DRINKING RIVER WATER PROJECT


INTRODUCTION

Streamwood and Hanover Park, Illinois are rapidly growing villages. They began in the early 1960s with a population of a few hundred people and their population is currently projected to be over 100,000 in the year 2010. Currently both communities get their drinking water from Lake Michigan.

 We are concerned about meeting the drinking water supply need brought about by such a large increase in population. In planning to meet these needs, we may have to use the Fox River for our future drinking water supply.


THE PROBLEM

You are a team of highly skilled and trained professionals. The villages of Streamwood and Hanover Park have employed you to do the necessary research and make recommendations regarding Streamwood and Hanover Park’s use of the Fox River as a source for additional future drinking water.


THE TASK-IN A NUTSHELL

Phase 1
Your task is to:

  1. Read this web page before you do anything!
  2. Get into teams assigned by your teacher.
  3. Practice working with your team by answering the "background knowledge" questions together. Each student should turn in a paper with answers to these questions.
Phase 2
Your task is to:
  1. Choose one of the five roles listed below in the "collecting information" section.
  2. Complete the tasks related to your role by exploring Internet links. You will also use handouts of information, community resources and e-mail.
Phase 3
Your task is to:
  1. Each team member will do one of the following visual aids to be used in your oral presentation: chart, graph, poster, game, overhead
  2. Your team will give an oral presentation.
  3. Each person on the team, according to their role, should write a rough draft explaining and discussing their findings. These rough drafts will be turned in.
  4. You can have I final copy for your team but each team member should have a copy of the final copy.
  5. Your written report should include your findings and recommendations and a conclusion answering the problem for this project. You should also include a bibliography of your sources of information.

THE PROCESS

There are three main phases to this project:
Phase 1: Gaining Background Knowledge
Phase 2: Collecting Information
Phase 3: Working on your visual aid, written report and oral report


Phase 1: Gaining Background Knowledge
Use the following web sites and printed handouts to answer the these questions:
What’s a Watershed
http://www.ctic.purdue.edu/KYW/glossary/whatisaws.html
Hydrogeology(ground water and aquifers)
EPA Student Center-Water
http://www.epa.gov/students/water.htm

Questions:

  1. What is agricultural runoff?
  2. Where does the Fox River start? What direction does it flow?
  3. What tributaries (creeks/streams) flow into the Fox River?
  4. What does the term ground water mean?
  5. Draw a picture of the water cycle with ground water on it. Label all parts.
  6. What is a watershed? Explain how it is formed.
  7. What is an aquifer and how does it work?
  8. When is water considered clean enough to drink?
  9.  How many gallons of water are used daily by a single person?
  10. What is the definition of polluted water?

Phase 2: Collecting Information

Decide, with your group, what role you should pick. Collect information on the question or questions that go with your role. In your research, you will be finding the answers to the following questions. Check the web sites listed after each question.

INVESTIGATIVE SCIENTIST

1. What pollutes lakes, rivers, creeks and groundwater? U.S.EPA Explorers Club
http://www.epa.gov/kids/index.htm
GROUND WATER-Quality-Contaminant Sources
http://www.epa.gov/seahome/groundwater/src/quality2.htm
EPA for Kids
http://www.epa.gov/OWOW/NPS/kids/
Water On Tap: A Consumer’s Guide To Nation’s Drinking Water
http://www.epa.gov/OGWDW/wot/introtap.html
The Great Lake Information Network
http://www.great-lakes.net/ PUBLIC HEALTH DOCTOR 1. What are the health risks of drinking poorly treated water? EPA for Kids
http://www.epa.gov/OWOW/NPS/kids/
GROUND WATER-Quality-Contaminant Sources
http://www.epa.gov/seahome/groundwater/src/quality2.htm GOVERNMENT HYDROLOGIST 1. How can lake and river (surface) water be treated so that it’s drinkable? U.S.EPA Explorers Club
http://www.epa.gov/kids/index.htm 2. How does Elgin treat their drinking water from the Fox River? U.S.EPA Explorers Club
http://www.epa.gov/kids/index.htm 3. How is Lake Michigan water treated? U.S.EPA Explorers Club
http://www.epa.gov/kids/index.htm


ENVIRONMENTALIST

1.    How is ground water used for drinking water?  Groundwater in the Great Lakes Region
 http://www.great-lakes.net/envt/water/ground.html
Protecting Sources of Drinking Water http://www.epa.gov/ogwdw/protect.html 2.  Since Poplar Creek flows into the Fox River, what affects would Poplar Creek have on the Fox River?
3 . How does treated water from Lake Michigan, Fox River and grourd water differ from untreated water from those sources? Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Chicago
http://www.mwrdgc.dst.il.us URBANITE
1. How much do people in Bartlett pay for Fox River water?
2. How much do people in Hanover Park pay for Lake Michigan water?
3. Is there enough water in the Fox River for Hanover Park and Streamwood to use it for drinking water?

Phase 3: Visual Aid, Written Report, Oral Report

Check the Phase 3 section of The Task-In A Nutshell for directions to do your visual aid, written report and oral report. Remember to write a conclusion, as stated in # 10, giving your group’s recommendations on the Problem for this project. Your team’s report with your recommendations will be presented to the Village Boards of Streamwood and Hanover Park.
 

EVALUATION: Your grade will be based on your background questions, your cooperation and effort in working with your group, your visual aid, your oral report, and your written report.


BIBLIOGRAPHY

Books:

1. Author – Last, first name
2. Name of book
3. Publisher
4. Year it was published

EXAMPLE:
Cooke, Alister. America. Alfred A. Knopf, 1973.

Encyclopedia:

1. Name of the article
2. Name of the encyclopedia
3. Volume #
4. Pages of the article
5. Year it was published

EXAMPLE:
"Jupiter." The World Book Encyclopedia. Volume 11, pp. 162-164, 1983.

Magazine:

1. Author of the article – Last, first name
2. Name of the article
3. Name of the magazine
4. Date of the magazine
5. Pages of the article

EXAMPLE:
Desauteb, Paul. "Majestic Jewels Find New Setting at Smithsonian." Smithsonian. June 1974, pp. 36-43.

Newspaper:

1. Author of the article – Last, first name
2. Name of the article
3. Name of the newspaper
4. Date of the newspaper
5. Section, pages of the article, Columns of the article

EXAMPLE:
Idaszak, Jerome. "Seeing Yosemite Off the Beaten Trail." Sun-Times, January 10, 1984, Sec. A, p. 41, Cols. 1-3..

Internet:

1. Author of the site – Last, first name
2. Title of the site
3. Available URL of the site – http://address/filename
4. Date you visited document or downloaded

EXAMPLE:
Environmental Protection Agency – The Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water
Water Treatment Path
Http://www.epa.gov/OGWDW/kids/treat.html
Obtained November 12, 1998

Television Show:

1. Name of the show
2. Station the show was on
3. Date of the show

EXAMPLE:
"Hurricanes," TLC, Sept. 6, 1999.