Vision

Introduction

Students at James Morden Public School tackled the UN Sustainable Development Goal of Clean Water and Sanitation. They investigated local water issues related to water quality, proper water treatment, and infrastructure maintenance in Niagara Falls. Water is a crucial part of our lives. We use water in our everyday lives to clean, survive, water our plants, power electricity, and much more. However, because of unclean water, about 2300 people in Ontario are getting sick and some of those people even die. Our experts are ensuring that our drinking water is clean and safe, but many people are still getting sick. Ultimately, understanding our water’s value is important for a sustainable future.

UN Sustainable Development Goals

Students addressed the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal: Clean Water and Sanitation. Clean water and sanitation is one of the 17 SDG goals number 6, for many humans. And one of the problems is how local pollution from industrial waste, agriculture, and urban runoff can contaminate water sources, impacting health and the environment. It can also be affected globally, as 1 billion people get ill annually, and about 1.8 million die. We want to ensure access to water and sanitation for all. By 2030, access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene will be the most basic human need for health and well-being. A local problem is how the pipes are outdated, polluting and affecting the water we drink; there were about 36 broken pipes in 2023 and 56 in 2020. This problem must be fixed so people can have more guarantees and safer water.

What is Making People Sick?

In Ontario, many people get sick from drinking water. This is happening due to contamination by bacteria, viruses and chemicals. E. coli is the main bacterium that contaminates water, and so is Campylobacter jejuni. When these bacteria enter your bloodstream, they can cause serious health problems like kidney failure. Waterborne illnesses in Niagara Falls, such as the ones above, can result from contaminated water sources, highlighting the importance of proper water treatment and infrastructure maintenance.

The Root Problem

In 2023 and 2024, Niagara had a total of 98 water main (underground pipe that carries drinking water) breaks and when a water pipe breaks, contaminants can enter the drinking water system and cause waterborne illnesses such as acute gastrointestinal illness.
77% of the Niagara region’s water system is approximately 100 years old. The Niagara region has $280 million in overdue investment for repairs and equipment that is in very poor condition.

Action

You can checkout our full action project on our YouTube video below!

Our Actions

Step 1: Identifying the problem
Step 2: Researching answers
Step 3: Field assessment and water collection
Step 4: Video Filming
Step 5: Water Testing
Step 6: Taking Action
Step 7: Video Editing
Step 8: Promoting Water Quality Testing

Water Collection Location

The Welland River a is 2 min car ride from James Morden about 850 m of distance, so it’s close. Niagara Falls completes it’s own water quality testing in this Canal. The George Bukator Park along the Welland River is an 8 min car ride from James Morden where we got the water samples that is about 5.5 km of distance. This was a safe boat dock site where we were able to collect samples.

Roles and Responsibilities

Background Research
Slides
Video Editors
Videographers
On-Camera Crew / Voiceover
Scientists
Script Writers/Set

After going to the Welland River and collecting water samples, students headed back to James Morden to collect school tap water samples. We collected 2.5L of fresh water and 2.5L of drinking water.

We completed the following fresh water tests, including the water test strips from the SafeHome City Water Test Kit.
EC Meter Tests
PH
Lead

We completed the following drinking water tests, including the water test strips from the SafeHome Fresh Water Test Kit
EC Meter Tests
PH

Tap Water Findings

Hard Water
We found an average total hardness of 252.25 ppm in drinking water, which is significantly above the normal level of total hardness for drinking water, which means that there are high levels of calcium and magnesium in the water. This explains the high levels of carbonate in our drinking water, where our average was 200 ppm, whereas the normal level is supposed to be 60- 120 ppm. High levels of hardness can lead to dry skin, hair, and itchy scalps, as well as stomach cramps and unbalanced pH levels of your skin, which can lead to harmful bacteria and infections. Hard water flowing through pipes can leave traces of minerals and thick layers of limescale, which don’t lead to any health risks but can lead to blockages, cracks, bursts, and leaks in pipes.

pH Levels
Our average pH was 7.23. A pH of 7.23 in water is considered very good because it indicates that the water is nearly neutral, neither too acidic nor too basic. Since a pH of 7 is neutral on the pH scale, a value of 7.23 is only slightly above that, which is ideal for drinking, scientific experiments, or maintaining aquatic life. Water that is too acidic can damage pipes, irritate skin, and negatively affect the environment. On the other hand, water that is too basic can have an unpleasant taste or a slippery texture. A pH of 7.23 suggests the water is stable, safe, and not causing any issues, which is exactly what is desired.

EC Readings
What we found with our tests was that all of our readings were under 200 EC. Usually, water with low EC levels could indicate a lack of dissolved substances like minerals and salts. Low mineral and salt levels can lead to an imbalance in electrolytes/low sodium levels, which can lead to hyponatremia. Hyponatremia happens when a person has low sodium levels, and some of its symptoms include muscle cramps, vomiting, confusion, and seizures.

Fresh Water Findings

What we Found
We found higher than normal levels of fluoride in our samples, as alot of our fluoride levels turned out to be 1, with some being 0, but most being 1. Our average fluoride levels were 0.8, just over the normal level of fluoride.

Good
Drinking water with normal levels of fluoride (0.7 ppm) can pretty much do the exact opposite of drinking water with high levels of fluoride, as it can prevent tooth decay and even strengthen bones.

Bad
Drinking water with high levels of fluoride can cause dental fluorosis, skeletal fluorosis, thyroid problems such as hyperparathyroidism, neurological problems, & fluoride poisoning. These health problems can also be caused just by swimming in water with high fluoride levels as well.

Conclusions

Although we weren’t able to directly test for bacterial contaminants in our water, we were able to make some final conclusions about our local fresh water and tap water quality:

1. Clean, safe water is essential for health, but pollution and outdated infrastructure are putting lives at risk
2. To protect our future, Niagara needs to invest in better water systems and understand the true value of clean water.
3. Water plays a very significant role in our lives, as it is used in our everyday lives, like for health, drinking, electricity, food & etc.
4. Lots of people get sick from drinking water that contains bacteria in it, which is why its essential that you check the water once in a while.

Reflection & Celebration

Students decided to celebrate their success and spread the word about the importance of water quality testing. They designed an infographic to summarize their findings and Google Slide with information to present to students. The Google Slide presentation also included a fun trivia game where students in the participating class could win a reuseable tumbler! The information sessions were well received by classes, and we plan to share our completed documentary with the whole school community!

See our Student Presentation and Inforgraphic for classes below!

As a class, we reflected a lot together about the challenges of studying water and the limitations we had with what tests were safe to complete in the classroom. Access to water was also difficult since we are not super close (walkable) to a specific water source. This is why we needed to arrange a mini field trip with only four students. Overall, students were really happy with the amount of data we were able to collect and celebrated the connections the made between local water infrastructure issues and the possible reasons (hard water) these issues may be persisting. The Niagara Region’s water system is approximately 100 years old with $280 million in overdue investments for repairs and equipment that are in very poor condition. Therefore, it will be very important moving forward for the Niagara Region to take action themselves and start prioritizing our water system updates to ensure our water quality meets higher standards.

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