The Benton-Franklin Health District offers no-cost education on various water quality issues. All of these activities can be done in a class period of approximately 50 minutes, and include lectures, worksheets/labsheets, vocabulary and games to help reinforce the lesson. If you are interested in one of these topics,
please contact JoDee Peyton at 582-7761 ext 257 or jodeer @ bfhd.wa.gov.

Groundwater Model. The groundwater model demonstrates how pollution moves with the water underground. The emphasis of this presentation is showing that what we put on the ground can end up in our rivers, streams and drinking water. The red “plume” that you can see is the path of pollution underground.

Well in a Cup. This hands-on experiment allows students to build their own groundwater model in a cup to help understand how pollutants work their way into the soil and our groundwater. Students "pump" water from their well after polluting their model and making it "rain."

The two lessons above work well together and can be done together in a typical class period of approximately 50 minutes.

Water Filter. Students learn how nature cleans our groundwater with soil and rocks and how a water treatment plants cleans surface water using some of the same "natural" techniques. Students work in small groups to build their own water filter. They will treat "dirty" water in the same manner as a water treatment plant.

Enviroscape Model. Using a model of a watershed, students learn the difference between point source and non-point source pollutants, where they come from, how they get into our surface water, how they affect fish and other water life, and what can be done to reduce or prevent the pollution sources.

Tap Water Tour. After you’ve learned how water is cleaned by the earth and/or a water treatment plant, this follow-up lesson teaches students about five components commonly found in our drinking water – chlorine, pH, hardness, copper, and iron – how they get into the water and why they are important. Students are encouraged to bring a water sample from home and test their water with color changing tablets.

Water Olympics. Why do boats float? Can water defy gravity? Your students will explore the nature of water and its surface tension by using magnets and a series of experiments. A basic knowledge of atoms and molecules is helpful, but not necessary. This lesson needs a class period of at least 60-75 minutes to complete the lecture and series of five experiments.