A summary of our water filter

The fifth grade classes learned about city water treatment and some of the challenges that are faced by a municipality. We discussed various sources of water pollution and techniques that water treatment facilities use to aerate the water supply. Aeration is important to introduce because it is a naturally occurring process which releases carbon dioxide from a polluted body of water. Our classes formed teams of engineers to create the best filtration system for their water samples. All teams were given a jar sample of polluted water, a strainer, a mesh screen, a coffee filter, a sample of sand, a sample of gravel. Teams poured the water throuh their various filters and monitored the change in color of the sample.