Earth Systems

Title: Midnight Dumpers

Category: Simulation

Learning objectives:

1. Students will master the following vocabulary words: ground water, aquifer, random sample.
2. Students will explain how pollution affects ground water and learn how to discover the location of a pollution source.
3. Students will relate how monetary benefits, risk and environmental concerns are factors in business decisions.

Materials:

• 23 small opaque bottles (film cans, medicine vials)
• popcorn seeds
• dark food coloring
• map for each group
• student sheet for each student.

Background Information: Illegal dumping of chemical wastes is a national problem. Laws exist to prohibit the dumping of dangerous chemicals, but they can be broken fairly easily (usually at night). Disposal of chemicals is expensive and an unscrupulous corporation can save money by dumping illegally. Dumped chemicals seep through the soil and contaminate ground water. Legal chemicals (fertilizers, pesticides) do the same thing and students should be aware that they should never dump anything on the soil that they wouldnÕt want to drink.

Wells that pump from an aquifer (underground body of water) tend to draw water and any chemicals toward them. Wells are periodically tested to ensure a safe water source. Any sampling technique has an element of randomness. In this activity, randomness is modeled by requiring the students to return the seeds (water) to the vial after each is pulled out. It is possible to get the same seed twice. Students will not want to do this so you need to be firm on this point. They can retest a well if they think the sample was inaccurate.

The student groups are models of environmental firms that work for government and industry groups who find and clean-up spills. They have to make a profit to stay in business. The fewer samples they have to take to correctly find the source of a spill, the more money they will make. An incorrect identification can ruin their reputation.

In this activity you need to prepare the vials in the following manner.

1. Mix some food coloring with 100 popcorn seeds. Let them dry.
2. Label the bottoms of the vials with a permanent marker: 8 vials should be "A's", 4 should be "B's", 4 should be "C's", 3 should be "D's", 3 should be "D's", and 1 should be "F".
3. Fill the vials in the following manner:
   • vial A - 18 yellow seeds, 2 green
   • vial B - 16 yellow, 4 green
   • vial C - 12 yellow, 8 green
   • vial D - 8 yellow, 12 green
   • vial E - 6 yellow, 14 green
   • vial F - 2 yellow, 18 green

4. Before the activity, a key similar to the example on the next page should be made. You can pick any location for the spill and may want to vary it during the day. As students come to get their "samples" do not let them see the vials or the key.

See the student page for step by step instructions.

Sequence and Duration of Lesson Parts:

1. Introduction of ground water, aquifer, pollution and well relationships by teacher - 10 minutes.
2. Explanation of activity - 5 minutes.
3. Work time for students - 20-25 minutes.
4. Summary - 10 minutes

Evaluation: Students will know immediately if they identified the correct location. An analysis of the profit they made will determine which group was most successful from a business standpoint.

Title: Midnight Dumpers

Name: ________________

Purpose: To see how water can be contaminated by illegal dumping and how to find the source of contamination.

Materials:

• map
• medicine bottles with 20 seeds in them

Procedure:

1. Look at the map and decide which locations might be suspicious for "midnight dumping".
2. Decide on the coordinates you want to "test" first.
3. Send a person up to get a test sample of "ground water" from your teacher.
4. Sample each by taking out seeds one at a time and noting whether they are yellow (clean) or green (pollution). Record your results. Put the seed back each time. Draw out of the vial 20 times.
5. Each well drilled will cost you $800 for the first sample and $200 for each additional sample. You will be paid $10,000 for your work. Keep track of your costs.
6. Quit when you think you have the spot located.

Prediction: How much money will your team make, after expenses?

Data:

coordinates	yellow	green	cost

$10,000 (what you were paid for the job)
Subtract your costs
--------
= Your profit.
Divide it by your number of employees.

Analysis:

1. What site did you identify? How many spaces off were you?

2. Why do people do "midnight dumping"?

3. Where does pollution go that is dumped on the soil?

4. Why do wells "attract" pollution?

5. Why is it a good idea to do more than one test on a well?

6. How would identifying the wrong site affect your company financially?

7. What should you do if you see someone illegally dumping or spilling chemicals?

Conclusion: 2 Things you learned: