Water Filtration + Pollution
What is in that water that you just drank? Is it just hydrogen and oxygen atoms? Is it safe for drinking? All water is of a certain "quality" (and you can't tell by just looking), but what does "water quality" really mean? Water full of dirt and grime might work fine for a tomato plant but would you want to drink it? Water quality can be thought of as a measure of the suitability of water for a particular use based on selected physical, chemical, and biological characteristics.
Can you purify dirty water with a water filtration system? Learn about filtration and make your own water filter at home or in the classroom. Water filtration is a process by which impurities or particles are removed from a fluid, either a liquid or a gas. The liquid, or feed, is poured over a filter, which catches particles and allows filtered liquid, or filtrate, to move through it.
What is in that water that you just drank? Is it just hydrogen and oxygen atoms? Is it safe for drinking? All water is of a certain "quality" (and you can't tell by just looking), but what does "water quality" really mean? Water full of dirt and grime might work fine for a tomato plant but would you want to drink it? Water quality can be thought of as a measure of the suitability of water for a particular use based on selected physical, chemical, and biological characteristics.
Can you purify dirty water with a water filtration system? Learn about filtration and make your own water filter at home or in the classroom. Water filtration is a process by which impurities or particles are removed from a fluid, either a liquid or a gas. The liquid, or feed, is poured over a filter, which catches particles and allows filtered liquid, or filtrate, to move through it.
Try These!
- Teach kids the importance of clean drinking water and help them understand just how natural filtration systems work. -Water Filtration Experiment
- Turn dirty water clean -Make a Water Filter
- Demonstrate to students just how detrimental dirty water can be to the planet- Water Pollution Experiment
- This water pollution activity is a great way to encourage kids to be more aware of their environment-Pollution in the Ocean Sensory Bin
Fun Fact: One of the keys to achieving cleaner water with your filter model is to slow down the water flow through various materials. What combination of materials will allow the water to flow slowly?
Questions/Discussion
- Does the order of materials matter? Why or why not? (Hint, the answer is yes!)
- Do different materials filter smaller particles or bigger particles?
- Does the water get cleaner if you run it through the filter more than once or twice?
- What other suggestions do you have for filtering water?
Water Quality
What is in that water that you just drank? Is it just hydrogen and oxygen atoms? Is it safe for drinking? All water is of a certain "quality" (and you can't tell by just looking), but what does "water quality" really mean? Water full of dirt and grime might work fine for a tomato plant but would you want to drink it? Water quality can be thought of as a measure of the suitability of water for a particular use based on selected physical, chemical, and biological characteristics. Water Pollution
Water is life. But we take it for granted and indulge in activities that pollute water bodies. Water pollution leads to the destruction of wildlife and impacts both the environment and human health. It is vital to share water pollution facts for kids to let them know the adverse effects. Water pollution is defined as any change in the water that renders it unusable and harmful for living organisms. In other words, water gets so bad that you cannot drink it, bathe in it, wash clothes, or give it to animals. Water gets polluted when unwanted substances enter it and change its composition. The unwanted material is what we call a pollutant. Not just freshwater but seawater, too, is prone to several types of pollution. |
Causes of Water Pollution
- Natural Causes of Water Pollution: Sometimes water pollution can occur through natural causes like volcanoes, algae blooms, animal waste, and silt from storms and floods.
- Human Causes of Water Pollution: A lot of water pollution comes from human activity. Some human causes include sewage, pesticides and fertilizers from farms, waste water and chemicals from factories, silt from construction sites, and trash from people littering.
- Oil Spills: Some of the most famous incidents of water pollution have been oil spills. One was the Exxon Valdez oil spill which occurred when an oil tanker hit a reef off the coast of Alaska and over 11 million gallons of oil spilled into the ocean. Another bad oil spill was the Deepwater Horizon oil spill when an explosion at an oil well caused over 200 million gallons to spill into the Gulf of Mexico.
- Acid Rain: Air pollution can also have a direct effect on water pollution. When particles like sulfur dioxide get high into the air they can combine with rain to produce acid rain. Acid rain can turn lakes acidic, killing fishes and other animals.
What are the Effects of Water Pollution
- Effects on the Environment: Water pollution can have disastrous effects on the environment. Pollution in the water can reach a point where there isn't enough oxygen in the water for the fish to breathe. The fish can actually suffocate! Sometimes pollution affects the entire food chain. Small fishes absorb pollutants, such as chemicals, into their bodies. Then bigger fishes eat the smaller fishes and get the pollutants too. Birds or other animals may eat the bigger fishes and be harmed by the pollutants.
- Sewage can also cause major problems in rivers. Bacteria in the water will use oxygen to break down the sewage. If there is too much sewage, the bacteria could use up so much oxygen that there won't be enough left for the fish.
- Water pollution from major events like acid rain or oil spills can completely destroy marine habitats.
- Effects on Health: One of the most precious and important commodities for life on planet Earth is clean water. For over 1 billion people on the planet, clean water is nearly impossible to get. Dirty, polluted water can make them sick and is especially tough on young children. Some bacteria and pathogens in water can make people so sick they can die.
Types of Water Pollutants
There are many sources of water pollution. Here are a few of the major causes:
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Fast Facts!
- Soap from washing your car can run down the street drain and cause water pollution.
- Only around 1% of the Earth's water is fresh water. The rest is salty and we can't drink it.
- Around 40% of the rivers and lakes in the United States are too polluted for fishing or swimming.
- The Mississippi River carries around 1.5 million tons of pollution into the Gulf of Mexico each year.
- Between 5 and 10 million people die each year from water pollution related illnesses.
Questions/Discussion
- An important part of these water filter experiments is also making sure that children realize that even though their water looks clean and clear, it is not safe to drink. Depending where you got your water, there are lots of tiny bits of bacteria and maybe even bugs, that we cannot see. When water is properly cleaned all of those extra things in the water, that can make us sick, are removed.
- If you have a microscope, you could look at the dirty and clean water on a slide to compare. This would also be a great opportunity to show children the microscopic things in the water. Or you could compare the water you filtered with drinking water
Family Connection: What can you do to help?
- Save water - Fresh and clean water is a precious resource. Don't waste it! Take shorter showers, ask your parents not to water the lawn, make sure the toilet isn't running, and don't leave the faucet running.
- Don't use weed killer - Ask your parents if you can pull the weeds in the yard so they don't need to use weed killer (an herbicide).
- Scrape your plates clean into the trash and don't put grease into the kitchen drain.
- Trash - Always pick up your trash, especially when at the beach, lake, or river.
NOT so Fun Fact: Several water-dwelling species, including sperm whales, the Hawaiian monk seal, and the Pacific loggerhead sea turtle, are endangered due to water pollution.
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Learn more...
- Britannica-Water purification
- Britannica-Water Pollution
- Natural Beach Living-Water Pollution Activity and Ocean Pollution for Kids
- Natural Beach Living-Teaching Kids about Pollution
- Natural Beach Living-Ocean Pollution Activities and Plastic Pollution Activities
Dive Deeper with Aquifers
Aquifers are amazing!! Children will learn how water passes through the layers of an aquifer and how groundwater can become contaminated by pollution.
Aquifers are amazing!! Children will learn how water passes through the layers of an aquifer and how groundwater can become contaminated by pollution.
- Children will learn what pollution is and how it can affect our water.
- Children will learn what an aquifer is and how water passes through the different layers.
- This lesson can be used to illustrate how water is stored in an aquifer, how groundwater can become contaminated, and how this contamination ends up in a drinking water source. Ultimately, students should get a clear understanding of how careless use and disposal of harmful contaminants above the ground can potentially end up in the drinking water below the ground.
Try This
- Learn how how careless use and disposal of harmful contaminants above the ground can potentially end up in the drinking water below the ground -Build an Aquifer
What are Aquifers?
Many communities obtain their drinking water from underground sources called aquifers. Water suppliers or utility officials drill wells through soil and rock into
aquifers to access the ground water contained within to supply the public with drinking water. Homeowners that cannot obtain their drinking water from a public water supply, have their own private wells drilled on their property to access drinking water. Groundwater contamination happens with improper use or disposal of
harmful chemicals (lawn care products and household cleaners). These chemicals can enter the soil and rock, polluting the aquifer, and eventually, the well. Such
contamination can pose a significant threat to human health. The requirements by well owners and water plant operators to protect or clean up contaminated aquifers
are quite costly.
Key points about our drinking water:
Many communities obtain their drinking water from underground sources called aquifers. Water suppliers or utility officials drill wells through soil and rock into
aquifers to access the ground water contained within to supply the public with drinking water. Homeowners that cannot obtain their drinking water from a public water supply, have their own private wells drilled on their property to access drinking water. Groundwater contamination happens with improper use or disposal of
harmful chemicals (lawn care products and household cleaners). These chemicals can enter the soil and rock, polluting the aquifer, and eventually, the well. Such
contamination can pose a significant threat to human health. The requirements by well owners and water plant operators to protect or clean up contaminated aquifers
are quite costly.
Key points about our drinking water:
- Many communities obtain their drinking water from underground sources called aquifers.
- Wells are drilled through the soil and rock into the aquifers for access to the ground water.
- Water is pumped out to drink.
- Ground water can become polluted from chemicals and other items.
- We have to protect our ground water from pollutants, so the people, animals and plants can drink clean, safe water
Questions/Discussion
- Ask the children to think about different pieces of trash they have thrown out this week. Make a list on chart paper. Have the children talk about how it could pollute our soil and the earth.
- Find pictures of polluted water and discuss the pictures with the children. Ask the children if the water they swim and bathe in looks like the water in the pictures. Or if they would like to swim in that water.
- Ask if they would want to drink that water. Ask if they think the fish like to swim in that water.
- Brainstorm with the children how we can keep our drinking water and our ponds, streams, lakes and oceans clean and free from pollution.
- Find items in the room or on the playground that could pollute our drinking water.
- Have you seen trash items in your local rivers, lakes, or other water sources?
- What can you tell others about the dangers of throwing their trash in the water?
Family Connection
- Have the children take home their aquifer.
- Encourage the children to show their family their aquifer and explain how to keep our drinking water safe and clean.
- Have the family go on a pollution hunt. Find items that could damage our drinking water in the neighborhood.
- Create an aquifer as a family activity.
Ground Water
Groundwater is a vital and often unseen resource that underlies the Earth's surface, present universally regardless of geographic location. Originating from precipitation, similar to surface water, groundwater exhibits diverse movement patterns, ranging from swift to gradual. Eventually, it resurfaces, actively participating in the global water cycle. Notably, groundwater, extracted from beneath the Earth's surface, proves cost-effective, convenient, and less susceptible to pollution compared to surface water. This makes it a preferred choice for public water supplies. In the United States, groundwater stands as the predominant source of usable water storage, surpassing the capacity of all surface reservoirs and even the Great Lakes. Some regions solely rely on groundwater, underscoring its indispensable role in sustaining municipalities. |
Surface Water
Surface water is the most recognizable part of the water cycle that we can see. Lakes and rivers may be the first types of surface water that come to mind but don't forget those snowbanks in your front yard! We think of oceans when we think of surface water but did you remember to add glaciers to your list? Cities usually get their water from nearby rivers, lakes, or reservoirs. Hydrologists play a crucial role in helping cities manage their water supply. They collect and analyze data, such as rainfall, snowpack depths, and river flows, to predict water availability for future needs. Hydrologists also study records from government agencies, assessing how much river flow is already being used. Reservoir management is complex, with hydrologists using maps and photos to determine shorelines, depths, and storage capacity. They consider factors like release timing, flow predictions, and the needs of various users, including irrigation, cities, and downstream users. If a reservoir is used for recreation or hydroelectric power, those needs are factored in. Hydrologists use computer models to predict outcomes under different strategies, helping reservoir managers make informed decisions. Hydrologists also address water pollution concerns, assisting public health officials in monitoring water quality. They collaborate with environmental engineers to develop sampling programs, ensuring compliance with health standards. Hydrologists monitor estuaries, streams, rivers, and lakes, assessing the health of aquatic life. They study issues like acid rain and the behavior of toxic substances. Mathematical models help predict water quality effects, and hydrologists conduct on-site analyses as well as more sophisticated laboratory tests. While sewage was a major pollution source in the past, today's awareness has led to significant investments in pollution control. Challenges include identifying and controlling sources like road salts, storm runoff, and erosion from construction sites. Overall, hydrologists play a vital role in safeguarding water resources and public health. |
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Learn more...
- Groundwater Foundation-Ways To Preserve And Protect Groundwater
- EPA-How Can You Help Protect Source Water?
- Sensorex-Groundwater vs. Surface Water – What’s the Difference?