This year, the Water For Our Future award went to 8th graders Helena Guenther (All Saints Episcopal Day School) and Kaelene Jensen (The Monterey International School) for their outstanding projects on pollution and water quality in the Carmel and Salinas River watersheds.
Sponsored by CSUMB’s Watershed Institute and co-director Dr. Doug Smith, the award was created by Dr. Carol Reeb at Stanford’s Hopkins Marine Station. It seeks to encourage young people to think now about future ways to solve a water shortage at home, at school (work), or on the farm.
As many of us know, the Monterey Peninsula is not the only place facing a looming water problem. Helena Guenther recognized this by writing, “…each year, 1.5 million children die worldwide from a lack of clean water.” With that, she set out to collect water samples from two sites along the Carmel River, using tap water as a control. She measured bacterial levels for each sample, then compared the effectiveness of various water purification treatments to remove the bacteria. Afterwards, each treatment was ranked by effectiveness and cost. While iodine tablets completely removed bacteria, solar disinfection was found to be cheaper but, in this study, could not remove all the bacteria, which is important. Hiking filters, which I rely on in the backcountry, were expensive and not so effective.
As a former Peace Corps Volunteer serving in Africa many years ago, I was struck by the motivation for this science fair project; that clean, potable water should not be taken for granted. As Helena concludes, water scarcity is threatening the environment and economic growth around the world, even in Monterey County. This young scientist puts our own water issues in perspective. The title of her project: Water for Life: Developing Water Purification Treatments for Use in Developing Countries.
From left to right: Dr. Carol Reeb, Helena Guenther, Kaelene Jensen, and Dr. Doug Smith. (Photo K. Jensen).
Our co-winner, Kaelene Jensen turned her attention to the Salinas River. She writes, “Have you ever wondered about water pollution as you see the Salinas River flowing out towards the bay?” In an ambitious sampling of 7 sites, before and after rainstorms, from King City to the Highway 1 Bridge, Kaelene documents the increasing accumulation of nitrates as the river flows to the sea. As a control, she tested water from the Arroyo Seco River collected from an area with little agriculture. As expected, this site showed low nitrate levels.
As a marine biologist reading this study, I was impressed by the awareness and courage this young scientist had to take on a water topic so important, relevant, and hotly debated. Kaelene writes in her conclusion, “…high nitrates not only impact ocean health by providing nutrients for outbreaks of Red Tide, but they impact human health as well.” She is absolutely correct. Red Tide blooms sometimes contain algae species that produce toxins harmful to marine mammals, fish, and people. Kaelene’s work reminds us that what we do on land has consequences downstream in the sea. The title of her project: How Do Nitrate Levels Along the Salinas River Compare to Non-farm Tributaries?
After reviewing all the projects at this year’s fair, Doug and I were thrilled to see so many students take on the topic of water. We are proud of these young scientists, their teachers, and the sound scientific methods found in their presentations. From fog catchers to salinity tolerance, to water quality and recycling, the students of Monterey County are preparing for the future. Are we?
