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 color | 2 | No smell, layer of oil formed on top of water, bubbles floating around after mixing, no smell | 3 | Strong vinegar smell, clear color | 4 | Sweet smelling detergent smell, green in color, bubbles | 5 | A little soil residue at bottom, light brown in color, no smell | 6 | Soil particles at bottom, no smell, brown color | 7 | Lighter brown color, not as much soil particles, hint of vinegar smell | 8 | Olive color, brown film formed on top of water, more soil particles, same smell, soap bubbles formed in soil, |

POST LAB QUESTIONS 1. Develop hypotheses on the ability of oil, vinegar, and laundry detergent to contaminate groundwater.

a. Oil hypothesis = If oil is added to groundwater, it will have the ability to contaminate the water. b. Vinegar hypothesis = If vinegar is added to groundwater, it won’t have the ability to contaminate the water. c. Laundry detergent hypothesis = If laundry detergent is added to groundwater, it will have the ability to contaminate the water.

2. Based on the results of your experiment, would you reject or accept each hypothesis that you produced in question 1? Explain how you determined this.

d. Oil hypothesis accept/reject = Accept- The oil left residue in the soil contaminating the water e. Vinegar hypothesis accept/reject = Reject- Although vinegar would pass through the groundwater, it still contaminated the water. The evidence is demonstrated through the presence of the vinegar smell after completing the experiment f. Laundry detergent hypothesis accept/reject = Accept- The laundry detergent left soap bubbles in the soil which would contaminate the water