Fresh Water Pollution Science Fair Projects and Experiments

To determine the effect of fine and coarse aggregate as well as aggregate size on water flow through concrete (groundwater pollution implications). [P] [P]

Chlorine vs. Saline Water Systems: Pool Water Quality [E]

Find out what soil type would be most effective so that hazardous waste would not contaminate the ground water. [E]

Compare the water contamination rates of rural and urban areas. [P] [P]

Determine the effect of sulfite ions on dissolved oxygen. [E]

How Is It Possible that by Washing Our Cars and Spraying Our Flowers, We Are Polluting Our Creeks, Streams, and Ocean? [E]

The effect of phosphate and other pollutants on the oxygen level in pond water [P] [P]

Does the Runoff of a Golf Course Affect a Stream Below It? [E]

Do Pollution Levels Increase in Los Angeles River Water as the River Moves through Los Angeles County? [E]

How does saltwater mix in an estuary [P]

Modeling the Effects of Storm Drain Pollutants on San Fransquito Creek using Water Quality Studies and Toxicity Testing [E]

Measure the level of toxins that leak out of e-waste, and how quickly [E]

How Petroleum Waste Products Affect the Formation of Clouds? [E]

Test turbidity, with a turbidmeter, where the vegetation along the banks of a river or lake is different. [E]

Determine how a community living along a creek affects the quality of the creek water. [P]

Determine if different flow rates affect dissolved oxygen, pH, turbidity, and temperature in a stream. [P]

Does the Level of Turbidity in Water Increase or Decrease Dissolved Oxygen Levels? [P]

Does the pH and quality of water in a stream change as it travels down its course? [E] [E] [E]

Will acids caused by decaying vegetation cause an extreme jump in the acidity of the water. [P]

High School - Grades 10-12

P=Project E=Experiment

How do abiotic factors affect a river's pH? [E]

Determine the pollution in a stream. [E]

Determine if hardness in water correlates to nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium levels in lake soil. [E]

To develop anti-RPA2 antibodies which can be used in immunoabsorbent assays to detect and characterize DNA damage done by chemicals in river. [P]

The effect of photosensitization of Fullerene-based Nanoparticles on Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) generation and toxicity to viruses in various aqueous environments. [E]

The Harsh Effects of Torrance Runoff on Madrona Marsh [E]

Determine whether bees and wasps can be trained to detect quagga mussels attached to water recreational vehicles at lakeside checkpoints thus providing an economical on-site investigative method for park rangers to prevent cross contamination of waterways. [E]

Explore ways of Facing the Freshwater Crisis [E]

Explore how much local bodies of water had been affected by pollution. [P]

Test for the possibility that pollutants are collecting in the upper strata of a pond sediment due to more urban runoff containing more pollutants, due to recent development of the surrounding area. [E]

Is there a relationship between the surface water temperature and salinity of a stream? (advanced level) [P]

Determine whether a water body contains the heavy metal copper. [E]

Operational Effects of Altered Abiotic Factors on Nitrifying Bacteria [E]

Study the formation of trihalomethanes (chlorination) in natural water. [E]

Determine if implementation of State of California Senate Bill No. 923 has resulted in causing lower nitrates in agricultural effluents flowing into the Monterey Bay Sanctuary. [E]