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.

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:

• You will be able to read and organize information.
  
• You will be able to make value judgments.
  
• You will write an inclusive plan that can be feasibly implemented.

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:

• An abstract telling the major goals and conclusions of the report in no more than a paragraph
• An introduction section with the reasons a water treatment plant is necessary. This should be written for non-science majors.
• Your individual opinions and collective opinion on whether or not combined sewers should be used to reduce cost. If your Team does not agree, include a Dissension Statement from the minority explaining the reasons for the disagreement.
• An explanation of the steps in primary and secondary treatment. Include chemicals and concentrations used, etc.
• Whether or not tertiary treatment should be included. Explain what tertiary treatment is.
• How you will deal with residuals after they are removed from the water. Will there be any environmental impact when the residuals are removed?
• How many plants the city will need, and how many of those plants will perform primary and secondary treatment
• A list of references showing where your material came from

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

• A Guide to Wastewater Treatment - This site gives an overview of the wastewater treatment plan of Vancouver, British Columbia.
• The Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water - This United States guide gives information on treating water for drinking and the waste cleansing process.
• Sewage World - links to water and waste water treatment facilities and projects.
• WaterWorld - Water and Wastewater Technology - water, waste and wastewater related resources for news, products and services.
• Water Business Center - through email, will put you in contact with companies and organizations in the water business.
• Water Online - business and information sources for water and wastewater professionals.
• Water Technology Online - offering information on home and commercial water treatment, ground water remediation and exploration, and information regarding related products and services.
• Water and Wastewater Web - showcase for water and wastewater equipment manufacturers, a reference for professionals, and a service to cities, government, and industry.
• Wastewater Treatment Process Overview - This lecture explains about the Wastewater treatment process and industrial wastewater management with sewage treatment
• Introduction to Wastewater Treatment Processes - Introduction to Wastewater Treatment Processes, a great overview
• Community Water Treatment - Drinking water treatment info
• Gresham's Wastewater Plant Creates Enough Power to Sustain Itself - Something to celebrate, and close to home!
• Wastewater Treatment Plant (Gresham, Oregon) - Information about our local wastewater facilities.

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.

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.