Contamination in drinking water sources or watersheds can negatively affect the organisms that come in contact with it. The affects can be severe causing illness or, in some cases, even death. It is important for people to understand how they can contribute to the contaminants in drinking water and what treatment can be done to counter these harmful effects. Students will learn about the various methods developed by environmental engineers for treating drinking water in the United States.

Students perform a macroinvertebrate survey to gauge the health of a local river. They collect water samples and count macroinvertebrates to learn how the health of a river's ecosystem can be determined by its river insect population.

To explore different ways of using solar energy, students build a model solar water heater and determine how much it can heat water in a given amount of time. Solar water heaters work by solar radiation and convection.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Access to clean drinking water is widely considered a fundamental human right But many people, especially those living in urban settings and market economies, face water insecurity, borne of political and economic inequality Water sharing – defined as the exchange of water among households – is so widespread that is could be regarded as a grassroots practice to ensure a human right to water Despite its clear importance, however, there’s been little research into the practice New research in WIREs Water aims to fill this void This global study highlights a number of factors that appear to shape who shares water with whom, and why Researchers found that water sharing offers insight into the everyday and, at times, invisible ties that bind people and households to one another Water sharing isn’t simply a fleeting charitable impulse – the practice depends on specific livelihood strategies, spiritual beliefs and cost/benefit calculations For example, many cultures have complex institution.."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Access to clean drinking water is widely considered a fundamental human right But many people, especially those living in urban settings and market economies, face water insecurity, borne of political and economic inequality Water sharing – defined as the exchange of water among households – is so widespread that is could be regarded as a grassroots practice to ensure a human right to water Despite its clear importance, however, there’s been little research into the practice New research in WIREs Water aims to fill this void This global study highlights a number of factors that appear to shape who shares water with whom, and why Researchers found that water sharing offers insight into the everyday and, at times, invisible ties that bind people and households to one another Water sharing isn’t simply a fleeting charitable impulse – the practice depends on specific livelihood strategies, spiritual beliefs and cost/benefit calculations For example, many cultures have complex institution.."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.