Water Filtration Experiment: Learn to Make Water Safe!

Why Is Clean Water So Important?

In survival situations, having clean water is essential for staying healthy. Contaminated water can make you sick, so it’s important to know how to filter water to remove dirt, debris, and harmful microorganisms. Today, we’ll do a simple water filtration experiment to learn how it works!

Step 1: Gather Your Materials

For this experiment, you’ll need:

• A plastic bottle (cut in half)
• Clean cotton or a coffee filter
• Sand
• Small pebbles or gravel
• Charcoal (optional)
• Dirty water (you can mix water with dirt or small leaves)
• A clean container to collect the filtered water

Step 2: Build Your Water Filter

1. Start with the bottle: Take the top half of the plastic bottle and turn it upside down so it looks like a funnel.
2. Add the cotton or filter: Place a cotton ball or coffee filter at the bottom of the bottle’s neck. This layer helps catch fine particles.
3. Add sand: Pour a layer of sand on top of the cotton. This layer will help trap dirt and larger particles in the water.
4. Add gravel or pebbles: Next, add a layer of small pebbles or gravel. This layer stops larger pieces of debris from passing through.
5. (Optional) Add charcoal: If you have charcoal, add a layer on top of the gravel. Charcoal helps to absorb impurities and bad smells.

Step 3: Filter the Water

1. Pour the dirty water: Slowly pour the dirty water into the top of your filter. Watch as the water passes through the layers of gravel, sand, and cotton.
2. Collect the filtered water: Place the clean container under the bottle neck to collect the filtered water as it drips through.

Step 4: Observe the Results

Look at the difference between the dirty water you started with and the water you filtered. While the filtered water may look cleaner, it’s important to remember that it still may not be safe to drink unless boiled or treated with chemicals. This experiment shows how filtration removes dirt and debris but doesn’t kill bacteria or viruses.

Why Clean Water is Essential

In survival situations, clean water can make the difference between staying healthy or getting sick. Natural water sources like rivers and lakes can be contaminated with harmful bacteria, so knowing how to filter and purify water is an important skill. Even with a filter, always boil or treat water before drinking it in the wild!