Small Fry to Go - Week #4; "Is Chlorine Necessary?" A Student Blog

At the Temecula Preparatory School, Small Fry to Go, outdoor classroom energetic students diligently replace at least 10 gallons of water for the Small Fry to Go project each day. Before they do this, the water must be dechlorinated in order to help protect the fish.

Chlorine is often added to our public water supply in water treatment facilities to disinfect the water, killing many bacteria and other microbes that may be found inside. The chlorine is added in amounts too small to harm human beings, but can still effect the trout during their developing stages and their lifetime.

One has several options when dechlorinating water. Depending on the specific chemical used to disinfect the water, one may want to use a filtration system to filter out all of the disinfectant, or dechlorination tablets, which actually react with the chlorine in order to form a solid which can be easily separated from the water.

Another, more cost efficient way to remove chlorine from the water is by simply setting the water out in a container with a wide mouth. If left out for 24-48 hours and uncovered, the chlorine will evaporate out of the water. This latter method is the one utilized by the Small Fry to Go program.

There are a couple of benefits to using this particular method. Other than the cost of the container (which would have been needed for either of the other two methods), this method is practically free. However, it does take two or three times longer to dechlorinate water. Dechlorination by evaporation also does not add any extra chemicals to the water, which still may remain after using tablets or filtration. 

All in all, the Small Fry to Go program continues to be a great STEM project for our school, teaching students to care for the environment, and doing it in a cost-efficient manner.

Alexander Choi, Sophomore

Temecula Preparatory School