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Use your existing Discovery Education username and password.

Want to experience Discovery Education? Request a Demo

Does your school/district access Discovery Education from a custom URL?

Enter your district's custom URL to sign in using Single Sign On (SSO).

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Use your existing Discovery Education username and password. Want to experience Discovery Education? Request a Demo Does your school/district access Discovery Education from a custom URL? Enter your district's custom URL to sign in using Single Sign On (SSO).

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Picture of a large scale stir tool for filtration.

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Use your existing Discovery Education username and password.

Want to experience Discovery Education? Request a Demo

Does your school/district access Discovery Education from a custom URL?

Enter your district's custom URL to sign in using Single Sign On (SSO).

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Use your existing Discovery Education username and password. Want to experience Discovery Education? Request a Demo Does your school/district access Discovery Education from a custom URL? Enter your district's custom URL to sign in using Single Sign On (SSO).

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Home sink filter system visual.

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Use your existing Discovery Education username and password.

Want to experience Discovery Education? Request a Demo

Does your school/district access Discovery Education from a custom URL?

Enter your district's custom URL to sign in using Single Sign On (SSO).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Use your existing Discovery Education username and password. Want to experience Discovery Education? Request a Demo Does your school/district access Discovery Education from a custom URL? Enter your district's custom URL to sign in using Single Sign On (SSO).

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Crazy video on a guy using a filter straw to suck up water.

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Use your existing Discovery Education username and password.

Want to experience Discovery Education? Request a Demo

Does your school/district access Discovery Education from a custom URL?

Enter your district's custom URL to sign in using Single Sign On (SSO).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Use your existing Discovery Education username and password. Want to experience Discovery Education? Request a Demo Does your school/district access Discovery Education from a custom URL? Enter your district's custom URL to sign in using Single Sign On (SSO).

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This is a project Doors to Diplomacy did. Maybe we could connect with a group in another country.

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Water the New Petrol Team - Karlos Cabrera, Fabricio Núñez and their coach Jonathan Salazar Aguilar from the CEP Santa Rosa in Sullana Peru and Petra Llull, Mercè Veny and their coach Emma Saura Woods from the IES Manacor in Manacor, Spain

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A Doors to Diplomacy Platinum Prize Winner for 2012, Water the New Petrol is a collaborative project between four students and two coaches, two boys and a teacher from the CEP Santa Rosa in Peru and two girls and a teacher from the IES Manacor in Spain, that attempts to capture an overall picture of the current state of water issues in the world, and the problems related to it (pollution, shortage).

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Very simple video on how to use Prezi. This could be something to walk the students through as an example. They would be on laptops or tablets so they could follow along.

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Article that explains primary, secondary, and tertiary treatment

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Primary, Secondary, & Tertiary Treatment

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Learn about Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Treatments used at the Soscol Water Recycling Facility.

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Another article on how waste water plants work, also with benefits

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With water shortages plaguing the world, water scarcity has become one of the largest threats facing society today, making it one of the UN's main millennium development goals. Therefore governments have begun to develop new projects and technologies to mitigate its effects on the world. Such projects and technologies include rain harvesting, water location transfers, desalination, and wastewater treatment. Unlike the rest, wastewater treatment presents a sustainable short-term and long-term solution to water scarcity. Wastewater is the water used by residences and commercial/industrial establishments that has become too polluted for further use. The combination between these different types of wastewater causes the resulting wastewater mix to contain both suspended and dissolved organic and inorganic substances such as carbohydrates, fats, soaps, synthetic detergents, as well as various natural and synthetic organic chemicals.

The treatment process must be divided into different treatment stages to ensure good water and sanitation quality. The preliminary stage of the treatment process uses large filtering screens that remove large solid inorganic material such as paper, plastic, and metal. This is followed by the removal of the grit and silt which are abrasive to plant equipment. In the primary stage, wastewater is passed through a primary sedimentation tank where solid particles of organic material are removed by gravity settling at the bottom of the tank. The resultant primary sludge is then raked to the center of the tank where it is concentrated and pumped away for further treatment.

The wastewater then undergoes a biological process known as activated sludge process, which uses natural occurring micro-organisms to break down dissolved and suspended organic solids. The settled wastewater then enters aeration tanks where air is blown into the waterto provide oxygen promoting the growth of microorganisms. These microorganisms then consume the organic pollutants and nutrients in the wastewater. From the aeration tanks the mixture of wastewater and microorganisms is moved to a secondary sedimentation tank where the biomass settles to the bottom of the tank and is concentrated as sludge.

The clarified wastewater is then passed into a tank where the third stage of treatment, known as the Tertiary treatment stage, takes place. In this stage Chlorineis used to remove any biological pathogens present in the clarified wastewater that could be a risk to human health. In some instances this treatment is repeated more than once if the treated wastewater is reused for purposes such as irrigation of food crops or where close human contact may result. After all these treatment processes are complete, fresh water is produced.

The water treatment process does not only produce clean reusable water, but also has the potential to produce various other benefits. It has the potential to reduce a country's waste production, to produce energy through methane harvesting, and the potential to produce natural fertilizer from the waste collected through the process. Below is a more detailed explanation of these benefits:

Through the treatment of wastewater, the amount of waste that is usually released into the environment is reduced thus improving environment's health. By doing so, the government in turn reduces the health risks associated with environmental pollution, and reduces the water loss induced through water pollution. Wastewater treatment also reduces the amount of money spent by a country on environmental rehabilitation projects required to battle pollution.

The sludge collected during the treatment process is itself treated because it contains a large amount of biodegradable material. It is treated with anaerobic bacteria in special fully enclosed digesters heated to 35 degrees Celsius, an area where these anaerobic microorganisms thrive without any oxygen. The gas produced during this anaerobic process contains a large amount of methane, which is harvested and then burned to generate electricity.

This energy can be used to power the wastewater treatment plants making them self-sustainable, andif there happens to be an excess of energy produced, it could be transported into a country's national grid. This helps lower the reliance on non-renewable energy sourcessuch as fossil fuels, reducing a country's carbon footprint and a country's expenditure on energy production. An example of this system being used within the Middle East can be found in al-Samra wastewater treatment plants in Jordan. According to government officials the plant produces 40% of the energy it requires through burning the methane produced by the treatment process.

Any biodegradable material remaining is dried in "drying lagoons" and is then turned into natural fertilizer. The resulting natural fertilizer is then used in the agricultural sector, increasing crop yields. This decreases the use of chemical fertilizers that pollute the surrounding marine and surface ecosystems.

In summary, the combination of these benefits along with water production makes wastewater treatment a sustainable short and long-term solution to the world's water crisis, which will only increase as the world population increases. It is estimated that the world's population is set to increase to 9 billion people, and this would cause an increase in the amount of water that can be treated. This will cause the production of large amounts of fresh usable water, thus helping battle water scarcity.

About Amir Dakkak

Amir Dakkak, a Palestinian from East Jerusalem, is an Environmental Scientist at AECOM. His main passion is water scarcity and water sustainability in the MENA region. He runs the blog Water Source that addresses water problems and sustainability. Amir has worked with Emirates Environmental Group on various environmental issues including water scarcity.

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Wastewater Treatment Process and its Benefits | EcoMENA

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With water shortages plaguing the world, water scarcity has become one of the largest threats facing society today, making it one of the UN's main millennium development goals. Therefore governments have begun to develop new projects and technologies to mitigate its effects on the world.

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Article on benefits of waste water treatment

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What Are the Benefits of Wastewater Treatment?

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Wastewater is anything from water that flows down the sink or toilet to runoff from snow and rain that enters storm drainage systems. Wastewater treatment processes remove a variety of contaminants from water to make it usable again. The benefits of such treatment depend on the nature of the contaminants in the water ...

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How water treatment plants can harm river ecosystems, maybe as a side lesson?

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Despite the fact that the main function of water treatment plants is to clean the polluted waste water produced by human activity, "the effluent from them turns into a source of many pollutants in rivers," explained Ibon Aristi, researcher in the UPV/EHU's department of Plant Biology and Ecology. He has studied the impact of one of these effluents in the river Segre by observing the fluvial community, in other words, by analysing its response to the pollutants in the effluent.

The compounds in the effluent of water-treatment plants could be divided into two groups in terms of how they affect the river ecosystem: the ones that boost the activity of the organisms, and the ones that harm or hamper it. The first group comprises organic matter and nutrients, the so-called assimilable ones. In their presence, the activity of the river organisms is increased since their growth is encouraged. "Yet above a certain point or concentration they may be toxic. One of the functions of water-treatment plants is in fact to lower the concentration of these compounds to acceptable levels," said Aristi.

However, the components of the other group are toxic pollutants, ones that harm river organisms in one way or another. In the research they concentrated on drugs dissolved in the water. "We regard them as indicators of all the toxic pollutants, but one has to understand that together with the drugs there is a variety of toxic compounds, such as heavy metals, pesticides and components of soaps, and that it is when they are taken together that they are harmful. None of them are removed in the water-treatment plants because these plants are not equipped for that purpose," explained the researcher.
Consequences of the lack of efficiency
As they have been able to see, pollutants of one type and another affect the various river organisms. They have noticed the influence of assimilable compounds mainly in respiration, in other words, in the processing of organic matter. Aristi explains it thus: "When the concentration of assimilable compounds increases, respiration also increases. Respiration is much greater at the place where the effluent from the water-treatment plants is incorporated than in the upriver stretches, and when it heads downriver, the concentration of assimilable compounds gradually decreases and with it respiration."

On the other hand, the toxic pollutants affect photosynthetic organisms more. According to Aristi, "the toxic pollutants cause the level of production of these beings to be lower than what it should be at a specific point. Production usually depends on the level of light as it is essential for photosynthesis to take place. When mixed with the water from the treatment plant, however, we have not measured levels of production in accordance with the quantity of light existing. "We have also seen that these organisms have activated a mechanism to protect themselves from the stress produced by the toxic substances."

Aristi takes the view that the research has shown that "water treatment plants are not totally efficient, and it is something to which attention should be paid if we want the activity of the rivers to remain healthy." By way of conclusion, Aristi made a reflection: "One would have to see which is the more appropriate situation: the current one with lots of small water treatment plants that leave their impact on many stretches of the river, or harm fewer stretches by building fewer but bigger water-treatment plants." But there is also the possibility of increasing the efficiency of the treatment plants by, for example,fitting filters to collect the compounds that are not removed at the moment. "But in this matter it's the same old story: while the legislation in force does not require it, it will be difficult for the water-treatment plants to implement them owing to their high cost," he pointed out.

Journal Reference:

Ibon Aristi, Daniel von Schiller, Maite Arroita, Damià Barceló, Lídia Ponsatí, María J. García-Galán, Sergi Sabater, Arturo Elosegi, Vicenç Acuña. Mixed effects of effluents from a wastewater treatment plant on river ecosystem metabolism: subsidy or stress? Freshwater Biology, 2015; 60 (7): 1398 DOI: 10.1111/fwb.12576

Cite This Page:

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endangered plants; pests and parasites; invasive species; water; environmental science; hazardous waste; resource shortage; environmental policies; world development

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Water-treatment plants are not supposed to harm the functioning of river ecosystems

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When a river receives waste water from a treatment plant, the plant's efficiency is revealed. A new study group has observed that the waste water from treatment plants significantly influences the river ecosystem. As the quantity of organic matter is bigger, the activity of the organisms that feed on it increases.

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Just another article about benefits of filtering

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Water Resource Recovery Facility 3D Virtual Tour

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Water Resource Recovery Facility 3D Virtual Tour

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Interesting as another visual for students. Maybe as a review after the field trip

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Water Resource Recovery Facility 3D Virtual Tour

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Another resource regarding tap vs. bottled water!

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We hear it so often - water does a body good. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that water helps your body "keep your temperature normal, lubricate and cushion joints, protect your spinal cord and other sensitive tissues and get rid of wastes through urination, perspiration and bowel movements." In short, adequate hydration helps your body do what it needs to do every day.

In pursuit of that proper hydration goal, bottled water has become a multi-billion-dollar industry. The International Bottled Water Association, a trade group representing bottlers and distributors of packaged water, reports that the industry produced nearly 13 billion gallons of bottled water in 2016, "an increase of nearly 9%" over 2015 figures, the most recent data available. Bottled water is now the largest beverage category by volume in the U.S., the group reports, with wholesales nearing $16 billion in 2016.

Meanwhile, the vast majority of Americans have access to a municipal water supply. This is the water that comes out of the tap in the kitchen, and for lots of people, it's their primary source of drinking water. Many of us drink it and use it while cooking every single day, but do people who use bottled water know something that tap water drinkers don't? Namely, does bottled water confer specific health benefits over tap water, or is it safer? And which is better?

Tasha Stoiber, senior scientist with the Environmental Working Group, says, "We don't recommend using bottled water unless it's in the case of an emergency or something has gone very wrong, like in the case of Flint, Michigan, where there's no safe water for anyone to drink." The issue Stoiber references in Flint began in 2014 when the city switched the source of its drinking water to save money while the city built a new water pipeline. Water from the new source, the Flint River, was found to have dangerous levels of lead, iron, bacteria and other contaminants, leading to a slew of lawsuits and a moratorium on residents using municipal water. Residents were advised to switch to only bottled water, creating significant hardship for many, particularly low-income or less mobile residents. The problems in Flint are ongoing, and residents are still using bottled water there. Similarly, after a natural disaster, "like a hurricane, that would be a situation where bottled water would be your last resort or maybe only choice for clean drinking water," Stoiber says.

Examining the Pros and Cons of Bottled vs. Tap

Cathy Leman, a registered dietitian nutritionist and founder of Dam. Mad. About Breast Cancer, a nutritional consulting firm aimed at helping breast cancer patients and survivors, says bottled water comes with several pros and cons. On the benefits side, bottled water gives you the "ability to stockpile for emergency use," and it's convenient and portable, making it "readily, easily accessible most anywhere." Because the bottles are sealed in sanitized packaging, there's typically a reduced chance of contamination and many people say it tastes better.

On the drawback side, that same plastic that seals bottled water uses a lot of petroleum, which raises environmental concerns and causes a "negative environmental impact," Leman says. Discarded one-time-use plastic water bottles turn up everywhere, potentially threatening wildlife, and as it breaks down in the environment, it finds its way into the food chain and eventually into our bodies.

The plastic used to make these single-use water bottles also contains chemicals called endocrine disruptors such as bisphenol A, better known as BPA. BPA and other endocrine disruptors alter the way the body makes and uses certain hormones, which could have negative health consequences. BPA exposure has been linked to breast cancer and other health problems. And because there's "no mandatory testing program in place, the quality of bottled water can be questionable," Leman says. Bottled water is also "more expensive than tap water and it takes more energy to produce," not to mention the environmental concerns associated with distributing and marketing it.

By comparison, tap water is "inexpensive and monitored by the EPA," she says. Despite that testing, sometimes contaminants can infiltrate water systems, and the water can become "contaminated with microorganisms, nitrates and/or minerals like lead or mercury." Similarly, after a natural disaster such as a hurricane or in an emergency situation, the safety of municipal drinking water can be compromised. Even when the water is safe to drink, sometimes it can smell or taste unpleasant.

Is There a Nutritional Difference?

Considered an essential nutrient because the body needs more of it than it can produce on its own, water is vital to how our bodies function. It also accounts for some 50% to 80% of body weight depending on an individual's body composition. Water contains zero calories, zero carbs, zero grams of protein and zero fat. It contains no organic nutrients, but can sometimes have trace amounts of dissolved minerals or contaminants in it, depending on its source.

When it comes to the nutritional profile of what's in your cup, there shouldn't be any difference between bottled and tap water, right? Water is water. Or is it? "Some bottled water contains added nutrients, such as vitamins, electrolytes like sodium and potassium, calcium, magnesium and amino acids," Leman says. If you drink bottled water, check the label to understand what else might be in there besides just water.

Is There a Health Difference?

In 1974, Congress enacted the Safe Drinking Water Act, a federal law that ensures the quality of Americans' drinking water. This law authorized the Environmental Protection Agency to "set national standards for drinking water to protect against health effects from exposure to naturally-occurring and man-made contaminants" in public water systems. This law helped improve the safety of public sources of drinking water, and the EPA continues to oversee more than 150,000 public water systems across the U.S. that serve more than 300 million people.

But still, problems can crop up. Many water systems have aging infrastructure, and an older network of pipes and connections means that contaminants may more easily find their way in. And when accidents or natural disasters occur, such as what's happened in Flint, that can render public water sources unsafe and unusable, forcing residents to switch to bottled water.

In addition, the CDC reports that for some people with compromised immune systems, bottled water may be a better option: "In healthy individuals, the parasite Cryptosporidium can cause illness; however, for those with weakened immune systems, it can cause severe illness and possibly death." Cryptosporidium is a single-celled parasite that lives in water and can cause a severe diarrheal disease called cryptosporidiosis. The organism can sometimes be found in drinking water or swimming pools. Therefore, if you are immunocompromised, you may want to opt for bottled water. But you should also check the label or the company's website to find out how its water is treated. Reverse osmosis, distillation and filtration with an absolute 1-micron filter can all protect against Cryptosporidium.

Tap water also typically contains fluoride, which is added during the treatment process. Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral that's been shown to strengthen tooth enamel, and it's found in most commercially available toothpastes and mouthwashes. Because it's long been considered a safe compound that has demonstrable health benefits, it's often added to municipal water supplies. However, very large doses of fluoride can cause side effects, such as white spots on the teeth and a condition called skeletal fluorosis, which may cause joint pain and stiffness leading to changes to bone structure and calcification of ligaments.

Though some people have suggested that fluoridated water can lead to other side effects such as osteosarcoma (bone cancer), arthritis and kidney disease, evidence of these complications is slim. The American Cancer Society reports that "more than 50 population-based (retrospective) studies have looked at the potential link between water fluoride levels and cancer. Most of these have not found a strong link to cancer." And the ACS notes that "osteosarcoma is a rare cancer. Only about 400 cases are diagnosed in children and teens each year in the United States."

Leman says she uses both tap and bottled water: "I use filtered water from the fridge for drinking, refilling my stainless steel water bottle and making coffee. I use tap water for making soup and cooking pasta. And I use bottled and/or tap when I'm away from home."

Stoiber says the EWG recommends using filtered tap water over bottled water unless there's a really compelling reason to select bottled water. "We recommend filtered tap water because it's tested regularly - not as often as we'd like - but still it's tested, whereas bottled water is not required to be tested, so you don't know if there are contaminants in it or not." Case in point, in June 2019, the Center for Environmental Health, a nonprofit organization based in Oakland, California, reported that its independent testing of bottled water produced by Starkey (a company owned by Whole Foods) and Peñafiel bottled water (owned by Keurig Dr. Pepper) contained high levels of the poison arsenic.

In addition, "bottled water has a shelf life," Stoiber says, meaning that it can go bad and isn't indefinitely good to consume. One concern is that over time, certain chemical compounds in the plastic can leach into the water and potentially cause health problems. For all of these reasons, Stoiber says filtered tap water is EWG's recommendation.

Choosing the Right Filter

In many cases, filtered tap water is the better option for health, wellness and your wallet. But not all filters work the same way. Stoiber says there's a wide range of filters on the market that can remove a variety of contaminants, so she recommends checking the EWG's Tap Water Database to find out what's in your town's water and what you might want to filter out.

When it comes to filters, there's something for just about every budget, she says, "from inexpensive filters that use carbon, for example, such as a countertop Brita filter versus one that's plumbed into your tap like a reverse osmosis system," which may be more expensive to install. Carbon filters remove sediment particles, chlorine and volatile organic compounds that can alter the taste and odor of tap water. "That might be all you need if you have low contaminants or not much of concern," she says.

However, "if you live in an area where you're concerned about PFAS chemicals, you can look at a reverse osmosis system." Perfluorooctanoic acid chemicals are used in industrial and chemical processes and are sometimes called "forever chemicals" because they take a very long time to break down. They are considered endocrine disruptors and have been associated with certain health concerns. A reverse osmosis system can remove PFAS chemicals as well as lead, mercury, calcium, iron, asbestos and other chemicals.

Stoiber recommends using the EWG's Water Filter Buying Guide to learn which types of filters remove the contaminants found in your water supply and will fit into your budget. She adds that even if it seems expensive to install a water filter, it may end up paying for itself over time. "You might find that the best filter for your situation is expensive. But in the long run, that might actually be cheaper than having to buy bottled water."

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We hear it so often - water does a body good. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that water helps your body "keep your temperature normal, lubricate and cushion joints, protect your spinal cord and other sensitive tissues and get rid of wastes through urination, perspiration and bowel movements."

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May want to include this as part of a lesson to teach students about what a filtration system does?

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Homemade Water Filter Science Project | LoveToKnow

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Seventy percent of the Earth is covered with water. However, only about three percent that can be used for drinking water. While many people in the United ...

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This may be a good resource to provide the students with after the taste testing exercise as many of them could say "It didn't taste any different to me;" teachable moment on the "things that we can't see that affect us

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If tap water tastes like chlorine, filtering can fix that. Filtering can clear out many safety concerns like bacteria, heavy metals and pesticides. Some types of filters can do nearly everything. Others are specific to certain contaminants.

The most common types of filters in home treatment systems include:

Activated carbon -- The most common type of filter and a relatively inexpensive option (it's used in most of those countertop pitchers), activated carbon attracts and absorbs particles. Water runs through a filtering screen containing carbon, where contaminants get stuck. It can remove much of the heavy metals, parasites, pesticides, radon and MTBE that may be in the water. This filtering is typically used in point-of-use devices, like under-sink or faucet-mounted units and pitchers.

Aeration -- Typically used at the point of entry, aeration filtering forces water entering the home to pass of high-pressure air jets. If there are fuel byproducts or radon -- contaminants that easily become gases -- in the water, they evaporate. Aeration doesn't remove other contaminants like parasites or mercury.

Cation exchange -- This is a water-softening filtering approach that uses positively charged particles to attract negatively charged particles (ions), such as calcium, magnesium and barium. Water flows through beads of resin, where the positive ions stuck to the beads trade places with the negative ions in the water. Calcium and magnesium aren't really safety concerns, but they can damage a home's pipes. However, barium can be a health concern.

Distillation -- Boiling water is one of the best ways to remove pathogens and heavy metals, and distillation takes this route. Distillers boil water into steam and then condense it back into water, killing bacteria and viruses and pulling contaminants like lead, mercury and arsenic out of solution in the process. It's often used in point-of-entry systems (where the water enters the home) or in countertop devices.

Reverse osmosis -- One of the most effective and costly filtering methods and typically a point-of-use approach, reverse osmosis uses pressure to force water through a semi-permeable membrane, removing practically all contaminants. This type of filtering is recommended for people with compromised immune systems, since it tends to eliminate more pathogens than other methods. The downside is the waste: About 4 gallons (15 liters) get thrown out for every 1 gallon (3.7 liters) of purified water it produces.

UV Disinfection -- UV disinfection destroys parasites, bacteria and viruses with ultraviolet light. It doesn't remove other contaminants like metals or chemicals from water. UV is often found in point-of-use, under-sink systems.

All of these methods can be effective at purifying water, but that's not the end of the story. Water-filtering systems come with their own set of problems.

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If tap water tastes like chlorine, filtering can fix that. Filtering can clear out many safety concerns like bacteria, heavy metals and pesticides. Some types of filters can do nearly everything. Others are specific to certain contaminants.

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This site has great information on what a bog is and some examples around the world. It also has some interesting facts that can be used in the bog lesson to keep them interested.

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A bog is a freshwater wetland of soft, spongy ground consisting mainly of partially decayed plant matter called peat. Bogs are generally found in cool, northern climates. They often develop in poorly draining lake basins created by glaciers during the most recent ice age.

The world's largest wetland is a series of bogs in the Siberia region of Russia. The Western Siberian Lowlands cover more than a million square kilometers (386,102 square miles).

There are several distinct types of bog habitats. Blanket bogs develop in highland areas with significant rainfall: the bog "blankets" an entire area, including hills and valleys. Cataract bogs are ecosystems that feature a permanent freshwater stream. Quaking bogs develop over a lake or pond, with bog mats (thick layers of vegetation) about a meter (3 feet) thick on top. Quaking bogs bounce when people or animals walk on them, giving them their name. Raised bogs are vaguely dome-shaped, as decaying vegetation accumulates in the center. String bogs have a varied landscape, with low-lying "islands" interrupting the saturated bog ecosystem. Valley bogs develop in shallow valleys.

All bogs take hundreds or thousands of years to develop. A bog is formed when a lake slowly fills with plant debris. Sphagnum moss, as well as other plants, grow out from the lake's edge. The vegetation eventually covers the lake's entire surface.

Bogs can also form when the sphagnum moss covers dry land and prevents precipitation from evaporating. These bogs are called ombrotrophic bogs.

Plants decay slowly in bogs, because flooding prevents a healthy flow of oxygen from the atmosphere. Bog soils are oxygen- and nutrient-poor, and are much more acidic than other soils.

Eventually, watery bogs become choked with living and decaying plants. These slowly decaying plants become the main components of the bog's soggy soil, called histosol.

Fungi and low-lying shrubs, such as heather, grow in histosol. Heather can grow directly on sphagnum moss. In fact, bogs are often called "heaths" after the abundance of heather that blankets them.

Peatlands

Thick, spongy layers of histosol eventually form peat. Peat is a fossil fuel that is the first stage in the long process of plant material turning into coal. Ancient bog plants, mostly sphagnum moss, are the fossils in peat.

People have harvested peat for thousands of years. It is a source of energy for heating, insulation, and electricity throughout northern Europe. Thousands of bogs throughout Ireland, Scotland, Scandinavia, and Russia have been drained for peat excavation.

Thick blocks of peat are cut and allowed to dry. The blocks are then burned. In some places, such as Ireland, peat is an industrial fuel for electricity and heating. In places like Scotland or Scandinavia, individuals or communities harvest peat for use as a cooking fuel.

Tropical peatlands, located mostly in southeast Asia, are sources of valuable timber. They are also popular sites to drain for development.

Dried peat is also used in agriculture. Peat, sometimes called "peat moss," increases soil's ability to retain water.

Bog Ecology

Bogs are ecologically important because they absorb great amounts of precipitation. They prevent flooding and absorb runoff. Sphagnum moss, reeds, sedges, and heather are common bog plants.

Bogs that receive all their water from precipitation (not lakes, glaciers or groundwater) are ombrotrophic. Ombrotrophic bogs have very few nutrients, making it difficult for many common plants to survive. Carnivorous plants have adapted to ombrotrophic environments by not absorbing nutrients from the surrounding water, but from insect prey. These carnivorous plants, such as sundews and pitcher plants, trap insects and dissolve them for nutrients.

Bogs that are fed by lake basins and other water sources have even more biodiversity. Plants that grow in these bogs include cranberries, blueberries, and huckleberries.

Insects thrive in muddy bogs and consume plants, fungi, and pollen. Many bog insects, such as the hairy canary fly, do not live in any other ecosystem. The hairy canary fly (named because of its yellow coloring) is an indicator species for European bogs.

Bog plants and insects support a wide variety of other organisms. Amphibians, such as frogs, salamanders, and newts, thrive in insect-rich bogs. Threatened species of cranes nest in bogs and peatlands in North America and Siberia. Raccoons are one of the largest mammals able to make their homes in bogs, although moose, beaver, and river otters often visit bogs to feed or find shelter.

Peat bogs are carbon sinks, meaning they store enormous amounts of carbon, in a process called carbon sequestration. Carbon sequestration is a process where carbon dioxide is captured and removed from the atmosphere. The carbon is stored, or sequestered, in a natural or artificial facility.

Plants are a major source of carbon in the environment. By creating new bogs, millions of tons of carbon are sequestered. The world's peat bogs sequester more than 200 billion tons of carbon. Much of this carbon is trapped in semi-frozen tundra and Climate Change boreal forests in Scandinavia and Siberia.

Carbon dioxide is a major greenhouse gas. Carbon emissions contribute to global warming, the current period of climate change on Earth. As the Siberian tundra thaws, millions of tons of carbon and other greenhouse gases stored in frozen bogs, such as methane, are released into the atmosphere.

Carbon is also emitted as nations destroy bogs for development and peat extraction. Peat ignites very quickly and burns very slowly. Peat fires can smolder for days without much notice. Fires in Burns Bog, British Colombia, Canada, burn underground for months. In 1997, peat and forest fires in rural Indonesia released about 1,000 kilograms (2,205 pounds) of carbon into the atmosphere.

Draining a bog for development or peat extraction destroys the ecosystem. Unlike other wetlands, bogs take thousands of years to develop and hundreds of years to recover. Extensive peat extraction in England, for example, has permanently destroyed more than 75% of the country's bogs.

Because bogs are such delicate and fragile ecosystems, conservation efforts mostly focus on government protection and preservation. Today, local and national restrictions prevent agricultural or industrial development on bogs throughout England.

Bog restoration projects are more rare than regulations on development. There are two major types of bog restoration projects. The first involves the removal or partial removal of peat from the bog, while the second maintains a crust of hard peat. In both restoration projects, water saturates the area, and sphagnum moss and other bog plants are introduced. Often, chemicals are added to the restored bogs to increase their acidity and create histosol.

Bogs and People

For thousands of years, people have regarded bogs as spiritual or haunted places. Their spongy and sometimes slow-burning soil created mysteries for Bronze Age and Iron Age societies.

Perhaps the most lasting testament to ancient reverence for bogs are bog bodies. Bog bodies are the remains of people who died in bogs or were placed there after their deaths. More than a thousand bog bodies have been found throughout northern Europe.

Archaeologists and anthropologists have studied bog bodies for clues to ancient societies' culture and traditons. They have discovered that most bodies, which range from children to the elderly, did not die of natural causes. Some retain nooses around their necks, others have arrows lodged in their chests. These ancient people may have been murdered, but were probably victims of ritual sacrifices.

The low-oxygen, acidic soil of bogs preserve bog bodies remarkably well. Remains more than a thousand years old retain their skin, internal organs, and even beard stubble. Unique hairstyles and tattoos are clearly visible.

The poor soil quality and lack of drainage have made bogs unpopular places for settlement. The rich biodiversity and other natural resources, however, have made rural and urban areas around bogs popular places for community development. The bogs of Teufelsmoor, Germany, ring the major city of Bremen. The nature reserve of Moseley Bog is part of the Moseley suburb of Birmingham, England.

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A bog is a freshwater wetland of soft, spongy ground consisting mainly of partially decayed plant matter called peat. Bogs are generally found in cool, northern climates. They often develop in poorly draining lake basins created by glaciers during the most recent ice age.

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This site had come great examples of various types of filters we use every day. It might be a good way to introduce the project itself after the video talk about the importance of clean water.

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Filtration is a process used to separate solids from liquids or gases using a filter medium that allows the fluid to pass through but not the solid. The term "filtration" applies whether the filter is mechanical, biological, or physical. The fluid that passes through the filter is called the filtrate.

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This might be good to share with the students.

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Ground Water and Drinking Water | US EPA

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EPA's Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water

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Great video on Youtube. It explains how Water Treatments work.

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All you need to Know About Water Filtration!

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All you need to Know About Water Filtration!

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This is a great article about water filtration. It talks about why water needs to be filtered. In this section is talks abut metals in water or water be contaminated. The article goes on to talk about what water filters are made of and the four most common ones in households. The third section explains how they work. This section is something we could talk to the students about.

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We all know water is essential for life. People who work in hot climates need to drink up to 16 liters of water a day to control their body temperature and keep hydrated.

But did you know that 95% of Americans drink only 1 liter of water per day, even though they should be drinking at least 2 or 3?

Most of us would drink more water, but carrying a plastic bottle everywhere with you might not be an option, and drinking tap water might sometimes be considered dangerous.

In the following article, we explain the benefits of using a water filter. Many people already use filters for their homes, but are you sure you're using the right one? Read our comprehensive buying guide to find out the different technologies used for filtering water, and how to choose the best water filter for your home.

Why Do We Need Water Filters?

So, your home is tapped into the municipal water feed. You know the water goes to a purification station at the edge of town. You drive by this facility each day on your way to work. You see it's working, so that means your tap water is clean, right?

Wrong. Well, not exactly wrong, but not right either. It's true that tap water usually is filtered in a water purification facility before it reaches the end user (that's you, by the way), but that doesn't mean it's very clean. This is true for every city, no matter how large or small. When the authorities test the water quality, they test it right after the water is filtered, before it goes in the municipal feed lines. The results they obtain are often satisfying, well above the required standard. What the authorities don't account for, however, is the age of the feed lines, and their length.

Water treatment stations are usually placed at the edge of a city or town, and the water has to travel a long way through the municipal pipes before reaching the end consumer. It's not rare for the pipes to be decades old, and by traveling a long time through them, the filtered water becomes polluted with everything it encounters, from rust to dust and debris. These old pipes are also a good way of distributing microorganisms, bacteria, and viruses. The water reaching your faucet might a have bad color or a bad taste, and it might have a high degree of biological contamination.

Another reason why you should use a water filter is the way your municipal authorities are treating the water. One of the oldest but most frequent ways of treating the water is by chlorinating it. This does indeed kill some of the microorganisms present in the water, but it also changes the water's taste. But that's not all. Recent studies have shown that sometimes chlorine can interact with some of the organic matters in the water forming dangerous carcinogenic compounds.

Did you think that was all? Unfortunately, it's not. Filtering the water is essential if you want to keep harmful parasites, bacteria, and other microorganisms from your drinking water. When talking about contaminated water, one of the worst parasites you can get is Cryptosporidium. This parasite is resistant to chlorine, and it has to be filtered out by mechanical means. If the parasite enters your drinking water it can lead to severe diarrhea, dehydration, and weight loss. Infested people can present sickness signs for up to six weeks.

Last but not least, your water source can be contaminated with pesticides, chemicals, and heavy metals. Pesticides used before the 1940s and 1950s usually contained heavy metals which have a long halving time. This long halving period means they might still be present in the soil around the water pipes, enabling them to leak in the water. Lead was also used for plumbing, so old pipes or the solder used for joining them might still contain some. Other chemicals present in the water may also be harmful, and a water filter will remove them.

What Is A Water Filter Made Of?

There are 4 types of water filters commonly used in households around the US. Each of them works differently, so their filters are made out of different materials, as well. Here is a list of the most popular filters and what they're made of:

1. Activated Carbon -
This is the most popular household water filter. Its popularity is so high mainly because it's cheap, small, and easy to use. This kind of filters uses activated carbon granules which are based on charcoal to block the contaminants. The charcoal is not very dense, it actually has a porous structure filled with ridges which will attract and trap chemicals through adsorption. Adsorption is a process where gasses and liquids are trapped by other liquids or solids.

2. Distillation -
Ever since we are kids we're taught that boiling the water will make it cleaner. Distillation is a more advanced way of boiling the water. Instead of just boiling it, it will actually capture the released steam and condense it in a separate container.

3. Ion Exchange -
These filters are made out of a lot of zeolite beads. These beads contain sodium ions. When the hard water passes through the filter, it contains magnesium and calcium. The ions in the zeolite beads like the magnesium and the calcium better than the sodium, so they will trap these ions and release their own sodium.

4. Reverse Osmosis -
These filtration systems usually have more than one filter. Actually, most RO systems have 3 pre-membrane filters, a semi-permeable membrane, and a post-membrane filter. Some of them will have additional filters, depending on the model. The most important filter is the semi-permeable membrane, also called the reverse osmosis membrane. This filter blocks out the contaminants based on their size and molecular weight, so only very small compounds will pass.

How Water Filters Work

Each water filter we presented in the previous section works in a specific way. Here is a list of how these popular filtration systems work.

Activated Carbon -
These filters work through adsorption. This is a process where gasses and liquids are attracted to other liquids or solids. When the water passes through the carbon filter, most of the common impurities will be attracted to the carbon's spongy surface, filling the deep ridges on its surface. While the charcoal filter is great at removing most contaminants, one of its disadvantages is that it can't block limescale. Other contaminants are also not attracted by the charcoal, so nitrates, fluoride, sodium, and microbes will continue to flow in the water. Another disadvantage is that in time the ridges in the charcoal will clog up, so the filter won't be able to capture any more contaminants. That's why you have to change the filter periodically.

Distillation -
These filters work by boiling the water and capturing the steam produced. When the steam cools, it condenses back to water which is collected in a container. Water boils at a lower temperature than most common contaminants, so they will remain in the original container as the steam rises. Unfortunately, other contaminants will actually boil before the water, so the condensed steam will also carry them in the second container.

Ion Exchange -
The zeolite beads in the ion exchange filters are full of sodium ions. When hard water passes through the beads the ions are attracted to the magnesium and calcium components in the water, releasing the sodium in exchange. Magnesium and calcium are major components in limescale, so without them, the water will be softer and have a better taste. However, the sodium released will be present in the water, and it will make it salty. Some people might not like the new taste, while others might not be allowed to drink it because they're on a strict diet.

Reverse Osmosis -
This filtration system uses at least 5 filters, sometimes even more. The first filter blocks out the rust, dust, debris, and other contaminants that might harm the RO membrane. The second filter is usually the carbon filter, and it blocks harmful chemicals like chlorine, fluoride, and more. The third filter is also a carbon one, but it's denser so it will capture smaller particles, making sure the water is almost contaminant free as it reaches the membrane. The fourth filter is the reverse membrane and it will block the contaminants based on their size, molecular weight, and ionic charge. 95 - 99% of the contaminants in the water will be blocked. The fifth filter makes sure that bacteria, viruses, what's left of the chlorine and any bad tastes or smells are removed. Some models will also have an UV light and special filters that will raise the water's pH.

How To Find The Right Filtering Solution For Your Water

As you can see, there are several options when it comes to water filters. Each of them can remove the contaminants in your water, but most are good at removing a certain category of contaminants while they're not very good or sometimes even inefficient at removing others.

Check The Water's Quality - If you want to find out what's the best water filter for your home, you should first test the water's quality. Here's a quick guide on how to do it.

A. Using A Test Kit

Know What You're Looking For -
When we say water quality, we actually refer to the concentration of contaminants in the water. These contaminants include but are not limited to chlorine, hardness, bacteria, viruses, pesticides, nitrates/nitrites, and heavy metals. The water's quality is also influenced by its pH, so you should find it out as well. Chlorine helps with disinfecting the water, but it changes its taste. Hard water can lead to scale buildup, pesticides and nitrites/nitrates are dangerous for your health, and are very harmful to children. Acidic water has a bad taste and it can also speed up the pipes and fixtures' corrosion.

Buy A Water Quality Test Kit -
There are a lot of test kits available on the market these days, and you will be able to find some at your local retailer or online. These test kits contain test strips that will change their color based on the water's contaminant content. You should only buy test kits that contain separate strips for chlorine, hardness, bacteria, pesticides, nitrates/nitrites, heavy metals (or lead), and pH. Avoid test kits with a single strip, as that will only determine the water's pH level.

Carefully Read The Test Kit's Instructions -
Every test kit comes with directions, and these will vary according to the kit. The directions will explain how long you should expose the strips to water before reading them, how warm the water should be, and how to interpret the colors.

Test The Water -
Once you're familiar with the instructions, proceed with testing the water. Expose each test strip to the water and keep it submerged for the appropriate amount of time. Remove the strip from the water and shake any excess drops. Wait for the instructed amount of time before you compare the strips to the color chart.

Determine The Water's Quality -
Compare the test strips to the color chart. Each strip will have multiple indicators, so make sure you compare the right ones to the chart. The colors will determine if the water's concentration of a substance is acceptable or hazardous. If any of the results are at hazardous levels, make sure you perform the test again to eliminate the possibility of human error.

B. Sensory Determination

You can learn a lot about the water's quality just by using your senses. Even professional water engineers will smell, taste, and examine the water visually before reaching a verdict. However, this testing method is not as accurate as the test kit, but it can still give you valuable information.

Using Your Smell -
Smelling the water is very important, as separate smells can indicate a different contamination. If your water has a bleach smell, then the local water treatment facility must use chlorine to disinfect the water. The scent might dissipate if the water is exposed to air.
If your water smells like rotten eggs, it means that bacteria have grown somewhere on the way to your faucet. You should fill a glass of water and take it to another part of the house. Wait a few minutes and then smell the glass again. If the water no longer has the sulfurous smell, it must have come from your drain. This means you should clean your drain. If both your hot and cold water smell like rotten eggs, and the water keeps it scent even in a different room, that means the contamination happens somewhere in the municipal pipes.
If your water has an earthy or musty smell, it's likely the result of an organic matter decomposition or decay. Just like with the rotten egg smell, you should fill a glass of water and take it in another room to make sure the smell isn't coming from the drain. This smell is often bothersome, but harmless.

Using Your Taste -
The most important thing you should keep in mind when tasting the water is that you shouldn't swallow it if it tastes foul. If the water has a metallic taste, it can either mean an excess level of minerals or a low pH level. If the water has a strong bleach taste, it means it was treated with chlorine. If it tastes salty, it could indicate the presence of sulfates or chlorine ions. These compounds can indicate an industrial or irrigation drainage.

Using Your Sight -
Fill a glass of water and hold it up to the light. Look for floating particles or cloudiness. Red, brown, or orange particles might be caused by the rust in your pipes or fixtures. Black particles might be caused by the hoses your water runs through. Chlorine can deteriorate the hoses over time, making them frail.
General cloudiness or white and tan particles indicate a high hardness level. The hardness is usually determined by an excess of magnesium carbonate or calcium carbonate in your water.You should also use your sight to examine water's color.
Let the water run for a few minutes to allow the potential buildup in your fixtures to pass, and then fill a glass of water. Hold the glass to the light. If the water is brown or murky, or if it's discolored, it is a sign of contamination. This contamination might be caused by rusty pipes, upstream pollution, or something else.
You can also use your sight to determine if your pipes and fixtures are in good functioning order. If there is a large build-up of minerals or corrosion in your pipes, it may get into your water source, polluting it. If your pipes are above ground, you should first look for leaks. Look for areas with blue or white sediment as well.
If you can't look at your pipes, take a look into the toilet bowl. Check for rust or blue stains. White or blue stains, along with rust indicate a buildup that can lead to water pollution. Clean the pipes or change them if you need to.

C. Getting A Water Quality Report

There is another way to check the quality of your water. You can contact your local municipality and ask them for a copy of their water quality report. They are required to test the water regularly, so they will have one.

However, we do not recommend this method because it doesn't take into account the water's passage through the exactly the same pipes the water that reaches you comes through.

Think About What You Want

Now that you have an idea of how contaminated your water source really is, you should think about what you're going to do about it. Even though it might sound silly, you should not skip this step. Why do you need a water filter? You surely had something in mind when you started looking for a filtration system. What bothered you? Was it the water's bad taste, or the limescale deposits on your faucets and appliances?

After interpreting the water quality tests, do your original plans still stand, or did they change? Do you still only want to remove the water's hardness, or do you only want to correct its taste? Read reviews of the do-it-yourself home water test kits here.

Deciding On A Water Filter

As you've seen in the previous sections of our article, certain filtration systems are very good at removing some contaminants, and inefficient at removing others. Depending on the results of the water tests, what you want to achieve, and your available budget, you will have more or fewer options to choose from.

A. Types of Filters

Here is a list of the types of filters you can use in certain situations.

Limescale Deposits -
You can use several filters if you have limescale deposits and you want to get rid of them. This can be achieved with either low budget filters or expensive ones.

Low Budget Choice -
The ion exchange filter. The ion exchange filter will remove the magnesium and calcium in the water and exchange them for the sodium particles trapped in its beads. This will resolve your limescale problem, but it will also make your water slightly salty. However, these filters are usually cheap, they have a low maintenance cost, and they are efficient at softening your water.

Medium Budget Choice -
The electronic water softener. These small devices don't even touch your water. They fit onto the water feed pipe and provide a salt-free way of softening your water. One of the advantages of using this kind of device is that it doesn't alter the TDS, so you will still benefit from the good minerals in the water.

High Budget Choice - The whole-house water filter system.
Unlike the previous models, this system is large and powerful enough to remove the minerals hardening your water, producing enough soft water for your whole house. Not only will the treated water leave no limescale, but it will also make your skin and hair look better after you shower.
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B. Bad Taste Or Odor

Several solutions are available if you want to remove the bad tastes or odors in your water. Depending on your budget, you can choose between the following systems.

Low Budget Choice -
The activated carbon filter. This is one of the filtering methods our ancestors used, but it's been refined and improved over the centuries. The activated carbon filters nowadays come in various sizes and have different capacities. If your main concern is removing bad odors or tastes, this kind of filters is a good and cheap solution to your problem.

Medium Budget Choice -
Ozone water filters. These filters are capable of removing most of the contaminants in your water source, and they will also remove any bad smells and odors. Depending on the filter and the amount of ozone used, the water might get a slight ozone smell and taste.

High Budget Choice -
Reverse osmosis systems. These systems are some of the best all-around water filtering solutions available on the market. They use more filters to purify the water, the result being taste and smell-free water.

C. High Levels Of Bacteria

If you noticed that your water's bacteria levels are high after testing it, you should install a filter capable of killing them. There are several viable solutions, depending on your budget.

Low Budget Choice -
Thewater distillation filters. These filters boil the water and then capture the condensed steam into another container. Most of the bacteria in the water will be destroyed as the water reaches high temperatures, so this is an efficient way of getting rid of them.

Medium Budget Choice -
The UV filters. These filters are specially designed to kill viruses and bacteria. They are usually small and easy to install, but they will need an electric source to work. Using these filters will ensure that the bacteria levels will drop or even disappear, depending on your water source.

High Budget Choice -
Reverse osmosis filters complete with UV light. These filters first remove most of the contaminants using mechanical filters, then they use chemical filters, and after passing through a semi-permeable membrane, the water reaches an UV filter, as well. This is a thorough filtration process. The water produced using this process has a superior quality.

When It Comes To Water Filters, Size Matters

By now you know how pure or contaminated your water is, why you want to buy a water filter, and which filters are good for certain situations. Now all that remains is to find out how much storage space you want to sacrifice for a water filter, and where you want to install it. Depending on their size, water filters can be

Small Sized -
These filters usually take up little space, and they won't interfere with your regular activities. The following filters fit in this category: activated carbon filters, electronic water filters, ion exchange filters, and even some reverse osmosis systems.

Medium Sized -
These filters will take up some storage space, and you should be aware of this before you buy them. You might need to move some things from one location to another just to clear enough space for them to fit. This are the filters which fit into this category: most of the reverse osmosis systems, some ion exchange filters, ozone filters, and some distillation filters that have a larger capacity.

Large Sized -
These filters will occupy a lot of space, so you will need to make room for them. Some of them are so large, you will actually have to install them in a shed or in a basement. These filters are whole-house water softeners, deionization units, and whole-house multi-layer filters.

Now you have most of the information you need to make an informed decision. However, there are still some things you should be aware of before buying a water filter for your home or workplace. As it happens, most often people won't have only one complaint about their water. This is why it's very important to learn the basics of how water filters work, so you can fully comprehend if a certain system is the right solution for you, or if it's not.

Learn how to choose the best portable water filter here!

Filter Types And Technologies

OK, this might seem like the kind of title you usually find on a technical website, but trust us, we will only explain what you really need to know. Most of the times, water filter dealers will talk about some technical aspects even they barely comprehend. This won't be the case. In this section, we will provide a brief description for each water filter, and review its pros and cons so you will be able to make an informed decision when buying a unit.

The Basics Of Common Water Filter Technologies

1. Activated Carbon

This is one of the oldest filtration methods, and it has been used ever since the Ancient Egyptians. This filtration method relies on adsorption to work. Adsorption is a natural phenomenon where the molecules in the water are trapped in the porous structure of a carbon substrate. Carbon filters are used worldwide, and that's because they're efficient and inexpensive.

Activated charcoal filters are effective at removing sediment, chlorine, and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). They also remove any weird tastes and smells.

These filters are not very effective at removing salts, minerals, and dissolved inorganic compounds.

There are two types of carbon filters used for water filtering. The powdered block and the granulated activated filters. Usually, carbon block filters are more effective because they offer a larger adsorption surface. Many of them also have additional layers in between the carbon, for a better filtration. Some will have silver layers that will block bacteria and prevent bacteria growth. Some manufacturers go as far as impregnating the carbon with silver, giving it bacteriostatic properties.

Granulated activated carbon (GAC) filters come in various sizes, depending on their application. They use finer granulated charcoal that has a smaller surface area than the carbon block but can produce a channeling effect.

All carbon filters have some things in common. After a period of time, their efficiency drops, and you have to change them for optimal performance. You also have to change them if you don't use them for a long time, such as after you return from a vacation. Bacterial colonies can grow inside the filter if you don't use it for a long time, even if it's treated or impregnated with silver. You should always respect the life expectancy the filter manufacturer offers and change the filters in due time.

- Cheap
- Effective at removing weird tastes, smells, chlorine, and sediment

- Doesn't soften the water
- Bacteria can grow in it

2. Ion Exchange Filters

Even though you might not have heard about these filters, you definitely heard about deionization and water softening filters. These two are the most commonly used ion exchange methods, and we will talk about both of them together because they're very similar. We've compared and picked for you the top rated water ionizers.

Deionization filters use beads charged with hydrogen ions and hydroxyl ions, and change them for cations and anions, respectively. When metallic ions enter the filter, the hydrogen is released and replaces the metals which get trapped in the beads. Now the anions originally in the water are exchanged with the hydroxyl ions. The hydrogen and the hydroxyl combine and the end product is mineral-free water.

In a similar way, the water softening systems work by exchanging the salt trapped in the beads with the magnesium and calcium ions. Salt is released while the minerals are trapped, making the water softer. Check out the top rated water softener reviews here!

Pros

- Soften the water
- Remove metals from water

Cons

- Usually, they're large
- Water might taste salty

3. Distillation

This is one of the simplest ways of filtering water. The water is boiled and the condensed steam is captured in a separate container. All the contaminants that remain in the original container are removed. Unfortunately, some contaminants boil before the water and are still present in the second tank.

Pros

- Cheap
- Small

Cons

- Some contaminants are not filtered
- Valuable minerals are lost

4. Reverse Osmosis

This method uses multiple filters to remove the contaminants. Usually, the first filter is a mechanical one, the second and third filters are made out of carbon, the fourth is the semi-permeable membrane, and the fifth is a chemical one. Additional steps may include a UV filter and a remineralization one.

Pros

- Removes 95 - 99% of the contaminants in the water
- Produce a lot of clean water daily

Cons

- Water tastes bland if not remineralized
- Waste some water

5. This is a very efficient filter for water sources with a high bacterial level. The filter will kill most of the common bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms. Unfortunately, it won't filter anything else.

Pros

- Kills bacteria and viruses
- Small

Cons

- Doesn't affect minerals or chemicals
- Uses electricity

Water Filter Mounting Options

Now that you know how the main types of water filters work and what they're good at, you should decide on how and where to install them. There are several options available.

Under-sink Installation - An under sink water filter is one of the most popular options, for obvious reasons. Water filters are designed for efficiency, but not for aspect. Hiding them in a kitchen cabinet will keep them from prying eyes.

On-counter Installation - This is a viable option for smaller water filters. You can install them directly on your counter. Even though they might not look great, sometimes having the filter in reach is helpful. Check out the top rated countertop water filters here!

Faucet Mounted - Faucet water filters can be installed directly on the faucet. You just need to remove the faucet's aerator and connect the faucet to the filter.

Pitchers or Dispensers - One of the advantages of using this types of filters is that you can place them anywhere.

Water Filter Maintenance

OK, so you bought a water filter. What now? You need to take care of it, of course. But how do you do it?

Changing the filters - No matter if you buy an activated carbon filter or a reverse osmosis system, if it uses filters, they will need to be changed at some point. Most manufacturers specify the filter's life expectancy in the product's description, but you will also be able to find the information in the instructions manual.

Changing the beads - If you bought an ion exchange filter like a water softener or a deionization unit, the beads will need changing from time to time. The beads have a limited charge, so once the charge is spent, they become useless.

Changing the bulb - If you have a simple UV filter, or an RO system using a UV filter, you will need to change the bulb from time to time. The filter might have some sort of notification to let you know the bulb is no longer working, or you can even see if it's not working on some models.

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10 Benefits Of Using A Water Filter

1. Better Taste And Smell - It doesn't matter if your water comes from the well or the municipality, it can have a pretty bad taste. Most of the water filters we presented are capable of removing the bad tastes and smells.

2. Healthier Water - Drinking and using filtered water for your cooking will improve your overall health. All the chemicals, bacteria and other contaminants will be removed from the water, so your body will cleanse itself in time.

3. Environmentally Friendly - Filtering your water is more environmentally friendly than buying bottled water. Bottled water comes in plastic containers that might eventually end up polluting.

4. No Plastic - Another problem with drinking bottled water is the plastic's quality. Some bottles are made out of plastic containing BPA, a component that can lead to many health problems. Take a look at the filtered water bottle reviews and pick the one that meets your needs.

5. Cheaper - Even though buying a water filter is a larger investment at first, you will actually save money in the long run.

6. Good For Children - Children are especially susceptible to nitrate/nitrite poisoning. These compounds can leak into the municipal water source, and they might be present in a well also.

7. No More Toxins - Some experts claim there are may be more than 2100 known toxins in a water source. Using filters will reduce the risk of ingesting them.

8. No Chlorine - Chlorine has been widely used to disinfect the water, even though drinking it is linked to several illnesses.

9. Better Looking Skin And Hair - Your hair and skin will look better and healthier after washing with softened water.

10. No Chemicals - A lot of different chemicals like pesticides and heavy metals can be present in your drinking water. Using a water filter reduces the risk of ingesting them.

Water Filtration vs. Purification

A water filtration system uses one or more filters to remove some contaminants from the water. While some categories of contaminants will be eliminated, some will remain, so the water is not considered pure

A water purification system is able to remove 90 - 99% of the contaminants in the water. While this water is considered pure, the helpful minerals in the water will also be removed.

Do Water Filters Remove Valuable Minerals?

Not all water filters will remove the valuable minerals in the water, but some will. Reverse osmosis systems will remove up to 99% of the contaminants in the water, including the beneficial minerals. An UV filter will only kill bacteria, leaving other components in the water. Each filtration solution offers advantages and disadvantages.

A tankless, or on-demand, water heater only heats water when you need it. Read our guides before you buy a gas tankless water heater or an electric tankless water heaters.

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Water filters have become a necessity in today's society. No matter if you use a well or the municipal water feed, your drinking water could be better. Using water filters might seem expensive, but using them will actually save you money in the long run. You won't have to buy bottled water any longer, and you will only have to change their filters once in a while.

Most people consider water filters are only good if you're using them for your drinking water, but that's not true. Showering in filtered water will make your skin look healthier and more beautiful. Your hair will also look better, and it will look dirty after a longer time.

Water filters are especially important if you have kids. Children are more susceptible to contracting a bacteria, virus, or suffering from nitrate/nitrite poisoning, and water filters will reduce those chances.

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Water Filter Mag: All You Need to Know About Water Filters!

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We all know water is essential for life. People who work in hot climates need to drink up to 16 liters of water a day to control their body temperature and keep hydrated. But did you know that 95% of Americans drink only 1 liter of water per day, even though they should be drinking at least 2 or 3?

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Testing pH as it relates to water quality. 

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Testing pH as it relates to water quality. 

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This is related to frogs and water quality of the tank but we can use her lesson as a model for doing water testing and looking at pH. She has students use a journal and creates discussion with them about the pH.

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Thought starters

1. How does the activity help students see the importance of collecting data over time?

2. What different tools do students use in the experiment?

3. How does Mrs. Hartford help students use scientific processes to learn the science concepts?

School Details

Horace Mann Elementary School
17001 Ne 104th
Redmond WA 98052

Data Provided By:

Teachers

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Measuring pH as it Relates to Water Quality

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Marie Hartford's class of 5th grade scientists learn about the importance of water quality and its benefits to wildlife and the environment. Within the narrow confines of pH necessary for their tank of red-legged frogs, students use a combination of pond and tap water to keep the tank healthy, using their collected data to make the decision on the proportion between the two.

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Ways you can filter water in a kitchen. I know we are talking more about a school but this could give kids an idea of ways to filter water at home and could be similar just not on a commercial level.

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Would a filter at the faucet is enough to bring you safe water, or should you install a water filtration system for the whole house? Would activated carbon filter work, or is UV treatment a better option? It's difficult to find an exact answer.

The method of filtration and type of water filter you use should be determined based on various criteria. Factors to take into consideration include the biochemical properties of the water, water pressure, the material and specs of the pipe, your budget, your preferences, among other things. All of those differ from household to household.

This article aims at introducing to you the most common types of residential water filters. Following that is the popular methods used in water filtration and purification. The pros and cons of each type and each methods will also be discussed, so you will have a better idea of what would be best for your home.

Related post: Best Household Water Filters Review

How water filters work: Popular Methods of Water Filtration

Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages. Most of the time, a water filtration system is a combination of 2 or more methods and materials.

1. Activated alumina water filter

Activated alumina is made of aluminum oxide (Al2O3), the same substance as sapphire and ruby without the coloring impurities.

Activated alumina is designed to remove fluoride, arsenic, and selenium from drinking water. With many pores on its surface, the alumina can reduce up to 99% of fluoride concentrations in the normal fluoridated water.

2. Filter with activated carbon

Activated carbon, or activated charcoal, is a form of carbon that has been processed to maximize the number of pores on them. When it is used to treat a liquid, the pollutant molecules are trapped inside these pores.

Thanks to its large adsorption surface, activated carbon is very widely employed in removing organic compounds or extracting chlorine from water. You can find this material in most pitcher filters and filter elements in larger household filtration systems.

3. Ceramic filter

Ceramic filters are made of ceramic, which has a lot of small pores on it. As water runs through the filter, anything larger than the pore size is kept outside.

Ceramic water filters are sometimes treated with silver to kill bacteria and prevent mold and algae in the water.

4. Reverse Osmosis Filter

Reverse osmosis is a method of water filtering in which water is forced through a membrane with small pores. These pores allow water to run through, but keep the contaminants outside.

The purified water is then collected while the water with the pollutants is flushed away.

Typically bulky as a whole system with pre-filters, post-filters, and reverse osmosis membranes, RO filters are oftentimes quite a big investment. However, thanks to their high effectiveness in removing heavy metals and various harmful chemicals, they are a favorable choice among health-conscious households, especially the more affordable under-sink and countertop filters.

Related post: Best RO Filters Review

5. Ultraviolet water purifier

UV water purifying systems use light of high frequency to irradiate water through a glass element. As water passes through the element, all living microorganisms in it are killed.

6. Water distillation

Distillation is a process of water purification with very high efficiency. During this process, water is boiled into steam, which is then cooled down to the form of liquid and is collected in a clean container.

In the household scale, water distillation is often applied on countertop distillers to make drinking water for small families.

Types of water filters and purifiers for residential use

The most frequently seen water filters in American homes.

1. Water filter pitcher

This is probably one of the most common types of water filters, thanks to its low cost and portability. A water filter pitcher typically has 2 parts. At the center of the upper half is a filter filled mostly with activated carbon, where you will pour water in to be treated. The filtered water will drop down to the lower part of the container, and you can pour it out from there.

Due to their limited capacity, water filter pitchers are mainly used to purify tap water for drinking and cooking. They're also a safe and convenient way to get clean water when you're outdoors, on a camping trip for example.

2. Faucet Water Filter

As its name suggests, this is a small device you install right on your faucet. It removes the contaminants in the water right before it comes out, leaving you with fresh water for cooking and washing.

Faucet water filters are generally inexpensive, making them a popular choice in the households. They're best at improving the smell and the taste of tap water in areas where the water is relatively already safe and clean.

3. Showerhead Filter

Similar to faucet filter, this is a device you install on your shower head to filter the water for your shower. Sometimes the filter comes with a shower head itself.

Filters for shower head are advised for areas where the water contains a rich amount of chlorine and fluoride, which are known to cause dryness and irritations to individuals with sensitive skin. Many users reported they feel reduced hair loss and a smoother skin after the filter is installed in their bathroom.

4. Countertop water filter

Countertop water filters are a slightly better choice when you want to purify your tap water without having to keep filling and emptying a jug. They are small devices connected to the faucet, purifying water as you turn the tap on. A countertop filter may sometimes come with its own faucet.

Countertop filters are small. However, they still do take up some space on your countertop and are thus less favored at households with a narrow/small countertop.

5. Under Sink Water Filter

An under-sink water filter is typically a water filtration system installed under the sink in your kitchen. It removes bacteria and pollutants, making the water safer to use.

Related post: Top Under Sink Water Filters Of 2019 Review

Under-sink water filters are usually large, expensive, and are not very portable. They can process a larger amount of water at a much faster rate compared to faucet or countertop devices.

6. Whole House Water Filter System

Whole house water filter systems are usually seen in households where tap water is not an option. They're typically installed right at the water tank, connecting to the main pipe, purifying the water before it is distributed to different areas in the house.

What kind of water filtration are you using in your home? Does it improve the smell and the taste of your water? Share your experience with us.

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Common Types of Water Filters and How They Work

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Would a filter at the faucet is enough to bring you safe water, or should you install a water filtration system for the whole house? Would activated carbon filter work, or is UV treatment a better option? It's difficult to find an exact answer.

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I'm tagging a few water filtration companies that work with schools. This one is in the Lehigh Valley. I keep thinking local to me, but I know it would vary for each of us. This has information on common water problems and you can send in a water sample for testing.

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Do I Need to Treat My Water?

Regardless of whether you have well water or public water, you'll see a number of benefits with water treatment in Macungie and throughout Lehigh County. Our systems can remove potentially harmful contaminants from your water supply, including bacteria, lead, arsenic, pesticides, and sediment.

Additionally, our water treatment in Center Valley and beyond offers immediate improvements in the smell and taste of your water, eliminating limescale buildup in showers and tubs, reducing damage to faucets and fixtures, and improving the overall quality of your water. Learn more about what's in your water with a free water test.

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Water Treatment Services in Allentown, PA | Residential Water Treatment

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Regardless of whether you have well water or public water, you'll see a number of benefits with water treatment in Macungie and throughout Lehigh County. Our systems can remove potentially harmful contaminants from your water supply, including bacteria, lead, arsenic, pesticides, and sediment.

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This is just a short clip of what the lake looks like now. Maybe we can use it to show the impact we can have when we change our habits and take care of our water.

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Restoring Onondaga Lake's Natural Habitat | Environment | Honeywell

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This article just tells a bit about what a bog filtration system is and it might be an option for a group of students to incorporate into "our school".

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I thought this lake might be a good example of why a filtration system is good not only inside out school but exiting as well. What happens when our sewage and other chemical wastes aren't disposed of properly? How bad can it get?

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Onondaga Lake is roughly 4.5 miles long, 1 mile wide, and lies in Central New York, next to the city of Syracuse. The lake has an average depth of 36 feet, with two deep basins. The northern basin is 62 feet deep; the southern is 65 feet deep. Ninemile Creek and Onondaga Creek are the lake's two largest tributaries. Additionally, the discharge from Metro - Onondaga County's sewage treatment plant - provides almost 20% of the water flowing into the lake and as much as 30% in the summer.

Centuries ago, the Peacemaker brought the Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, and Mohawk Nations together on the shores of Onondaga Lake. At the lakeshore, these warring nations accepted the message of peace, laid down their arms, and formed the Haudenosaunee Confederacy - the first representative democracy in the West. The lake became a sacred place, one that must be cared for and respected.

The Onondagas were good stewards of the Lake until New York, in defiance of federal law, took control of the lake and its surrounding areas.

ISSUES FACING ONONDAGA LAKE

Nutrients

Ammonia and phosphorus are the most prevalent nutrients in the lake, and they appear in such high levels because of human waste that was dumped into Onondaga Lake with little or no treatment. Excessive amounts of these nutrients lead to algae growth in the lake. These algal blooms used mass quantities of oxygen choking out fish and plants, especially in the deeper portions of the lake. Without oxygen in these parts of the lake, cold-water fish cannot survive. Thanks to recent upgrades at Metro fewer nutrients are pouring into the lake and there has been an improvement in water quality and an increase in fish populations.

Toxins

The toxins are chemicals and chemical byproducts in the lake-bottom sediments, the water, and surrounding soils. They are in the lake either because they were intentionally dumped or because they seeped in from the upland toxic waste sites or the wastebeds that line the western shore of the lake. The pollutants are dangerous for humans, plants and animals in and around the lake. Some of the more prevalent toxins include mercury, chlorinated benzenes, BTEX compounds, PCBs, and PAHs. Until the toxins are removed, the lake will never be healthy and all plant and animal life in and around the lake will suffer. Scroll down to read more about these contaminants.

Sediment

Every day, about one-half ton of clay and silt flows down Onondaga Creek and dumps into the lake. These sediments come from the Tully Valley mudboils. Mudboils are naturally occurring releases for groundwater pressure that is built up by the unique geology of the Tully valley. However, decades of mining by predecessors of Honeywell Int. have significantly increased sediment loading into the lake.

Solvay Wastebeds

The Solvay wastebeds ring the southwest end of Onondaga Lake. In 1884 Honeywell's predecessors began producing soda ash on the lakeshore. Roughly 6 million pounds of salty wastes, made up of chloride, sodium , and calcium were discharged daily to Onondaga Lake from the soda ash facility before it closed in 1986. Additional dumping created the Solvay wastebeds, which continue to leech toxins into Onondaga Lake today.

Mercury

Methyl mercury, the mercury found in aquatic systems, is among the most poisonous chemicals known. Mercury has been measured in fish from Onondaga lake at levels that far surpass federal and state standards. 165,000 lbs of mercury was discharged into Onondaga Lake by Allied Chemical (Honeywell's predecessor). Scientists estimate that 7 million cubic yards of lake-bottom sediments are contaminated as a result.

Phosphorus and Ammonia

Algal blooms are a serious problem for Onondaga Lake's ecosystem. Algae drains the water of precious oxygen thereby inhibiting plant and fish life. Recent upgrades at Syracuse's main sewage facility have helped curb algae-promoting nutrients like phosphorus and ammonia. But these nutrients continue to freely enter the ecosystem from combined sewer overflows (CSO) that release untreated sewage into tributaries that flow into the lake.

Onondaga Lake as a Superfund Site

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Onondaga Lake - The Most Polluted Lake In America

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Onondaga Lake is roughly 4.5 miles long, 1 mile wide, and lies in Central New York, next to the city of Syracuse. The lake has an average depth of 36 feet, with two deep basins. The northern basin is 62 feet deep; the southern is 65 feet deep.