Why is pH of water important?

pH refers to how much acid is in water.  This is important as too much acid in our waterways can have a negative impact on us and our wildlife.  pH is measured on a scale between 0-14.

 

0- Means that the water is very high in acid and is not safe for the fish or safe for us to drink

7 - Means the water is neutral and is really safe for us to drink and to go swimming in

14 - Means that the water has no acid and is safe to drink and swim in. However, the water tastes really bitter, yuck!

Ask your teacher if you can test the pH levels of your local water ways to make sure that they are safe.
To do this you will need to buy pH testing strips from your local pool or hardware store.  Dip the test strip into the water and compare the colour of the strip to the back of the bottle.  You can even compare this to the water you drink out of the tap.  

Good luck