Plume+FQ

__**Focus Question for the week of 5/17-5/21**__ Read the **FAKE** news article below and answer the question that follows:

**Toxic Spill Threatens Ashford!**



Two weeks ago, a stranded truck in the parking lot of the Ashford School threatened the school's drinking water after the owner attempted to fill the gas tank next to the school well. Mr. Rossi, the owner of the truck, discovered that he was out of gasoline when he tried to drive home in late afternoon. Rossi reported that a swarm of angry bees attacked him when he began filling the empty tank. Rossi was quoted as saying, //"I just wasn't thinking! I was pouring the gas into my tank and angry bees attacked. I dropped the gas can and ran."// Within seconds the lethal gasoline began pouring out of the can and into the ground around the well. Before it could be stopped, approximately 10 gallons of gasoline gushed out of the can. ** (Please note: This is a FAKE news article/dramatization. This incident is fictitious. It has been created for the sole purpose of environmental education.) **

Miraculously, no gas has been found in the school's drinking water despite the close proximity of the spill to the school's main drinking well, as pictured in the photograph above. Officials at the school were very surprised to find all water tests done daily since the spill have been void of any signs of the toxic fuel. The school has begun cleanup procedures and has assured the community that it will continue to test the school's water. ** (Please note: This is a FAKE news article/dramatization. This incident is fictitious. It has been created for the sole purpose of environmental education.) **

However, the property owner directly across the street reported earlier today that he has begun to see gasoline seeping out of the ground 300 feet from the spill sight. This new contamination area is dangerously close to the Mt. Hope River, another source of drinking water for the Willimantic area. When officials were called to investigate, they found small traces of the same type of gasoline that was spilled by Rossi just 14 days earlier. Frank Bartolomeo, Dept of Environmental Protection Spill Expert, said today, //"It is a common occurrence in cases like this for the gasoline to enter the watershed in one area and mysteriously show up in another."//

Cleanup in the new area will begin immediately

Click here for a hint.
 * QUESTION: Explain how the gasoline spilled in the parking lot next to the well did not contaminate the well, but showed up two weeks later 300 feet away from the spill sight.**

** (Please note: This is a FAKE news article/dramatization. This incident is fictitious. It has been created for the sole purpose of environmental education.) **