CK-12 Foundation
Ck 12: Life Science: Effects of Water Pollution
[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] Water pollutants can have an effect on both the ecology of ecosystems and on humans. As a result of water pollution, humans may not be able to use a waterway for...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Environmental Engineering
In this unit, students explore the various roles of environmental engineers, including: environmental cleanup, water quality, groundwater resources, surface water and groundwater flow, water contamination, waste disposal and air...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Quest: Water Pollution Investigation
Water pollution is the contamination of water resources by harmful wastes or toxins. This type of pollution can be dangerous to animals and plant populations in and around lakes, rivers, polluted groundwater areas or oceans, and can pose...
Environmental Education for Kids
Eek!: Teacher Resources: Groundwater Study Guide [Pdf]
This study guide is designed to help students begin thinking about groundwater - where it comes from, why it's important, and how it can be conserved and protected. The guide includes a brief overview of groundwater, a glossary, and...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Introduction to Water Chemistry
Students are presented with examples of the types of problems that environmental engineers solve, specifically focusing on water quality issues. Topics include the importance of clean water, the scarcity of fresh water, tap water...
Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of Natural History: Ocean Planet: Water Pollution Toxic Materials
This site, from an archived Smithsonian exhibit, describes and illustrates the effects of toxic materials on wildlife in bodies of water.
Georgia Department of Education
Ga Virtual Learning: Ap Environmental Science: Water Pollution and Treatment
Students learn about water management, treatment and purification- global issues that must be addressed to ensure a continued supply of safe water for the growing human population and for the organisms with which we share this planet.
CK-12 Foundation
Ck 12: Earth Science: Cleaning Up Groundwater
[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] How polluted groundwater is cleaned up.
Encyclopedia of Earth
Encyclopedia of Earth: Water Pollution: Groundwater
Explains what groundwater is, how and where it occurs, how the quality of our groundwater is being affected by human activities, and the detrimental impact this has on plants and animals. (Updated: February 22, 2012)
Other
Missouri Conservationist Online: Karst Groundwater
Article highlighting Missouri's karst groundwater systems and the need to protect the land from pollution. Includes diagram of how the system works.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: What's Down the Well?
This activity looks at physical models of groundwater and how environmental engineers determine possible sites for drinking water wells. During this activity, students will create their own groundwater well model using a coffee can and...
Harvard University
Arsenic Contamination of Ground Water in Bangladesh
This site talks about related problems to groundwater contamination in Bangladesh and the challenges that face the people there.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Who's Down the Well?
Drinking water comes from many different sources, including surface water and groundwater. Environmental engineers analyze the physical properties of groundwater to predict how and where surface contaminants will travel. In this...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Mn Step: Water Runoff: How the Ground Water in Your Community Is Affected
After creating a model, students will investigate factors that affect water runoff both positively and negatively, and the impact this has on the quality of groundwater.
Geography 4 kids
Geography4 kids.com: Where Is Groundwater?
Critical source of freshwater and most abundant, yet also the most polluted is groundwater. Discover how scientists work to purify this important resource to make it useable.
Other
Clean Ocean Action
This site defines and describes causes of ocean pollution. Easily navigated links to education, research, and current issues on pollution.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: What's Gotten Into You?
In this activity, students use models to investigate the process and consequences of water contamination on the land, groundwater, and plants. This is a good introduction to building water filters found in the associated activity, The...
Other
Dcr.virginia.gov: A Resident's Guide to Sinkholes
This site describes what sinkholes are, how they form, problems associated with sinkholes such as flooding and pollution, and sinkhole locations. It discusses the two types of sinkholes, the main differences between karst and non-karst...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Design, Build and Test Your Own Landfill
Students design and build model landfills using materials similar to those used by engineers for full-scale landfills. Their completed small-size landfills are "rained" on and subjected to other erosion processes. The goal is to create...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Landfills: Building Them Better
Waste disposal has been an ongoing problem since medieval times. Environmental engineers are employed to develop technologies to dispose of the enormous amount of trash produced in the United States. In this lesson, young scholars will...
US Geological Survey
Usgs: Effects of Human Activities
This site reviews the effects of agricultural development, urban and industrial development, drainage of the land surface, modifications to river valleys, and modifications to the atmosphere have on ground water and surface water.
US Environmental Protection Agency
Epa: A Kids Adventure Story
This cartoon describes what the EPA's Superfund is and how water can become polluted. A lab experiment with Q&A is included.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: An Underground River
Groundwater is one of the largest sources of drinking water, so environmental engineers need to understand groundwater flow in order to tap into this important resource. Environmental engineers also study groundwater to predict where...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Water Remediation Lab
Students measure the effectiveness of water filters in purifying contaminated water. They prepare test water by creating different concentrations of bleach (chlorine-contaminated) water. After passing the contaminated water through...