...Lab Report: Water Quality and Contamination Edward Minter Ashford University SCI 207: Dependence of Man on the Environment Lynn Carpenter Aug 10, 2015 Lab Report: Water Quality and Contamination Abstract The theory of common pollutants effects on groundwater was investigated and observed through the method of mirroring the wastewater treatment facilities filtration process. Groundwater quality was examined by testing contaminated elements surged into the water. The experiment study the effects of groundwater by evaluating water quality, water contamination, and quality of drinking water. Water quality is tarnished by pollutants resulting in contamination. Unfiltered ground water displayed the highest level of contamination. When groundwater is treated its quality improves. Dasani and Fiji bottled water preference was used. The data indicates groundwater quality is contaminated by common pollutants. Introduction This lab report explore vinegar, oil, and laundry detergent effects on groundwater. Considering most water contamination doesn’t just happen by itself. Water quality is a human problem because people willing or unwilling participate in the spread of pollution....
Words: 1599 - Pages: 7
...Lab 5 – Weather and Climate Change Lab 5 - Demonstration 1: Modeling the Water Cycle POST LAB QUESTIONS 1. Which water cycle processes are represented in this model and by what components? Answer = evaporation, and condensation. The warm water evaporated into water vapors, that it transformed back into a liquid state during the condensation process. 2. Which processes are not represented? How could the model be altered to include these processes? Answer = surface run off, infiltration, and percolation. Its components is how the water vapor turns to gas. 3. How would the “weather” be affected if the water was at a decreased temperature? What about at an increased temperature? Answer = if it is decreased temperature the weather will be cold or stay warm within a humidity climate. And if the temperature increase the weather will be hot because we know that the water is being evaporate at that time according to the water cycle process. Experiment 1: Water Movement POST LAB QUESTIONS 1. Develop a hypothesis predicting the effect of sunlight on evaporation? Hypothesis = direct sunlight will lead up to more evaporation. The direct photons of light increases the motion of the water molecules it strikes giving them a better a chance to evaporate. 2. Based on the results of your experiment, would you reject or accept the hypothesis that you produced in question...
Words: 371 - Pages: 2
...of our planet is covered in water, only a small percent of this water is usable freshwater. (eScience Lab 2, 2012) Most of our freshwater is frozen in glaciers at the poles, which means that it is not a viable option because melting them would disrupt the delicate balance of that ecosystem. The small percentage of fresh water that is accessible is stored underground in aquifers. These aquifers collect precipitation like rain water and water from melted snowfalls and stores it in ducts and pores, layers beneath the earth’s surface. When you think about the fact that there are over seven billion human being on this earth and countless other species that depend on freshwater to live and how little there actually is that alone is legitimate cause for alarm. In addition a lot of our technological advances, which have enabled us to feed a growing population by using chemicals to grow more crops, can threatened and potentially contaminate our freshwater supply. A good example of this as explained by Turk & Bensel 2011, is the fact that nitrogen and phosphorus are important crop nutrients, and farmers apply large amounts to cropland each year. They can enter water resources through runoff and leaching and affect water quality through eutrophication, which can result in decreased oxygen levels, fish kills, clogged pipelines, and reduced recreational opportunities. Another reason why water quality research is so important is because growing urban water demands have long clashed with...
Words: 2448 - Pages: 10
...Final Lab Report Water Quality and Contamination Rachel Hewitt SCI207: Dependence of Man on the Environment Professor Andrea Van Gunst May 16, 2016 ABSTRACT All lab experiments were conducted in Windham, New York. The first experiment regarding water quality and contamination, used vinegar, liquid detergent and vegetable oil to contaminate tap water. The results of this experiment showed that when the water was contaminated and filtered through dirt some of the contaminates remained trapped in the soil and didn’t contaminate the groundwater but some did. This experiment could help in finding safer ways to purify and filter water. The results of this experiment were that the oil separated in the water and was trapped in the soil not the groundwater. The vinegar changed the smell of the water and contaminated the soil but without any major effect on the groundwater. The liquid detergent also changed the smell of the water as well as the color but also contaminated the soil and groundwater. The next experiment that was conducted was to use products like sand, charcoal and gravel to filter contaminated water that had been treated with alum. The products were used as an aquifer. The results of this experiment were basically if you used coagulants combined with alkalinity you would be able to remove contaminants from the groundwater. The last experiment bottle water and tap water were compared and tested for levels of iron, phosphate, chloride and ammonia to figure...
Words: 3090 - Pages: 13
...Week 5 – Water Quality and Contamination Final Lab Rona Harris SCI 207: Dependence of Man on the Environment Instructor: Jacqueline Poole 10/6/2013 Week 5 – Water Quality and Contamination Final Lab Abstract Testing of how ground water is affected by different contaminants was the bases of the experiment. The results were interesting in that when vinegar is filtered through dirt it came out fairly clean. This is surprising because I did not think that any of the contaminants used would affect the water the way it did with vinegar. I figured all the water would have dirt mixed in with the water that was filtered. This shows that maybe we can find a way to find a safer choice on how we filter and purify water. Introduction In this Lab we will explore how contaminants affect the water supply. Contaminants can be anything from human waste, chemicals used in farming and industrial factories to the laundry detergent and cooking oil that you use at home. We are going to asking how and why this affects us when we drink water from the faucet. One contaminant that is found in water is lead. Studies have shown that lead can led to developmental delays in kids and can cause cancer in adults. According to Bruce Lanphear a pediatric epidemiologist, “Lead in water is an underappreciated service of lead intake" (Renner, 2009. A544) It is estimated that 10-20% of children are exposed to lead through the drinking water according to the Centers for Disease Control and...
Words: 1239 - Pages: 5
...Most people contaminate fresh water without realizing it. Water of the earth is in many types of shape, such as ocean water, glacier of the Atlantic pole and the Arctic pole. Water is considered renewable because it can be clean if it is polluting. According to SEO (Global warming - water contamination), people can use only 2.5% of water in the earth, which means only the water of river and lake, and ground water can be used. This water is called fresh water. However, water is polluting because of living drainage that is now 60% of causes of fresh water contamination. People need to realize that fresh water is scarce resource in the earth. Nevertheless, Canadian people don't really care about fresh water contamination, although Canada has...
Words: 692 - Pages: 3
...WATER QUALITY AND CONTAMINATIONS PG. 1 Water Quality and Contamination Nalissa Johnson SCI207: Dependence of Man on the Environment Otishna Jacobs 16 August 2015 WATER QUALITY AND CONTAMINATIONS PG. 2 Introduction Ground water is the biggest source of drinking water available to human population around the world and is rapidly being polluted because of industrialization and increasing demands of agriculture around the world. “Ground waters frequently contain iron, manganese and ammonium above the allowed concentration levels for drinking water”(Strembal, 2004)There are a lot of dangers associated with drinking or cooking with contaminated water. Diseases, poisons, and toxins can be found in contaminated water. There is also a possible correlation between an increased cancer risk and consuming contaminated water. “Being out of sight, it is not always apparent that damage has been, or is being, done to the groundwater resources. The need to prevent groundwater pollution is important because of the very high proportion of groundwater resources that are used for potable supply.” (Helmer, 1997) The objective of the first experiment we conducted was to test the ability of soil to remove oil, vinegar, and laundry detergent from the environment before it reaches ground water. We want to know this because often we...
Words: 2708 - Pages: 11
...Water Quality and Contamination SCI 207: Dependence of man on the environment Instructor: Marc Hnytka Date: September, 2014 Water Quality and Contamination Abstract The correlation between water quality and contamination was examined through using different substances in the water along how these substances effected the water quality. Different levels of contamination is seen through the process of different acids (vinegar) oils (cooking oil) and fragrances (laundry detergent) in three different water models. When these contaminants are filtered naturally through the earth (charcoal, gravel, sand, etc.) the outcome is a purified water from each containment sample. This overall theory suggest that natural filtration will take place if the eco-system is not overwhelmed by these contaminants. Introduction Water quality is important when providing sufficient ecological balance for drinking purposes, vegetation and more particularly fish species. The most important resource used in America, such as growing crop, is produced consistently through the provision of monitoring the quantity of water sources along with the quality of what the water contains. There are certain minerals and contaminates that can harm us as humans and also the eco-system. For example, oil spillage from drilling, nuclear plants, and use of GMO’s to grow food can have a major impact on the water quality and soil. An article states that “When water from rain and melting snow runs off roofs and...
Words: 2213 - Pages: 9
...Water Quality and Contamination Lab Report Abstract In the experiments inspected the effects of contaminants on three different waters and how the contaminants of vegetable oil, laundry detergent, and vinegar cooperated. The waters that were interactive were Dasani and Fiji bottled water and tap water. Out of the water added to the vegetable oil, laundry detergent, and vinegar, the water including in the laundry detergent was the most visible change. The water for each experiment in experiment one changed colors and had a smell to it. In experiment two potting soil and alum was used. In experiment three, certain type of test strips were used to be tapped in the different kind of waters. Introduction Water quality research is significant...
Words: 1403 - Pages: 6
...Problem-Solution Analysis The Flint water crisis is an issue which involves the contamination of drinking water in Flint, Michigan, United States. The crisis started in April 2014 when Flint decided to change its water source to the Flint River from treated Detroit Water and Sewerage Department water, which was from Lake Huron and the Detroit River. The water of the Flint River is extremely corrosive, so as it travels to Flint, through the city’s old pipes, it ate away at the pipes, absorbing the lead before entering houses. Flint, Michigan’s water crisis is an incident that should not be ignored as it was done in Flint for one and a half year, but instead be dealt with immediately so nothing severe would happen as it did in Flint, Michigan....
Words: 729 - Pages: 3
...Lab 2 – Water Quality and Contamination Experiment 1: Effects of Groundwater Contamination |Table 1: Water Observations (Smell, Color, Etc.) | |Beaker |Observations | |1 |No smell, clear, 100 ml | |2 |No smell, oil settled at the top of the water, 110 ml | |3 |Bitter scent, clear color, 100 ml | |4 |Soap smell, thick,110 ml | |5 |No smell, dark, small dirt particles at the bottom of the beaker | |6 |Dirt smell, Dark with oil spots on top, 70 ml | |7 |Bitter scent, a little dark color, 70 ml | |8 |Soap scent, extremely dark,...
Words: 1370 - Pages: 6
...Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES) scale. This means that the disaster had a high radioactive material releases. The disaster was caused by a tsunami ranging to 15 meters The tsunami had been caused by strong earthquake- the strongest earthquake to ever hit Japan. It affected the cooling systems of three Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactors by stopping the cooling as a result of interruption in the power supply. With no cooling in the reactors, the energy released from radioactive decay rose threatening not to be handled by the containment structures at the plant (Eisler 17). Water exposed to high levels of radiation threatened to damage the containment structure due to hydrogen build up. With damage to the containment structure, the environment was at high risk of full blown radiation contamination. The danger posed by the accident was the accident was the spread of radioactive contamination to water or the environment that the nearby residents came into contact with. This is why the Japanese government budgeted close to $14 billion for the radiation clean up and immediate relocation of residents (Eisler 29). One of the isotopes still found in the accident site is Cesium-137 that decays according to the following equation 55Cs^137 --> 56Ba^137 + -1e^0. The isotope could lead to development of acute radiation syndrome in humans that affects the skin, digestive system and hair (Loveland et.all 45). Cancer can develop as a result of not receiving appropriate radiation treatment...
Words: 390 - Pages: 2
...1. The Florida State University water contamination scenario is considered an education crisis. This issue is contained to the Florida State campus including the water fountains, water in buildings, and any other drinking location. Students and staff are at risk of contamination by merely drinking or showering in the water. Seitel defines the scandal at Duke University which involved bogus accusations of rape and racism among the lacrosse players and the Penn State University sex scandal of 2011 an educational crisis. An education crisis is simply any establishment that houses students for educational purposes—whether it directly involves the education or it is an outside factor. Word count: 105. 2. Those key publics who must be contacted about this crisis would...
Words: 602 - Pages: 3
...integrity and respect for people define how we work. These values have been embodied for more than 25 years in our Business Principles, which since 1997 have included a commitment to support human rights and to contribute to sustainable development.”[3] The case in Vila Carioca (São Paulo City) below illustrates a tough decision the company must make in order to keep its commitments, especially when the company’s past actions occurred in a different institutional and regulatory environment. Vila Carioca is a neighborhood in the southern part of São Paulo, the largest city in South America.[4] Greenpeace and the Union of Workers in the Mining and Petroleum Sector (Sinpetrol) alleged in the 1990s that the region had its soil, air and water contaminated by several pollutants from industrial activities that took place in the area. The pollution may have contaminated approximately 30,000 people residing in the area.[5] Shell is accused of being one of the main sources responsible for the pollution among companies operating in the region. One national newspaper (Folha de São Paulo) considers that Vila Carioca may...
Words: 4240 - Pages: 17
...Fukushima Radiation Causes Growing National Concern: Time for New EPA Policy Eric Zoppi 3279672 2 December 2013 On March 11th, 2011 the Tōhoku earthquake and the resulting tsunami wreaked havoc upon Japan. Unfortunately, this natural disaster resulted in the largest nuclear disaster since Chernobyl, as the tsunami crippled the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Following this severe breach in security, numerous radioactive isotopes and radioactive particles were released into the environment, specifically the Pacific Ocean and the surrounding air/atmosphere, thus contaminating groundwater, soil and seawater, as well as effectively shutting down a myriad of Japanese fisheries. The ocean and air mainly came in contact with high levels of Iodine-131, Cesium-137, and Cesium-134, as well as lower levels of Tellurium, Uranium, and Strontium, which were concentrated closer to the surrounding area of the nuclear power plant. However, the impact that these radioactive materials will have upon the United States, in particular, has caused quite the national controversy. Despite heavy national acceptance of the occurrence of the disaster, two popular and opposing hypotheses have formed as a result of the Media’s lack of focus on recent analyses of the impending effects of Fukushima Disaster upon the U.S.: (1) the radioactive material that leaked as a result of the TEPCO nuclear power plant failure will not have a drastic, threatening...
Words: 4187 - Pages: 17