On Saturday November 15th, 2008, the students participating in the STEP program met at the Cleveland Division of Water as normal. On this particular day after finishing their breakfast, students prepared for their second tour of the STEP program year, by visiting the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District's (N.E.O.R.S.D.) Environmental, Maintenance and Service Center (EMSC).
Once the students arrived at the EMSC, they were welcomed by staff that was present that Saturday. Afterwards, the students watched a brief film entitled, "Sewer City." This brief film introduced the students to the pipes and sewers that make up the District. From the film, they learned that there are two kinds of sewer systems in the District's service area, separate sanitary and storm sewers as well as combined sewers. Combined sewers, which comprise most of the city of Cleveland proper, are just that, sewers that combine wastewater that comes from homes, businesses and industry, with storm water. Sometimes, during times of heavy rain, these sewers can become too full and overflow into the environment. The second kind of sewer system in the District service area is separate sanitary and storm water sewers. This system which separates the two is mostly in the suburban areas of Greater Cleveland. Having separate pipes ensures that storm water is kept separate from sewage and so there is less release of raw sewage to the environment.
After this brief film, the students were divided into several smaller groups, so that they could tour the facility and participate in several experiments and receive an understanding of how the water is cleaned before it is sent back into the environment. Students then rotated through the EMSC, where they viewed, and had the opportunity to participate in some the following activities;
pHantastic pH ~ Students learned about pH and how it relates to water quality. They got to test the pH of common everyday liquids like Coke, lemon juice, shampoo and bleach solution.
We're all WET ~ Students learned about the WET (Whole Effluent Toxicity) test that shows if the treated effluent the plants send out to the environment is safe. They viewed the fathead minnows and the water fleas that are part of the test. They also learned about the activated sludge at the sewer plants and all of the microscopic bugs that live in the sludge and how they help clean the water. They got a chance to view, under a microscope what the bugs looks like.
Sludgy Goodness ~ took students into the Bioassay area. Here, students look under the microscope to see the creatures responsible for cleaning the wastewater at the treatment plants. District employees talked to the students about the "sludgy goodness" that the bugs like to eat! They went on to explain that what may seem like waste to us is good food to many of the various types of microscopic organism that live in the sludge. These organisms love to eat the bacteria and organic waste and thirve on it. The students found out that this is what helps to keep clean the nasty wastewater.
What's Bugging You? ~ The students got to touch live bugs, if they wanted to! The discussion at this station focused on macroinvertabrates and how they can be water quality indicators. The students learned what bugs are pollution intolerant, and what bugs can tolerate pollution, and what that can tell you about a stream.
After completing the Station Rotation, students washed up and had a pizza lunch with salad. After lunch, they played a game called Pipes & Leaks, a take-off on the old Chutes & Ladders game. The students were spilt into two teams and, took turns rolling the dice to move spaces on the board. If they landed on a pipe, they could go up to the next level. If they landed on a leak, they went down a level. With each pipe and leak they landed on, they learned a little fun fact about sewage. The goal for each team was to be the first to make it to the Recycling Cup!
After the game, the students split into three groups and were escorted on a lab tour where they learned all about the different chemical tests the lab performs to test the water quality of the wastewater samples. They saw the Solids Testing area, BOD (Biochemical oxygen demand) area, the mercury testing area as well as the ICP (Inductively Coupled Plasma) area where they test for metals like iron & zinc. They learned that the plasma that is used in the analysis is the same temperature as the surface of the sun!
After a long day, the students left the Sewer District, a little more aware of what the Sewer District does for the Greater Cleveland area.
