1. I.Content Questions A:
   

Text book - p. 176-180 and chapter 10 - Water Resources and Water Pollution

 1. Introduction: Distribution of water on earth and Composition
(Text p. 281-82)

ProfONotes: Relative Amounts of Sea Water and Fresh Water
Water cycle - Click down to see table - Earth Observatory

Water Budget

ProfONotes: Hydrogen bonding

Hydrogen Bonding - Kimball
Hydrogen bond animation -

 A. Structure of the water molecule
(Text p. 107)

Chemistry of Water -U. of Arizona Bio Project

Structures of Water and Ice

 B. Physical Properties
(Text p. 284-289)

Polarity - ProfONotes: Water Polarity

Hydrogen bonding - ProfONotes: Hydrogen bonding

Abnormal boiling point - ProfONotes: Boiling Point of Water

Freezing point

Density of ice - ProfONotes: Density of Ice
Why does ice float - use interactive molecules to look at structures of ice and liquid water.

Heat of fusion and vaporization - apply to climate conditions

QUES. 1: Water is actually abnormal in many of its properties when compared to similar molecules. Hydrogen bonding is responsible for many of these abnormal behaviors. (Text p. 284-288)

Do any TWO parts (a, b, c, d) below.

 

 Ques. 1a. Define hydrogen bonding. How is hydrogen bonding related to polarity? Contrast this with regular covalent bonding in a water molecule.

 Ques. 1b. Explain how hydrogen bonding affects the boiling point of water.

 Ques. 1c. Why does water expand when is freezes and thus makes it less dense than water and floats on top of the water? Explain on the atom/molecule level. What are the consequences for fish in a pond in the winter?

 

 Ques. 1d. What is specific heat and heat of vaporization and how do these relate to water and climate?

 
Use text and sites above.

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100. C.Solvent properties

     

     
     
     Text p. 177-179
     
     

ProfONotes: Solubility

ProfONotes: Salts Dissolve

ProfONotes: Non-polar

ProfONotes: Soap

D. Electrolysis of water -review

Electrolysis demo 

 E. Elements that are unstable (react) with water

QUES. 2: (answer both parts)

1. a.In the Trivial Pursuit Game, one of the questions is "What is the universal solvent?" What is meant by this question?
   
   

b. Use the concepts of polar and non-polar molecules to explain how water is able to dissolve a polar/ionic molecule such as salt, but is not able to dissolve a non-polar molecule such as oil.Include an explanation of the graphic above.

Text p. 177-179 and sites above.

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 A. Water (hydrologic) cycle

Text p. 282-83
ProfONotes bottom half of page: Hydrologic Cycle

Water cycle - Use the submenus - Earth Observatory

Animated Hydrologic Cycle- Can click on left side for explanation of the terms.

 B. Composition of Water - sea vs. fresh water vs. distilled water

Text p. 282-83

 C. Water hardness - calcium, magnesium - Application to detergents, water softeners

Water Hardness - Definition and Environmental Effects

Water Hardness - more detailed and water softener.

General Section on Water Quality Parameters

___________

500. D.Other ions/molecules present - salinity (NaCl), carbonate or bicarbonate, nitrate, phosphate, oxygen
     
     

General Section on Water Quality Parameters

Drinking Water Contaminants - EPA

QUES. 3: Choose TWO of the following terms or ions which are found naturally in water. List the following: name, formula, why present, effect on water quality, effects on water.

Water hardness, dissolved solids, alkalinity, phosphate, nitrogen

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4. Water Resources and Usage
(Text p. 289-93)

Great Lakes - EPA

Water - links -EPA

General Reference: EPA - Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water

 A. Distribution of water on earth - oceans, lakes, rivers, surface run-off, ground water

 ProfONotes: Ground Water - diagram and definition of terms

 B. Water usage (stats) - domestic and commercial,

irrigation, industrial, power plant cooling

 C. Water treatment for domestic use - sedimentation and flocculation, filtration, chlorination

Where Does My Drinking Water Come From And How Is It Treated?

The Chicago Water treatment plant is located on the north side of Navy Pier.  You can take the Ferris Wheel ride to get a good top view of it.  The small buildings out in the lake that you can see from the shore are the water intake cribs.  This is where the pipe starts to bring the Lake Michigan water into the plant through a tunnel under the lake.  This water treatment plant can produce up to 2 billion gallons of water per day for the entire city and much of the western suburbs such as Elmhurst.  There is a huge pipe at least 5 feet in diameter that runs under a portion of the Prairie path.  This pipe starts in Oak Park and runs west - some of it under Madison street.

Chicago River History
Chicago Water Treatment Plant - longer description of how it works
Water Treatment in New Orleans A description of how water from the Mississippi River is purified for municipal use.
Chlorination of Water

D. Water resource problems - scarcity, drought, floods, salt water desalinization

Contamination - surface or ground water (organics, pesticides, herbicides, nitrate, bacterial)

QUES. 4: Use Chicago or New Orleans water treatment sites to give a description of how water is treated to make it into drinking water quality. Give the source of the water. List some of the chemicals used in the various treatment processes.

City of Chicago - pdf Go to near the bottom of the file pages 5 and 6.
Diagrams of Water Flow - Jardine Water Treatment Plant

Water Treatment in New Orleans A description of how water from the Mississippi River is purified for municipal use.

 

QUES. 5: a. What is the Ogallala Aquifer, what is it used for, what are the problems associated with its use?

b. How concerned should regional leaders be about the depletion of this aquifer?Text p. 289

Ogallala Aquifer

Ogallala Aquifer Depletion

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5. Water management

A. Dams, channelization,
and diversion projects

 

B. Groundwater

a. Terms and definitions

2. b."Mining" of domestic use
   and/or irrigation
   

c. Sea-salt water intrusion in coastal areas

ProfONotes: Ground Water - look at second "mining" and third panels (salt water intrusion) on page.
______________________________________________________

100. 

     C.Irrigation - Salinity and Desalinization
     
     Soil Salinity - Natural or Irrigation, Alberta, Canada
     

      Desalination of Sea Water -

D.  Irrigation Causes Dry Lakes

ARAL Sea

Introduction to the Aral Sea with an aerial photograph
Wikipedia article
Photos showing a comparison of the Aral Sea in 1962 and 1987.
The black and white photograph was acquired August 29, 1962 during a classified intelligence satellite mission. The color digital image, covering the same Aral Sea region, was acquired by the unclassified Landsat Multispectral Scanner (MSS) on August 19, 1987.
Another photo comparison -2005
Aral Sea Disaster by James Rupert

______________

QUES. 6: Briefly explain first regular osmosis and then how reverse osmosis is used to remove the salt from the water. Text p. 293-294

HOW REVERSE OSMOSIS AND DESALINATION WORKS
Reverse Osmosis - Wikipedia
Desalination of Sea Water -

Reverse Osmosis - for home water treatment

For Ques. 7, please do ONE, either Ques. 7a or 7b or 7c.

QUES. 7a: The Aral Sea - A Case Study in the Effects of Extensive Irrigation. Where is the Aral Sea? What are the factors that have resulted in the almost complete drying up the sea? What is the environmental damage that has resulted?

Text p. 310-11 and see links above in section D.

OR
QUES. 7b: Owens Lake - California. Why did the Owens Lake dry up. What are the significant effects from the dust storms which originate over the Lake?

Owens Lake, California -
Owens Lake - Wikipedia

OR
QUES. 7c: Mono Lake - California. Why is Mono Lake being depleted at a faster rate than it can be filled. What are the ramifications if the lake dries up?

Mono Lake , California - look at the FAQ link at end of first paragraph.
Mono Lake - Wikipedia

__________________________________________________

E. Conservation - reduce waste, reduce irrigation losses

 

F. Reclamation of Waste water for irrigation

Text p.291-93

Reclaimed Water Introduction - Wikipedia
East Bay, CA Reclamation of water from waste treatment
Uses for recycled water

QUES. 8: Describe what is meant by "reclaimed water". Where does it come from? Why use it? What is it used for?

East Bay, CA Reclamation of water from waste treatment

II.  Molecule or Report of the Week:  Chemicals that may be found in Tap Water

Report on Possible Chemicals in Municipal Tap Water

The report should include the following:

First simply list 5 or more chemicals that may be found in water. Use either Elmhurst or Chicago as they are virtually the same and then also look at New Orleans for any differences.  These are only a small listing of chemicals that may have been detected.  What are the four general groups of contaminants? List some examples of each.


Water Quality test results - Elmhurst - pdf file

Water Quality Results for City of Chicago -pdf
Water Quality results from New Orleans

Then each student should pick three of the chemicals either from the above reports or from the EPA complete list of regulated chemicals - Drinking Water Contaminants.

Drinking Water Contaminants - EPA

Fact Sheets for EPA regulated chemicals in water

Then give more details as follows:

What might be the source of contamination? What are some of the possible adverse health effects if they are above permissible limits? Look up more info from the links on the Drinking Water Contaminants OR the EPA Fact Sheets - to find some interesting facts which may apply to water pollution and why you do not want to find it in the water.

Concept Questions B - shall precede the final issue debate question.  The issue question is given here to give context for the concept questions.  Look further down for the start of the Concept B questions.

Issue Debate Question:

WHICH TYPE OF WATER IS THE SAFEST TO DRINK? MUNICIPAL TAP WATER OR BOTTLED WATER

You may self select the type of water that you feel is the safest to drink.

INTRODUCTION:

As an individual citizen or as a group, what course of action would you take regarding the main issue question? Interpret available information and data to formulate a solution and a plan of action.

Municipal Tap Water:

The Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974 requires the EPA to establish national drinking water standards, called maximum contaminant levels. (MCL). By 1990 the EPA had set maximum levels of only 65 of at least 700 potential pollutants. Of the chemicals found in drinking water that have been tested, 97 cause cancers, 82 cause mutations, 28 are toxic, and 23 promote tumors in test animals. By 1995, the EPA is required by Congress to set new standards for 108 drinking water contaminants.

Municipal Water Treatment: Water from a lake, reservoir, river, or wells is pumped to a treatment plant. At the treatment plant, (1) chlorine is added to kill bacteria, (2) alum (aluminum sulfate) is added to coagulate organic particles, (3) the water is put into a settling basin to let the precipitate settle, (4) it is then filtered through sand filters, (5) treated with lime to adjust the pH, and (6) put into a storage reservoir until delivery to homes.

Some people object to using chlorine because it may react to form very small concentrations of some cancer causing compounds. However, if the bacteria are not killed, a person has a greater chance of dying from water borne diseases.

Bottled Water:

Adapted from: Miller, G., Living in the Environment, 7th Ed., Wadsworth Pub. Co., 1992 p. 629.

In 2006, Americans spent more than $10 billion to buy bottled water at an average price 10,000 times that of tap water, which is about $2.00 per 1000 gallons. “Each year, 29 billion plastic water bottles are produced for use in the United States, according to the Earth Policy Institute, an environmental organization in Washington, D.C. Manufacturing them requires the equivalent of 17 million barrels of crude oil, so rising oil and natural gas prices have only exacerbated the high price of virgin plastic.” (Scienceline, Feb. 11, 2008).  Only about 1 in 6 water bottles are recycled in the US.  Water bottling companies can legally get their water from springs, wells, or public water from the tap. More than one third of the bottled water sold in the U.S. comes from the same ground water and surface waters that provide municipal tap water. Sellers are not required to identify on their labels the source of the water or the type of purifying equipment, if any, used.

Bottled water is regulated by the FDA, not the EPA, and the FDA requires bottlers to check only 22 of the 30 chemicals tested for in the tap water provided by municipalities. Only bottled water marketed over state lines must meet all federal drinking-water standards, and testing is required every one to four years, except for bacteria, which are tested weekly. Bottlers are not required to submit test results to the EPA as do the municipalities. FDA inspectors check bottling plants only every two or three years. Mineral water is not regulated by the FDA or any other agency.

An important consideration is whether the bottler belongs to the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) and adheres to the testing requirements. The IBWA requires its members to test for 181 contaminants and sends an inspector from the National Sanitation Foundation, a private lab, to bottling plants annually to check all pertinent records. By 1991, IBWA water testing standards were required in 15 states.

Consult: Consumer Reports, January, 1987 for test evaluation of 50 bottled waters. Consumer Reports, January, 1990 for evaluation of water treatment equipment.

3. III.Content Questions B:  Drinking water questions.
   

Research Sites:
Please note that the resources do NOT specifically match the questions.  There may be some general headings that will help.

Municipal Water Treatment:

History of Chicago Water Supply
History of Water Tower on Michigan Ave.
Chicago River Reversed
Diagrams of Water Flow - Jardine Water Treatment Plant

Water Treatment in New Orleans A description of how water from the Mississippi River is purified for municipal use.

How did the city of Chicago attempt to cope with cholera and typhoid outbreaks? What is the reason that the city of Chicago reversed the flow of both the Chicago River and the Calumet River?

Most Dupage County Cities currently receive water supplies by pipeline from the City of Chicago, and thus have Lake Michigan water. Prior to about 1990, the water supply was from both shallow and deep wells.

Water Quality test results - Elmhurst - pdf file
Water Quality Results for City of Chicago -pdf
Water Quality results from New Orleans
How Safe Is My Drinking Water? EPA
EPA Drinking Water Quality Standards

Ques. 9: Describe the methods of obtaining municipal tap water. Use Chicago as the example.  Terms: coagulation, floc, settling tanks, sand filters, chlorination.  What are the general processes which are used to convert "raw" water into drinking quality water? What tests and their results are done to ensure water quality?  How did the city of Chicago attempt to cope with cholera and typhoid outbreaks? What is the reason that the city of Chicago reversed the flow of both the Chicago River and the Calumet River?

Bottled Water:

In preparation for the debate, go to the grocery store and make an inventory of some the types of bottled water. List brand names, claims of purity, ingredients lists, methods of purification etc.

•Bottled Water Industry Overview
Contains some other links including a listing of all bottled water companies.

•Bottled Water Companies - check out your favorite bottled water - gives chemical analysis and source or water.

•Bottled Water - Quality Tests

Ques. 10: Describe at least two methods of obtaining various types of bottled waters.  In preparation for this question, you might go to the grocery store and make an inventory of some the types of bottled water. List brand names, claims of purity, ingredients lists, methods of purification etc.  Check out some of the Bottled Water Companies.

Ques. 11: Describe how to obtain filtered water from your tap at home.  Try to find info from the companies on the procedures that are used.

Home Drinking Water Treatment Systems

Water Quality Issues:

•Ground Water and Drinking Water - lots of links - EPA

1. •Bottled Water - Regulations
   

2. •More Bottled Water - Regulations - How stuff works
   
   Bottled Water: Pure drink or pure hype? - NRDC
   Bottled water - FAQs
   Hazards in Bottles -
   Plastic Water Bottles -
   
   
   

•put “bottled water vs. tap water” - into Google for lots of links

•Nitrate in Drinking Water

•Home Drinking Water Treatment Systems

•Health Effects of Drinking Water Contaminants

•VOC - Volatile Organic Compounds in Drinking Water
Give some examples and their health effects.

•Lead in Drinking Water
How does lead get into drinking water?

1. •Menu of links about specific water quality issues from North Carolina Water Quality and Waste Management.
   Most of the important ones have already been listed individually.
   
   

Pesticides in Drinking Water:

•Platte River, Nebraska - Case Study
What times of the year are herbicides likely to be found in surface waters in agricultural areas?

•USGS Pesticide Maps 2002
Look up Atrazine or Alachlor or Metolachlor or any other pesticide of your choice.

Ques. 12: What are some of the objections and health issues in using or not using municipal tap water?  What makes you think that municipal tap water may be unsafe and that bottled water may be safer?

Ques. 13: Which type of water is more regulated by the government? Differences in regulation?  Do you feel that municipal water supplies or bottled waters are adequately tested to assure that no harmful chemicals are present?

Ques. 14: Why is water chlorinated? Should you actually feel safer if you taste a little bit of the chlorine in the water?

Ques. 15: What standards or regulations apply to labeling bottled water as from springs or mountain streams, etc.?  What if the bottled water is actually taken from a municipal water supply and maybe or maybe not treated a little bit further?  Is it ethical for a bottled water to be labeled as from a mountain spring source, but is actually not from a spring,

Ques. 16: What are some problems associated with possible bacteria or contaminants in bottled waters?  What about chemicals that might come from the plastic if the water is stored for a very long time?

Hazards in Bottles -
Plastic Water Bottles -

4. IV.  Issue Question:
   

 

WHICH TYPE OF WATER IS THE SAFEST TO DRINK?  MUNICIPAL TAP WATER OR BOTTLED WATER

Issue Debate Question Report: Four to six paragraphs are needed

The report should include the following items:
What are some of the treatment methods for either municipal water and/or bottled water?  What chemicals might be present?  Who regulates and what are the regulations to ensure the safety of both products?  Why do you prefer one type of water over the other?  Give some positives and negatives of each.  Final summarization of your point of view.

1. 
   
   
   V.  Response or Ask a Question - respond or comment to someone else, or use General Questions to ask a general question that the Prof or others might answer.  Extra responses earn extra credit (1 pt/ques. up to 2 points)
   
   Response Format:  What or why is something interesting?  Then add a new perspective or viewpoint.  Needs to be longer than one sentence.
   
   Ask a question Format:  Give a little background of what you already know or what is your interest, then add what you already know, then finally ask your question.

Content Question A

Ques. No.      Student ID #

Ques. 1       2, 8, 11, 12, 21

Ques. 2       3, 13, 22         

Ques. 3       4, 14, 23

Ques. 4     5, 15, 24

Ques. 5      6, 16, 25

Ques. 6       7, 17, 26,  27

Ques. 7       1, 9, 18, 19, 28

Ques. 8       10, 20, 29, 30

Charles E. Ophardt, Professor of Chemistry, Elmhurst College, Elmhurst, IL 60126, charleso at elmhurst.edu, Copyright 2009