Week 3 water lab SCI 207
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University Of Arizona *
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207
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Geography
Date
Apr 3, 2024
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docx
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Uploaded by nickoleewood
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Groundwater and Surface Water Interactions
Nickole Wood SCI 207: Our Dependence Upon the Environment
Cornelia Harris November 27, 2023
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Groundwater and Surface Water Interactions
Introduction One of the essential fundamentals of our water supply is ground and surface water. Runoff is when rain and melted snow are a primary source of groundwater and surface water. This is more common in smaller cities. Aquifer is a term I learned that is when water seeps slowly down into the soil and rocks. (Nathanson, 2023) Water can so easily be contaminated. That said, we must be watchful of how we affect the water. In this lab, as students, we will be able to create models on the different effects that our ecosystem has on groundwater and surface water. The various experiments will be able to show how contaminants enter the water. Once the pollutants are in the water, they play a crucial role in how the ground and surface water can hin-
der the growth of vegetation and easily spread infections to animals and humans.
A prime example is when someone cleans their grill with chemicals; those toxins drain into the flowerbed, contaminating them. The lab will also go over the point source and nonpoint source pollution. A point source comes from a single place, whereas a nonpoint source is more challenging to determine as it comes from many places. (Stanley, 2020)
This lab is to teach how contaminants enter the water and the surrounding environment. We must understand how we pollute the air and water daily, such as driving or an accidental toxin spill. That single spill could have serious consequences. It could make its way into the wa-
ter we drink in the house. Once the contaminants are in the water, they will affect both ground and surface water, causing sickness to humans and plant life or harming the animals so they can no longer survive in the area. One of the primary purposes of this lab is to get a general idea of
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how groundwater and surface water play a role in our environment, especially once contami-
nated. Activity one: For the first activity, I hypothesize that once the water is removed from the well, it influences the water level in the reservoir. It will cause the water level to decrease due to the wa-
ter being released
. Activity two: For the second activity, I hypothesize that the reservoir's contaminated water will go into the groundwater supply. My theory is that the water shares the same area and sources, which would cause them both to be polluted despite a barrier between them. Activity three
: For the third activity, I hypothesize that the fertilizer will affect the other ground-
water by contaminating it. I used a clay barrier in an area for all three experiments to create a well and a reservoir. I used sand and gravel to help create landscapes. I cut plastic tubes in half with scissors to measure
the amount of water. They were also using a permanent marker to measure the water levels. A foam cup was used to create rainfall by poking ten holes in the top and used aquarium tubing taped to the side to represent a well. Pipets were used to drain the extra water out of the con-
tainer, and I documented all my results with photos. Results
Observations
For activity one I observed that no additional water was to reservoir. The straw measurement test at well had a reading of 12 cm before it was drained. The water level was at 31 cm after being
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drained. This indicated an increase in water. The reading inside both wells was at 1.5 cm. I waited the 2 minutes to recheck the levels and recorded the reading changed to 2 cm.
For activity two I observed when the contaminated water was added to the reservoir it quickly spread throughout the water and started to settle on the bottom. For activity three I observed the pond quickly became contaminated because of the runoff. I did notice an issue with the Kool-Aid, it appeared to have dried quickly and made the sand clumpy. Below ground water were polluted as I could see the colored water seeped down below the clay.
Graphs and Photographs
Figure 1: Photograph of activity 1. A reservoir was created by using the clay as a barrier. Two wells were inserted into the sand and gravel which was the aquifer area. Water was added to simulate rain and measure the height was the wells.
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Figure 2: Photograph of activity 2. Clay was used to create a barrier from the sandy and gravel layer. Water was added to the reservoir and tubing placed to add the Kool-Aid mix to determine if the area would be polluted.
Figure 3: Photograph of activity 3. Uneven layer of sand was added, followed by gravel. Clay bar was flattened out to be placed on the uphill side. Two places of tubing taped to the sides of container. A pond was created and the remaining Kool-Aid added.
Analysis
My hypothesis was rejected for the first activity that eliminating the water from the well will affect the water in the reservoir, which would cause the height of the water to reduce. The results proved that the water essentially increased instead. The test showed how extreme usage of
water affects the water crisis.
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My hypothesis was accepted for the second activity that the contaminated water from the reservoir will enter the groundwater supply. The results showed the polluted water entering the groundwater supply. My hypothesis for activity three was accepted that when fertilizer is added, it will con-
taminate the groundwater. The results showed that all other water supplies became fertilized when fertilizer was added. The test was to see how fertilizer and water runoff affect water sources. Discussion
This was a very educational lab. For starters, I learned the difference between point and non-
point source pollution. Contamination is so easily spread within water. If one part is polluted, it will spread through the entire water source. Pollution that is in surface water can affect the qual-
ity of groundwater. The same goes for polluted groundwater, affecting the quality of surface wa-
ter. There are so many different causes for our groundwater to become contaminated, such as septic tanks, wildlife, and fertilizers are just a few. Over 10 million estimated storage tanks are buried all over the United States. Since they have the potential to disintegrate, it can cause seri-
ous contamination concerns. (Groundwater Foundation, 2022) I want to become more aware of how I dispose of my waste, which could be a toxin, such as all the materials used for these activi-
ties. I will ensure I recycle what needs to be and dispose of the other materials accordingly.
Some challenges I had with this lab were just the overall instructions. The steps to complete each
activity should have provided more photos. I am very hands-on, but I also need to see it done. Trying to figure it out on my own has been a challenge. I want to make sure I am doing the activ-
ities correctly. Being that the lab is online, and I don't have a teacher "holding my hand" can be
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nerve-wracking. I only sometimes feel confident with my results. Did I mess something up? Did I read the instructions correctly? I'm not too fond of the feeling of uncertainty.
References
Nathanson, J. A. (2023). water supply system. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.
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com/technology/water-supply-system
Stanley, M. (2020) Point Source and Nonpoint Sources of Pollution.
https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/point-source-and-nonpoint-sources-pollution/
Groundwater Foundation (2022) Retrieved from: https://groundwater.org/threats/contamination/