Inquiry-based project on the removal of nitrate contaminant from synthetic stormwater

This lesson is constructed to help students see the importance of physical, chemical and biological attributes in the removal of contaminants from the environment. Students will design, construct and run experiments on the filtration of a known pollutant, nitrate, from water. This concept can be extrapolated to other pollutants in water runoff or even to contaminants in other fluids, including air. Through the model of problem-based learning, students will make use of ecocolumn designs to test the removal of a common stormwater contaminant. They will follow the scientific method to carry out experiments to test the effectiveness of each design on pollutant concentration in synthetic stormwater. Designs are open ended, with justification, but can include physical, chemical or biological remediation of simulated stormwater runoff spiked with nitrate. Students will then reach conclusions about how to make use of filtration stations to treat stormwater runoff, removing contaminants from the local watershed.