Where does our water go & come from? Is it safe? March 22, 2010

Where does water come from?

The Hydrological Cycle Solar Radiation Precipitation Evaporation Winds Condensation Precipitation Transpiration Runoff Ground Water Infiltration

“Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink.” About 70 percent of the Earth's surface is water There is a lot of water on planet Earth, right? Not really… – 97% of it is in the oceans – 2% of it is locked in glaciers – leaving approximately 1% for all of the land based plants, animals, and 6.5 billion humans to survive on

Where does our water come from? 1) Surface water 2) Groundwater

Surface water vs. Ground water Surface water: Water found on the surface of the Earth’s lakes, rivers, and oceans (I.e. The Great Lakes) Surface water Ground water

Groundwater Groundwater definition: Is water that comes from the ground. It comes from rain, snow, sleet, and hail that soaks into the ground The water moves down into the ground because of gravity, passing between particles of soil, sand, gravel, or rock until it reaches a depth where the ground is filled, or saturated, with water.

Groundwater & Aquifers Groundwater is stored in the ground in materials like gravel or sand. An area that holds a lot of water, which can be pumped up with a well, is called an aquifer.

Ground water in Canada? Not much…

Surface Water vs. Groundwater Most large cities depend on surface water for their water supplies. Surface water is fresh water that is aboveground in lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams. Throughout history, human societies have flourished where surface water was abundant. To understand Canadian surface water, you need to understand what a drainage basin is and where they are in Canada.

Drainage Basins Drainage Basin: Drains an entire watershed to the ocean Canada drains its water into FIVE drainage basins: the Pacific, Arctic, Atlantic Oceans, Hudson Bay and the Gulf of Mexico

Pacific Water Flow Arctic Water Flow Hudson Bay Water Flow Atlantic Water Flow

Is our water safe?!?

How do we pollute our water? 4 Causes Cause 1)Home: Pesticides and chemicals on lawns Pour waste down drains (paints, oils, cleaners, etc)

Pesticides…

No cooking oils, paints… No cooking oils, paints…

Cause 2)Personal Use: Prescription Medicines Detergents

Prescription Medicines, detergents…

Cause 3)Farmers: Pesticides

Farming

Cause 4)Factories: Dumping

Factory dumping

Sewage System Sewage: the “used” water supply of a community Wastes go through sewage system then into Lake Ontario

The Filtration System: It DOES NOT work There are 5 different stages/steps Step 1: Raw sewage from cities sewers funnel into the plant

Step 2: To remove suspended objects like hair and plastics, the water is moved through a strainer

Step 3: The water is then moved to a chamber were fine particles of sand and mud sinks to the bottom

Step 4: The water is moved into another chamber where floating oil and grease are skimmed off the water mechanically

Stage 5: The final stage is spraying the water into the air where it will pick up an abundant supply of oxygen

Result… Delicious drinking water?

The Filtration System: 2 Problems 1. Our cities are growing faster than we are building sewage waste sites. 2. Toxic Waste

Toxic Chemicals The bacteria cannot break down the toxic waste molecules

How does it spread? Fish Bird Eats Fish Leads to…Biomagnification

Biomagnification: A greater amount of a substance (toxic chemicals) in an organism (I.e. fish) moves higher up the food chain