Writing Contest Winners 2018-2019
First Place, Grades 6-8
Roger zhu
Grade 7, Atlantic Middle School, Quincy
Ms. Holly Rendle, Teacher
Splat! I leap down from the pouring clouds and onto a luscious green leaf, after which I slide onto the forest floor. Many twists and turns later, I find myself in a stream next to many other water droplets. I've repeated this cycle countless times, however, each time is a new experience.
Assessing the situation, I yell out to nearby water droplets, "Where are we?"
"First time here? We're entering the Quabbin Reservoir, around 65 miles west of Boston. After this process, you'll be even cleaner than when you fell, thanks to protected land surrounding the reservoir!" explains a nearby droplet named John, I also told him my name, Steve.
Swoosh! I race through plants, soil, and sand. Pure and clean, I felt grateful for the dedicated biologists and ecologists who figured out that protected watersheds covered in forest and wetlands are nature's water purification systems.
"It will take a while, but after the Quabbin, we will progress into to the Wachusett Reservoir, then the fun begins. On the way in and out, we will generate electricity! The hydropower we make is renewable, unlike fossil fuel," John told me.
I feel so proud to be a part of the clean energy process, and once again, I feel gratitude to the engineers who designed the dams and turbines, and figured out a way to capture the energy we water molecules produce as we flow.
Next, John tells me that we are headed to the John J. Carroll Water Treatment Plant where they use ozone, ultraviolet light, and additives in order to further purify us and ensure we are safe for human consumption. Around us, I see the dedicated chemists who treat and test us, using math to make precise measurements and calculations. These scientists eliminate the dangerous bacteria and parasites who hide among us, add fluoride for dental health, and finally ensure we are the proper pH.
"Ahhh, that feels much better," I say, as John nods in agreement.
Next, we make our way through the MetroWest Water Supply Tunnel and the Hultman Aqueduct to the protected tanks where we stay until we are drawn into main pipes. Scurrying through many pipes, I mentally thank the engineers again as I finally blast out of a faucet and into a nice family's kitchen sink! Scrub-a-dub-dub, I am proud to help this family clean their dishes. The porcelain plates are left looking brand new, and my friends and I slosh down the drain.
"Now that we are once again dirty, we will slide down pipes into local sewers, and off to The Deer Island Sewage Treatment Plant," explains John.
Pieces of large debris are filtered out and just wastewater is left. As we pass by grit chambers, John tells me that we have entered the primary treatment. Grit is removed from the waste before being disposed of in an environmentally safe off-island landfill. This is another reason why I am grateful to the MWRA, they care about the environment. After that, we flow to primary clarifiers which remove approximately half of the pollutants in typical wastewater. I already feel much purer! This process is incredible, and involves science, technology, engineering, and math all along the way.
Next step, the secondary treatment. The non-settleable solids inside of the wastewater are removed by microorganisms, the growth of which is sped up using oxygen. These microbes eat the waste and then settle to the bottom of the secondary settling tanks. I am bewildered at the enormous tanks, and wonder about the many industrious engineers and technology specialists who designed this system and keep them running every day, all year long.
Next, we are disinfected with sodium hypochlorite to kill bacteria. The sludge from the primary and secondary treatment is mixed and heated to reduce the volume and get rid of disease-causing bacteria. This sludge is then used as fertilizer. I think about how the MWRA is very resourceful, using waste materials.
"How did we go from rain drop to drinking water, to murky liquid, back to crystal-clean?" I am astonished at the transformation I've gone through.
"Now it's time for the final step, we are heading to the Massachusetts Bay! We are going to travel through the Outfall Tunnel, during this, we will be diluted," John tells me.
When we were released into the Massachusetts Bay, I can’t help but awe at the bountiful life. The water is shimmering and sea life is flourishing.
I think about how important it is to keep the waters like this. Prior to 1991, Boston Harbor frequently violated water quality standards for bacteria, caused by pollution from sewage overflows. This is why the work that the MWRA is so important, and why science, technology, engineering, and math are vital to the health of our bodies and our planet. Water is a basic necessity that all living things in the world use regularly, which is why it needs to be reliable and uncontaminated.
Now, off I go. Evaporating from the ocean's surface, I will eventually become precipitation, and start this whole cycle once again...
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