Investigation 2-1: What is the Source of Our Water?
Your Task:
Step 1: Obtain information from the resources below to identify the source(s) of bottled water.
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Step 2: Complete Investigation 2-1: Sources of Water .
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Step 3: Be ready to share your findings with students from Team Tap Water.
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Step 4: Answer questions on Investigation 2-1: Sources of Water.
Bottled water begins in the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania, which are 2 hours west of Elizabeth. Water from the Pocono Mountains provide water to several cities in Pennsylvania, including Breinigsville and Allentown, Pennsylvania. Rain on the mountains, as well as snow that melts, forms rivers that carry water through the mountains. The highest Pocono mountain is over 2,500 feet tall. Tap water from the Poconos has a long way to go from the mountains to water bottles.
The Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania
The Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania
Map of Mountains in Pennsylvania
The Lehigh River is a river in Eastern Pennsylvania. It starts in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania and flows through valleys and ridges before it joins the Delaware River on the border between Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The Little Lehigh River is a smaller river that joins the Lehigh River. A smaller river joining a bigger river is called a tributary. The Little Lehigh River is a tributary of the Lehigh River. The Lehigh River is a tributary of the Delaware River. The big Delaware River flows down and empties into the Atlantic Ocean.
The Lehigh River in Pennsylvania
The Little Lehigh River in Pennsylvania
Map of Pennsylvania Rivers. Can you find the Lehigh River in the Eastern part of the state?
Some water from rain and from rivers like the Lehigh River ends up underground. Water found underground is call groundwater. The groundwater sinks down below soil, finding free spaces between rocks. Some water from the Lehigh River ends up in under two towns, Breinigsville and Allentown, which are located in Pennsylvania..
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Groundwater from Breinigsville is removed from the ground by pumps and wells. Then, the water is transported to the water treatment plant through pipes.
Bottled water sources: Deep protected well in Breinigsville, Pennsylvania, and Public Water Supply in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
New York City, New York
Once groundwater has been taken out of the ground using pumps and wells, the water goes to a water treatment plant. Bottled water is treated at a water treatment plant in Breinigsville, Pennsylvania. At the water treatment plant, the quality of the water is improved. Engineers use filters to take out harmful substances, like pesticides from crops.
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Once the water has been treated, it is put into plastic water bottles. Trucks transport the bottled water to your local stores.
Water treatment and bottling plant in Breinigsville, Pennsylvania.
Once the water has been bottled, trucks transport the bottled water to stores.
Diagram of how bottled water is treated and bottled in Breinigsville, Pennsylvania.