Human Impact on Water Quality

In this lesson, students explore how human activity has impacted the quality of our water resources and consider ways to avoid further pollution. Using video and hands-on activities, they will first examine the causes of water pollution, then investigate the quality of their community's water supply. They will identify different human activities that can cause water pollution, use scientific equipment to test water quality, and compare the quality of different water samples taken from their local watershed. The students should then be able to describe local community impact on water resources and consider ways to better protect and conserve freshwater supplies. Educational levels: Middle school