Student Activity: Where Does Your Water Come From?
Grade Level: Elementary
Focus Question: How is drinking water brought to your home, and how might these methods
affect components in drinking water?
Summary: Have you ever wondered where you drinking water comes from? The water we drink
comes from different sources depending on your location. However, here in Iowa, most of our
water exists in an aquifer underground and is brought up to the surface. For most homes in the
countryside, water is brought up through a private well. For homes in a town or city, water is
brought up through a municipal well by a water treatment plant that tests and treats the water
before it travels into a holding facility and is distributed to homes in the area. The process just
described brings water to urban homes via a Public Water System (PWS).
Because much of our drinking water comes from underground, contaminants can easily
seep into our water supply. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for
regulating water in Public Water Systems, but the EPA does not regulate private wells. The EPA
set standards for about 90 different contaminants that a PWS tests and treats for, E. coli, bromate,
chlorine, fluoride, lead, benzene, radium, and so on. Some components are added to drinking
water, such as fluoride to promote dental health in some communities. Chromium-3 is also not a
huge health risk in drinking water, unless at a very high concentration, because it is an essential
human dietary element. Many of the contaminants listed on the EPA site have many health risks
at the listed concentration. The Mobile Museum highlights the element Arsenic as a dangerous
contaminant that can be found in private wells, so it is important for rural homes to test their
private wells for Arsenic and any other bad contaminants.
Key Ideas: Students will complete color pages, with a diagram of both a private well and a PWS.
Then, students will interview a parent or a guardian about the origin of their drinking water at
home. Students will then discuss what they learned from their interviews and where their water
at home originates. Using the color pages and interviews activities, students will gain knowledge
about their drinking water, while practicing important skills.
Learner Objective(s):
The learner will:





Differentiate between the two processes involved in the delivery of clean drinking water:
(1) private wells and (2) public water systems (PWS).
Discover exactly where their drinking water comes from at their own home.
Practice his/her investigating and questioning skills.
Inquire the components of their drinking water, and how they can impact his/her health.
Investigate the importance of testing for potentially dangerous substances/components in
his/her drinking water.
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Property of the University of Iowa:
Related standards:
NGSS Standard(s): 2-ESS2-3: Earth Systems; 5-ESS3-1 Earth and Human Activity
IA Core Standard(s): S.3–5.SI.6: Students should check their explanations against
scientific knowledge, their own experiences, and observations of others; S.K–
2.SI.6: Communicate investigations and explanations
Vocabulary:
The teacher should highlight the following words throughout the lesson:
Private Well
Public Water System (PWS)
Contaminants
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
*Note: We highly recommend checking out the Word Search and Definitions page for the whole
Water Underground Exhibit (found online) for a pre-lesson or for better understanding of this
vocabulary.
Materials:
Coloring activity/ or Coloring packet includes:
Private Well Color Page with Private Well Interview on Back
Public Water System Color Page with Public Water System Interview on Back
Coloring Utensils (Markers, crayons, etc.)
Safety/Special/Academic Language Considerations:
Safety Considerations:
Choking hazard for crayons
Special Considerations:
This activity may require special considerations for any color blind students or students with a
physical limitation to coloring. The activity requires students to color by number, and the act of
color helps differentiate the processes of both the 1) private well and 2) public water system.
Academic language considerations:
Students may not understand the words listed under the vocabulary section above, so it may be
important for students to learn the definitions. Some students from the urban setting might not
understand what “the country is,” so describing a country or city setting could be beneficial.
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Property of the University of Iowa:
Lesson Sequences:
Pre-lesson: We strongly encourage the teacher to utilize the Word Search and Definitions pages,
located with the other Mobile Museum materials online, before completing this activity.
Activity
(Engage)
(Explore)
(Explain)
Description of Activity
Ask students if they know where their drinking water
comes from, or how it gets to their faucet.
If a student talks about a well or treatment plant, ask
them about that process.
The teacher may also ask questions like:
-How does the water at the drinking fountain get to
the drinking fountain?
-Is your drinking water cleaned before it comes
through the drinking fountain? How do you know?
Handout both color pages to each student. Students
should color the pages according to the instructions
on the worksheets.
2) Have students take home their worksheets and
interview their parents. *Note: Student only has to
complete ONE interview; they should only complete
the interview for their water system they have at
home.
Time
5-10 minutes
While students are coloring, the teacher should
explain each of the systems.
For the Private Well Color page, the teacher should
highlight that normally people who live in the
countryside will receive their water from a private
well. Water exists underground between rocks or
sand (layers make up an aquifer), and a well system
brings up water from underground to a house and
purifies the water.
For the Public Water System Worksheet, the teacher
should highlight that people who live in a city or
town usually receive their drinking water through a
public water system (PWS). In a PWS, a water
treatment plant takes water from a water source, such
as an ocean, river, lake, or underground aquifer, and
tests the water for contaminants. The water is then
treated or cleaned to get rid of contaminants. The
clean water is then stored in a water tower or other
holding facility and distributed to homes around the
area.
(10 minutes
during the 30
minutes listed
above)
30 minutes
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Property of the University of Iowa:
(Elaborate)
(Evaluate)
*Note: For the challenge question on the Private Well
worksheet, the cows should not be placed right above
or near a private well. The cows’ waste could seep
through the ground and contaminate the drinking
water. Instances like these highlight the importance
of water testing.
The next day when students have brought back their
10-15 minutes
completed interview sheets, the teacher should
discuss their findings with them.
Example prompts include:
Who has a private well? (or PWS)
Who gets their well tested?
What did you parent or guardian say about what was
in your water?
What agency regulates your drinking water?
What is an example of a water contaminant?
The teacher should have students explain the
difference between a private well and public water
system again. The students should also highlight the
importance of getting private wells tested because
contaminants can enter your water underground.
Public water systems are regulated by the EPA and
test for contaminants.
Assessments
The teacher may assess students on the accuracy of coloring the right sections with the correct
color according to the number. The teacher could also assess the students based on their
completeness of the interview and their participation in the class activity and discussion.
Closure
Ask students how drinking water is delivered to the school? (What process: Private Well or
PWS?) and why they think the process they do? Also ask students to give one reason why they
should test their drinking water.
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Property of the University of Iowa:
Name: ____________________________________
Where Does Your Water Come From In the Country?
~Private Well~
This is a Private Well. People who live in the country use this to get their drinking water.
Use the color key below to color the picture of a private well.
Color Key:
1-Dark Brown
2-Grey
3-Tan
4-Red
5-Green
6-Blue
4
6
5
1
Soil
2
Rock
3
Sandstone
2
Rock
Challenge Question: What is wrong with this picture?
Images used on this page were taken from www.geochaching.com and www.akitarescueoftulsa.com
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Property of the University of Iowa:
Name: ____________________________________
Interview an Adult
~Private Well~
If you live in the country, or outside of a city, ask your parent or guardian the following
questions.
1. Do we get our drinking water from a private well?
2. Do we get our well water tested for contaminants? If yes, what do we
test for?
3. When was the last time we got our well water tested?
4. What is in our well water, besides water? (Example: Iron)
Share with your parent or guardian:
If you and your parent or guardian would like to learn more about drinking water and testing, go to:
http://www.shl.uiowa.edu/env/privatewell/ordering.xml or
http://www.iowadnr.gov/InsideDNR/RegulatoryWater/PrivateWellProgram.aspx
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Property of the University of Iowa:
Name:____________________________________
Where Does Your Water Come From In the City?
~Public Water System ~
This is a Public Water System. Water is taken from the environment and made safe to
drink. People who live in a town or city get their water through this process.
Use the color key below to color the picture of a public water system.
Color Key:
1-Blue
3-Brown
2-Green
4-Your Favorite Color
A-Water Source
B-Treatment Plant
cleans water
2
2
3 3
2
2
1
D-Clean water is brought
to people in a city.
1
C-Clean water is stored.
1
2
4
Images on this page have been taken from www.illustrationsof.com, www.dragoart.com, www.cityofames.org,
and pixshark.com.
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Property of the University of Iowa:
Name:____________________________________
Interview an Adult
~Public Water System ~
If you live in a city, ask your parent or guardian the following questions.
1. Do we get our drinking water from a public water system?
2. Do we test our water for contaminants? Explain why or why not.
3. What is in our drinking water, besides water? (Example: Flouride)
4. Who regulates our drinking water? (Hint: a government agency)
Share with your parent or guardian:
If you and your parent or guardian would like to learn more about drinking water and testing, go to:
http://www.shl.uiowa.edu/env/privatewell/ordering.xml or
http://www.iowadnr.gov/InsideDNR/RegulatoryWater/PrivateWellProgram.aspx or
Check your city’s Consumer Confidence Report, which can be found on your City’s Public Works website
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Property of the University of Iowa: