Preventing contamination before it occurs is the best solution. Groundwater webquest in this webquest you will discover what groundwater is and why we need to know about it. Trouble in fruitvale is a sepup module designed for use in grades 612. Some plumes at superfund sites are several miles long.
Is groundwater water that has percolated into the ground and become trapped within pores, cracks, and fissures. Approximately twothirds of the people in wisconsin obtain their drinking water from groundwater. Leakage from septic tanks and wastedisposal sites can also contaminate groundwater by introducing bacteria to the water. Discussing physical processes, health and sociobehavioural dimensions sunderrajan krishnan and rajnarayan indu consultants, iwmitata water policy research programmes, anand, india s. What important areas of the city are affected by the. When ground water becomes contaminated, it is difficult and expensive to clean up. Water that soaks into the ground to recharge groundwater. Watch the introduction and answer the following questions. Answer the following questions about the real plume problem. Complete groundwater cleanup is seldom possible and is always expensive. If a responsible party cant be found or is unable to pay, then the state or federal government may be forced to accept the cleanup costs.
Answers toyour questions a b o u t g r o u n d w at e r. Enter the contaminant and treatment information into the table. Rainwater or surface water comes into contact with contaminated soil while seeping into the ground, becomes polluted and carries the pollution from the soil into the groundwater. Some sources are easy to identify, such as a leaky storage tank, or an old landfill. You will also learn about various sources of contamination, how to investigate groundwater contamination, and ways. Then they predict the direction of groundwater flow using mathematical modeling. To begin to address pollution prevention or reme diation, we must understand. Chapter 2 sources of groundwater contamination the first step in groundwater contamination risk assessment is to identify potential contaminant sources. Sources of groundwater contamination, the groundwater foundation website. Water well owners handbook, march 2010, oregon water resources department. Groundwater webquest please start your quest at the following url. Seepage rainwater or surface water comes into contact with contaminated soil while seeping into the ground, becomes polluted and carries the pollution from the soil into the groundwater. Groundwater contamination and aquifer reclamation at the rocky mountain arsenal, colorado 6 introduction leonard f. How many more gallons of groundwater did we use in 2005 than in 1965.
Groundwater pollution also called groundwater contamination occurs when pollutants are released to the ground and make their way down into groundwater. In this webquest you will discover what groundwater contamination is and why we need to know about it. When a well is pumped, a cone of depression is created. Groundwater has a number of uses, including the ones listed above. This is the second edition of the book, groundwater contamination in the united states, byv. Describe why this aquifer provided a steady supply of water. Pesticides, fertilizers, herbicides and animal waste are agricultural sources of groundwater contamination.
Students will address these issues and make decisions to understand all aspects of the issue. Groundwater contamination version 1 georgia state university. Your other job is to determine which residences might next be affected. You will also learn about various sources of contamination, how to investigate groundwater contamination, and ways to prevent it. Groundwater contamination groundwatercontaminationwebquest. The biggest potential source of ground water contamination is man using aquifers as surface water storage. Draw the direction of the contaminated groundwater flow on the diagram. The letter sent to these homeowners explained the potential contamination problem, offered free waterquality testing, and requested homeowner cooperation in a potential investigation. If you believe someone has contaminated the groundwater and your drinking water, keep a complete record of the situation.
Look at the results of the water analysis to identify which contaminants exceed the safe limits 4. This activity is a great follow up to the activity constructing an aquifer model where students build an aquifer model and examine how water gets into the aquifer system these additional videos, nonpoint source contamination and point source contamination, offer additional help on how to use these activities in the classroom. Environmental protection agency under the superfund innovative technology evaluation program and is now used at commercial and government sites to treat heavily contaminated areas. Find out here how the year 3 team at hillcrest normal school used our resources to teach about groundwater and pollution. Based on the direction of the plume, which way is the groundwater moving.
Which state withdrew the most fresh groundwater in 2005. Effects of groundwater contamination container 1 observation 1 100 ml of water, clear, no smell 2 100 ml of water, cloudyblurry with bubbles in the surface of the water, still no smell 3 100 ml of water, clear, with the smell of vinegar 4 100 ml of water, whitish, with the smell of soap 5 90 ml of water, clear, no smell 6 80 ml of water, clear, no smell 7 80 ml of water, clear. Groundwater is a natural resource that is used for drinking water, recreation, industry, and crops. Some of the major sources of these products, called contaminants, are storage tanks, septic systems, hazardous waste sites, landfills, and the widespread use of. Find out here how the year 3 team at hillcrest normal school.
Click the right and left arrows to select a body of water to analyze 2. You will be told if your answer is correct or not and will be given some comments. These additional videos, nonpoint source contamination and point source contamination, offer additional help on how to use these activities in the classroom. Point source contamination is contamination that comes from one easily identifiable source, such as the leaky storage tank. These different types of contamination can eventually end up in water drawn from a well. The extent of groundwater contamination is also likely to be greater than 12 percent. It is water found underground in the cracks and spaces in soil. Read the first section, called, what is groundwater. Young geologists study how water exists underground, how water moves through the soil, and how water is extracted to be used as drinking water. If your water comes from a well, public or private, youre one of these people. Descriptions of groundwater quality problems often include anecdotal or noncomparable data, making them difficult to interpret and analyze. Materials from the lands surface can move through the soil and end up in the groundwater.
Student teams locate a contaminant spill in a hypothetical site by measuring the ph of soil samples. Installation of liner in hazardous waste storage pit. Click the tabs to find information on how to treat each contaminant 5. Identify several methods for cleanup of contaminated groundwater used by engineers. The general rule is to determine a responsible party for the contamination and require them to pay for cleanup. How many gallons of fresh ground water were used for irrigation in 2005. Chapter 2 groundwater contamination and its impacts. An estimated 88,000 pounds of these chlorinated solvents, which are only slightly soluble and heavier than water, soaked into the soil and groundwater. Take a snapshot of the model showing an aquifer that provided a steady supply of water. Iii groundwater contamination, protection and remediation fidel ribera urenda encyclopedia of life support systems eolss summary the awakening of environmental conscience that the world population has experienced during the last thirty years, and the appearance of dramatic episodes of contamination. Because ground water contamination can have such serious consequences, many citizens, as well as local, state, and federal agencies, are taking action to protect ground water resources.
Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. This type of pollution is called point source pollution. Groundwater contamination an overview sciencedirect topics. The county health department, concerned about contamination of additional wells, responded by contacting all homeowners in the area of the lilly property.
A cone of depression is a threedimensional area from. In any groundwater contamination investigation it is essential to obtain the background concentration of the chemical constituents of concern, particularly those that might be common both to the local groundwater and a contaminant. For example, pesticides and fertilizers can find their way into. The module contains a series of 12 activities that provide approximately 34 weeks of instruction. Pdf groundwater contamination and its effect on health in. In this day and age we have a great affect on the environment. Groundwater practice exam questions written by timothy h. Nevertheless, the outflow of pesticides from groundwater results in a background. They gave him instructions for taking a sample of his water and transporting it to their lab. The wisconsin department of natural resources bureau of. It provides us with much of the water that we use for drinking water, household uses, crop irrigation, and many other things. Liquid hazardous substances are spilled and soak down through the soil or rock into the groundwater. Because the area has a high water table, contaminated groundwater is fairly close to the surface in.
You will also learn about wells and how water enters and leaves them. If you need to print pages from this book, we recommend downloading it as a pdf. Injection sometimes hazardous materials are injected into the groundwater on purpose. Water wizards write short answers and fill in the blanks about earths surface. There is probably a hill or higher elevations on the left side of the map.
Students may also state that the temperature is higher in the summer than in the spring, leading to increased evaporation of the surface. Generally, the greater the distance between a source of contamination and a. Army corps of engineers ab stract groundwater contamination at the rocky mountain arsenal, colorado, is related to the disposal of liquid industrial wastes and to industrial. Lilly called winston labs, a water chemistry laboratory offeringanalytical services to industry, government, and citizens. Contamination pollution signifies any degradation of natural ground water quality while contamination is reserved for pollution that constitutes a hazard to human health 4. For these reasons, the contamination of our groundwater resources is a serious, longterm threat to the viability of the resource in california, a state that relies on its groundwater for many. Here is a phenomenal lesson plan on ground water, wells, and aquifers.
Icecaps and glaciers ground water surface water create a pie chart below that shows where all of the worlds freshwater is located. The proportion of groundwater in drinking water supplies in some. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. Pdf groundwater contamination and its effect on health. What are the common sources of ground water pollution. How might people come in contact with the contamination. Groundwater contamination occurs when manmade products such as gasoline, oil, road salts and chemicals get into the groundwater and cause it to become unsafe and unfit for human use. Click the circle by an answer with the mouse, then click on the submit button to get a response. Groundwater contamination webquest in this webquest you will discover what groundwater contamination is and why we need to know about it. Answers to your questions about groundwater wisconsin dnr. Groundwater contamination in the united states 2nd. Ap environmental science water pollution webquest use the links provided to find your answers. Solutions remediate contaminated groundwater environmental resources originating technologynasa contribution. Groundwater contamination page 2 groundwater pollution can come from many different sources.
As described in the introductory chapter, source identification and characterization can be more difficult for groundwater than for other environmental pathways. In addition, groundwater in winter and summer shows a generally low and relatively constant contamination level. A natural flow of groundwater to the earths surface is known as. Have students record ph measurements, and follow along with the activity on their groundwater pollution worksheet. They also follow the steps of the engineering design process to come up with alternative treatments for the contaminated water. Groundwater is also essential for wisconsins farm and business communities. Groundwater is one of our most important natural resources. Groundwater study guide, 2016, wisconsin department of natural resources. Even after several decades, the contaminants were still in the groundwater and would have stayed even longer restoration of the area through natural processes would have taken many decades. The plume spreads in the direction of the groundwater. Both naturallyoccurring and chemical contaminants have been found in wisconsins. Thus, properly identifying and protecting the areas affected by well pumping is important to maintain ground water quality. In this webquest you will discover what groundwater is and why we need to know about it.
What are potential sources of groundwater contamination. Jan 03, 2010 the effect of these natural sources of contamination on groundwater quality depends on the type of contaminant and its concentrations. Heaton, professor of earth sciences, university of south dakota. The oil will not end up in the town well, however if the groundwater dose not flow south. Surface streams and groundwater practice exam questions written by timothy h. You have been asked to prepare a water table map for the area around crossroads showing contour lines, flow directions, and the barium contaminant plume. Surface water receives all the contaminates on the p. Unfortunately, this book cant be printed from the openbook. A combination of moving groundwater and a continuous source of contamination can, therefore, pollute very large volumes and areas of groundwater. In europe also, groundwater has always played a major part in water supplies.
Explain why ground water can only be found within a few miles of the earths surface. The purpose of this edition is to include the facts necessary to understand various types of groundwater contamination and how to mitigate their effects. The water flowed through the sediment layers just as quickly as it was pulled out by the well. The effect of these natural sources of contamination on groundwater quality depends on the type of contaminant and its concentrations. This is from the shear volume of reuse water injected into the ground in these schemes. Groundwater contamination and aquifer reclamation at. Environmental problems associated with groundwater video. The analysis revealed high levels of barium that greatly exceeded the. Groundwater contamination, protection and remediation. Iii groundwater contamination, protection and remediation fidel ribera urenda encyclopedia of life support systems eolss ca2 10250 ppm mg2 1100 ppm minor ions no3, co3, no2, f, k, f, nh4, mr, mn 0. Groundwater contamination and its effect on health in turkey article pdf available in environmental monitoring and assessment 18314. Review their data and answers to gauge their engagement and depth of understanding.
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