Mecca’s Bio 2 visits to Aqueduct Water Treatment Plant

Friday, 01 April 2011 06:47 Features

On Friday, March 18, Mason science teachers Dr. Peter Mecca and Diran Cowell took their block 1 and 6 Biology II classes to the Aqueduct Water Treatment plant in Arlington, Virginia to explore Falls Church, Washington D.C., and Arlington’s drinking water systems.

Many were amazed at how dirty the water from the Potomac River was at first. Mecca said the students found the trip interesting and that they can take what they learned on the trip back to the classroom.

“It was interesting how many pumps there were to get the water clean,” senior Sean Dreslin said. To get the water to Falls Church homes, it has to go through eight different pumps and filtration systems before it is clean.

“The water was disgusting at first but then it was crystal clear,” Cowell said. There also has to be people working at all hours of the day to keep up with the high demand, which makes this a tough job.

Next time you leave the faucet running just think how hard it is to get the water clean and into your home.