The BCPS Clean Water Challenge
The city of Cumberland, Maryland, like many small towns in the Chesapeake Bay watershed is
rapidly growing. At current rates, the 25,000 residents will begin to strain the existing
infrastructure including water and sewer facilities over the next ten years as homes and
businesses are connected to municipal facilities rather than groundwater wells and septic
systems. This is an older community and as aging family homes are sold off, the land is often
redeveloped more intensively with higher density housing. All of these factors will combine to
present future water quality and supply issues unless addressed proactively. Your task is to
design a plan for the city of Cumberland to help meet its growing need for clean water and
sewage treatment into the next century.
Planners with the city have decided to pump water from the Potomac River as a source of
freshwater for its municipal system to supplement its current reliance on groundwater wells and
two small reservoirs. The reservoirs are fed by several small streams which are fed by
groundwater springs along with surface runoff. In the Baltimore area, our local reservoirs are
supplemented with water from the Susquehanna River during times of drought or intense usage.
Like Cumberland, the Baltimore water supply is threatened by pollution inputs to the
Susquehanna River. Many residents have commented that the water actually tastes differently
when Susquehanna water is added to the supply. In addition to concerns about overall supplies,
there is growing fear among city planners that plans for introducing fracking in Western
Maryland in the future may threaten groundwater supplies increasing the need for alternate
supplies.
The city planners have decided to move forward with a multifaceted approach to meeting the
needs of the growing town. These elements include the design and construction of a new water
treatment facility within five years based on your team’s recommendations, plans for cleaning up
the river and local watershed, and conservation of water supplies to conserve the resource while
maximizing the efficiency of sewage treatment.
Your team will have 2.5 hours to complete all four parts of the challenge. Awards will be given
for meeting the specific criterion for each task as well as an overall winner for the event.
Directions:
1. Read all four task descriptions.
2. Work with your team to design an action plan and divide up the tasks to ensure that all
parts will be completed in the time allowed. All team members do not have to be
working on the same task at the same time.
3. Use the following link for resources for each task: http://tinyurl.com/bcpsenvirothon2-0
4. Save all task products to the jump drive provided.
PART 1
Analyze a water sample from the Potomac River in order to assess its current health using the
available test kits and equipment. Bacteria levels will not be tested due to time constraints –
assume 100 coliform bacteria colonies were found in a one liter sample of river water. Be sure
to consider accuracy, reliability, and organization as you collect and organize your data. Use the
available test kits and tools to collect and analyze the following:

Nitrates

pH

Electrical Conductivity

Turbidity

Ammonia

Iron

Copper
Part 1 is due by 10:00 am
Be sure to practice safe science!
 Wear your goggles.
 Read and follow directions carefully.
 Report any spills or breakage to a staff member.
 Dispose of all chemicals properly.
PART 2
Conduct research to find out how cities remove impurities from water supplies to make them
suitable for drinking. Use the materials you have brought and those that are provided to design
and build a working model of a water treatment plant including disinfection. Use your model to
clean a water sample and remove any impurities that keep it from meeting EPA guidelines for
safe drinking water. Before building your model, create a large sketch using chart paper and
label each part/stage and its role in the filtration process.
After constructing and testing your filtration system, test the outfall using the test kits provided.
In addition, be sure to test the outfall for the presence of chlorine to ensure that any that was
added during the disinfection stage was removed later in the process. Produce a report of your
data and have it verified by one of the instructors. Indicate clearly in your report any
contaminants that you were unable to remove or reduce to safe levels. Part 2 is due by 10:30
am. Your filtered water must meet the following criterion:
EPA Guidelines for Safe Drinking Water
Water Quality Parameter
EPA Maximum Contaminant Level
Envirothon
(MCL)
Mastery Levels
pH
6.5 – 8.5
6.5 – 8.5
Electrical Conductivity
100 μS
100 μS
Nitrate
10 mg/L
10 mg/L
Turbidity
1 NTU
<10 NTU
Chlorine
0.4 mg/L
0.4 mg/L
Iron
0.3 mg/L
0.3 mg/L
Copper
1.3 mg/L
1.3 mg/L
Coliform Bacteria
0 colonies/mL
N/A
Ammonia
0 mg/L
0 mg/L
PART 3
Develop a plan to reduce or eliminate inputs to the river that you were unable to remove or
reduce using your model. In your plan, identify potential point and non-point pollution sources
on the maps using the resources provided and develop a strategy or best management plan to
eliminate or reduce the problem at the source within five years when the plant goes online. In
addition to your test results, note that 100 colonies of coliform bacteria were found in a one liter
river water sample.
In your report, link specific contaminants to pollution sources from the maps provided. Identify
and describe specific BMP’s or reduction strategies that you would suggest for each point and
non-point source of pollution. Conduct research to suggest new technologies that can be added
to the new treatment plant to further remove any potential contaminants. For each pollution
source, you team needs to produce the following information in a final report using a chart
format:

Pollution sources from the maps (business, location, or land use);

The specific pollutants from each source that are entering the river;

Strategies/BMP’s to eliminate or reduce the pollutant;

Recommendations for newer technologies to incorporate into the design of the water
treatment plant.
Part 3 is due by 11:25
PART 4
With a shortage of funds for a state-of-the-art sewage treatment plant, your team must develop a
plan for reducing inputs to the existing sewage treatment system in order to prolong its
functionality. All water that flows down drains, even if it is clean, adds to the volume that must
be treated by the local sewage treatment plan making water conservation a critical strategy for
protecting local waterways. This also has the added benefit of conserving drinking water
supplies. The city of Cumberland has asked your team to develop a water conservation plan that
will conserve drinking water supplies while reducing inputs from both residential and
commercial sources to the sewage treatment plant. Your plan should target at least three specific
conservation strategies and best management plans that can be carried out by citizens for both
residential (homes) and commercial sources (businesses, industry, hospitals, schools, offices).
Estimate the reduction in the volume of water that will reach the treatment plant over a typical
year. Communicate your plan by creating an informational digital poster, brief video or other
multimedia product. Be sure to cite the resources used to develop your plan and estimate the
results.
Part 4 is due by 11:25