Independent Site Visits 10th Grade:

Independent Site Visits 10^th Grade:

Red Hook Water Treatment Plant

Grade level: 10th grade Earth Science

Learning standard: National MST Content Standard 2, 3, and 7.

Time requirement: Three hour of preparation and one class period.

Topic covered by this Lesson:

The methods of water treatment.

Bacterial anatomy.

Staining techniques.

Methods for testing for ions and impurities in water.

Bacterial growth techniques.

Politics of water conservation.

Pre-Visit:

Purpose: Student will learn about the different ways water is treated to become drinkable. They will also learn about the different laws that are in place to protect our drinking water. Student will be expose to on going projects that are aimed at improving the quality of our drinking water. They will also be exposed to the many technical difficulties need to be overcome to produce clean water. Student will also be given an opportunity to test their own drinking water

Objective: Students will be able to Test the drinking water in their homes for lead and other ion impurities.

To sample the microbe population that might be found in the water in their home and schools.

Compare the quality of water in different places within NYC. Assessing NYC drink water acceptability by comparing NYC drink water supply and quality statement against neighboring states and federal clean water

standards.

Material required:

The teacher can obtain free water testing kit from the Department of Environmental Protection by calling 718 DEP-HELP. Data about the presence of Giardia and Cryptosporidium in NYC drinking water can be obtained by

contacting the Parasitic Surveillance Unit at 212-788-4728. Contact a neighboring state and try and obtain their water quality data.

Student learning Prerequisites:

Students need to be familiar with the precipitate ions out of solution. A basic understanding of bacterial anatomy and gram staining techniques used to identify bacteria. They must be familiar with the common pathogens and trace

chemicals that are found in contaminated water and be able to speculate about the source of the contamination. Student must have basic understanding of water filtration and purification techniques. Student must be familiar with

the current legislation (State and Federal) that is designed curbed water pollution.

Visit: Student will tour the Red Hook water treatment facility. They will learn about the different methods used to clean that water that they use everyday. The tour will also include career opportunities in environment science and working for the EPA.

Post Visit:

Student will bring water sample from home and compare it to water sample taken from the school. They will also try to collect and analyze water from other school in the NYC and surrounding counties. Student will compare NYC

water quality data to another state.

Possible question that might be brought up:

If clean water is important to everyone why is it hard to pass clean water legislation?

How does the EPA physically enforce the clean water laws?

What happen if a polluter fails to comply with clean water regulation?

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