The Efficiency of Low Cost Water Treatment Methods at Removing Bacteria From Runoff
School Name
Heathwood Hall Episcopal School
Grade Level
10th Grade
Presentation Topic
Environmental Science
Presentation Type
Non-Mentored
Abstract
The lack of clean drinking water is a global problem that affects millions daily. This experiment examines the effectiveness of different low-cost water treatment methods at removing bacteria from runoff. The null hypothesis claims that the amount of bacteria remaining in the solution will be the same regardless of the method completed. The hypothesis is that the amount of bacteria remaining in the solution will vary depending on the water purification technique used. Natural sunlight, draining through coffee filters, and boiling over an open flame were the three methods tested on runoff from two different locations. The tested runoff was then spread on agar plates and set for an incubation period of 48 hours, with each method using 20 agar plates. Untested runoff was also spread on agar plates and served as a control group. After 48 hours, bacterial colonies in each dish were counted and recorded, and both averages and medians of the data collected for each method per location were found. Percentages showing the effectiveness of each method were calculated using the average bacterial count after treatment divided by the average bacterial count before treatment. The same was done for the median data to provide another perception of the results. Boiling proved to be the most effective method at removing bacteria from runoff collected at both locations.
Recommended Citation
Smith, Savannah, "The Efficiency of Low Cost Water Treatment Methods at Removing Bacteria From Runoff" (2020). South Carolina Junior Academy of Science. 193.
https://scholarexchange.furman.edu/scjas/2020/all/193
Location
Furman Hall 227
Start Date
3-28-2020 11:00 AM
Presentation Format
Oral and Written
Group Project
No
The Efficiency of Low Cost Water Treatment Methods at Removing Bacteria From Runoff
Furman Hall 227
The lack of clean drinking water is a global problem that affects millions daily. This experiment examines the effectiveness of different low-cost water treatment methods at removing bacteria from runoff. The null hypothesis claims that the amount of bacteria remaining in the solution will be the same regardless of the method completed. The hypothesis is that the amount of bacteria remaining in the solution will vary depending on the water purification technique used. Natural sunlight, draining through coffee filters, and boiling over an open flame were the three methods tested on runoff from two different locations. The tested runoff was then spread on agar plates and set for an incubation period of 48 hours, with each method using 20 agar plates. Untested runoff was also spread on agar plates and served as a control group. After 48 hours, bacterial colonies in each dish were counted and recorded, and both averages and medians of the data collected for each method per location were found. Percentages showing the effectiveness of each method were calculated using the average bacterial count after treatment divided by the average bacterial count before treatment. The same was done for the median data to provide another perception of the results. Boiling proved to be the most effective method at removing bacteria from runoff collected at both locations.
