The Independent Center for Integrative Education: Learning without Limits

2/4/11

Our seventh class was a field trip to the water cleaning facility United Water located in Harrington Park, NJ . Please read the summary below and the homework assignment at the bottom.

Unfortunately, photographing at the plant was strictly forbidden and no printed materials were available. We saw the reservoir, the control room, a testing laboratory, humongous water pumps that pump about forty million gallons of water a day, and there were five of those. We saw a map showing where the facility gets water and where the water goes after cleaning. The stages of cleaning and the processes involved were explained but there was no way we could see them.

Everybody was impressed by a 12 foot deep well that looks empty. It is in fact full of clean water.

The security measures that the plant is taking to protect itself from a terrorist attack are also impressive. Can you imagine the scale of a disaster that the disruption of water delivery for just a few days would cause?

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT:

Think about the role clean water plays in our life. We did it in our first class when discussing the sources of dirty water that we needed to recycle. Now, think what would happen if the United Water facility's work is disrupted and there is no tap water for a week. What emergency measures would allow the population of our counties to survive this week?

We ordered some equipment necessary to experiment with biological water cleaning that not only produces clean water but also recycles nitrogen. Please read the NASA Educator Guide about biological water cleaning.

Dear parents, I would highly encourage you to help you children with this assignment.