WHAT’S IN YOUR WATER?

GET WET!

The University of Maine

2014

http://www.ukrivers.net/pollutionpics.html

Groundwater Sources:

Aquifers Water Table Surface Waters: Springs Streams Lakes Ponds Rivers

WHERE DO WE GET DRINKING WATER?

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.esrs.wmich.edu/MO%2520Aquifer%2520discharge.jpg

Threats to Groundwater • Increasing development and demand

• Road salt, nitrates, historical contaminants, etc.

• Climate change

• Precipitation changes

• Saltwater intrusion in coastal communities

• Chemically concentrated, scarce groundwater (decreased recharge)

• Natural contaminants

http://spacing.ca/votes/?cat=42

4

http://facstaff.unca.edu/chennon/images/ocean.jpg

Private Well Water

• In the US, 15 million homes use private wells

• Limited to no regulations or enforcement

for water quality testing

• Little incentive for homeowners to test wells

5

CONTAMINATION OF DRINKING WELLS

All well types can be effected.

CONTAMINATION in

Drinking Water

riversphere.blogspot.com/2007_08_01_archive.html

THE CONE OF DEPRESSION

http://www.euwfd.com/assets/images/Groundwater-pollution02.jpg

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

GET WET! Groundwater Education Through Water

Evaluation and Testing

GOALS:

•Collect data on groundwater quality (students).

•Build interest in the community (schools). •Educate public to the need for private well testing

•Establish groundwater monitoring network. -Through random sampling of wells

12

EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

Students:

-Field sampling techniques

-Laboratory skills

-Computer competence in Excel, Word, PowerPoint and a GIS program

-Internet research capabilities

-Mapping abilities

-Water chemistry

-An understanding why conservation and commitment to a healthy environment takes an entire community

GET WET!

13

GET WET!

The Numbers:

• 9 years old

• 7 states

• 44+ towns, 23+ schools

• 100+ teachers and pre-service teachers

• 1000’s of 5th-12th students

• 100’s of Professional and Community Volunteers

14

GET WET! • K-12 Students (and indirectly their household members)

• Teachers

• Administrators

• State Employees

• Watershed associations, conservation commissions, & ENGOs

• County or town employees

• Local business owners

• College professors & undergraduate students

• Parents, retirees, and other community members

15

GET WET! Locations

MAINE Penobscot Watershed (3 towns) Androscoggin Watershed (3 towns) Frenchman Bay Watershed (4 towns) Nezinscot River Watershed ( 3 towns) Acton Watershed Androscoggin County Sagadahoc County NEW HAMPSHIRE Connecticut River Watershed (4 towns) Ossipee Watershed (6 towns) Wakefield Watershed VERMONT Connecticut River Watershed (2 towns) RHODE ISLAND Scituate Watershed (4 towns) CONNECTICUT Pawcatuck Watershed (3 towns) NEW YORK WallKill River Watershed (4 towns) Pine Bush Watershed Valley Central Watersheds

Enlarged City School District of Middletown Watersheds FLORIDA Port Jervis Watersheds Okeechobee Watershed (3 towns)

16

GET WET!

Step 1: Full day training for educators & local citizen volunteers

17

GET WET!

Step 2: Educate and train Students

http://www.usawaterquality.org/NewEngland/Focus_Areas/well/

18

www.rayshousehelp.com/

SAMPLING PROCEDURE

Remove aerators from faucet Run COLD water for 10 minutes Fill bottle to the TOP & cap tight Place in paper bag in refrigerator Bring to school!

www.wemaketheworldgreen.com/

www.legionnaires-disease.com

www.ehow.com

DON’T FORGET THE PAPER WORK!

He’s got his bottle AND

the information sheets in his backpack!

Students pre-visit presentation includes:

• Drinking water sources

• Hydrologic cycle

• Private well types

• How a well can become contaminated

• Potential contamination sources

• Testing parameters

• Student’s role in GET WET!

• How to sample well water

GET WET!

21

GET WET!

Step 3a: Field sampling and testing

22

Parameters students test for:

• Chloride

• Nitrates

• Total Iron or Total Metals

• Hardness (CaCO3)

• Conductivity

• pH

GET WET!

23

NITRATES If nitrogen is found in your drinking water it means that fertilizers or septic

systems have leached into your well water.

The Nitrate Cycle http://www.nsac.ns.ca/envsci/s...dents/snelson/nitratecycle.jpg

http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/conservation/Images/livestock2.gif

Acidity/pH

Measure of how much acid is in your water. Water with low pH is acidic. Water with a high pH is

basic and may also have a high hardness.

Average pH Range: 6.5-8.2

Hardness: Calcium, magnesium, and other minerals form hard water. Hardwater does not suds and

makes white deposits on pipes and fixtures.

Chloride found in groundwater can have different causes.

1. Two possible inputs of chloride into groundwater in a coastal

area are from seawater intrusion and marine aerosols

2. Seawater can be trapped and buried in the soils near sea level through either tidal or geologic changes.

3. The soluble product from swimming pools

4. From septic systems

Total Metals

• Some contaminants are natural and come from the bedrock, aerosols, or old sea bottom that are now soils

• Others come from man-made products

CONDUCTIVITY

•Conductivity in water is the measurement of ions or “stuff” in solution.

•It does not differentiate the ions, it only gives a reading of how much is there.

•It measures the conductivity by the strength of the charge moving through the water.

Example: Salt water is more conductive of electricity than freshwater because it contains more ions.

Get Wet! Groundwater Education Through Water Evaluation & Testing

Laboratory Station Sampling Sheet Maximum Safe CHLORIDE TEST Limit or Range Sample Result: Number of drops =_________ 250 mg/L Multiply the above by 5=_________ mg/L NITRATE TEST Sample Result ________________________mg/L 10 mg/L Multiply by 4.4______________________________mg/L pH TEST Sample Result ________________________ 6.5-8.5 HARDNESS TEST Sample Result ___________________grains per gallon < 75 (soft)-300 (hard)Multiply the above by 17.1___________________mg/L TOTAL METALS Sample Result ________________________μg/L 0.3 mg/L Multiply by 0.001_____________________________mg/L CONDUCTIVITY TEST Sample Result ________________________ µS/cm 625 µS/cm

GET WET!

Step 3b: Data analysis and mapping

31

GET WET!

Step 4: Students analyze results and create PowerPoint presentation

32

Parameters of PowerPoint:

• Land-use issues

• Local geology

• Groundwater inputs

• Specific local water concerns

• Results in graph form and mapped in a GIS program

• Parameters we did NOT test

GET WET!

33

GET WET!

Step 5: Presentation at public meeting Date, time, and location determined by teacher

http://livingindryden.org/2005/03/

34

GET WET! Website

•Activities and curriculum •Forms and PowerPoints 35

HOW CAN WE TELL YOUR TESTING IS VALID?

Conductivity Comparison

Lab Conductivity

0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200

Stud

ent C

ondu

ctiv

ity

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

pH Comparison

Lab pH

5.5 6.0 6.5 7.0 7.5 8.0 8.5

Stud

ent p

H

5.0

5.5

6.0

6.5

7.0

7.5

8.0

8.5

9.0

Chloride Comparison

Lab Chloride

0 100 200 300 400

Stud

ent C

hlor

ide

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

Nitrate Comparison

Lab Nitrate

0 5 10 15 20 25

Stud

ent N

itrat

e

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

Measurable Actions Towards Groundwater Protection

• Increased awareness of drinking water concerns (all states)

• Community Based Environmental Monitoring Research (CBEMR) networks continue to grow: NH, RI, CT, ME, NY, FL

• Continued GET WET! and added towns: NH, RI, CT, ME, NY, FL

• Salt storage moved and covered: NH, NY, RI

• Septic system modifications: RI (grant), ME, NY, NH, FL

• Historic contaminants previously unknown to community: VT, RI, ME, NH, FL

• Seasonal flooding effects: CT

• New well testing laws: RI

*2013 FL Communicate the need to properly use filtration systems

41

Mea

sure

able

Act

ions

ANY QUESTIONS?

CARPE DIEM! BE AN AGENT OF CHANGE!

THANK YOU

REFERENCES http://www.uprct.nsw.gov.au/HTML/Info%20Sheets/Enviro%20Issues/E7%20Water%20Pollution_files/creek%20grate.jpg http://images.google.com/images?q=water+pollution&svnum=10&um=1&hl=en&rls=com.google:en-US:official&start=20&sa=N&ndsp=20

www.sprouthouse.org/images/streamstudy.jpg http://riversphere.blogspot.com/2007_08_01_archive.html

http://images.google.com/images?ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&gfns=1&sourceid=navclient&rls=com.google:en-US: official&q=stream+studies&um=1&sa=N&tab=wi

HAVE FUN!!!