Unit E Lesson E13
Completion requirements
Lesson E13: Monitoring and Solving Water Problems
Video Lesson
How do people monitor and maintain safe water sources? Watch this video to learn more about monitoring and solving water problems.
Lesson E13: Monitoring and Solving Water Problems
Figure E.4.13.1 – People need to monitor pipelines carefully.
Figure E.4.13.2 – Pipeline oil spills can have disastrous consequences.
Figure E.4.13.3 – Petroleum pipelines often run beside, over, or under waterways.
Reading
and Materials for This Lesson
Science in Action 8
Reading: Pages 400–405
Materials:
No additional materials needed for this lesson.
When Pipelines Leak
Some people have concerns about building pipelines to transport oil and bitumen. One risk of pipelines is they can break and leak oil. A pipeline leak near a river or lake can contaminate water. For this reason, rivers and lakes near pipelines are monitored for oil contamination. However, an oil spill can greatly damage an aquatic ecosystem before it is stopped and contained.
In July 2016, a pipeline leaked oil into the North Saskatchewan River. The contaminated river runs through several Saskatchewan towns and communities. Water from the river was not safe to drink, even after treatment. The city of Prince Albert had to construct temporary pipes from another river to provide city residents with drinking water.
Some people have concerns about building pipelines to transport oil and bitumen. One risk of pipelines is they can break and leak oil. A pipeline leak near a river or lake can contaminate water. For this reason, rivers and lakes near pipelines are monitored for oil contamination. However, an oil spill can greatly damage an aquatic ecosystem before it is stopped and contained.
In July 2016, a pipeline leaked oil into the North Saskatchewan River. The contaminated river runs through several Saskatchewan towns and communities. Water from the river was not safe to drink, even after treatment. The city of Prince Albert had to construct temporary pipes from another river to provide city residents with drinking water.
Watch More
Pipeline Oil Spills
Watch this news report to learn more about the 2016 pipeline oil spill in the North Saskatchewan River.
Watch this news report to learn more about the 2016 pipeline oil spill in the North Saskatchewan River.
Figure E.4.13.4 – The Flint River contains industrial pollutants.
Figure E.4.13.5 – Water from the Flint River corroded plumbing pipes, leaching lead into drinking water.
Figure E.4.13.6 – President Obama tastes filtered Flint water in 2016.
Flint Water Crisis
In 2014, drinking water in the city of Flint, Michigan became contaminated.
To save money, the city government had switched Flint’s water source from Lake Huron to the Flint River. Soon after, people in Flint started noticing that their tap water smelled and tasted funny. The water was brown-coloured, and caused rashes on people’s skin.
It took months to diagnose Flint’s water problem. The Flint River is very polluted from industry. Despite this, the city government did not monitor corrosive substance levels in the water. The river turned out to have high levels of corrosive substances, but they were not removed in the water treatment process. As a result, the water corroded old lead plumbing pipes, causing lead to leach into tap water. Lead is a heavy metal that harms muscles and the brain. Lead poisoning is especially harmful to small children.
If the Flint River had been monitored thoroughly, it would only have cost $100 a day to treat the city’s water with an anti-corrosive additive. Instead, it will take much more effort and money to fix corroded pipes for thousands of people who no longer have clean tap water. The Flint water crisis is an example of how careful water monitoring is necessary to keep people healthy and safe.
In 2014, drinking water in the city of Flint, Michigan became contaminated.
To save money, the city government had switched Flint’s water source from Lake Huron to the Flint River. Soon after, people in Flint started noticing that their tap water smelled and tasted funny. The water was brown-coloured, and caused rashes on people’s skin.
It took months to diagnose Flint’s water problem. The Flint River is very polluted from industry. Despite this, the city government did not monitor corrosive substance levels in the water. The river turned out to have high levels of corrosive substances, but they were not removed in the water treatment process. As a result, the water corroded old lead plumbing pipes, causing lead to leach into tap water. Lead is a heavy metal that harms muscles and the brain. Lead poisoning is especially harmful to small children.
If the Flint River had been monitored thoroughly, it would only have cost $100 a day to treat the city’s water with an anti-corrosive additive. Instead, it will take much more effort and money to fix corroded pipes for thousands of people who no longer have clean tap water. The Flint water crisis is an example of how careful water monitoring is necessary to keep people healthy and safe.
Watch More
A Serious Water Crisis
Watch this video to learn more about the Flint water crisis.
Watch this video to learn more about the Flint water crisis.
Figure E.4.13.7 – It takes a long time to collect and test water samples in a lab.
Accurate, Fast, and Affordable Water Testing
Testing large bodies of water often requires lots of time and money. Water samples must be collected from different locations. The samples then need to travel back to a lab, where they are tested with machines.
Scientists and engineers are starting to build in situ, or on-site, machines for water testing. These machines can both sample and test water, while they are immersed in water. In situ water testing provides faster responses about water quality, which makes it possible to quickly notify people about water safety issues.
Testing large bodies of water often requires lots of time and money. Water samples must be collected from different locations. The samples then need to travel back to a lab, where they are tested with machines.
Scientists and engineers are starting to build in situ, or on-site, machines for water testing. These machines can both sample and test water, while they are immersed in water. In situ water testing provides faster responses about water quality, which makes it possible to quickly notify people about water safety issues.
Watch More
In Situ Water Testing
Watch this video to learn about a machine that takes water samples and analyzes them in the environment.
Watch this video to learn about a machine that takes water samples and analyzes them in the environment.
This robotic boat monitors and tests salt water. Watch this video to learn more.
Think • Interpret • Decide
Water Testing Online Simulation
This online simulation explores how acceptable water quality guidelines change when water is used for different purposes.
This online simulation explores how acceptable water quality guidelines change when water is used for different purposes.
- Visit this website. Click and read all the tabs about water and water quality. Make sure to read all 12 slides under the “Measuring Water Quality” tab.
- Visit this website to experiment with testing water samples. You will compare water test results with acceptable guidelines.
- Read and then close the instructions.
- Click and read the acceptable water guidelines for recreational, industrial, and drinking water. How do the acceptable guidelines change for different water purposes?
- Find and test the freshwater river sample. Compare the sample test results to the acceptable guidelines for recreational, industrial, and drinking water. If the water sample is not safe for use, which tests and guidelines make the water not safe?
- Repeat the previous step for the four other water samples. Why are some water samples acceptable for certain uses, but not for other uses?
- Visit this website to test water samples and determine whether they fit the acceptable guidelines.
- Read and then close the instructions.
- Test the water samples at three different locations. Check each sample against the water usage guidelines, considering the water’s use. Determine if the water quality of the sample is acceptable. Submit your answers to check your results.
Questions:
After you have finished using the water testing simulation, carefully consider the following questions. Then, type or write your answers. When you have your answers, click the questions for feedback.
After you have finished using the water testing simulation, carefully consider the following questions. Then, type or write your answers. When you have your answers, click the questions for feedback.
Water quality guidelines change depending on how much direct contact people have with the water. Drinking water has the highest water quality standards because people put it inside their bodies. In order to be potable, drinking water must have
no salinity, very low amounts of toxic substances, and no bacteria.
In contrast, humans come into less direct contact with recreational and industrial water. The acceptable amounts of various substances can be higher for the water to still be considered safe to use.
In contrast, humans come into less direct contact with recreational and industrial water. The acceptable amounts of various substances can be higher for the water to still be considered safe to use.
Make sure you have understood everything in this lesson. Use the Self-Check below, and the Self-Check & Lesson Review Tips to guide your learning.
Unit A Lesson 13 Self-Check
Instructions
Complete the following 6 steps.
Don't skip steps – if you do them in order, you will confirm your
understanding of this lesson and create a study bank for the future.
- DOWNLOAD the self-check quiz by clicking here.
- ANSWER all the questions on the downloaded quiz in the spaces provided. Think carefully before typing your answers. Review this lesson if you need to. Save your quiz when you are done.
- COMPARE your answers with the suggested "Self-Check Quiz Answers" below. WAIT! You didn't skip step 2, did you? It's very important to carefully write out your own answers before checking the suggested answers.
-
REVISE your quiz answers if you need to. If you answered all the questions correctly, you can skip this step. Revise means to change, fix, and add extra notes if you need to. This quiz is NOT FOR MARKS, so it is perfectly OK to correct
any mistakes you made. This will make your self-check quiz an excellent study tool you can use later.
- SAVE your quiz to a folder on your computer, or to your Private Files. That way you will know where it is for later studying.
- CHECK with your teacher if you need to. If after completing all these steps you are still not sure about the questions or your answers, you should ask for more feedback from your teacher. To do this, post in the Course Questions Forum, or send your teacher an email. In either case, attach your completed quiz and ask; "Can you look at this quiz and give me some feedback please?" They will be happy to help you!
Be a Self-Check
Superhero!
Self-Check Quiz Answers
Click each of the suggested answers below, and carefully compare your answers to the suggested answers.
If you have not done the quiz yet – STOP – and go back to step 1 above. Do not look at the answers without first trying the questions.
When a river floods, it erodes land and collects substances from the land. This results in higher amounts of bacteria and silt in the water. People would be asked to not use water for non-essential purposes (such as car-washing and watering
lawns) because the larger volume of water from flooding would be harder and take longer to treat, because it contains more contaminants than usual.
Rural residents should monitor and test well water to make sure that it is still safe to drink. Water quality in a well can change over time and be affected by leaching or other contaminants introduced into groundwater.
Precipitation would probably wash manure from the cattle ranching fields into the river, so the river should be monitored for E. coli bacteria. Precipitation might also wash extra fertilizer from wheat fields into the river, so the river should
be monitored for fertilizer chemicals and algae growth.
If pulp and paper mills release toxic chemicals into rivers, the contaminants will flow to communities downstream. These communities should continually monitor their water to make sure it is free of toxic chemicals.
The Elbow River should be monitored for contaminants from vehicles, such as chemical spills and winter road salt.