While the answers might be somewhat amusing, the responses have also made Carol Lake Whitson realize she has a lot of work to do as the new public education director of the Merrimack Village District. The quiz is all part of a new groundwater awareness project the district recently kicked off. One target audience the district has in mind for the project is school children. She is also designing posters to help illustrate the curriculum. In one of Whitson's experiments, she uses a plastic soda bottle filled with water, sand and gravel to show kids just how dirty water can be.
Students then watch as the water is poured through a filter and becomes clean again.
I really enjoy getting the kids dirty basically. I really try to let them know that they can make a difference. That they can tell their folks. Posters, videos, slide shows, books, teacher's guides and activity ideas will be available to teachers. Adult surveys are next Within the next week or so, Whitson will be mailing surveys to adults in the community to gauge what they know about groundwater.