germs in the water? How do you know that you have killed all of them? What standards are you required to meet and how do you know you are meeting them? Do you test for chemicals in the water? Which ones? Which ones do you not test and why? Are you able to test for medicines in the water? Why are they there? 3. What questions about the use of energy in various steps of the process would you like to ask? Possibilities include: At what steps of your process is energy used? Which steps use the most energy and cost the most? Do you need to use energy to get water from the source to your treatment facility? What kind of energy is used? How much? How is energy used to treat the water? How does this compare to the energy used in transporting water? Is energy used to get the treated water to homes and businesses? How much? What percentage of all of the energy used is expended in this step? Is there any way to describe how much the energy demands of this process contribute to the cost of water? 4. What additional questions would you like to ask? Possibilities include: In your opinion, why is it important for people to reduce their use of water? What concerns do you have about our water supply and its future availability or cost? What can we do to be responsible to our water supply and the process of treating drinking water? Given a choice, would you prefer to drink water from the treatment center or bottled? Why?

22 Preparation for Water Treatment Facility Research Directions: For each category below, list several questions that you would like to find answers to when you conduct research on your local drinking water and water treatment facility. Once completed, select the ten questions that you think are the most important to ask. 1. What would you like to know about the source of your drinking water? 2. What type of water quality issues would you like to know more about? 3. What would you like to know about how the water is treated at a treatment facility? 4. What would you like to know about the use of energy in various steps of the process? 5. What additional information would you like to find out?

23 Preparation for Water Treatment Facility Research Teacher Guide Directions: For each category below, list several questions that you would like to find answers to when you conduct research on your local drinking water and water treatment facility. Once completed, select the ten questions that you think are the most important to ask. 1. What would you like to know about the source of your drinking water? Possibilities include: What is the specific source of our drinking water? How far does it travel to the local treatment center? Why is the access point located in this particular place? Does the water travel through an aqueduct? If so, how long is the aqueduct? In the case of pumped ground water, from how deep is the water pumped? What kind of rock is the water stored in? 2. What type of water quality issues would you like to know more about? Possibilities include: Is the watershed mostly groundwater or surface water? How healthy is the watershed? Is it safe to drink? Swim? Fish? What are some pollutants common to your area? 3. What would you like to know about how the water is treated at a treatment facility? Possibilities include: How does a treatment facility work? What processes occur? What equipment is used? How do treatment facilities kill germs in the water? What standards are treatment plants required to meet? Do they test for chemicals in the water? Which ones and why or why not? Do they test for or treat medicines or pharmaceuticals in the water? Why or why not? 4. What would you like to know about the use of energy in various steps of the process? Possibilities include: At what steps of the process is energy used? Which steps use the most energy and cost the most? What energy is used to get water from the source to the treatment facility? What kind of energy is used? How much? How is energy used to treat the water? How does this compare to the energy used in transporting water? Is energy used to get the treated water to homes and businesses? How much? What percentage of all of the energy used is expended in this step? Is there any way to describe how much the energy demands of this process contribute to the cost of water? 5. What additional information would you like to find out?

24 Why is it important for people to reduce their use of water? Are there concerns about our water supply and its future availability or cost? What can we do to be responsible to our water supply and the process of treating drinking water? Is it better to drink water from the treatment center or bottled water? Why?