Water Supply and Water Users

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Water Supply and Water Users
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Water

• one of the most fascinating compounds on earth
• necessary ingredient for all living organisms

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Water

• covers about 70 of the earth of the earths
  surface
• 340 million cubic miles of water on the planet

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Water

• 97 is in oceans
• 2 is freshwater
• 1 is frozen in glaciers and icecaps

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The water cycle

• the amount of water on and around this planet is
  fairly constant
• availability of water is not as constant

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The water cycle

• water is continuously moving from place to place
• the water cycle is called the hydrologic cycle

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The water cycle

• powered by solar energy
• heats the water causing it to rise into the
  atmosphere
• called evaporation

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The water cycle

• water eventually returns to the ocean in the form
  of rain, sleet or snow
• returned water is called meteoric water

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The water cycle

• if the oceans were not recharged, their water
  level would decrease over 40 inches per year

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The water cycle

• the oceans are the largest reservoir of water we
  know
• this water is unsuitable for drinking,
  agricultural use, or industrial use because of
  the high salt content

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The water cycle

• the salt is left behind when the ocean water
  evaporates
• once the water has evaporated, it forms clouds

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The water cycle

• the water then comes back to the earth as rain,
  sleet or snow
• clouds may drop water over land or over the ocean

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The water cycle

• rainwater accounts for only 1 of the total water
  supply
• rain is vital in keeping the water balance on
  earth

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The water cycle

• role of plants and animals in the cycle
• plants absorb water through their roots and
  release it through tiny pores in their leaves
  called stomates

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The water cycle

• evaporation of water from plants is called
  transpiration
• animals also need water for their growth
• promotes chemical activity, regulates temperature

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The water cycle

• and transports nutrients through the blood of
  animals
• 65 of an animals weight is water

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The water cycle

• surface water
• about 30 of the rainfall in the US falls into
  out lakes, ponds and streams

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The water cycle

• this surface water is the most important element
  to the conservationist
• used by people over and over as it makes its way
  toward the ocean

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The water cycle

• used for agriculture
• industrial
• domestic needs

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Pollution

• renders much of the water unsuitable for our needs

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Ground water

• water that does not either evaporate or run off -
  soaks into the earth

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Three zones

• surface - dry soil accepts water until saturated
• zone of aeration - empty spaces filled with air,
  extends from the deepest roots to just above the
  water table

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Three zones

• groundwater zone - below zone of aeration
• water saturated rocks called aquifers
• can equal about 100 years of surface runoff volume

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Main components

• oceans
• evaporation - transpiration
• plants and animals
• surface water
• ground water

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Water users

• variation in population densities
• U.S. Population drinks about 100 million gallons
  of water per day
• only a fraction of water used

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Water users

• agriculture
• industry
• hydroelectric plants
• fish and wildlife
• recreational and domestic

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Agriculture

• main use is irrigation
• most common methods include
• surface and sprinkler techniques

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Industry

• uses more water than any other raw material
• only a small part of the water is actually
  consumed
• used as a medium for other processes

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Industry

• canning - water is used to clean product and the
  containers
• cool ovens
• boil the product
• wash away wastes

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Industry

• may become part of the product
• most water is recycled or returned to the natural
  water cycle in a drainage ditch or stream

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Industry

• paper is made in water
• industry draws about 40 billion gallons of water
  per day
• water supply - major factor in location of
  industry

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Industry

• strong pollution control methods to recycle water
  rather than draw from an outside source

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Hydroelectric plants

• major use of water
• US leads the world in hydroelectric power
• supplies only a small portion of our needs

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Hydroelectric Plants

• concern is with damming of rivers
• fish runs are interrupted
• habitat is changed
• puts wildlife in danger

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Fish and Wildlife

• the way water is handled affects the fish in the
  water and the wildlife around the water

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Fish and Wildlife

• land wildlife, inland birds, waterfowl
• different species require different types of
  water

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Fish and Wildlife

• some fish prosper in cold mountain streams
• some may prefer fast running rapids

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Recreation

• boating, water skiing, fishing, sailing and
  swimming
• Swimming pools - require a lot of water to keep
  them in compliance with health regs.

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Recreation

• frozen water activities
• ice skating, hockey, snowboarding and skiing

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Domestic Uses

• cooking
• baths or showers
• carry away wastes
• Each American uses more water than any other
  person in the world

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Domestic Uses

• In the US each person uses approximately 150
  gallons of water per day
• bath - 3-40 gallons
• shower - 5 gallons per minute

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Domestic Uses

• Wash clothes - 30 gallons
• flush the toilet - 3 gallons
• water the lawn and garden, wash cars
• fire protection

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Use

• How wasteful can we be and still have enough
  clean water to survive?