Taste as an indicator of water quality

The importance of our research is to get quantitative data about the water quality at Sonoma State University and to determine whether students are able to test differences in water that might relate to contaminants in the tap water provided in campus dorms and buildings. The importance of our project is further stressed by recent problems with the SSU water system that required us to suspend drinking water use. To see whether water contaminants affect the flavor, we sampled tap water in all of first-year housing communities and two academic buildings (Stevenson and the Student Center). We analyzed samples for chemicals such as lead and chlorine, and compared these data to the results of a blind taste test. 

A Watershed Year is a freshman year experience that introduces students to local watersheds as they learn about science. The course focuses on teaching students how to conduct their own research. Course development was funded by National Science Foundation.

Project Results

Title	Format	Download	Students
"What is the effect of contaminants on SSU water flavor?"	poster	Ivanov et al 2019 Ivanov et al 2019	Nicholas Ivanov, Caitlyn Helweg, Georgio Errico