Where Do We Get Our Drinking Water?

How does dirty water get clean enough to drink? After viewing a PowerPoint that outlines the process water goes through at a water treatment plant, groups work together to design a chlorination chamber for a treatment plant.

This easy-to-perform demonstration shows students how the water cycle, specifically the processes of condensation and evaporation, purifies Earth's water supply. Just mix up some water, dirt, and gravel in a glass bowl, place a cup in...

How do we clean up oil spills and other pollutants in the water? Explore water treatment strategies with a set of environmental science experiments. Groups remove oil from water, work with wastewater treatment, and perform a water...

Open learners' eyes to the challenge of finding safe drinking water – something we often take for granted in our country. The PowerPoint presentation includes images, graphs, diagrams, and even a video to stimulate discussion on how we...

What are the issues surrounding water quality? Viewers of this short presentation gain information about the importance of clean water, the lack of fresh water, water contamination, and ways that engineers treat water. 

Young scientists explore nature's water treatment plants in this simple science demonstration. By placing a stalk of celery in a cup of water mixed with food coloring, children are able to observe how plants absorb nutrients and...

How safe is the drinking water you have access to? Colors, smells, and other factors may lead you to finding out if your water is safe. Watch a video that explains the ways water becomes filtered and ways to know when water is contaminated.

Students use a thermal process approach to design, build and test a small-scale desalination plant that is capable of significantly removing the salt content from a saltwater solution. Students use a saltwater circuit to test the...

Access to fresh water is one of the largest drivers of creating a modern society, but what allows everyone access to seemingly endless supplies of potable water? It depends on where you live, but chances are that behind your tap there's...

This U.S. Geological Survey website features a fictious town, Dryville, and uses it to illustrate every aspect of water management that you might encounter. Click Home to access the site in Spanish.