33rd Annual Student Research Conference
Analysis of the Water Quality for a Sustainable Community
Allison B. Esselman* and Caleb H. DeWitt
Dr. Brittany Hagenhoff , Faculty Mentor
Just outside of La Plata, Missouri, there is a small community made up of a handful of families who live a sustainable lifestyle. They generate their own electricity through solar panels, grow their own food, and collect rainwater to drink. The rainwater is filtered with Berkey® filters before consumption; however, unfiltered water is used when cooking, cleaning, and bathing. Recently there have been reports of fatigue and nausea with no known cause from residents and visitors. This prompted an investigation into the quality of their water. Samples include pre- and post-filtered water from four homes, samples from four ponds, and one homemade sustainable filter. The water samples were tested for bacteria and a variety of heavy metals via graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy. By comparing the pre- and post-filtered water samples, an analysis of the quality of the water and the effectiveness of the filters was observed.
Keywords: Water Quality, Sustaible, Rain Water, Analytical Techniques, Quality Assurance
Topic(s):Chemistry
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
Session: TBA
Location: TBA
Time: TBA