A Lesson About Water

And Pollution

By Tanjua Damon

On average there could be 74 billion gallons of water per person. That is of course if everyone did not have to compensate for 71.9 billion gallons of salt water, 1.66 billion gallons which is frozen, and .4378 billion which is unavailable, which technically leaves 2.2 million gallons per person available.

Newtown Middle School seventh graders learned about all of this and how pollution affects the water we drink from Rob Fisher, a parent and employee of Perrier in Greenwich, June 11.

“The world doesn’t make new water,” Mr Fisher said. “There is no such thing as new water. There should be plenty of water left as long as we use it correctly.”

Mr Fisher brought a model for the students to see how pollution can affect an entire community even if the pollution did not occur right at their home. His model showed nine wells in an area and that the pumps connected to wells can take pollution into the system even if the pollution did not occur close by.

The model represented an aquifer, which is a collection of soil, gravel, and rocks in a defined area.

“It’s very permeable. It’s like a sponge. It will soak up a lot of water,” Mr Fisher said. “It runs across the town. Wells starts pulling water from areas all around it. Eventually what will happen is you’re well will pull pollution in over time.”

Mr Fisher recommended to students that their wells be tested every two to three years to check for pollutants and for other things like minerals that may be found in excessive quantities in the water.

“When you have city water it is typically tested by the city,” he said. “You can request a copy of what those tests found. The ground acts as a great filter.”

People’s wells can be close together or far a part and still be affected by the pollution. Mr Fisher wanted to make the middle school students aware of what can happen when pollution affects the water. He also wanted to show how the water supply is broken down.