Ground Water Contamination Lab Report
Lab 2 – Water Quality and Contamination
Experiment 1: Effects of Groundwater Contamination
Table 1: Water Observations (Smell, Color, Etc.)
Beaker
Observations
1
Clear no smell
2
Oil was on top and did not mix with water and it had a slight smell
3
A slight haze look to water with strong smell of vinegar
4
Water turned cloudy with bubbles on top and was the hardest to see through
5
100 ml of water filtered through 60 ml soil resulted in slight brown soil colored water
6
100 ml water mixed with 10 ml vegetable oil filtered through cheesecloth and 60 ml of soil oil appeared to be filtered out by process and 70 ml was captured in beaker
7
100 ml water and 10 ml vinegar was filtered through cheesecloth and 60 ml soil resulted …show more content…
in 90 ml captured in beaker and it had a slight hazy brownish tint that was the clearest of 5-8 beakers
8
100ml water 10 ml laundry detergent filtered through cheesecloth and 60 ml soil the results were 85ml of deep brown colored water with slight vinegar smell passed through the filtering system
POST LAB QUESTIONS
1. Develop hypotheses on the ability of oil, vinegar, and laundry detergent to contaminate groundwater.
a. Oil hypothesis = when oil is filtered through soil less contamination goes into water
b. Vinegar hypothesis = vinegar does not contaminate water
c. Laundry detergent hypothesis = laundry detergent does not harm ground 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.
a. Oil hypothesis accept/reject = accept - oil was absorbed through filtering
b. Vinegar hypothesis accept/reject = reject – vinegar smell still existed after filtering
c. Laundry detergent hypothesis accept/reject = reject- water was still hazy after filtering
3. What affects did each of the contaminants have on the water in the experiment? Which contaminant seemed to have the most potent effect on the water?
Answer = changed the clarity of water vinegar appeared to have most potentent effect because of odor
4. Using at least 1 scholarly source, discuss what type of affects these contaminants (oil, vinegar, detergent) might have on a town’s water source and the people who drank the water?
Answer = we accidently contaminate the water by carelessness and lack of knowledge of how harmful activities such as washing cloths causes.
“ground water contamination is nearly always the result of human activity.”
5. Describe what type of human activity would cause contaminants like oil, acid and detergents to flow into the water supply? Additionally, what other items within your house do you believe could contaminate the water supply if you were to dump them onto the ground?
Answer = washing cloths and letting drain go on ground to keep from overwhelming septic tank. Changing oil in car and washing car on grass. Things like fingernail polish and mouthwash, as well as oven cleaners.
Experiment 2: Water Treatment
POST LAB QUESTIONS
1. Develop a hypothesis on the ability of your filtration technique to remove contaminants.
Hypothesis = If filtration is done in proper sequence of sand, gravel, sand and can be removed
2. Based on the results of your experiment, would you reject or accept the hypothesis that you produced in question 1? Explain how you determined this.
Accept/Reject = accept – because filtration showed that it could decontaminate the water because the water was much clearer than the contaminated specimens.
3.
What are the differences in color, smell, visibility, etc. between the “contaminated” water and the “treated” water?
Answer = the differences in treated and non-treated water was tremendous. Contaminated water was very dark and thick and the treated water had a small smell of bleach
4. From the introduction to this lab, you know that there are typically five steps involved in the water treatment process. Identify the processes (e.g., coagulation) that were used in this lab and describe how they were performed.
Answer = coagulation-sedimentation – filtration – disinfection – storage
Retreived from; http://water.epa.gov/learn/kids/drinkingwater/watertreatmentprocess.cfm
Experiment 3: Drinking Water Quality
Table 2: Ammonia Test Results
Water Sample
Test Results
Tap Water
0 mg/l
Dasani® Bottled Water
0 mg/l
Fiji® Bottled Water
0 mg/l
Table 3: Chloride Test Results
Water Sample
Test Results
Tap Water
0 mg/l
Dasani® Bottled Water
0mg/l
Fiji® Bottled Water
0mg/l
Table 4: 4 in 1 Test Results
Water Sample pH Total Alkalinity
Total Chlorine
Total Hardness
Tap Water
8
80
4mg/l
120mg/l
Dasani® Bottled Water
3
0
.02mg/l
0
Fiji® Bottled Water
7
120
1mg/l
50 mg/l
Table 5: Phosphate Test Results
Water Sample
Test …show more content…
Results
Tap Water
50 ppm
Dasani® Bottled Water
0
Fiji® Bottled Water
100 ppm
Table 6: Iron Test Results
Water Sample
Test Results
Tap Water
0
Dasani® Bottled Water
0
Fiji® Bottled Water
0
POST LAB QUESTIONS
1. Develop a hypothesis on which water source you believe will contain the most and least contaminants.
Hypothesis = bottled water will contain less contaminates than tap water.
2.
Based on the results of your experiment, would you reject or accept the hypothesis that you produced in question 1? Explain how you determined this.
Accept/reject = accept
Total hardness of tap water was 120 mg/l and bottle water combined had a total hardness of 50 mg/l
3. Based on the results of your experiment, what major differences, if any, do you notice between the Dasani, Fiji, and tap water?
Answer = Dasani is the bottled water to buy if you want the least contaminated water.
4. Based on your results, do you believe that bottled water is worth the price? Why or why not?
Answer = no
The plastic that the bottled water is contained in is a problem to fish environment as well as landfills, and burning them harms ozone layer.
*NOTE – Do not forget to go to Lab 3: Biodiversity, and complete “Experiment 1: Diversity of Plants” steps 1 through 6. Steps 1 through 6 need to be completed in order to be prepared for Week Three, however, results for this experiment will not be calculated until next week. Thus, while nothing is to be handed in for this experiment until the end of Week Three you must plant the seeds this week to ensure that you can complete week 3 on time.
References
http://www.epa.gov/region1/students/pdfs/gwc1.pdf
http://water.epa.gov/learn/kids/drinkingwater/watertreatmentprocess.cfm
Experiment 1: Effects of Groundwater Contamination
Table 1: Water Observations (Smell, Color, Etc.)
Beaker
Observations
1
Clear no smell
2
Oil was on top and did not mix with water and it had a slight smell
3
A slight haze look to water with strong smell of vinegar
4
Water turned cloudy with bubbles on top and was the hardest to see through
5
100 ml of water filtered through 60 ml soil resulted in slight brown soil colored water
6
100 ml water mixed with 10 ml vegetable oil filtered through cheesecloth and 60 ml of soil oil appeared to be filtered out by process and 70 ml was captured in beaker
7
100 ml water and 10 ml vinegar was filtered through cheesecloth and 60 ml soil resulted …show more content…
in 90 ml captured in beaker and it had a slight hazy brownish tint that was the clearest of 5-8 beakers
8
100ml water 10 ml laundry detergent filtered through cheesecloth and 60 ml soil the results were 85ml of deep brown colored water with slight vinegar smell passed through the filtering system
POST LAB QUESTIONS
1. Develop hypotheses on the ability of oil, vinegar, and laundry detergent to contaminate groundwater.
a. Oil hypothesis = when oil is filtered through soil less contamination goes into water
b. Vinegar hypothesis = vinegar does not contaminate water
c. Laundry detergent hypothesis = laundry detergent does not harm ground 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.
a. Oil hypothesis accept/reject = accept - oil was absorbed through filtering
b. Vinegar hypothesis accept/reject = reject – vinegar smell still existed after filtering
c. Laundry detergent hypothesis accept/reject = reject- water was still hazy after filtering
3. What affects did each of the contaminants have on the water in the experiment? Which contaminant seemed to have the most potent effect on the water?
Answer = changed the clarity of water vinegar appeared to have most potentent effect because of odor
4. Using at least 1 scholarly source, discuss what type of affects these contaminants (oil, vinegar, detergent) might have on a town’s water source and the people who drank the water?
Answer = we accidently contaminate the water by carelessness and lack of knowledge of how harmful activities such as washing cloths causes.
“ground water contamination is nearly always the result of human activity.”
5. Describe what type of human activity would cause contaminants like oil, acid and detergents to flow into the water supply? Additionally, what other items within your house do you believe could contaminate the water supply if you were to dump them onto the ground?
Answer = washing cloths and letting drain go on ground to keep from overwhelming septic tank. Changing oil in car and washing car on grass. Things like fingernail polish and mouthwash, as well as oven cleaners.
Experiment 2: Water Treatment
POST LAB QUESTIONS
1. Develop a hypothesis on the ability of your filtration technique to remove contaminants.
Hypothesis = If filtration is done in proper sequence of sand, gravel, sand and can be removed
2. Based on the results of your experiment, would you reject or accept the hypothesis that you produced in question 1? Explain how you determined this.
Accept/Reject = accept – because filtration showed that it could decontaminate the water because the water was much clearer than the contaminated specimens.
3.
What are the differences in color, smell, visibility, etc. between the “contaminated” water and the “treated” water?
Answer = the differences in treated and non-treated water was tremendous. Contaminated water was very dark and thick and the treated water had a small smell of bleach
4. From the introduction to this lab, you know that there are typically five steps involved in the water treatment process. Identify the processes (e.g., coagulation) that were used in this lab and describe how they were performed.
Answer = coagulation-sedimentation – filtration – disinfection – storage
Retreived from; http://water.epa.gov/learn/kids/drinkingwater/watertreatmentprocess.cfm
Experiment 3: Drinking Water Quality
Table 2: Ammonia Test Results
Water Sample
Test Results
Tap Water
0 mg/l
Dasani® Bottled Water
0 mg/l
Fiji® Bottled Water
0 mg/l
Table 3: Chloride Test Results
Water Sample
Test Results
Tap Water
0 mg/l
Dasani® Bottled Water
0mg/l
Fiji® Bottled Water
0mg/l
Table 4: 4 in 1 Test Results
Water Sample pH Total Alkalinity
Total Chlorine
Total Hardness
Tap Water
8
80
4mg/l
120mg/l
Dasani® Bottled Water
3
0
.02mg/l
0
Fiji® Bottled Water
7
120
1mg/l
50 mg/l
Table 5: Phosphate Test Results
Water Sample
Test …show more content…
Results
Tap Water
50 ppm
Dasani® Bottled Water
0
Fiji® Bottled Water
100 ppm
Table 6: Iron Test Results
Water Sample
Test Results
Tap Water
0
Dasani® Bottled Water
0
Fiji® Bottled Water
0
POST LAB QUESTIONS
1. Develop a hypothesis on which water source you believe will contain the most and least contaminants.
Hypothesis = bottled water will contain less contaminates than tap water.
2.
Based on the results of your experiment, would you reject or accept the hypothesis that you produced in question 1? Explain how you determined this.
Accept/reject = accept
Total hardness of tap water was 120 mg/l and bottle water combined had a total hardness of 50 mg/l
3. Based on the results of your experiment, what major differences, if any, do you notice between the Dasani, Fiji, and tap water?
Answer = Dasani is the bottled water to buy if you want the least contaminated water.
4. Based on your results, do you believe that bottled water is worth the price? Why or why not?
Answer = no
The plastic that the bottled water is contained in is a problem to fish environment as well as landfills, and burning them harms ozone layer.
*NOTE – Do not forget to go to Lab 3: Biodiversity, and complete “Experiment 1: Diversity of Plants” steps 1 through 6. Steps 1 through 6 need to be completed in order to be prepared for Week Three, however, results for this experiment will not be calculated until next week. Thus, while nothing is to be handed in for this experiment until the end of Week Three you must plant the seeds this week to ensure that you can complete week 3 on time.
References
http://www.epa.gov/region1/students/pdfs/gwc1.pdf
http://water.epa.gov/learn/kids/drinkingwater/watertreatmentprocess.cfm