My zipcode is 23801
M5D1: What's in Your Water?
After reading about water quality issues in the U.S. and around the world, we will be examining the water quality in our local communities. There are two types of sources for all fresh water. We get it either from underground sources, such as aquifers, or surface water from lakes, reservoirs, and rivers. In this activity, we will use an interactive website that allows us to look at our local water sources and the contaminants that can be found there.
Completing this activity will assist you in mastering Module Level Outcomes 1 and 2.
First, read:
Mechenich, C., Andrews, E., Peterson, J.O. (2013) Home Water Safety: Evaluating the Condition of Your Public Water Supply (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. [PDF, File size 99.6 KB].
Next:
1. Go to this Environmental Working Group website, The National Drinking Water Database (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..
2. Click on "Find Your Water" at the top of the page and follow the directions to find your location by entering your zip code into the box on the top right.
3. When the page opens, it lists all the communities and their separate water providers in your zip code.
4. Select the one where you live or work (or closest to where you live) and click on the name of the supplier listed on the left side of the table. NOTE: If you have a private water source, such as a well, for your home, select the closest town or community near your home/work.
5. This opens to a table of contaminants tested for and a summary of all results. There will be four columns for Contaminants, Average/Maximum Result, Health Guidelines Exceeded, Contaminants Legal Limits Exceeded, then a graphic sliding scale for the testing history of results.
6. Scroll over a listed “contaminant” chemical or pollutant, and a pop-up box will give a brief description of where it came from and what it is. If you click on this, it will expand with further information.
Finally, post to the Discussion Board:
1. Tell us your location choice (town, state, etc.) and the name of the specific water supplier you chose.
2. Select one of the contaminants that are listed for your area that exceeded health or legal guidelines (or both), and one of the contaminants that did not.
3. Give a brief description of what these contaminants are and from where they come. For example: Manganese—a naturally occurring mineral that comes from mineral deposits in the soil and industrial use. (This is available by clicking on the contaminant, and a pop-up appears.)
4. How do the results for the contaminants in your water make you feel about your public water supply? Do you think that the government is doing enough to monitor and inform the public? Why or why not?
5. Discuss how this information may impact you and your family. Include any actions you may take going forward and how you might want to help your community if there is a problem.
Your initial post responding to this assignment should be no shorter than 300 words. Include both in-text citations and complete APA style references for all the sources you used to inform your work. Once you have posted your own discussion response, you are required to comment on the posts of at least two of your classmates. You can agree or disagree with their posts, but you must explain why you have chosen to do so. Also, be sure to read the feedback on your own major postings and reply to it throughout the module.
Always be sure that your posts are respectful, polite, and considerate. Please see the Excelsior policy “Guidelines for Online Interaction (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.” if you have any questions or concerns.
You are also encouraged to do your own research through our library on the topic. Do not forget to include in-text citations and complete APA style references for all sources. The Excelsior Library Citation Tip Sheets and Resources (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. will be a helpful guide. You may also wish to use a citation generator – you just insert the information, and it creates the citation in the format you indicate (MLA or APA, for example). Here are 3 citation generators to choose from:
Citation Machine (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
Bibme (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
EasyBib (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
Image credits:
Water for sale. [Fine Art]. Peter Jackson/Bridgeman Art Library/Universal Images Group. Retrieved from Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest: http://quest.eb.com/search/108_261755/1/108_261755/cite
Environmental Working Group. (2007-2011). National Drinking Water Database. Retrieved from http://www.ewg.org/tap-water/whatsinyourwater/?zip5=12065&search=&x=Go
