The Case of the Mysterious Polluter  Detectiv.bmp (25830 bytes)

Where does water go when it rains?   What does it pick up as it travels on its way?  How is the water used?   Here is an experiment that you can try to help answer these questions.

What You Need: For each group of 3-4 youth.

* plastic box and lid (approx. 9" x 14" x 6") * vinegar (the "pollution indicator")
* 1 lb. sandbox sand   * small cup for vinegar
* water * teaspoon
* 1 qt. container for water     * eye dropper
* two 10 cc plastic syringes (without needle) * ice cube tray
* baking soda (the "pollutant") * toothpick or Monopoly houses

What to Do:

  1. Fill box 1/3 way with sand.

  1. Add water until sand is completely damp.

  1. Model sand to be shaped like a hill leading to a lake (i.e., high at one end and low at the other.

  1. Bury a teaspoon of baking soda somewhere in the hill, not too deep.

  1. Mark with a toothpick or a Monopoly house, to represent a "house with a well."

  1. Add 4 or 5 other "houses" (toothpicks or Monopoly houses) and mark out 2 or 3 "streets."

  1. Ask one of the youth to read "The Story" (below).   Youth should "test wells" by drawing out water from the sand using the syringe.  Add a few drops from the "test well" to the ice cube tray, then add a few drops of "pollution indicator" (vinegar).

  1. When the vinegar makes the water fizz, the youth will have found the pollutant.

  1. Ask the youth to describe how they would "clean up" the pollutant and how they would keep the neighborhood water from being polluted again.

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The Story

The people in your town have asked you to help them.   Someone has been dumping some leftover chemicals in their backyard.  This is beginning to pollute a whole neighborhood's water supply.  Several people already have gotten sick from drinking the polluted water.  Because of this, no one can use any water until it has been cleaned and is not polluted any more.  Although the town residents have been trying to clean up the water, they can't be completely successful until they have found the source of the pollution.  Since no one in the town will admit to being the source, the town has called you in to do some environmental detective work.  You must test the water near each of the houses by taking a sample from each well.  Put the sample in the mixing tray and add the "pollution indicator" to it.  If the water by that house is polluted, your sample will fizz.
 

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Last Modified:  December 01, 2003

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