Clean Water and Sanitation Science Projects (Page 2)

From Dull to Dazzling: Using Pennies to Test How pH Affects Copper Corrosion

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Pennies are bright and shiny when they are new, but become quite dull with time. What causes such a drastic change? Oxygen in the air combines with the copper in the penny to form copper oxide, which makes the penny look dull and dingy. You can make the pennies look like new again by soaking them in water that is corrosive enough to strip off the copper oxide layer. It turns out, however, that the same process that makes the pennies shiny has bad consequences when it comes to copper pipes: it… Read more

Solar-Powered Salt Removal

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Have you ever thought about being stranded on a desert island? How would you find water to drink? What would you need to survive? In this science fair project you'll discover how to turn the ocean into a source of freshwater by using the power of the Sun. Read more

Predicting Future Water Quality with Machine Learning

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Understanding the water quality of our rivers, streams, and lakes is critical for maintaining healthy ecosystems and sources of drinking water. Dissolved oxygen is one key water quality measurement that impacts aquatic life. But how can we predict how water quality might change in the future so we can intervene to keep our water healthy? With machine learning! In this project, you will gather water quality data for a location of your choice and use a random forest model to predict future… Read more

Modeling Your Local Watershed and Nutrient Pollution

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Have you ever been unable to swim in a body of water because it was polluted? Have you ever wondered where the water came from, or what contributed to its pollution? In this science project, you'll learn how water drains to common areas to create bodies of water and how the land surrounding a waterway can contribute to its health and pollution. Read more

How Flocculation Cleans Up Drinking Water

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Your drinking water probably started out brown and muddy. Are you surprised? Maybe you were picturing it flowing from a clean mountain spring instead? All over the world, including in 68% of American homes, people get their drinking water from rivers, lakes, and other surface waters. This water is filled with dirt, debris, and other contaminants as it travels hundreds of miles. So, how does your drinking water go from brown and muddy to crystal clear? Often, flocculants—substances that… Read more

Water from Air: Experimenting with Dew Traps

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Most of us live in areas where sources of water exist nearby as oceans, rivers, lakes, ponds, streams, reservoirs, wells, or even underground streams. But in some places, like the desert, water is hard to find and a precious resource. In this environmental engineering science project, you will investigate one way that people living in arid regions can collect water inexpensively: dew traps. Read more

Underground Water Flow and Darcy's Law

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

This project shows you how to build a simple model system to simulate underground water flow. Underground water flow is important for understanding replenishment of underground aquifers, migration of underground contaminant plumes, and cave formation. With your model system, you can simulate various underground conditions, and test your predictions about the effects they have on water flow. Read more

Learn How to Disinfect Contaminated Water

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Have you ever thought about how fortunate you are to have safe and clean water coming out of your faucet? Many people in undeveloped nations don't have this luxury. But does that mean they can't have clean water at all? Is there an inexpensive way they could use to make their own clean water? In this microbiology science fair project, you will investigate whether or not sunlight can disinfect contaminated water. Read more

Macroinvertebrates as Indicators of Pollution

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

In this science project, you will collect macroinvertebrate samples from multiple points along a body of water, ideally a small creek or stream, and test the pollution burden and biodiversity of small organisms or insects to see if pollution impacts biodiversity. Read more

Clean Up The Water with a Trash-Skimming Robot

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

Engineers are trying to tackle the world's ocean pollution problem using robots. Some robots, like Mr. Trash Wheel and the ship featured in this Mark Rober video, are stationary and collect trash as it flows out of rivers before it gets into the ocean. Others, like the Jellyfishbot, are mobile and can squeeze into narrower spaces to collect trash: Can you build and test your own trash-skimming robot? If you do not have access to a natural body of water to test it in, you can use a bathtub or a… Read more

Clean Water and Sanitation Science Projects (28 results)

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