When my son checked on his science project, the results were surprising.

First, to evaluate the quality of the water, he needs to look at germination as well as root growth.

There were four samples in the first test. The sample using the bottled water we have delivered had the best result. There were 4 actual seedlings with with leaves (L), 3 seeds that were almost at that stage (M), and 2 seeds that had just sprouted a root (S), and one seed that didn't appear to germinate.

I was dissappointed with our tap water that did only slightly better then pond water with ducks and geese living in it. The well water from near the pond did OK with 2 L, 2M, 4S and 2 that didn't germinate.

My son has two more test groups in progress. The second test includes everything from swamp water to boiled tap water. The third group has ocean water. Each group includes another package of the bottled water to be used as a control. Should be interesting to see how those samples do.