Solving the PCB problem at Manitou Harbor

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=56 BGCOLOR="#003333" TEXT="#F7F7FF" bgproperties="fixed" background="011a0a03.jpg"> <div> Solving the PCB problem at Manitou Harbor</div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=135 BGCOLOR="#003333" TEXT="#F7F7FF" bgproperties="fixed" background="21fa0c01dduajq.jpg"> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Educators Science and Math Institute Ser"><U><B>Educators' Science and Math Institute Series</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="About the Series"><U><B>About the Series</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id117.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Goals"><U><B>Goals</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Institutes"><U><B>Institutes</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="lesson_plans_prepared_by_esmis_participants_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Lesson Plans"><U><B>Lesson Plans</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id53.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><B>Links</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id138.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Photo Albums"><U><B>Photo Albums</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://www.ed.mtu.edu/search.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.ed.mtu.edu/search.htm"><U><B>Search</B></U></A><A HREF="http://www.ed.mtu.edu/search.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.ed.mtu.edu/search.htm"><U><B> ESMIS</B></U></A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=424 BGCOLOR="#EEEEEE" TEXT="#080000"> <div> ALTERNATIVE ASSESSWNT LEVEL: 9</div> <div> TIME: 3 PERIODS</div> <div> SOLVING THE PCB PROBLEM AT MANITOU HARBOR</div> <bR> <div> <B>GENERAL GOALS:</B></div> <div> To learn and exercise creative problem-solving techniques which can be applied to other problems.</div> <bR> <div> <B>SPECIFIC</B> <B>GOALS:</B></div> <div> Given a handout describing the problems faced by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Mayor and Planning Commission of Manitou Harbor, and the State Environmental Protection Department students will use the following techniques to answer the question - How can Manitou Harbor be dredged safely?</div> <div> 1. Fact Finding</div> <div> 2. Problem Finding</div> <div> 3. Idea Finding</div> <div> 4. Solution Finding</div> <bR> <div> <B>CONCEPTS:</B></div> <div> Our water ways face many problems. The people who live on, use and manage the lakes have the most interest and responsibility in addressing the problems. But every hometown in every state has problems that could be solved creatively. In this assessment activity, students are given a dilemma facing many ports. They must use creative problem-solving techniques that can be applied to other problems they face.</div> <bR> <div> <B>MATERIALS:</B></div> <div> Handout describing the problem at Manitou Harbor</div> <div> List of the 4-steps to address in finding a solution</div> <div> (Students will take note of the items necessary in each area) Handout of the City of Manitou Harbor</div> <bR> <div> <B>TEACHER INTRODUCTION:</B></div> <div> What would happen to the organisms living in the lake if temp, pH, or DO were drastically changed? (the organisms would either adapt or more likely the whole food web would be affected.)</div> <bR> <div> <B>VOCABULARY WORDS:</B></div> <div> 1. Adaptation- the process of making adjustments to the environment through a behavior, physical feature, or other characteristics that will help a living thing survive its environment.</div> <div> 2. Biotic Factor- a living or once living component of an ecosystem</div> <div> 3. Dissolved Oxygen- oxygen that is in solution in an aquatic system</div> <div> 4. Limiting Factor- something that limits the existence, growth, or number of a type of animal or plant. A limiting factor exerts its' influence when it is present above the max or below the min levels of that factor a species can tolerate without having growth affected.</div> <div> 5. pH- A range of values form 0-14 which measure the relative acidity or alkalinity of a given solution</div> <div> 6. Range of Tolerance- the various levels of a limiting factor within which an organism can survive.</div> <bR> <div> <B>DEVELOPMENT:</B></div> <div> A.<B> </B>Students will brainstorm as many limiting factors they are subject to everyday. From this list they will create a "limit line" for themselves (with max and min values)</div> <div> B. If possible take students to lake or pond source where they will collect samples and take temperatures of water.</div> <div> C. Students will examine samples under the microscope and record their observations.</div> <div> D. Introduce students to the pH testing equipment. Have them test the pH of vinegar, tap water, ammonia, and water source sample. Graph the results.</div> <div> E. Introduce students to the Hach kits. Have them test the dissolved oxygen levels (DOL) of the 4 samples. Ice water, tap water, boiling water, and source sample. Graph the results.</div> <div> F. Discuss the differences of the all of the tested samples and why these differences are important to plants and animals that live in water. This discussion will include both the pH and DOL tested.</div> <bR> <div> <B>CONCLUSION:</B></div> <div> We will discuss the scientific reasons why temperature and pH are important and how they effect pollution.</div> <bR> <div> <B>ASSESSMENT:</B></div> <div> Discussion questions -</div> <div> 1. What are the abiotic factors that may be affecting the biotic factors? How could these be lin-@ting life in the pond? (DO, pK and temp. are abiotic factors that will limit the biotic factors.)</div> <div> 2. What would happen to the organisms living in the lake if temp, pH, or DO were drastically changed? (the organisms would either adapt or more likely the whole food web would be affected.)</div> <bR> <div> Manitou Harbor is becoming shallower. Sand and soil (sediments) from the land along Spirit River have flowed downstream. They are filling in the bottom of Spirit River and the harbor.</div> <bR> <div> Large lake freighters and barges use the harbor to bring oil, coal, salt, and other bulk commodities to Port Manitou.  It is also used by<B> </B>recreational boaters visiting the Yacht Club.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> THE PROBLEM AT MANITOU HARBOR</div> <div> The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has the job of keeping the waterways navigable! (Deep enough and wide enough for ships to pass). The Corps is prepared to dredge Port Manitou Harbor to 20 feet (6 meters) deep. It is currently 17 feet (5 meters) deep. A standard lake channel is 28 feet (8.5 meters) deep.</div> <bR> <div> The Mayor and Planning Commission of Manitou Harbor have planned to expand the city park and build a large recreational boat marina. They can do this with help of<B> </B>the Corps of Engineers by dumping sediments dredged from the harbor bottom inside a retaining wall in the harbor to create new shoreline. They hope the marina will bring new recreation business to the city and provide more jobs.</div> <bR> <div> However, the State Environmental Protection Department has tested the harbor bottom sediments and found PCBs.  PCBs are toxic chemicals (polychlorinated biphenols) no longer produced in this country. The chemical compound lasts for hundreds of years without breaking down. In high concentrations it has a harmful affect on fish, birds, and other wildlife. Even in very low concentrations <below 50 parts per million (ppm)? It is believed to cause health problems. Furthermore, it moves up the food chain as bigger organisms eat smaller ones. While very small organisms like one-celled plants and animals may have harmless levels of PCBs in their bodies, large fish like lake trout and salmon have collected large amounts of the chemical.</div> <bR> <div> The State Environmental Protection Department warns humans not to eat the fish from Manitou Harbor more than once a week. The Department also found that relatively clean sediment has buried more harmful sediment in the harbor bottom and that PCB levels in Manitou Harbor fish are lower in past years. The Department has two concerns: 1) dredging will stir up PCBs from the bottom which will then enter fish in very high concentrations and 2) PCB contaminated sediments will be dumped into now areas where it may cause new contamination.</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="1958e1a0.png" border=0 width="398" height="26" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </td> </tr></table></body>