To'hajiilee Team Interim

 

Team Number: 072

School Name: To'hajiilee Community School

Area of Science: Environmental Science

Project Title: Water Contamination

 

 

Many times a day we turn a handle to produce a flow of clean water. By pressing on another handle we flush away our body wastes. But how often do we consider the complex systems that provide our water and dissolve of our waste?

Our community's water system has been experiencing water problems with hard water and contaminants such as bacteria and alkali. The contamination of the water was considered hazardous to the health of community members, and in fear of fatal illnesses, they did not use or mainly drink the water. Instead, they were forced to haul water from nearby cities such as Albuquerque and Gallup. We decided that instead of sitting around and doing nothing that something needed to be done. So we are currently holding a series of investigations to determine the leading contaminant of the water system.

The purposes of our investigations are to:

  1. Determine the leading contaminant of our water system.
  2. Do something about the contamination to make the water safe for use by our community members.
  3. Attain further knowledge of the health risks of contamination and what can be done to help.
Our team has arranged to work with the Navajo Environmental Protection Agency, as well as local community health representatives to inform the community about the water contaminants.

Water is a great solvent that can easily pick up impurities. Pure water is tasteless, odorless and colorless, and is often referred to as the universal solvent. When pure water is mixed with carbon dioxide a very weak carbonic acid it produced, resulting in an even better solvent. As the water moves through soil and rock, it dissolves very small amounts of minerals and holds them in solution. The calcium and magnesium dissolved in the water are the two most common minerals that are known to make the water "hard."

Hard water interferes with almost every cleaning task from laundering and dishwashing to bathing and personal grooming. Clothes laundered in hard water may look dingy and feel harsh and scratchy. Dishes and glasses may be spotted when dry. Hard water may cause a film on glass shower doors, shower walls, bathtubs, sinks, faucets, etc. Hair washed in hard water may feel sticky and look dull. Deposits in pipes may reduce water flow.

Dealing with hard water problems in the home can be a nuisance. The amount of hardness minerals in water affects the amount of soap and detergent necessary for cleaning. Soap used in hard water combines with the minerals to form a sticky soap curd. Some synthetic detergents are less effective in hard water because the active ingredient is partially inactivated by hardness, even though it stays dissolved. Bathing with soap in hard water leaves a film of sticky soap curd on the skin. The film may prevent removal of soil and bacteria. Soap curd interferes with the return of skin to its normal, slightly acid condition, and may lead to irritation. Soap curd on hair may leave it dull, lifeless, and difficult to manage.

Hard water also contributes to inefficient and costly operation of water- using appliances. Heated hard water forms a scale of calcium and magnesium minerals that cab contribute to the inefficient operation or failure of water-using appliances. Pipes can become clogged with scale that reduces water flow and ultimately requires pipe replacement.

Hard water is not a health hazard. In fact, the National Research Council (National Academy of Sciences) states that hard drinking water generally contributes a small amount toward total calcium and magnesium to the diet.

Researchers have studied water hardness and cardiovascular disease mortality. Such studies have been "epidemiological studies," which are statistical relationship studies.

While some studies suggest a correlation between hard water and lower cardiovascular disease mortality, other studies deny a correlation. The National Research Council states that results at this time are inconclusive and recommends that further studies should be conducted.

The hardness of our water will be reported in grains per gallon, milligrams per liter (mg/l) or parts per million. One grain of hardness equals 17.1 mg/l or ppm of hardness.

The Navajo Environmental Protection Agency establishes standards for drinking water, which fall into two categories - Primary Standards and Secondary Standards. Primary standards are based on health considerations and Secondary Standards are based on taste, odor, color, foaming and staining properties of water. There is no Primary or Secondary standard for water hardness. Water hardness is classifies by the U.S. Department of Interior and the Water Quality Association as follows: 

 
		Classification		mg/l or ppm		grains/gal
		
		Soft			  0 - 17.1		     0 -1
		
		Slightly Hard		 17.1 - 60		     1 -3.5

		Moderately Hard	  60 - 120		    3.5 - 7.0

		Hard			  120 - 180		   7.0 - 10.5

		Very Hard		180 & Over		 10.5 & Over

	    NOTE:  Other organizations may use slightly different classifications.

The purposes of our investigations are to:

  1. Determine the leading contaminant of our water system. We are currently in the process of collecting community water samples. Our contacts (i.e. the Navajo Environmental Protection Agency etc.) will work with us to analyze these samples and help us determine the leading contaminant of our system.
  2. Do something about the contamination to make the water safe for use by our community members. After we have determined the leading contaminant and configured
  3. Attain further knowledge of the health risks of contamination and what can be done to help.
This will follow once we get all the data in.

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