Wastewater Treatment Web Quest

Introduction

A new development company has bought a large tract of unused land in the city of Chemville and are in the process of designing a city. They have contacted your engineering firm to submit a plan for the wastewater treatment plant for this city.


Goals and Objectives

The goal of this WebQuest is for you to have a better understanding of how wastewater is treated and gain a deeper appreciation of water as a precious natural resource.

The objectives are:


The Task

First, select a Web Quest Team of at least two and no more than four people to assist you on this project. You can break the work up however you prefer, but all members of the group are expected to participate equally.

Use the Guide to Wastewater Treatment site and other Web-based resources to create a wastewater treatment plan that will be submitted to the development company. Keep track of your sources for the list of references portion of your report.

Next, you will begin working on your wastewater plan which should include all of the following:

The plan should also include a diagram (drawn to scale) showing:
  1. Where sanitary sewers will empty and where storm sewers will empty
  2. The piping system of the city, including private pipes, pumping stations, and storm sewers
The final piece of the plan is a public service announcement that will inform the new community of how to dispose properly of hazardous waste and how to conserve water.
Resources
Conclusion

Now that you have a better understanding of how wastewater is processed, I hope you will think about what you pour down the sink or how long you let the water run freely without using it. Do you think that most Americans (and Canadians and Europeans and...) are sufficiently aware of what must happen to the water they use before it is released back into the environment? How about the differences between storm drains and sewer drains? Perhaps you may feel that we should be doing more in solving this environmental issue. A good starting point would be to write a letter expressing your concerns to your local elected officials or water board.


Evaluation

Each Web Quest Team member can receive a maximum of 5 extra credit points for completing this Web Quest. Three points shall address the individual opinion statement created by each Team member, and two points shall address the group work used to complete the paper. Be sure to include the Public Service Announcement!

Grading shall be based on neatness, spelling errors, accuracy of information gathered, quality of list of references, and similar criteria. In addition, each participant shall anonymously complete an evaluation form for each Team member which will affect the final grade. For more information, contact the author.


WebQuest originally developed by Michelle Hall and adopted as appropriate by Michael Russell