Name_________________________________
Date__________________________________
Water Treatment WebQuest
SAFE DRINKING WATER!
How do we get it? What process does water go through to become
safe enough to drink? Read the following websites to find out. Use this diagram and the one on
the second website to help you learn about this process. (All links are found on my website!)
Go to: http://www.epa.gov/safewater/kids/watertreatmentplant/ &
http://www.freedrinkingwater.com/images-water-quality/public-water-treatment.gif
Water enters the treatment plant from a river,
reservoir or well and is first screened to remove
leaves, twigs and other large objects.
Write 2-3 sentences describing what happens in
the next steps of the water treatment.
Coagulation: _________________________
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Sedimentation: _______________________
___________________________________
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Filtration: ___________________________
___________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Disinfection: _____________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
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(Sometimes other treatments such as fluoridation or pH adjustment may occur at the end of this stage.)
Storage:________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
___________________________ (After storage, water travels via pipelines to homes and businesses.)
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Name __________________________________
Water Treatment WebQuest
Now that you know how water is made safe to drink, what happens to water that goes down the
drain or toilet? Follow the path the WebQuest takes you to discover the answer!
Go to http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/wuww.html Read what wastewater is and why we treat it.
Wastewater is ___________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
What are some reasons why we treat wastewater?
a. _____________________________________________________________________________ b.
_____________________________________________________________________________ c.
_____________________________________________________________________________ d.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Now go to http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/wwvisit.html to identify and briefly describe the steps of the
wastewater treatment process.
Step 1: _______________________This is _____________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Step 2: _______________________This is ____________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Step 3: _______________________This is ____________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Step 4: _______________________This is ____________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Step 5: _______________________This is ____________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Step 6: _______________________This is ____________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Step R: _______________________This is ____________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
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Check out the diagram on the following website. (You will have to scroll down to see it.) Read and
follow its steps and see how it relates to the diagram on the previous page.
www.aboutus.org/Drinking_Water_Quality_And_The_Contamination_of_Public_Drinking_Supplies
See the virtual tour of the Roanoke Valley's Sewage Treatment Facility
http://www.westernvawater.org/WebMgmt/ywbase61b.nsf/vwContentByKey/N2686QYD890CDATEN
and specifically click on the Biosolids Treatment steps to see what happens to the "solid" sewage!
Look at the picture showing green grass. Why is one part of the grass greener than the other part?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
See a slide show of steps of sewage treatment
http://www.metrocouncil.org/environment/Kids/01.htm
Any singing volunteers? Here are the words to the "Flush It" song!
http://www.ci.tacoma.wa.us/envirokids/Activities/songs.htm#Flush
And the website you'll never forget.(USE HEADPHONES) "Sewage in your Face"
http://www.sandiego.gov/mwwd/kids/index.shtml
Look at each section and tell what you learned and/or liked from each
Hear it! ________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Eat it! _________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Learn it! ________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Videos _________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Sewer Games ____________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
I hope you enjoyed learning about how we get clean (potable) water and what happens to all that
wastewater that leaves our homes. Remember, the water we use today is the same water used by
people thousands of years ago and we must keep it clean for the people of the future!
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