Compose a 2000-3000 word (8-12 double-spaced pages) written report (not counting the cover
page or works cited; no abstract needed) on your pollutant and selected water body. Your paper
must:
1. Be double-spaced with 1-inch margins and use 12-point Times New Roman, 11-point
Arial, 11-point Georgia, or equivalent font.
2. Follow APA format; see style guide here:
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_g
uide/general_format.html
3. Have in-text citations and a Works Cited (Reference) page.
It should include:
1. Introduction: What is to be expected from this paper? State your purpose. Introduce the
pollutant and study site.
2. Background information: Why study this pollutant? How does it impact water quality?
Give a description of the site. Include the designated use(s) of the water body along with
relevant geographic, geologic, or climatic information. You may include historical or
societal information about the water body as well or any other details you find relevant.
What are some sources of the pollutant to the water body? For example, does the soil or
bedrock contribute to alkalinity? Is there a power plant nearby?
3. Data, Analysis, & Results: What types of data was collected? When was it collected? How
was it sampled and analyzed? Include Tables and Figures as appropriate. These may come
directly from journal articles or be self-generated. Whenever Tables or Figures are
included, they should never split a paragraph and should be introduced within the text. For
example, Figure 1 shows the monthly mean concentration of lead (mg/L) from October
1990-September 2019. There should not be an interpretation of the results here; save that
for the discussion. Note summary statistics when appropriate, such as maximum,
minimum, or mean values and/or any trends you want to point out.
4. Discussion: What is the relevance of the results? How do they relate to water quality
standards? Are there treatment or remediation options available or in place? Discuss
specific impacts of the pollutant on the environment, infrastructure, society, the economy,
and/or human health. Synthesize research findings from the journal articles you read.
5. Conclusion: Restate the purpose of your project and key take-aways.
