PCFES summer camp is greater than the sum of its parts

    To see the raw materials — disposable water bottles, dirt, coffee filters — the June 14 activity at PCFES summer camp may not have looked like much. Those items were, however, combined into a fascinating lesson on water filters.
    Traveling from Arvada, Tori Frank of Carollo Engineers was the guest instructor for last Thursday’s activity. She taught kids in the summer camp how to make their own water filters. Water bottles were cut in half, and students used rubber bands to attach coffee filters to the opening.
    And the dirt? It wasn’t dirt after all. It was actually five different sizes of filter media: gravel, filtralite, anthracite, sand and garnet. Kids were challenged to find the best combination and configuration of the different media within their own filters. Once assembled, the water filters were put to the test.
    Water that had passed through a filter was measured for turbidity — or cloudiness. That cloudiness can be caused by dirt, bacteria or chemicals, and very low levels are needed for water to be drinkable.

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