Water Quantity and Quality

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Water Quantity and Quality
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HYDROLOCIC CYCLE
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Hydrologic cycle with humans
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Global water balance

• Amount is finite
• Uneven distribution

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Usable Water

• Salt water (97)
• Fresh water (3)
• Ice (2)
• Groundwater (0.97)
• Surface water (0.03)
• Consider which of these is usable for drinking
  water.

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What do you use water for?
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Water uses - Agriculture

• Huge amounts of withdrawal and consumption (70
  worldwide)
• Various irrigation systems, but consider
  efficiency
• Dams, canals, pumps

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Domestic water use

• 10 of withdrawals worldwide
• Toilets, teeth brushing and hand washing,
  drinking/cooking, laundry and dishes, bathing

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Usage in typical US home
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Industrial uses

• About 20 worldwide withdrawal
• Power production is primary usage here
• Degradation is big problem

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Solutions

• Conservation and recycling
• Desalination
• Pricing
• Policies

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US water policies

• Riparian rights can use water as long as
  doesnt interfere with others (eastern US)
• Appropriation rights first in time, first in
  rights.buying and selling of water
  rightsbeneficial use.western US

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Watershed management

• System approach
• surface water, land use, groundwater
• Area of land that supplies water to a river
• Examples Mississippi, Colorado, Catawba

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Watershed of Mississippi River
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Colorado Watershed
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NC/SC line
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Watershed of the Catawba River

• Upper Catawba
• Lower Catawba

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Basins along the Catawba

• Duke Power lakes
• 40-100 years old
• Power, recreation, flood control, water supplies
  for some cities and towns

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Lakes of the Catawba

• North Carolina
• James
• Rhodhiss
• Hickory
• Lookout Shoals
• Norman
• Mountain Island
• Half of Wylie

• South Carolina
• Half of Wylie
• Fishing Creek
• Wateree

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Land use along the Catawba

• Rapid change
• Planning required

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Water quality relative to population along
Catawba
From Duke Power data
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Water pollution

• Water pollution departure from purity
• Sources point vs. non-point sources
• Problems caused and possible solutions

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Examples of pollution (1)

• Nutrients primarily P and N
• Effects on DO and BOD
• Pathogens and waterborne diseases
• Sewage is a primary source

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Examples of pollution (2)

• Toxic chemicals
• Pesticides, petroleum, synthetic chemicals
• Sediment
• Thermal pollution too hot, too cold

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Examples of pollution (3)

• Groundwater pollution

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Water treatment

• Drinking water
• Wastewater treatment
• Primary treatment
• Secondary treatment
• Role of buffers and wetlands

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Examples of ocean pollution

• Oil
• Land runoff
• Garbage
• Sewage
• Atmospheric deposition

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Some solutions

• Source reduction
• Land management
• Soil conservation helps water quality
• Addition or preservation of wetlands
• Proper sewage disposal
• Primary vs. secondary treatment
• Living machines or natural systems

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Preventing overfishing

• Consumer choices
• Marine reserves
• Fishing methods
• Seafood Watch
• (www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/seafoodwatch.asp)