The Beat the Flood challenge involves designing and building a model flood-proof home, which is then tested in "flood" conditions. It is set on the fictitious Watu Island. The children form teams, with each team member being assigned a responsibility for the duration of the task--team leader, chief recorder, and resource manager. This…

An overview is presented of the sources and chemical nature of odors in waste treatment plants, and of several abatement procedures and techniques. (BB)

Describes a demonstration for elementary school children which shows how sewage removes oxygen from water, killing life forms. (BR)

Reviews the events leading up to the establishment of oxygen (rather than air) as an important component in the second stage treatment of municipal wastewater in sewage-disposal plants. Advantages, problems, and costs of using oxygen are discussed. (CS)

Since 1977, six different classes of Ashland High School (Ohio) biology students have been monitoring a local river for the presence of sewage treatment plant effluent. Several project results, physicochemical parameters, and data on biota collected at two stations are presented. (JN)

Describes a class activity in which New York City high school environmental science students take a field trip to visit an active sewage treatment facility and landfill operation. (MDH)

It is suggested that plant operators can be useful in designing sewage treatment plants. The advantages of this cooperative arrangement to the consulting engineers and the city, and the pitfalls, are discussed. (BB)

Described is an advanced biology class project involving study of the effects of organic pollution on an aquatic ecosystem from an sewage treatment plant overflow to evaluate the chemical quality and biological activity of the river water. (DS)

Describes how the procedures by which a certificate soil tester evaluates a parcel of land for its suitability as a site for a private sewage system or septic tank can be used by college students as a laboratory exercise in environmental geology. (HM)

Describes a unit on river pollution and analytical methods to use in assessing temperature, pH, flow, calcium, chloride, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, dissolved nitrogen, detergents, heavy metals, sewage pollution, conductivity, and sediment cores. Suggests tests to be carried out and discusses significance of results. (JM)

Presents an overview of the field of industrial microbiology, providing historical backgrounds of scientific discoveries in the field and descriptions of industrially important microorganisms. Applied research in industry is also detailed, with mention of gene amplification, DNA recombination, pharmaceutical approaches, and detoxification and…

Using percolating filters (components of sewage treatment process) reduces problems of organization, avoids damage to habitats, and provides a local study site for field work or rapid collection of biological material throughout the year. Component organisms are easily identified and the habitat can be studied as a simple or complex system.…

Discusses microbial production of methane from biomass. Topics include methogens (bacteria producing methane), ecology of methanogenesis, methanogenesis in ruminant/nonruminant and other environments, role of methanogenesis in nature, and methane production in sewage treatment plants. Also discusses construction of methane digesters (and related…