Hoosier Town 
Water Mystery     

A Water Pollution Adventure

Multidisciplinary - Applicable to grades 4-8
adapted from "Guilty or Innocent" from the Three Rivers Solid Waste District Curriculum Guide
created by Cathy Bastin

*INTRODUCTION*

*TASK*

*PROCESS*

*RESOURCES*

*EVALUATION*

*CONCLUSION*

Introduction

You have just read in the Hoosier Town News that the Hoosier Town water inspector discovered pollutants in Center Creek, which runs through the center of town.   A short time later the inspector also found contaminants in several nearby private wells. Who is causing this pollution, and what can you do about it?

Task

You are one of 5 members of the Hoosier Town Environmental Protection Committee.   Your committee must determine the guilt or innocence of each of the following suspects:

  • Sam Roberts - Single parent of 3 who just moved to Hoosier Town
  • Michi Akizawa - Owner of the Hoosier Town Lawn Care Company
  • Lee Khalil - Hoosier Town High School Senior who just bought a car
  • Marti Stone - Owner of Hoosier Town Gas Station near the center of town
  • Farmer Ramos - Owner of the largest farms in Hoosier Town

Process

Your committee will need to complete the following tasks:
1.  Read the information below about each of the suspects.
2.  Find out more about what problem each suspect is creating. (You may find it easier to each take one person and learn more about that situation.)  You can do this by visiting the websites listed in the resources section of this page, as well as by looking in books or magazines at your library.
3.  Fill out the evaluation form to determine how guilty or innocent each person is.  You should fill out one form for each suspect.  You will then discuss your decisions with the group.
4.  Give a ruling to each suspect on what he/she should do differently.   The ruling should be from the whole group, but again you can each take one of the suspects and decide what that person will need to do.

Information and Resources


Sam Roberts 

Sam is a single parent of 3 children, and just moved into an old house near the park.  The kids found a shed covered with vines and full of junk.  They want to use the shed for a clubhouse, so they swept out a thick crust of dirt and carried away thirteen cartons of old cans and bottles from paint thinners, wood preservatives, paint strippers and rust removers.  Sam poured any liquid remaining the containers down the toilet before putting the junk out for the garbage collectors.

Michi  Akizawa

When Michi started the Hoosier Town Lawn Care Company 5 years ago, no one imagined it would be so successful.  In a recent interview about the company, he said the secret of his success was his special training program, which teaches workers how to use fertilizers and weed killers.  He's proudest of the thick, green grass his company tends at the Hoosier Town Golf Course.


Lee Khalil

Lee is a senior at Hoosier Town High School.   A year ago she bought a car with money she'd saved from her part-time job, and she's learned to do most of the car maintenance herself.  She changes her own oil and adds wiper fluid and antifreeze when needed.  After she works on her car, she cleans up, pouring her used oil down the drain and hosing down her parents' driveway.


Marti Stone

Marti Stone's small gas station near the center of town has become a landmark in Hoosier Town.  Every day Marti is there selling gas, candy and ice-cold sodas.  Everyone who goes into the station is sure to get an ear-full of stories about what life in Hoosier Town used to be like.  First time visitors to the station almost always get a tour of it, starting where the sidewalk covers the underground storage tanks.  Here Martha proudly shows people where she carved her initials and the year 1953 in the wet cement the day before the Hoosier Town Gas Station opened.


Farmer Ramos

Joe Ramos's farm is one of the biggest farms in the Hoosier Town area.  In the summer, people come from all over to buy fruits and vegetables at Joe's stand.  Everyone knows that Joe has some of the most beautiful produce around, almost always free of insect damage.  Kids like to come to the stand with their parents and watch Joe's cows with their calves in the field next to Center Creek.

Don't forget to look in books, magazines, or to contact people from these websites to give you more information.

Evaluation

Suspect Evaluation Form
Remember to fill out one form for each suspect, then discuss as a group what you decided for each person. 

Group Evaluation Form
You only need to fill out one of these for the whole group.

Conclusion

You have now learned that pollution has many causes, some easily determined, and others much harder to figure out.  You should also know several ways to prevent pollution and dispose of hazardous chemicals properly.  Sometimes there are alternative choices for using hazardous chemicals, and other times you just have to know how to use them properly.  Don't make the water in your town a mystery!

 

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Last Updated March 2005 by Trisha Armstrong