Poster

The tap water in Slippery Rock has an objectionable taste and odor. The unfavorable taste and odor cause many residents to look for other options such as filtrated pitchers or bottled water. These methods can become costly and produce a large amount of unnecessary waste. The aim of this research is to determine different factors that are responsible for the drinking water's inadequate qualities and to inform the community about their drinking water. Another goal is to provide alternative solutions for clean drinking water that will not negatively impact the environment. The tap water in Slippery Rock is derived from an underground aquifer in well fields situated around the region. An aquifer is an underground water-bearing rock layer that has characteristics conducive to storing large amounts of water. These characteristics control how water can easily flow through a rock layer. Water treatment by the Slippery Rock Municipal Authority has been able to reduce some of the constituents present but is not able to eliminate all. Gas chlorination is one method used to reduce levels of harmful microbes. However, some chlorine remains in the water after this process contributing to the odor and bad taste. The average taste threshold concentration for free residual chlorine in water ranges from 0.0075-0.450 mg/L and the lowest concentration of chlorine found in Slippery Rock water in the last 5 years was 0.79 mg/L in 2019, and has ranged as high as 1.46 mg/L. The water also contains high levels of sodium, around 144 mg/L. The range for taste thresholds in this compound is 30-140 mg/L, leading the salinity to also be a possible cause of objectionable taste. Sodium is a naturally derived constituent, just like many of the contaminants found in Slippery Rock water. Further assessment of the water quality data and investigations into the source of the groundwater will allow us to provide a more comprehensive analysis.