Groundwater pollution is a major problem in the United States and all

over the world. Over 50% of the United States population depends on
groundwater as their main source of drinking water. Groundwater is
also one of our most important sources of water for irrigation.
Unfortunately, groundwater is susceptible to pollutants and many
people arent aware of the danger of groundwater pollution.
I wanted to increase the awareness of the risks of groundwater
pollution and how to protect the freshwater that all living plants and
animals consume. I have conducted two science fair experiments on
the dangers of groundwater pollution and how to help conserve and
protect it for future generations to come.
I preformed research on the causes of groundwater pollution, if the
use of greywater on plants affected the groundwater in a negative
way, and how people can protect our groundwater for future
generations to consume. Having preformed this research, I found out
that when people use greywater on their plants, it seeps into the
ground till the plants reach their saturation point and absorb all they
can, and then it percolates in the ground till it reaches the
groundwater, then the nutrients present in the greywater contaminate
the groundwater, which can make a person very ill if they consume it.
A more common scenario would be people using fertilizers in their
yards/gardens. When somebody applies fertilizer to their lawn the
plants absorb all the nutrients they can, till it reaches their saturation
point, then when it rains, the fertilizers nutrients combine with the
rainwater and wash off into the nearest storm drain and gets into the
groundwater from there, or it evaporates, condenses, and precipitates
into surface water and storm drains, and both lead into the
groundwater.
Somehow I had to make people aware about this issue. So I thought
that if I created a website a larger number of people would be able to
become aware of this incredibly dangerous issue of groundwater
pollution that could make a large amount of people sick and die at a
premature age. I also wanted kids to get involved with this project so
I asked some classmates if they would go on my website and take a
survey about groundwater pollution before reading the website. When
they completed the survey I understood how little my classmates
knew about groundwater pollution and how little they care. After they

went through my website they told me it increased their awareness of

the dangers of groundwater pollution. Which was my goal in this
project because I believe that if people are aware of this issue then
they will contribute to preventing the spread of this issue.
Doing this community service project has improved several aspects
of my ATL skills. It has improved my thinking by evaluating solutions
and considering different perspectives of the solution. It has
improved my self-management by keeping up with my deadlines,
organizing my work on my website and my paperwork, I had to focus
on finishing my project before the deadline, etc. This project allowed
me to expand my knowledge about this topic because I had to
research about information that was necessary to encourage people
to not add any fertilizers, etc. to their lawns. I also had to
communicate by asking people to fill out my survey, comment on
what they thought about my website, and ask them to review my
website so their knowledge could be increased. I became more social
by driving change through awareness, and taking responsibility for
my own actions because I have also been contributing to the
contamination of groundwater by applying limited pesticides to my
plants but I stopped and instead placed my plants in my patio which
is enclosed in a screen so insects and bugs cant get through.
This project has benefited me as a citizen as well as my community. I
hope that this project will prevent people from applying fertilizer,
pesticides, etc. to their plants, so their groundwater will become
cleaner.