WATER QUALITY AND CONTAMINATION REPORT
ABSTRACT
The process of water filtration systems is to remove impurities from a water source to create potable water in sufficient quantities to supply a municipality. In order to do this water is filtered by several different processes to remove different types of impurities. To test the efficacy of these different processes, a series of laboratory experiments was set up using the same type of materials and processes, but on a smaller scale. The data suggests that these processes are effective in removing most impurities and contaminants, However there is room for improvement and a higher quality of drinking water could be obtained by making some adjustments to the system, or by the addition of additional filtration and sanitization systems.
INTRODUCTION
One of the most serious concerns faced by urban areas today is to keep homes and businesses supplied with clean, clear potable water. Contamination can occur from a variety of sources including industrial waste, fertilizer and pesticide farm runoff, and soil runoff. There is increasing concern that the present municipal water treatment facilities do not consistently provide clean potable water. As evidence of this an Internet search for water treatment will yield pages of commercial water filtration systems before a “.org,” a “.gov,” or a “.edu” can be found. NSF provides advice to consumers regarding a variety of issues, problems and concerns. Although they are classified as a non-profit corporation they do accept links to commercial water purification system vendors, so they cannot be seen as unbiased in regards to which system is preferable for a residence. Never the less, they do not understate the problem when thcy say “Because water quality can vary depending upon where you live, it’s important to know where your drinking water supply comes from and if it contains any impurities that could pose a health risk.” .
Water moves n a continuous cycle from rain seeping down to the soil to enter the ground water system. When it hits a block in the ground water system it once again bubbles to the surface to form streams and lakes from there it evaporates to form clouds and more rain.
The water cycle is important to understand because it provides the first level of water filtration in the ground water system. .
The United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention declares on its page about Water treatment that “Drinking water supplies in the United States are among the safest in the world.”. But later n it does acknowledge that drinking water sources can get contaminated and when they do the water must be treated. In particular they are concerned with pathogens such as “Cryptosporidium, E. coli, Hepatitis A, Giardia intestinalis, and other pathogens.” . These are serious concerns, however these are not what this study primarily focused upon. Fortunately they also address sedimentation, filtration and disinfection which is the subject of this series of lab experiments and reports. .
In this lab, we explore the process of water filtration systems is to remove impurities from a water source to create potable water in sufficient quantities to supply a municipality using a series of laboratory experiments that employs the same type of materials and processes, but on a smaller scale.
EXPERIMENT 1: EFFECTS OF GROUND WATER CONTAMINATION
This experiment was designed to test the effects of common pollutants on ground water. There are everyday products such as laundry detergent, food products, oil and other chemicals associated with motor vehicles and other common human discharges that find their way into the ground water supply via rain water runoff. This experiment used laundry detergent, oil, and vinegar to represent the way that these products can be removed by the natural soil filtration system.
HYPOTHESES
Laundry detergent and the associated chemicals can be removed from ground water by the natural soil filtration system.
Oil can be removed from ground water by the natural soil filtration system.
Vinegar odor can be removed from ground water and the pH of the water can be adjusted by the natural soil filtration system.
PROCESS
Experiment 1 was designed to test how soil could filter out contaminants that enter into clean rain water before it reaches the ground water. To conduct experiment 1, we used eight beakers, numbered one through eight using a permanent marker. In the first stage we employed beakers one through four and set the others aside. We added 100ml water to these beakers in beaker two we added 10 ml of oil, in beaker three we added 10 ml of laundry detergent and in beaker three we added 10 ml of vinegar; after each of these additions we stirred the beakers with a clean wooden stirring stick, using a fresh clean stick for each beaker. When we recoded our observations we could see that the oil and water did not mix whereas the detergent and vinegar did. The beaker holding the vinegar had a noticeable odor.
The next step was to prepare a filtration system using a funnel lined with cheese cloth folded to four layers thickness. To determine how effective clean soil would be in filtering these every day products that accrue in rain water as it filters down through the layers of earth to the ground water source we placed 60 ml of soil into the funnel then set it into beaker number five. For each of the water filled beakers we filtered them through the soil and cheese cloth for one minute, noting our observations and discarding and replacing the soil and cheese cloth combination and cleaning the funnel after each filtration. Beaker one was filtered into beaker five, beaker two into beaker six and so on.
EXPERIMENT 2: WATER TREATMENT
Experiment 2 was designed to test how one of the processes employed by a Wastewater Treatment Plant could filter out contaminants and soil run off that enter into clean rain water after it reaches the ground water and purify the resulting water.
HYPOTHESES
Contaminants and soil run off that enter into clean rain water after it reaches the ground water can be filtered and the resulting water purified by using the proper filtration system customarily employed by Wastewater Treatment Plants and the pH of the water can be adjusted to provide clean, odor free water.
PROCESS
Experiment 2 was designed to test how one of the processes employed by a Wastewater Treatment Plant could filter out contaminants that enter into clean rain water after it reaches the ground water and purify the resulting water. To replicate this process we used potting soil, sand, charcoal and gravel to filter the water. Then we used bleach to purify it further and alum to balance the ph. To conduct experiment 2, we mixed 100ml with 200ml of water and poured it back and forth between two 250 ml beakers for a total of 15 times to replicate contaminated water. To create a control sample for comparison after the experiment we poured 10 ml of the contaminated water into a clean 100 ml beaker and set it aside. Then we added the alum to the contaminated soil, and let it rest for 15 minutes. After the resting period we poured it through layers of cheese cloth folded to a four layer thickness placed first into the funnel, followed by 40 ml of sand, 20 ml of charcoal and 40 ml of gravel measuring each amount with a 100 ml beaker. After the funnel was filled we ran clean tap water through it to solidify its contents. Once the funnel was prepared and the contaminated water had rested for 15 minutes we poured about ¾ of it through the funnel filter, noted the odor and clarity and then added a few drops of bleach solution and stirred it for one minute. The final step to experiment 2 was to compare the original sample with the filtered and purified water.
EXPERIMENT 3: DRINKING WATER QUALITY TREATMENT
Experiment 3 was designed to test how the quality of two brands of bottled water compare with regular tap water. Although the processes employed by a Wastewater Treatment Plant could filter out contaminants that enter into clean rain water after it reaches the ground water and purify the resulting water. Many people feel that these processes are not enough and choose to buy bottled drinking water instead. Others feel that bottled water is no better than tap water. There is evidence to indicate that some companies simply use municipal water to fill their bottles then market it at an unreasonably high cost to unwary consumers.
HYPOTHESES
Bottled water is of a higher quality than tap water.
PROCESS
In this process we used three beakers to hold the water samples, and chemical test strips to measure the presence of these substances. The test strips were immersed in the waters and the results recorded. This process was repeated using three different test strips to test for the series of common substances that may be found in drinking water. After immersion the strips were compared against a sample chart. For each test we entered the results in the table. The final step to experiment 3 was to compare our findings.
DISCUSSION
Although bottled water is supposed to be of much higher quality than ordinary drinking water we did not find a strong indication that it lived up to its reputation. Never the less our cleaning and filtering processes replicating the filtration that occurs from soil and the replication of a Water Treatment Plant did not yield a perfectly clean clear water sample so there might be benefit to be had by investing in bottled water or in a professionally installed home water filtration system that would provide contaminant free drinking water.
CONCLUSION
Bottled water is supposed to be of much higher quality than ordinary drinking water and we did not find a that there was much improvement between the quality of the bottled drinking water and our tap water at the time when we tested it. Never the less our cleaning and filtering processes replicating the filtration that occurs from soil and the replication of a Water Treatment Plant did not yield a perfectly clean clear water sample. Therefore it is possible that additional stressors such as a heavy storm or an unusual chemical spill of the type that can occur from an industrial accident or could result from a transit accident might affect the community tap water supply. In that event there might be benefit to be had by investing in bottled water or in a professionally installed home water filtration system that would provide contaminant free drinking water. This is especially true if the water quality is not tested sufficiently during and after the contamination event, or if the contamination is the result of a slow leak that contaminates the soil that would normally serve to help clear contaminants from the soil and instead adds additional contaminants to the water before it reaches the ground water source.
Bibliography
eScience Labs, LLC. (2013). Lab 2; Water Quality and Contamnation. eScience Labs, LLC.
North Carolina Bio & AG Expension. (n.d.). Water Reslources. Retrieved from North Carolina Bio & AG Expension: http://www.bae.ncsu.edu/extension/ext-publications/
NSF: The Public Home and Safety Organization. (2014). Home Drinking Water. Retrieved from NSF: The Public Home and Safety Organization: http://www.nsf.org/consumer-resources/health-and-safety-tips/water-quality-treatment-tips
USCDC. (2013). Water Treatment. Retrieved from Center for Disease Control and Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinking/public/water_treatment.html
USGS. (2013). The Water Cycle. Retrieved from USGS: http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/watercycle.html
