Name:	Date:

Protecting Your Drinking Water

Dear Parent or Guardian:

• Your child is studying water pollution and its hazards. Your child has learned that clean groundwater is important because it is used for drinking water and for crop irrigation.

• Help your child answer the following questions about the water in your home. You may need to call the town hall to get the answers to some of the questions.

1. Does the water in your home come from your own well or your community's water system?

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2. Does your community get its water from a river, a lake, a reservoir or groundwater (pumped from a well)?

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3. Has your water ever been polluted? If so, when did it happen and what was the cause?

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4. What happens to groundwater if you pour motor oil or paint thinner on the ground?

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5. Is it okay to pour motor oil down a drain in your house or in the street? Why or why not? (HINT: These drains lead to bodies of water such as rivers and oceans.)

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6. Does your community have a place where you can take things like used motor oil and old paint so that they won't harm the environment? If so, where do you need to take them?

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