You Are What You Drink!
Students take a closer look at drinking waterCopyright 2004 Microsoft Corporation, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052-6399 USA. All rights reserved.
Contamination in drinking water sources or watersheds can negatively affect the organisms that come in contact with it. The affects can be severe — causing illness or, in some cases, even death. It is important for people to understand how they can contribute to the contaminants in drinking water and what treatment can be done to counter these harmful effects. Students learn about the various methods developed by environmental engineers for treating drinking water in the United States.
Engineers design many chemical and filter systems to make water safe for drinking and bathing. Some of the most important services provided in a community are the water and sewage treatment plants designed by engineers. Engineers also design treatment processes for the unclean water from paper processing plants or other industrial factories. Water must be clean when it leaves the factory, or else it will contaminate soil, water and air even further.
After this lesson, students should be able to:
- Identify several processes used to treat water to make it safe to drink.
- Use vocabulary to help explain drinking water treatment.
- Describe how engineers use technology to help solve an individual or community drinking water problem.
- Describe contributions to the advancement of drinking water treatment made by people in different times in history.