Watery Wanderings
Sugar Land, TX
2021, Junior, Interactive & Multimedia
Project Description: Our submission is a podcast about the process of water filtration for human consumption, as well as the difference between upstream and downstream water. We explain how groundwater or surface water travels through treatment facilities before arriving in people’s homes. Lastly, we touch on any other problems that may occur during or after water is treated, and how they can be fixed. We also illustrated an original logo for our podcast episode.
To supplement our podcast, we included several images and a video to bring the concepts we discussed to life. Our video, “Upstream/Downstream Demonstration” is of a model demonstrating the effects of water flowing downstream. We designed our model using plastic cups to represent a flowing waterway; dirt to represent human and industrial waste; and we tilted the model pipe to show water flow and waste collection as the water moves downstream. Included, is a digital rendering of filtration that shows how water goes through sand, gravel, and charcoal to become filtered.
Reflection
We stumbled upon an entertaining podcast called 'Stuff You Should Know.' We listened to an episode explaining watersheds and were impressed by the podcasters’ witty banter. By only using their voice, they were able to tell stories and make jokes to keep people listening and learning. This inspired us to create a podcast of our own. We want kids to be able to learn about the steps and people involved in ensuring that their water is safe to drink. It’s not automatic. Nor is it always equal. Wealth, as well as location, are factors that the cleanliness of your water. There are different responsibilities depending on where you live. We hope that after listening to our podcast, people will further look into their own water systems. Personally, we plan to research the best kinds of fertilizers to use in our garden so that undesirable chemicals will not be swept downstream.