Week 5 - Final Lab Report. Water Quality and Contamination Final
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Week 5 - Final Lab Report
Final Lab Report
You are required to write a complete laboratory report that covers the drinking water quality experiment from “Lab 2: Water Quality and ContaminationPreview the document,” using knowledge gained throughout the course. Use the instructor feedback on your Rough Draft from Week Three to guide your writing. Be sure to download the Final Lab Report TemplatePreview the document and utilize this form (not the Rough Draft template) to ensure proper formatting and inclusion of all required material. Additionally, view the Sample Final Lab ReportPreview the document before beginning this assignment, which will illustrate what a Final Lab Report should look like. You must use at least two scholarly sources, two other highly credible sources, and your lab manual to support your points. The report must be six to ten pages in length (excluding the title and reference pages) and formatted according to APA style. For information regarding APA samples and tutorials, visit the Ashford Writing Center, located within the Learning Resources tab on the left navigation toolbar, in your online course.
The Final Lab Report must contain the following eight sections in this order:
Title Page - This page must include the title of your report, your name, course name, instructor, and date submitted.
Abstract - This section should provide a brief summary of the methods, results, and conclusions. It should allow the reader to see what was done, how it was done, and the results. It should not exceed 200 words and should be the last part written (although it should still appear right after the title page).
Introduction - This section should include background information on water quality and an overview of why the experiment was conducted. It should first contain background information of similar studies previously conducted. This is accomplished by citing existing literature from similar experiments. Secondly, it should provide an objective or a reason why the experiment is being done. Why do we want to know the answer to the question we are asking? Finally, it should end the hypothesis from your Week Two experiment, and the reasoning behind your hypothesis. This hypothesis should not be adjusted to reflect the “right” answer. Simply place your previous hypothesis in the report here. You do not lose points for an inaccurate hypothesis; scientists often revise their hypotheses based on scientific evidence following the experiments.
Materials and Methods - This section should provide a detailed description of the materials used in your experiment and how they were used. A step-by-step rundown of your experiment is necessary; however, it should be done in paragraph form, not in a list format. The description should be exact enough to allow for someone reading the report to replicate the experiment, however, it should be in your own words and not simply copied and pasted from the lab manual.
Results - This section should include the data and observations from the experiment. All tables and graphs should be present in this section. In addition to the tables, you must describe the data in text; however, there should be no personal opinions or discussion outside of the results located within this area.
Discussion - This section should interpret your data and provide conclusions. Discuss the meanings of your findings in this area. Was your hypothesis accepted or rejected, and how were you able to determine this? Did the results generate any future questions that might benefit from a new experiment? Were there any outside factors (i.e., temperature, contaminants, time of day) that affected your results? If so, how could you control for these in the future?
Conclusions - This section should provide a brief summary of your work.
References - List references used in APA format as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
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Waypoint Assignment Submission
sources 2 scholary 2 crediable and one more.
Water Quality and Contamination Final Lab Report
Name:
Course name: SCI 207: Dependence of man on the environment
Instructor:
Date:
Abstract
While there are differences between tap and bottle their qualities are similar as there are standards to ensure the water safety. There was analysis of tap water, Dasani® and Fiji® bottled water to determine the chemical composition using water test strips alkalinity (mg/L), total chlorine(mg/L), total hardness, phosphate levels (ppm) iron levels (ppm) and the pH. Fiji® bottled water had a pH of 7, which is neutral and in the chloride test, tap water had level of 500 mg/L compared for 0 mg/L for the bottled water. Nonetheless, Fiji® bottled water had higher chlorine and total hardness levels than Dasani® bottled water, indicating that the water was likely contaminated. Oil, vinegar and detergent are contaminants, which affect the water quality and such contaminants should be eliminated to make the water safe for drinking. Despite the differences in chemical composition between the tap and bottled water, all was fit for human consumption. Soil and water contamination affects ecosystems as the elevated levels of chlorine, phosphates and iron.
Introduction
The FDA regulates the quality of bottled water beverages to ensure they are fit for humans. Similarly, the EPA establishes the general provisions in relation to the management of water quality for public water systems through setting standards and regulations, and enforcing them. This ensures that water is fit for human consumption, which guarantees water quality, prevent health risk factors, as well as protect and promote the health and well-being of the population (Whelton, et al., 2015). Water from different sources also has different chemical characteristics, and contamination affects the water quality.
In a study by Whelton et al. (2015), the researchers assessed the safety of water consumption in the first two days after chemical spills, highlighting the need to reduce exposure as much as possible to reduce the risk of adverse health effects. Other studies also focus on the effect of contamination on plant growth and biodiversity including aluminum toxicity in a study by Silva (2012) there was focus on how aluminum toxicity affects root cells as the root is the main area affected when the soil and water is contaminated, and he concluded that in some cases the toxicity affects root growth
The experiments focus on the water quality of both tap and bottled water as well as the impact of oil, vinegar, and liquid detergent contamination on water. Treating water removes contamination and impurities as are the case of tap water, and the availability of water affects biodiversity as species thrive under different conditions (Smith et al., 2016). The quality assessment of the tap water, Dasani® bottled water and Fiji® bottled water focused on differences in chemical composition, hardness, and pH levels. That tap water and bottled share similar characteristics unlike untreated water, but environmental issues like water contamination and shortages is associated with rising bottled water consumption (Victory, et al., 2017). The hypotheses are that: Dasani bottle water is the cleanest compared to tap and Fiji water. If there are no contaminants in bottled water, it will be similar to tap water. There will be similar biodiversity of species in the case of uncontaminated water when the tap and purified water are used Hypothesis: If oil, vinegar, and the detergent are added to water, they will contaminate and affect the quality of the water.
Materials and Methods
In the experiment from lab 2, there were 3 bottles of tap water, Dasani and Fiji water 1) 100 mL graduated cylinder, 3) 250 mL beakers, (3) 100 mL beaker, Ammonia test strips, Chloride test strips, 4 in 1 test strips, Iron test strips, paraflim, stopwatch and reducing powder. I then labeled the three 100 mL beakers containing tap, Dasani and Fiji bottled water as 1, 2 and 3 respectively. I started with the ammonia test where the strip was placed in the beakers containing water, this was followed by the chloride test strip where I measured chlorine levels and recorded the results. Then I used placed a 4 in 1 test strip in each beaker of water to measure the amount of pH, alkalinity, and hardness in the water and recorded the outcome. After this, I used the phosphate test strips to test phosphates, which were placed in water for five seconds and then the results were recorded. This was followed by the iron test, where I used lessening powder in each beaker and parafilm and then the iron test strips placed in the beaker and results recorded. Lastly, the pH results were recorded in table 6 and I observed changes in color.
In the other experiment, in week 3 , the materials provided were eight 250 mL Beakers, markers, 3 star sticks, 100 mL Graduated cylinder, 10 mL Vegetable oil, 10 mL liquid detergent, 10 mL Vinegar,100 mL Beaker Cheesecloth and soil scissors. The eight beakers were labeled, beakers 1-4 had uncontaminated water, oil, vinegar, and detergent where water was added to beakers 2-4 and mixed thoroughly. Then, I cut the cheesecloth into four different pieces that were folded and used to line the funnel. I then measured soil and placed it in the funnel where water was filled into beaker, the funnel was placed inside beaker 5 and the contents from beaker 1 poured to beaker 5, from beaker 2 to 6, from beaker 3 to 7 and from beaker 4 to 8. All the observations made were recorded.
Results
Week 2 lab: Drinking Water Quality
Table 1: Ammonia Test Results
Water Sample
Test Results
Tap Water
0 mg/L
Dasani® Bottled Water
0 mg/L
Fiji® Bottled Water
0 mg/L
Table 2: Chloride Test Results
Water Sample
Test Results
Tap Water
500 mg/L
Dasani® Bottled Water
0 mg/L
Fiji® Bottled Water