April+6

Review the following options:

Because Fruitvale’s water supply has been contaminated, the community must consider several options. One would be to allow the contaminant to remain while discontinuing the use of drinking water drawn from the aquifer. The second would be to keep pumping and using the water until all the contaminated water has been removed from the aquifer, which would require treating it to remove the pesticide immediately prior to use. The third option involves removing the contaminant from the aquifer by one of several different methods. The town of Fruitvale will hold a meeting to decide on the best plan. As part of your internship with the Fruitvale Water Department, you have been asked to take careful notes and listen to each position. After the town meeting is over, you will recommend a cleanup method by casting a vote. Carefully read the following descriptions of possible cleanup methods. Pump water from all existing wells that produce contaminated water, remove it, and treat it. This can be done quickly and has been used in other areas with relatively little danger to the public. Pumping of such large quantities of water can affect groundwater availability in neighboring communities and could possibly cause a permanent decrease in the capacity of the aquifer. This method will quickly remove the contaminated water but will not immediately remove contaminants trapped in sediments. This procedure is estimated to cost $400–600 million dollars and take 6 to 9 months. Dig out the earth materials in the plume area and transport the materials to a hazardous waste site for treatment and disposal. This process has been used successfully in other areas and does remove material that is highly hazardous.However, it is often difficult both to determine the exact extent of the contamination and to excavate in particular locations, such as heavily populated areas or under buildings. The exposure of the contaminated soil and rocks to the air may lead to other problems, as can the transportation of these materials. This procedure is estimated to cost $600–800 million dollars and take 9 to 12 months. Bioremediation describes clean-up processes that use organisms to help remove unwanted chemicals from the environment. The pesticide No-Bug is known to decompose under certain conditions. These conditions can be created through the addition of genetically engineered microorganisms. A thriving population of these microbes will eventually consume and break down the toxic chemicals into non-toxic ones. Small areas contaminated with No-Bug pesticide have been successfully cleaned up using this bioremediation process. As part of the decomposition process, the genetically engineered microbes produce an extremely toxic by-product. But, because this toxic by-product degrades into non-toxic chemicals in a matter of hours, it poses no health risk. There have been no reported side effects from the use of these microbes. This procedure is estimated to cost $200–400 million dollars and take 3 to 4 years. Pump water from the existing wells that are on the boundary of the plume, remove it, and treat it. Drill additional wells where needed. This will keep the contaminant from spreading and, over time, will remove all the contaminated water.However, pumping will not immediately remove contaminants from the groundwater or sediments. This method does not address the issue of the possible effects of contaminated groundwater entering rivers and lakes. This procedure is estimated to cost $200–400 million dollars and take 3 to 4 years. All operating wells will be constantly monitored for the pesticide. Any water found to be contaminated will be treated before it is used. This method is quick and relatively inexpensive, minimizes air pollution, has been used for this purpose in other areas, and poses little danger to the public. Disadvantages include the need to monitor the water as long as the wells are used and issues of worker safety. This is another method that does not address the issue of the possible effects of contaminated groundwater entering rivers and lakes. This procedure is estimated to cost $400–600 million dollars and take 15 to 20 years. All pumping from the contaminated aquifer will be stopped. In time, natural processes will reduce the pesticide concentration to safe levels. If alternate sources of water cannot be located in the area, the residents of Fruitvale may have to buy water from other sources. The option does not clean up the contaminated groundwater, and does not address the issue of the possible effects of contaminated groundwater entering rivers and lakes. This procedure is estimated to cost $100–200 million dollars and take 25 to 30 years.
 * What should Fruitvale do about its contaminated aquifer? **
 * Option A: Pumping and Treatment of All Contaminated Water **
 * Option B: Excavation of Earth Materials from the Plume Area **
 * Option C: Bioremediation of the Plume Area **
 * Option D: Leading-Edge Water Treatment **
 * Option E: On-Demand Water Treatment **
 * Option F: Prohibition of All Pumping From the Contaminated **
 * Aquifer **

Link to the following and vote for the option of your choice:

[|Fruitvale Vote]

Check work in folders / organize by activity #

Retake [|fruitvale test]