{"id":305,"date":"2023-10-11T17:56:44","date_gmt":"2023-10-11T17:56:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/herofortheplanet.org\/greenheartchallenge\/?page_id=305"},"modified":"2024-01-19T01:49:38","modified_gmt":"2024-01-19T01:49:38","slug":"testing-your-water","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/herofortheplanet.org\/ghsc-water\/know-your-water\/testing-your-water\/","title":{"rendered":"Testing Your Water"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n\t\tYOUR WATER\n\t<\/h5>\n

\n\t\tTesting Your Water\n\t<\/h1>\n\t

You have done your research to identify likely problems and sources of contaminations in your community’s water. Why not test your water and see what is there? Your team should have received a water test kit from CPF. Following the instructions provided, you are going to collect and test a sample of the water you collected for this Challenge. There are notes about each of the parameters your are testing for below. Note your results and reflections using the sheet provided here.\u00a0<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAccess the Worksheet\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\"Screenshot\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t

\t\n\tExploration<\/h3>\t\t\n\t\t\t

Collect a sample of the water you identified as important for community in a sterile container. Then, following the instructions provided in your test kit, test your water sample! Let’s see what you find.<\/b><\/p>\n

\n\t\tWater Test Parameters\n\t<\/h2>\n\t

Below are common water quality parameters that people test in their water, along with some information about sources, effects, and acceptable limits for how much of a given substance is considered acceptable.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Atrazine <\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

Acceptable Level: 3 ppb or. 003 ppm<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Atrazine<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

Used as a herbicide; surface or groundwater contamination from agricultural runoff or leaching. Can lead to heart and liver damage at high levels.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Benzine <\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

Acceptable Level: 5 ppb or. 005 ppm<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Benzine<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

Gasoline additive; usually from accidental oil spills, industrial uses, or landfills.\u00a0Can cause problems with blood, immune system, and nervous system at high levels.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Lead <\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

Acceptable Level: 0.015 ppm or 15 ppb<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Lead<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

Used in batteries; lead gasoline and pipe solder; may be leached from brass faucets, lead caulking, lead pipes, and lead soldered joints. Lead exposure can lead to nervous disorders and mental impairment, especially in babies.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Nitrates (NO3) <\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

Acceptable Level: 10 mg\/l (nitrate-N)
45 mg\/l (nitrate)<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Nitrates (NO3)<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

Soil by-product of agricultural fertilization; human and animal
waste leaching to groundwater. Particularly dangerous to infants.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Total Coliform <\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

Acceptable Level: <1 coliform\/100 ml<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Total Coliform<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

Possible bacterial or viral contamination from human sewage or animal manure. Can cause digestive problems. Constant exposure can lead to cholera and hepatitis.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Radon <\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

Acceptable Level: 300 pCi\/l<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Radon<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

Naturally occurring gas formed from uranium decay; can seep into well water from surrounding rocks and be released into the air as it leaves the faucet. Can cause cancer with prolonged exposure.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

pH <\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

Acceptable Range: 6.5 to 8.5<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

pH<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

An important overall measure of water quality, pH can alter the corrosivity and solubility of contaminants. Low pH will cause pitting of pipes and fixtures or a metallic taste. This may indicate that metals are being dissolved. At high pH, the water will have a slippery feel or a soda taste.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) <\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

Acceptable Level: 500 mg\/l<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

Dissolved minerals like iron or manganese. High TDS also can indicate hardness (scaly deposits) or cause staining, or a salty, bitter taste.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Iron (Fe) <\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

Acceptable Level: 0.3 mg\/l<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Iron (Fe)<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

Leaves a metallic taste; discolored beverages; yellowish stains, stains laundry. Not a huge health risk.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t

\t\n\tReflection<\/h3>\t\t\n\t\t\t

Were there any results from water collected by your team that exceeded the acceptable limit? If yes, where was that water collected from? What might be the potential sources of the problem? If all of the samples collected tested within acceptable limits, that’s good news! Are there any potential sources of water contamination that should be monitored for problems?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n\t

how do we define our problem so we can design a solution? <\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLet’s Find Out\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

YOUR WATER Testing Your Water You have done your research to identify likely problems and sources of contaminations in your community’s water. Why not test your water and see what is there? Your team should have received a water test kit from CPF. Following the instructions provided, you are going to collect and test a […]<\/p>\n

Read More…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"parent":267,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-305","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/herofortheplanet.org\/ghsc-water\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/305","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/herofortheplanet.org\/ghsc-water\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/herofortheplanet.org\/ghsc-water\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/herofortheplanet.org\/ghsc-water\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/herofortheplanet.org\/ghsc-water\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=305"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/herofortheplanet.org\/ghsc-water\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/305\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/herofortheplanet.org\/ghsc-water\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/267"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/herofortheplanet.org\/ghsc-water\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=305"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}