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JOAN CARTAN-HANSEN: HI, I'M

JOAN CARTAN HANSEN.

AND WELCOME TO SCIENCE TREK

THE WEB SHOW.

AND WELCOME TO THE BOISE

WATERSHED ENVIRONMENTAL

EDUCATION CENTER.

HERE YOU CAN LEARN HOW TO

CONSERVE AND PROTECT THE

WATER.

AND JOINING ME NOW TO ANSWER

YOUR QUESTIONS ABOUT WATER ARE

JAN BOLL AND SARAH GODSEY.

THANK YOU BOTH FOR BEING HERE.

SARAH GODSEY: THANKS VERY

MUCH.

JAN BOLL: THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

HANSEN: OKAY LET'S GO TO YOUR

QUESTIONS.

(MUSIC) ALYSSA: HI, MY NAME IS

ALYSSA AND I GO TO ADAMS

ELEMENTARY.

WHY IS MY DRINKING WATER

CLOUDY?

GODSEY: SO IT MAY BE THAT YOUR

DRINKING WATER IS CLOUDY

BECAUSE YOU HAVE A LITTLE

FILTER ON THE END OF YOUR

FAUCET THAT IS USED TO ADD AIR

TO YOUR WATER AND SLOW DOWN

THE FLOW A LITTLE BIT, AND

THOSE AIR BUBBLES THAT ARE

ADDED TO YOUR, TO YOUR WATER

IN THAT PROCESS CAN SOMETIMES

MAKE IT LOOK REALLY CLOUDY,

BUT IF YOU LET IT SIT FOR A

LITTLE WHILE THEN THE AIR WILL

COME OUT AND THE BUBBLES WILL

COME TO THE SURFACE AND IT

WON'T LOOK CLOUDY ANYMORE.

ON THE OTHER HAND, YOU MAY

HAVE OTHER CONSTITUENTS THAT

ARE IN YOUR WATER, OTHER

CHEMICALS THAT MIGHT MAKE IT

LOOK CLOUDY, AND THAT MIGHT BE

BECAUSE YOU HAVE RELATIVELY

HARD WATER, OR THAT THERE MAY

BE OTHER CHEMICALS THAT ARE IN

YOUR WATER.

SO IT MIGHT BE A GOOD IDEA TO

ASK YOUR PARENTS WHAT, WHAT

THEY THINK IS IN THE WATER.

OR TO LOOK AT THE REPORT THAT

YOU CAN GET, IF YOU'RE ON CITY

WATER, OR IF YOU HAVE YOUR

WATER TESTED, YOU CAN LOOK AT

YOUR REPORT AND SEE WHAT IT IS

THAT'S IN YOUR WATER THAT

MIGHT MAKE IT LOOK CLOUDY.

ELLA: HELLO, MY NAME IS ELLA

AND I AM FROM BASIN

ELEMENTARY.

MY QUESTION IS HOW DOES WATER

POLLUTION AFFECT HUMANS?

BOLL: ALL RIGHT SO WATER

POLLUTION, AGAIN, IS A VERY

BROAD TERM.

I WOULD THINK THAT IF YOU ARE

INHALING WATER, WHICH IS THE

ONE WAY THAT YOU CAN BE

AFFECTED BY IT, YOU DON'T WANT

FOREIGN SUBSTANCES IN YOUR

BODY.

AND FOREIGN SUBSTANCES COULD

BE CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS, BUT

IT CAN ALSO BE BIOLOGICAL

CONSTITUENTS.

ONE SIMPLE EXAMPLE IS A SMALL

PATHOGEN THAT IS CALLED

CRYPTOSPORIDIUM OR ANOTHER ONE

IS LIKELY SMALLER GIARDIA.

IF WE GET THOSE IN OUR SYSTEM,

WE ARE GETTING, YOU KNOW, AN

UPSET STOMACH TO CALL IT

LIGHTLY AND THOSE ARE REALLY,

REALLY NOT FUN FOR US.

BUT IF WE ARE HEALTHY PEOPLE,

IN THOSE CASES WE MIGHT HAVE A

LITTLE TROUBLE WITH OUR STOOL,

BUT IF WE ARE COMPROMISED

PEOPLE MAYBE THE CANCER

PATIENTS OR WE HAVE OTHER

DISEASES, THEN IT MIGHT

ACTUALLY KILL US.

AND SO THOSE ARE REALLY SCARY

ONES.

CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS CAN

CAUSE PROBLEMS, BUT THEY DO IT

TYPICALLY ON THE LONGER TERM,

SO WE MIGHT NOT IMMEDIATELY

NOTICE THAT WE HAD A PROBLEM

IN, IN SOME OF THE FOOD OR THE

DRINK THAT WE, WE TOOK IN.

BUT, AND STUDIES DON'T HAVE

CONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE AS TO WHEN

THIS HAPPENS, SOME PEOPLE ARE

MORE SENSITIVE TO IT THAN

OTHERS.

NOW OTHER WAYS THAT WATER CAN

HURT US IT THROUGH OUR SKIN,

SO SOME PEOPLE HAVE VERY

SENSITIVE SKIN TO CONSTITUENTS

IN THE WATER AND THEN IT'S ON

A PERSON BY PERSON BASIS AS TO

WHEN THAT STARTS HITTING US.

NOAH: HELLO MY NAME IS NOAH

AND I GO TO ADAMS ELEMENTARY.

MY QUESTION IS WHERE DOES

WASTE WATER GO?

GODSEY: SO IT REALLY DEPENDS

ON WHERE YOU LIVE.

IF YOU LIVE IN A CITY WITH A

SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT, THEN

YOUR WATER WILL GO INTO THE

SEWAGE SYSTEM AND THEN MAKE IT

TOWARDS THE WASTEWATER

TREATMENT PLANT AND BE TREATED

THERE SO THAT IT CAN REMOVE

PATHOGENS AND THINGS THAT CAN

CAUSE PROBLEMS FOR THOSE WHO

ARE DOWNSTREAM OF YOU.

IF YOU LIVE IN A PLACE WHERE

YOU HAVE A SEPTIC SYSTEM, THEN

YOUR WATER WILL GO DOWN INTO

YOUR SEPTIC SYSTEM AND SLOWLY

FILTER THROUGH THAT SEPTIC

SYSTEM IN ORDER TO TRANSFER

THE, OR TRANSFORM THE

MATERIALS THAT ARE COMING OUT

THROUGH YOUR WASTE INTO A FORM

THAT'S LESS, LESS TOXIC TO

OTHER THINGS THAT ARE

DOWNSTREAM OF YOU.

SO, THERE ARE A FEW PLACES

ACROSS THE WORLD THAT DON'T

HAVE ANY WATER TREATMENT AT

ALL, AND SO, IN THAT CASE,

WHEN THERE'S WASTE IT JUST

GOES INTO THE RIVER OR INTO

THE WATER BODY OR INTO THE

GROUND DEPENDING ON, ON WHERE

YOU, WHERE YOU'RE AT.

KAYLYNN: HI MY NAME IS KAYLYNN

AND I AM FROM BASIN

ELEMENTARY.

MY QUESTION TODAY IS WHY IS

WATER GOOD FOR HUMANS?

BOLL: WATER IS GOOD FOR HUMANS

AS IT IS GOOD FOR PLANTS.

WE RELY ON WATER TO DO A LOT

OF FUNCTIONS, BODILY FUNCTIONS

THAT ARE GOING TO KEEP US

GOING AND WE SHOULD, WE CAN

LOOK AT A PLANT AS AN EXAMPLE

AS TO WHEN, IF WE DON'T GIVE

IT ANYMORE WATER IT'S GOING TO

LOOK VERY UNHAPPY.

WELL, INSIDE OUR BODIES IS A

SIMILAR SITUATION.

AND I'LL GIVE YOU ONE EXAMPLE,

ONE FUNCTION OF WATER IN OUR

BODIES IS TO CARRY AWAY OUR

WASTE, YOU MIGHT UNDERSTAND

THAT WHEN YOU GO TO THE

BATHROOM.

WELL THAT IS AN IMPORTANT

FUNCTION, IF WE STOPPED

INHALING WATER, OUR WASTE

CANNOT BE CARRIED AWAY AND OUR

BODIES GET KIND OF TOXIC AND

WE GET SICK.

MILEY: HI MY NAME IS MILEY AND

I GO TO ADAMS ELEMENTARY.

MY QUESTION IS WHAT IS

ARTESIAN WELL WATER?

GODSEY: THE SPECIFIC WORD

ARTESIAN REFERS TO WATER THAT

COMES TO THE SURFACE OF THE

EARTH WITHOUT US HAVING TO PUT

IN THE EFFORT TO PUT IN A

PUMP.

AND SO, WHAT THAT MEANS IS

THAT THERE'S GOT TO BE ENOUGH

PRESSURE IN THAT WATER SYSTEM,

UNDERGROUND TO SEND THE WATER

ALL THE WAY UP TO THE SURFACE,

OR EVEN ABOVE THE SURFACE OF

THE EARTH.

AND THAT CAN HAPPEN IN SOME

PLACES IF THE AREA THAT'S

RECHARGING OUR GROUNDWATER

SYSTEM IS PRETTY HIGH UP ON A

MOUNTAIN, SO THAT THERE'S A

LOT OF ENERGY THAT CAN HELP TO

DRIVE THAT PRESSURE UP AND

BRING THE WATER UP TO THE

SURFACE.

(MUSIC) HANSEN: AVERY WOULD

LIKE TO KNOW, "IS SALT WATER

HARMFUL TO PLANTS?"

BOLL: SO THE WATER THAT WE SEE

GOING INTO THE PLANTS GOES

INTO THE CELLS OF THE PLANTS.

AND THESE CELLS HAVE A CERTAIN

AMOUNT OF SALT IN THEM TO BE

ABLE TO FUNCTION, RIGHT?

WE HAVE SALT IN OUR SYSTEM, IN

OUR HUMAN BODIES TOO.

IF YOU PUT A LOT OF SALT

INSIDE THE PLANT EVENTUALLY

YOU GET A DIFFERENCE IN

CONCENTRATION IN THE CELLS AND

WHAT'S OUTSIDE THE CELLS.

AND AT THAT POINT, THE CELLS

ARE GOING TO CONTINUE AND

CONTINUE TO ABSORB MORE AND

MORE WATER BECAUSE THEY WANT

TO BALANCE IT WELL.

OKAY, IF TOO MUCH WATER GOES

INTO THOSE CELLS YOU GET A

SITUATION CALLED TURGOR AND IT

ACTUALLY EXPLODES THE CELLS.

SO IT'S NOT A GOOD IDEA FOR

THAT TO HAPPEN.

NATALIE: HELLO MY NAME IS

NATALIE AND I'M FROM BASIN

ELEMENTARY.

MY QUESTION TODAY IS HOW LONG

DOES IT TAKE TO PURIFY WATER?

GODSEY: IT TAKES A DIFFERENT

AMOUNT OF TIME DEPENDING UPON

HOW DIRTY THE WATER IS TO

BEGIN WITH.

SO IF WE START OUT WITH REALLY

CLEAN WATER THEN IT WON'T TAKE

MUCH EFFORT AT ALL.

ON THE OTHER HAND IF WE HAVE

REALLY, REALLY POLLUTED WATER

WHERE THE AMOUNT OF MATERIAL

THAT'S IN THE WATER THAT MAKES

IT, THAT MAKES IT UNSAFE FOR

US IS VERY HIGH THEN IT'LL

TAKE A LOT LONGER.

IT DEPENDS A LOT; THE AMOUNT

OF TIME IT REALLY TAKES TO

CLEAN UP WATER DEPENDS A LOT

ON THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF

TECHNIQUES THAT WE COULD USE.

SO SOMETIMES WE FILTER IT, AND

THEN IT JUST DEPENDS ON HOW

QUICKLY IT MOVES THROUGH THAT

FILTER.

OTHER TIMES WE MIGHT TRY TO

ACTUALLY DISTILL IT, IN OTHER

WORDS, HEAT IT UP AND TURN IT

COMPLETELY INTO THE VAPOR

PHASE AND THEN ALLOW THAT

VAPOR THEN TO COOL DOWN AND

REFORM AS LIQUID WATER; AND

THAT CAN TAKE LONGER DEPENDING

ON HOW MUCH ENERGY WE HAVE

AVAILABLE TO ACTUALLY CLEAN UP

OUR WATER.

LUKE: HELLO MY NAME IS LUKE

HARSH, I GO TO ADAMS

ELEMENTARY, AND MY QUESTION IS

DOES COLD WATER OR HOT WATER

BOIL FASTER?

BOLL: SO LETS START WITH WATER

AT A RELATIVELY LOW

TEMPERATURE; WE NEED TO ADD

ENERGY TO IT TO MAKE IT REACH

THE BOILING TEMPERATURE,

RIGHT.

SO IF WE ALREADY HAVE WATER

THAT'S HOT, THEN WE SHOULD

REALLY HAVE TO ADD LESS ENERGY

TO THAT WATER THAN TO THE COLD

WATER TO REACH THE SAME

TEMPERATURE.

SO YEAH THE COLD WATER WOULD

NEED A LOT MORE ENERGY ADDED

TO MAKE IT BOIL.

HANSEN: I'M SORRY WE'VE RUN

OUT OF TIME.

MY THANKS TO JAN AND SARAH FOR

ANSWERING TODAY'S QUESTIONS.

BOLL: THANK YOU IT WAS A

PLEASURE.

GODSEY: THANKS VERY MUCH.

HANSEN: MY THANKS ALSO TO THE

FOLKS HERE AT THE BOISE

WATERSHED ENVIRONMENTAL

EDUCATION CENTER FOR HOSTING

US.

IF WE YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE

ABOUT THIS TOPIC, CHECK OUT

THE WATER AREA ON THE SCIENCE

TREK WEBSITE, YOU'LL FIND

FACTS, LINKS, GAMES, OUR WATER

BROADCAST SHOW AND LOTS MORE.

AND EVERY WEEK, CHECK OUT MY

BLOG FOR THE LATEST SCIENCE

NEWS FOR KIDS.

YOU'LL FIND IT ALL, AT

IDAHOPTV.ORG.

THANKS FOR JOINING US FOR

SCIENCE TREK THE WEB SHOW.

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