W3 Lab Report
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Ashford University *
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Course
207
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Geography
Date
Apr 3, 2024
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docx
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8
Uploaded by eldurodraco
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Ground and Surface Water Interactions Laboratory N/A
SCI 207: Our Dependance Upon the Environment Instructor Name: N/A DATE
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Ground and Surface Water Interactions Laboratory Introduction
The topic of this lab is ground and surface water interactions. Ground and surface water interaction are important to know because they are a vital part to the hydrologic cycle that is a constant circulation within the Earth. This happens when water on the surface (streams, lakes wetlands, etc.) soaks into the ground to the underlying aquifer, then the ground water discharges to the surface water (USGS, 2023). Ground water can be stored for days and up to hundreds of years before it does make its way back to the surface. Making ground water a good source of water since it is stored for a long period of time. Hypothesis 1: I think that once water is removed from the well the water in the reservoir will drop. I believe this will happen because although there is a wall, water will be seeping through to get to the aquifer and up into the well.
Hypothesis 2: I highly believe that the polluted water will enter the groundwater supply. The water has to go somewhere and that will be the groundwater supply.
Hypothesis 3: The fertilizer that is added to the land between the house will contaminate the groundwater, pond water, and the drinking water reservoir. No layer is blocking the fertilizer from getting into the ground and contaminating all three sources of water.
Results Graphs and Photographs Activity 1: High Withdrawal and Recharge
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Well #1 Well #2 Both Well Results Activity 2: Point Source Pollution
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Activity 3: Non-Point Source Pollution
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Analysis
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During my first hypothesis, I thought that once water is removed from the well the water in the reservoir will drop. I figured this would happen because although there is a wall, water will be seeping through to get to the aquifer and up into the well. After doing the precipitation test and filling the reservoir with water, using the straw to measure the level of the well it was approximately 1.5cm high. Once I removed all the well water with a pipette and remeasured it was roughly 0.75cm high. After waiting two minutes for the water to settle, I remeasured and the
water in the well was once again approximately 1.5cm high. I redid the test with the other well and the results were nearly identical. During this test, the reservoir water did not seem to drop and remained the same. Comparing the results of this activity to my hypothesis I will reject my hypothesis because although the well refilled, the reservoir remained the same.
My second hypothesis was that the polluted water would enter the groundwater supply. The water must go somewhere and that will be the groundwater supply. My observations on this lab were that when the waste was discharged into the reservoir it contaminated the entire thing. I tested the wells multiple times during different periods and did not notice any wastewater in the wells. Based on my results from this lab I will reject my hypothesis that the polluted water would
enter the groundwater supply. My hypothesis is rejected because although the reservoir became polluted after nearly five minutes there was no contamination in either of the wells. The third hypothesis is that fertilizer that is added to the land between the house will contaminate the groundwater, pond water, and the drinking water reservoir. No layer is blocking the fertilizer from getting into the ground and contaminating all three sources of water. During the first activity simulating rain on the fertilizer, the pond and groundwater immediately started changing color. I used the syringe to pull water out of the well and pond and both samples were contaminated. Next, I rinsed the syringe and collected a sample for the uphill well that was also
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contaminated. The results of this activity allowed me to accept my hypothesis that the groundwater, pond water, and drinking water reservoir would be contaminated by the fertilizer. Discussion
The results of this lab relate to scientific literature and real-world applications because groundwater and surface water can be altered due to contamination coming from nearby sources.
Our water sources are limited, and the risk of contamination is high by human factors due to waste and chemical leakage. Surface waters receive and recharge groundwater, and the movement of the two types of water leads to them being mixed gaining a mixture of different nutrients and chemicals (American Geosciences Institute, 2017). The results of the lab allowed me to see how these forms of water interact and how quickly contamination can occur. Without trying to stop water contamination our vital sources of clean water can be forever destroyed, leading us to treat water more with the addition of extra chemicals.
During this lab, I did not experience any challenges or feel as if I made any mistakes. The
instructions were written for me to understand. The only thing that I would have liked, was to do these labs on a bigger scale. I think doing the lab on such a small scale it easier for elements to get mixed thus making the inaccurate the percentages of contamination that were occurring. References
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American Geosciences Institute. (2017, October 30). How do groundwater and surface water interact?
. https://www.americangeosciences.org/critical-issues/faq/how-do-groundwater-
and-surface-water-interact Groundwater/Surface-Water Interaction | U.S. Geological Survey. (n.d.) 2023. Groundwater/surface-water interaction active
. https://www.usgs.gov/mission-areas/water-resources/science/groundwatersurface-water-
interaction#:~:text=Water%20and%20the%20chemicals%20it,supplies%20the
%20stream%20with%20baseflow
.