Subject-specific learning materials (Part 2)

• Resource 5: Testing the quality of water
• Resource 6: The problems of rehabilitating the river
• Resource 7: Writing experimental reports
• Resource 8: Wordsearch and Crossword

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Resource 5: Testing the quality of water

Acid Mine Drainage, or AMD, is the process where the sulphide containing rocks that have been discarded as tailings or waste from gold or copper mines reacts with oxygen and water to produce sulphuric acid. This acid then flows across the landside increasing the acid in the soil, especially during wet weather, and collects in the Dee River.

The effect of this AMD can firstly be investigated by measuring the acidity in the area. Chemical substances can be measured as acidic or basic. An acid can be mixed with a base to produce a neutral substance, one that is neither acidic nor basic. Water is normally neutral but if chemicals are added to it then it can become an acid solution or a basic solution. The degree of acidity is shown on the pH scale.

A rough guide to the strength of these acids is to say each step multiplies the strength by a factor of 10 e.g. pH 3 is 10x more acidic than pH 4 and it is 10x more acidic than pH 5

Q. What does pH stand for? Click here to find out.

Measure the pH of the water at the specified water sites. Also measure the pH levels of the soils near these water sites.

The temperature of the water, if wanted, must be taken at the site. When collecting water try to do away from the bank, get someone to hold you, and do not disturb the sediment. Label the bottle with date, position collected and time.

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Resource 6: The problems of rehabilitating the river

The Wowan Dululu Landcare Group Inc established a sub-committee in 1997 to coordinate the National Heritage Trust project “Cleaning up Acid Mine Drainage in the Dee River”. This project was focused on raising awareness of the state of the river and come up with ways to rehabilitate the river and mine site. The long term “Dee River Action Plan” was introduced. The group and a series of research projects by central Queensland University have found that:

• Sediments at least 60km from the mine site were contaminated by copper, zinc and cadmium.
• Levels of copper and zinc in the Dee River floodplain, 65km downriver, exceeded the levels on the Environmental Protection Agencies initial investigations.
• Fish deaths along the river during each acid flow event are unlikely to have been caused by anything other than AMD.
• Extended periods of very poor water quality in the river have led to human health concerns.

Mount Morgan and the Dee River Timeline

• 1882 - Registration of the Morgans’ claim
• 1890 - Acid water concerns first recorded.
• 1894 - First evidence of pollution in the Dee River
• 1920s - Three million tones of tailings discharged directly into the Dee River
• 1925 - Up to this time the mining was predominantly underground
• 1933 - Open Cut mining commenced
• 1937 - General Manager admitted that pollution of the No 4, No 5 and No 6 dams were sure to occur in wet weather.
• 1967/1972 - Local government concludes that the water was not of adequate quality for downstream agriculture
• 1981 - Mount Morgan Mine closed, work on re-treatment of tailings continues
• 1990 - Gold processing ceased
• 1997 - The Wowan Dululu Landcare Group Inc established a sub-committee
• 1997 - Fish kills reported at Dululu
• 2000 - Conceptual 10 year rehabilitation strategy developed
• 2000/2001 - Acid flows result in the death of over 25000 fish in region up to 60km downstream

All the above information was supplied by The Wowan Dululu Landcare Group Inc.

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Resource 7: Writing experimental reports

Scientific knowledge only increases if discoveries are communicated effectively to others. The written report should be easy to follow and the headings are present to give a clear flow through the report.

1. TITLE: This should include:
   a) the name of the experiment
   b) the date it was begun
   c) names of any assistants

2. AIM: A brief sentence or two describing what the experiment intends to investigate/achieve.

3. THEORY: A brief background to the theoretical basis on which the experiment is based. The basis of any concepts used in the report should be clarified.

4. HYPOTHESIS: A prediction/statement based upon the theory clearly explaining how this experiment links to meeting the stated aim.

5. EQUIPMENT: A list of the apparatus used.

6. PROCEDURE: A diagram of the equipment used is often important. The procedure is your description of the steps taken to carry out your experiments. It should be clear, concise and not include any information that could be contained in the results section. It should be written in third person, past tense and passive voice.

7. RESULTS: This section should include the qualitative and quantitative observations made in an experiment. These should always be made in a clear and tidy manner to make them easily accessible to others. Quantitative data should be tabulated when possible.

8. ANALYSIS: This section will include any graphical or mathematical treatments of your results. Consider using MS Excel or use graph paper, ruler and a fine pencil.
   A graph should include:
   (i) A title with the first mentioned quantity plotted on the vertical axis
   (ii) Clearly label each axis with the name of the variable (or symbol), its SI unit and any numerical scale
   (iii) Add best fit trend lines and equations if possible
   Do not include points if they seem obvious errors but explain why you have omitted them.

9. DISCUSSION: The discussion should progress from the analysis of the results. Discuss slopes, intercepts, errors, etc. If discussion-enhancing questions are asked, they should not be answered in isolation from the discussion. Instead, they should be incorporated into the discussion and answered in full sentences.

10. CONCLUSION: There should be a statement summarising what you have learnt from the experiment. This statement should relate to your aim or hypothesis. It might include an equation to describe a trend in your results.

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Resource 8: Wordsearch and Crossword

• Download PDF: Wordsearch (8k)
• Download PDF: Crossword (10k)
• Download PDF: Wordsearch and crossword answers (12k)