Goessel students begin water quality testing
By JENNIFER WILSON
News editor
Water — we all know we're supposed to drink eight glasses a day. But how often have we stopped to wonder what that liquid contains?
Seven Goessel High School students are asking that question — and getting some hands-on learning experience in the process.
These high school juniors and seniors are students of GHS science teacher Don Dailey, and for the next few months they'll be testing, for free, water from homes around the Goessel school district. They'll test water from different sources, from normal tap water to well water.
This is the first time a Goessel class has embarked upon such a project, and it's an ambitious one. Every Monday night, pairs of students will canvass sections of the Goessel district looking for volunteers for their water testing service.
They began Monday night in the Lehigh area, and they'll eventually journey into portions of McPherson and Harvey counties.
But this isn't your ordinary science project. Goessel high will be testing water according to EPA guidelines, using top of the line equipment, said instructor Don Dailey. SDK Laboratories of Hutchinson has been out to inspect the setup, and they said everything was in order.
Goessel High got the opportunity to get the project underway when, in the spring of 2001, the state board of education allowed it to form a charter school — an organization within the school structure — devoted to deeper study into science, environment, agriculture, and technology.
The ultimate goal of the project is to bring 21st century farming techniques to the Goessel area, Dailey said. Tests will show the safety of water for both humans and livestock that drink it.
With the funds from the charter school program, GHS purchased the equipment needed to test water samples. Each water sample will be tested for E coli, hardness, iron, nitrates, sulfates, chlorides, TDS, and pH.
Dailey has divided the district area into 13 sections, and each Monday, from around 6:30 to 8 p.m., available class members will take one section and go from house to house, seeking volunteers for their project. They'll try to reach 30 to 40 houses per section, Dailey said.
"They're putting in extra time to do it," he said.
The class is asking for a $1 donation per house to cover costs of transportation and mailing back results. Ordinary water testing done by a lab such as SDK would cost $40 per house, Dailey said.
At the homes, students will perform a pH test on the spot, and they'll complete the rest of the tests during class time, Dailey said. In a week or two, residents will be mailed their results.
"It's a project that will benefit them," he said.
All information gathered will be kept within the district; it won't be made public, Dailey said.
"The goal is to do it multiple years," he said.
Dailey's students have enjoyed the chance to do some serious scientific field work.
"It's been interesting to learn the process," said senior Mandy Hardey.
And it's also made the students take a hard look at a substance people don't consider much.
"It makes you think about what you're drinking," said senior Rendi Cress.
