Water Project Proposal

Author: Cesar Avila Group Members: Jenna Mahdi & Tucker Hair Instructor: Udeep Chawla Chem 152, Section 1A Date of Proposal: September 16, 2013

A compound so absolutely essential for the survival and prosperity of all living organisms, water is one of, if not the single most significant chemicals known to man. The importance of water can be traced even to archaic times in which massive civilizations such as Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt founded their empires upon mighty rivers. In contemporary times, highly developed areas with advanced plumbing and technological innovation have resulted in a constant supply of crisp, clean-tasting water free from contamination by any harmful pathogens. While this has certainly led many of the inhabitants of these areas to take water for granted, water scarcity remains a serious threat in many parts of the world, namely those maligned by underdevelopment and lack of bodies of water. One of the areas most troubled by the grim prospect of water shortage is the Southwestern United States, a region that includes Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah. As history in this region dictates, the supply and allocation of water have been topics at the forefront of both economic and political debates for centuries. Perhaps the most vital source of viable drinking water in this region comes from the Colorado River, however, in recent decades climate change in the American Southwest has led to the increased prevalence of droughts thus decreasing the ability for lakes and basins to hold water. This crisis is confounded by the exponential increase of the human population in this region, an upsurge that will lead to a shortage of about 3.2 million acre-feet by the year 2060, according to the Bureau of Reclamation. With such alarming threats looming on the near horizon, I believe it is critical to undertake a massive search for potential sources of freshwater that adhere to the chemical standards of potable water. One source that could potentially alleviate the threat of water shortage is the use of wells located in aquifers, bodies of permeable rock that can contain or transmit groundwater. A natural phenomenon, aquifers serve numerous beneficial purposes as reservoirs that filter water by trapping sediment and bacterial matter in the pores of the rocks. In spite of such natural purification, hydrogen bonding in water results in its exceptional ability to dissolve most ionic compounds with which it comes into contact. As a result, concentrations of certain ions can be high in certain instances where the rocks and minerals of an aquifer contribute a significant amount of water-soluble ionic compounds. The concentrations of certain ions have numerous effects on both the taste and palatability of groundwater. That being said, the problem that we seek to address in our experiment is how the geographical positioning of an aquifer will affect the presence and subsequent concentration levels of cations (Mg2+, Ca2+, K+, Fe2+, Al3+ and Na+) in their respective water samples. We plan to test 5 different samples in the Tucson vicinity (an area known for its great dependence on wells) in order to determine how the composition of the rock surrounding the aquifer will affect the ionic composition of the water sample. We hypothesize that the water samples obtained from aquifers with more mineral content in the surrounding rock (i.e., granite, basalt and schist) will produce samples that have ionic concentrations greater than those obtained from samples obtained from aquifers surrounded by rocks with less mineral content (i.e. gneiss, and limestone). In addition, we propose that the samples with higher total positive charge will be more suitable for drinking.

In order to fully execute our experiment and prove (or disprove) our formulated hypothesis, we will rely upon several standard chemical tests to measure the ionic content of certain cations for each sample that we obtain. From the initial values that we obtain from these tests, we will then use secondary calculations to determine the concentrations of cations that we cannot directly measure. Lastly, this data will allow us to determine the overall total positive charge for each sample. Each of the five samples that we obtain will be subject to the same procedural circumstances including the number of tests performed, the amount of the sample used for analysis, and any relevant calculations that may be used to obtain information on concentration of each individual ion (as well as the aforementioned total overall charge). In order to facilitate our experiment, we will employ such standard techniques as complexometric titration, ion exchange chromatography, and use of an ion selective electrode. Direct measurements of concentrations found from these tests will provide us with preliminary data values for the individual concentrations of the selected cations (Mg 2+, Ca2+, Al3+ and Na+). We can then manipulate the data in order to determine the concentrations of ions that we could not directly measure (K+, Fe2+). Since our hypothesis is directly correlated to both individual ionic content and total positive charge, it will be relatively simple to prove or disprove by accurately performing our calculations. If for instance we find that aquifers located in mountain ranges known to have large amounts of granite produce water with greater ionic concentration than those found in mountains of gneiss (with less mineral content) we would be able to make the preliminary conclusion that our hypothesis was correct. Of course it will be necessary to completely analyze all samples to ensure that there is a correlation between aquifer rock composition and ionic content. Upon completion of our tests, we will construct a table that displays for each sample the concentration of cations and total positive charge. We will the note the origin of each sample and then come to a consensus regarding the conclusiveness of our results and overall experiment. The basis of our experiment revolves around the variation between water samples produced in aquifers of varying rock composition and mineral content. Thus, we can state with unyielding certainty that the overall success of our experiment will hinge on our ability to collect viable samples from the different aquifers. We will obtain samples from three locations in Tucson: the Santa Catalina Mountains, the Tucson Mountains, and Rincon mountains. Two samples each will be obtained from both the Santa Catalina Mountains and Tucson mountains at two well depths: relatively shallow and relatively deep. This will ensure that we obtain samples from sources of rock with different mineral composition. These two locations are most beneficial to our study as they provide us with the ability to get two vastly different samples (according to the standards defined by the problem) in a single mountain range, an accomplishment not possible with the Rincon Mountains (composed only by a single type of stone). In order to ensure that each sample is tested to the utmost standards of adequacy, we will obtain one liter of water from each aquifer. Doing so ensures the likelihood that we will account for all potential ionic compounds (even though it is assumed that such a mixture will be homogenously mixed). Samples will be collected from wells designated by the Tucson Water Department sometime during the month of October (so as to

ensure that any rain from the monsoon season has become an insignificant source of contamination) We firmly believe that the samples listed above will allow us the best chance to create an effective experiment (defined as both efficient and conclusive) as they are very closely related through similar origins (from aquifers in Tucson) but maintain several degrees of separation as a result of their filtration through rocks of differing mineral content. In summary we believe that by employing the procedures outlined in the preceding paragraphs, we will not only address the proposed question but also further augment our understanding of both chemical analysis and the process of defining and subsequently completing an experiment that relies upon analytical technique.