EcoTech Approach – Pullen

Many kids are all too comfortable drinking tap water from their houses. But do they really know what’s in their water? I plan to test the water at the 3 main apartment complexes in Orono, the tap water at UMaine, and compare it to different brands of bottled water.

Water makes up to 60% of your body. Water can also have extremely negative effects on your body if you are drinking the wrong kind and can be lethal. Recently, someone I know (and all their roommates and pets) fell really ill due to toxicity in their water right here in Orono. Personally, I have been able to taste the chemicals in the tap water where I live and on campus. I plan to take basic water testing kits and testing samples of tap water from Orchard Trails Apartments, The Grove, and The Avenue as well as on campus. I will be testing for the basic few things-

How I plan to do it:

I’ll be contacting A&L Labs in Auburn, ME and have them send my basic water sampling kits. I will conducts the tests myself and will be creating some sort of infograph on what my findings were and sharing my data with others. As far as pricing, I’m not sure exactly how much the kits will be if they will cost anything and since I will be doing all the graphics and testing myself.

HOW IT ENDED UP WORKING OUT:

A&L Labs in Auburn wouldn’t have been able to get the supplies to me in the time frame I had so I instead went to Home Depot and got a basic PH water testing kit from there.

ORCHARD TRAILS-

Alkalinity- 40ppm

PH- 7

Hardness- 6 grains, 100ppm

THE AVENUE-

Alkalinity- 0ppm

PH- 6.0

Hardness- 3 grains, 50ppm

THE RESERVE-

Alkalinity- 40ppm

PH- 6.5

Hardness 3 grains, 50ppm

Luckily, these are all healthy levels for water with the exception of Orchard Trails which is starting to border the line with the PH.