The City of Deckerville

Deckerville is large suburban village with an urban feel located just outside of New York City in Nassau County of Long Island. Sometimes referred to as “The New Orleans of New York”, Deckerville is well known for its depth below sea level as well as its structure. Deckerville takes somewhat of a “bowl” shape. The outer skirts of the town are right at about sea level, and as you go further into the center of the city the depth increases. The town borders a local university that attracts students from all over the world, and the town is known for housing students and having a lively community.

Most of the residents of Deckerville live in the village’s center, while most of the businesses are located on the outer skirts of the “bowl”. Most of the businesses are industrial, and a lot of transportation companies, such as freight businesses, call Deckerville home because of its convenient central location to other towns.

According to the 2010 Census, the town has the following demographics and economic information:

≈ 30% White≈ 25% Black or African American≈ 20% Hispanic or Latino≈ 15% Asian or Pacific Islander≈ 10% Mixed or Unidentified Race

The median household income is ≈ $56,000. There are patches of upper class neighborhoods in Deckerville, but it is mostly middle class and centered around the college. A large percentage of the middle and lower class residents live in the town’s center, which contains many townhouses and apartment complexes. The local government also recently approved a new housing development project in an aim to increase the affordable housing in the area.

≈ 15% of the population is under 18 years of age≈ 25% is between 18-24 years old (mostly college students and graduates)≈ 40% is between 25-44 years of age≈ 16% is between 45-65 years of age≈ 4% of the population is older than 65

In recent years, residents in the city’s center have begun to complain to the local government about the pollution from the industrial plants affecting their ways of life. While most of the residents support the local businesses, they have started to feel that the layout of the town in its bowl shape is contributing to the problem. Lawns and other plant life have begun to deteriorate, and there has been a spike in reported cases of cancer and other issues in recent years. To conduct a study of these complaints, the local government, in connection with the local university, has started to collect data about a variety of different factors. Students from the university began to take samples from the local groundwater and compared it to several different factors that were being brought up by the residents of Deckerville.

The first set of data compares the concentration of groundwater pollution (%) from samples in different parts of Deckerville to the median length of plant life in that particular area. For example, they collected several samples of groundwater in North Deckerville and compared it to median plant life in that same area. The results are shown in the table below:

Concentration of Groundwater Pollution (in %) Median Plant Life (Weeks)50 122 4.51 7.733 324 40.5 7.514 629 3.946 1.25 735 340 2.528 49 6.311 6.238 1.27 6.543 20.1 872 0.1

When you make the scatter plot for this data, you should have Groundwater Pollution (in %) as your x-axis and Median Plant Life (in Weeks) as your y-axis.

The second set of data uses concentration of groundwater pollution (%) again, but this time comparing it to reported genetic mutations and other diseases occurring in that same area. The results are shown below:

Concentration of Groundwater Pollution (%) Number of Reported Mutations and Disease Cases(Last Ten Years)

50 2422 101 033 1724 130.5 114 529 1546 245 135 1740 2128 159 411 538 187 443 200.1 172 34

When you make the scatter plot for this data, you should have Groundwater Pollution (in %) as your x-axis and the Number of Reported Mutation and Disease Cases over the last 10 years as your y-axis.

The third set of data focuses on the groundwater were taken at specific intervals of distance from the outskirts of the city, where most of the industry accused of the pollution is located, towards the center of Deckerville, where most of the residents are located. The distances from the outskirts (in miles) and the concentration of pollution (%) are shown below:

Distance from Industrial Zones (miles) Concentration of Groundwater Pollution (%)1 502 22

9.5 11.5 331.8 249.9 0.53 14

1.4 291.1 467 5

1.3 351.5 401.5 285 94 11

1.2 386 7

1.2 4310 0.10.2 72

When you make the scatter plot for this data, you should have Distance from Industrial Zone (in miles) as your x-axis and Groundwater Pollution (in %) as your y-axis.

Through observing the data, the students at the university have determined that there is an urgent need to address the issue of pollution Deckerville. As independent contractors, the scientists have recommended to the local government your company to work on addressing this issue.

It is your job to develop a plan, that can be implemented within one year that will begin to address the issues the people of Deckerville are worried about. Your goal is to minimize groundwater contamination in the future while considering the current culture of the town.