Water Issue

My water issue is "How do prescription drugs affect our drinking water and lake organisms?" I chose this issue because I have always heard rumors that school water contains ADD and ADHD medication because of students who flush it down the toilet, and I would like to determine fact vs fiction. It also interests me that the prescription drugs can physically alter the anatomy of fish species. 

Alkalinity and Water

My water property is alkalinity and water and alkalinity basically means water with a pH higher than 7. It's a measure of the capacity of water to neutralize acids which also helps figure out how "buffered" the water is against any changes in pH. For our demonstration, Garrett and I filled two beakers with water, one with Grapevine Lake water and the other with tap water. We used to pH strips to test which solution had more alkalinity. The Lake water read over an 8 on the pH scale while the tap water read a steady 7. This was due to the fact that the lake receives calcium carbonate from nearby limestone deposits. Calcium carbonate is the most notorious compound causing alkalinity. We learned that it is important to aquatic ecosystems to contain alkaline because it balances the pH in areas with acid rain and protects aquatic life against sudden changes in pH. 

About Me

My name is Stephanie Huffstutler and I was born on February 16, 1996 in Morristown, New Jersey. I work part time as a hostess at Patrizio in the Highland Village shopping center. I plan on attending NCTC my first year to save money so I can also maintain a job. I enjoy long boarding and going to the gym in my spare time. I have an older brother who is a volunteer firefighter and a younger sister who is a junior at Marcus. I have yet to discover what career path I want to follow but I do know for sure I will only settle for something that will make me happy.