Web Quest: The Quality of Our Tap Water in Manhattan Beach

Name __________________________________________ Date ________________________ Period ______
Web Quest: The Quality of Our Tap Water in Manhattan Beach
Instructions: Google search “Manhattan Beach” and click on the city’s homepage. Click the following tabs in order:
City Services ! Public Works ! Utilities Division ! Water Systems. Answer the questions below to learn something
new about tap water in your community!
Part 1: “Source of Supply”
1.
How many miles of water distribution pipelines exist in Manhattan Beach?
2. What are the three water supply sources to Manhattan Beach?
3. Which of these sources is responsible for most of our water?
4. Where do we use recycled water?
Part 2: Treatment: Answer questions # 1-18 based on the Water Quality Report Statistics (PDF)
1.
What year was this water quality report generated?
2. What does ppm stand for? _________________ ppb? _________________ ppt? _________________
3. Which element in our drinking water is present due to oil drilling waste and refinery discharge?
4. Which element is added to our tap water to promote strong teeth?
5. The optimal level of fluoride in drinking water is 0.08 ppm. Determine how many milligrams of fluoride will be
dissolved in 3.1 L of H20.
6. Which three radiological compounds are present in our tap water?
7. What is the source of these radioactive particles?
8. Which two types of bacteria are monitored in our drinking water?
9. Which element is used to disinfect our drinking water?
10. Explain why our tap water conducts electricity.
11. What is the average amount of sodium in our ground water?
12. What is the name for the SO4-2? (Hint: It’s a polyatomic ion!)
13. What is the average amount of SO4-2 in our surface water?
14. On average, how many liters of water have 0.677 grams of SO4-2 dissolved within it? (Hint: Watch your units!)
15. What does pH measure?
16. What is the average pH of our ground water?
17. The units of concentration for copper levels in our drinking water is _______. This is the same as ( ppm /
ppb ), which is equivalent to 1 drop in _________ gallons.
18. The units of concentration for lead levels in our drinking water is _______. This is the same as ( ppm /
ppb ), which is equivalent to 1 drop in _________ gallons.
19. Scroll down to the section with Important Health Information. What types of people are considered
“immunocompromised”?
20. Why might residents be concerned about lead contaminants in their household drinking water?
21. What significant health risks does excessive lead ingestion pose?
Part 3: Storm Drain System
1.
What is the ultimate drainage destination for storm drains throughout our city?
2. How often does the city clean out the catch basins, sumps, and CDS units?
3. Look at the picture with the “beach closed” sign. Zoom in on it. Does this look like a place you’d like to come
to relax and surf on the weekend?
4. After what type of weather would you expect to see this scene?
5. What can you do to help prevent this from happening to our beaches?
6. Click on the Storm Water Pollution Prevention Program Link. Take the survey to “Test your Storm Water
Knowledge”.
7. Why is Polliwog Park an important environmental resource?
Part 4: Going Green ! Water Conservation
1.
By how much are you expected to reduce your water consumption due to the drought?
2. Look at the graph of Water Use at the bottom of the page. Have we successfully reduced our water use in
recent years?
3. Which 3 months of the year have the greatest water usage?
4. Click on the H2O Conservation Tips and Links. Based on the list of water consumptions for common activities,
estimate how many gallons of water you use per day.
5. Name 5 things YOU can do to conserve water.
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