Tehya's Pollution Solution
EiE unit, A Slick Solution: Cleaning an Oil Spill
While taking photos along the Elwha River, Tehya and her friend Sam make a scary discovery. There is oil coating the surface of the river—lots of oil. The Elwha river is extremely important to the ecosystem in Washington State, where Tehya lives. The river and the rest of the environment also hold special meaning for Tehya and her family, members of the Lower Elwha Klallam tribe.
Tehya and Sam decide to help with the oil spill cleanup. Their neighbor Thomas, an environmental engineer working on the cleanup, teaches them how to pitch in but Tehya still feels like she could do more. Can Tehya’s photos and her knowledge of the river help determine a process for cleaning the river?
Readers are encouraged to design and improve their own process for cleaning an oil spill. With some creativity and knowledge of the engineering design process, everyone can engineer!
The A Slick Solution: Cleaning an Oil Spill unit has been specifically designed to accompany a science unit on ecosystems.
