Meet the water testing team from Fort Mill High School
When the Fort Mill Times came up with the idea of testing water in Fort Mill and Tega Cay, one of our first thoughts was to partner with one of our local high schools. Besides the guidance we wanted from an educator with a background in science and/or the environment, we thought it would be a great opportunity for students interested in getting real-life field testing experience.
It was also our hope that the partnership would give participants – and their families and friends – another reason to be interested in their local newspaper and journalism in general.
Working with the school district office, we were put in contact with J. Dawn Tongson, the Environmental Science teacher at Fort Mill High School. She selected two of her students, both seniors, to assist with the project. Those two, Kayla Deitz and Olivia Young, did the bulk of the work, collecting samples, conducting the tests and providing the results.
Here’s a brief profile and Q&A we conducted with the Fort Mill High team:
Questions for Kayla and Olivia:
Q Why did you want to participate in this project?
Q What is your top environmental concern?
Q Were you surprised there are local residents concerned about the quality of their water?
Q What did you learn by participating in this project?
Kayla Deitz
Grade: 12th
Age: 17
A1 This project seemed very interesting and I was curious to see what the results from the water testing would be.
A2 My top environmental concern would be emissions that lead to global warming because global warming effects many other factors in the environment, such as rising water levels, destruction of habitats, etc.
A3 Not really because there have been reports of contaminated water in the Fort Mill area and that would make anyone wonder if there was something wrong with their water.
A4 Before this project I didn't know that our drinking water actually contained chlorine, I thought you weren't suppose to drink chlorine so that came as a surprise.
Olivia Young
Grade: 12th
Age: 17
A1 I wanted to participate in this project because I’ve taken environmental science and wanted to use my knowledge to help the community. It was amazing to be able to combine my passions for both the environment and volunteer work.
A2 My top environmental concern is the lack of knowledge about what is happening to our planet. Because of our actions, the earth is rapidly changing in ways we’ve never seen before. The fact that people have little to no knowledge about what this means scares me.
A3 I was not surprised people were concerned about their water. We live near a nuclear power plant and with recent press about the Flint water issue it makes sense for people to question their water quality.
A4 I learned from this experience that I can apply what I’ve learned in the classroom to the real world and actually make a difference in someone’s life.
J. Dawn Tongson
Occupation: Environmental Science teacher
Q Does your work with students give you more hope for the future of the environment and why or why not?
A Sometimes yes and sometimes no. I have many students who go on to environmental careers or some may just think about their impact on the world. Some don’t care and I can’t make them care, but hopefully they will at least be educated on the impact that they make. Knowledge is power. So that makes me hopeful even for the ones that seemingly don’t care.
Q What is your top environmental concern?
A I have two: Deforestation and water/ocean pollution.
Q Were you surprised there are local residents concerned about the quality of their water?
A No, not surprised at all. People move here from many other places and they simply don’t know about the sources for things like their water or electricity. Sometimes, not knowing causes undue concern.
Q Are the results more or less what you expected?
A I really didn’t expect any of the water to be contaminated. I know the process for drinking water treatment, and they have to constantly check the levels of everything we tested for and are accountable all the way up to the federal level.
Q What would you say to readers who might still have concerns over their water quality?
A Get a kit and test it yourself. DHEC also has testing that they will do for a small fee. Speak to the drinking water treatment facility/ask them if you can take a tour or do an informational interview.
This story was originally published November 7, 2016 at 2:02 PM with the headline "Meet the water testing team from Fort Mill High School."