Water Chapter 11 Ms. Cuthrell Ecology 2nd Period

Water Resources All water on Earth was formed billions of years ago (You drink water that was inside a dinosaur!!!) Water is constantly recycled in the Water Cycle. Evaporation takes clean water into the air and leaves contaminates on the ground 71% of the Earth is covered in water 97% of water on Earth is Saltwater Of the freshwater ~77% is locked up in the polar icecaps.

Surface Water Any water that is on the Earth's surface. Has shaped the development of human society. Towns and farms had to be built near reliable water Water flows downhill, across the surface through a network of streams and rivers. The area of land that drains into a single river is known as a Watershed.

Surface Water Most fresh water on Earth is not found on the surface, but is actually Groundwater. Stored in rock formations known as aquifers (The upper boundary of the aquifer is called the Water-Table ) –In wetter areas, the Table is closer to the surface –In dry areas, it can be hundreds of feet down

Surface Water Before water reaches an aquifer, it must pass several layers of soil (the Recharge Zone). Any pollution in this zone will make it into the aquifer. The size of the zone affects how quickly the aquifer can refill. Buildings and parking lots reduce the size of the zone. If the size of a recharge zone is reduced too much, it could take thousands of years for the aquifer to refill. When a well or creek runs dry, it means that the Water-Table has dropped and hasn't refilled.

Water Use and Management “We All Live Downstream” What we put into the water at one place, is going to have to be dealt with somewhere else There are 3 major uses for water: Residential, Industrial, and Agricultural

Residential Use Each person in the US uses ~80 gal everyday, Each person in India uses ~11 gal. About half of the Residential Use water is used outside the home. Before the water comes into your house it must be cleaned and safe to drink (Made Potable - Includes removing harmful elements and pathogens ).

Industrial Use Industries use ~19% of the world's water. Manufacturing, Waste Disposal, Generate Power Most is used to cool power plants. Water is pumped out of a river and into the power station. When it is returned, it's clean but Much Warmer. This can have a big impact on fish and plant life.

Agricultural Use Consumes ~67% of the worlds water. Plants require lots of water to grow. (~80% of the water evaporates before it gets to the plants.) To provide enough water, farmers use a variety of irrigation systems. Most of the ones currently used are very inefficient - Most of the water evaporates. Most people live where there is not enough water. To provide enough water humans have used Management projects like Water Diversion and Dams.

Water Diversion Dates back thousands of years -Water from a lake or river is redirected to a city. Ex: The Roman Aqueducts Water for L.A. Is carried for 190 miles. The Colorado River provides water for 7 states.

Dam Structure that controls a river's flow. Provides electricity, drinking water, flood control, irrigation, recreation. Dams can also cause several problems. A Reservoir is created behind the dam (a lake) Floods thousands of acres and destroys ecosystems. Prevents rich soil from moving downstream. Structural failures can endanger millions of lives.

Farms should move away from traditional irrigation. Managing the water supply will not be enough to ensure we have clean water We also need to Conserve Water. Farms should move away from traditional irrigation. Drip Irrigation and Hydroponics are good alternatives. Irrigation systems with networked water sensors and computer control give water directly to the plants in need . Industries are starting to conserve water. With recycling it takes 30% less water to create paper than it did 50 years ago.

At home you can conserve water by: Installing low-flow toilets, shower heads, and faucets. Change your landscaping (can conserve ~33%). Short Showers and No Baths! Do full loads in the dishwasher and washing machine. In the future, clean fresh water is going to be in high demand! Desalination: (removing salt from water) since most of the Earth is Salt Water (Requires a lot of energy and is very expensive). Transportation of water: Water would be put on ships and trucks as cargo and It would be sold and taxed like all imports/exports.

Water Pollution Water Pollution - Anything that degrades the water and makes it unsafe. Everything we do contributes to water pollution. The 2 biggest causes are: Industrialization and Human Population Growth. Since the 1970’s Developed Countries have pushed to clean up the water supply (In Developing Countries it is still a very big problem.)

Water Pollution Water pollution can either come from a Point or Nonpoint source: Point-Source Pollution: Can be traced back to a single source. Factories, Landfills, Septic-Tanks Nonpoint-Source Pollution: Comes from several different sources Runoff from lawns and farms, oil and gas from cars and boats.

Water Pollution Artificial Eutrophication: Too many nutrients caused by humans. Fertilizers and laundry/dishwashing detergents Thermal Pollution: Increasing the temperature a few degrees. Pushes the oxygen out of the water (fish suffocate). Groundwater Pollution: Pollutants dumped in a Recharge Zone affect the ground water. Fertilizers, Pesticides, and Gasoline in underground storage tanks (Very difficult to clean-up) Groundwater is recycled/recharged slowly and pollution can stick to the rocks/soil causing clean water entering in the aquifer becomes contaminated.

Water Pollution Ocean Pollution: 85% of ocean pollution is from activities on land. Whatever you dump moves downstream into the ocean! Each year 200-300 million gallons of oil enter the oceans and only ~5% are from oil spills . Some pollution causes immediate damage to ecosystems but others build up in the ecosystem to cause longer-term problems called Biomagnification. Greatly affects the top of the food chains.

Clean Water Act June 22, 1969, Cuyahoga River in Ohio caught fire and burned for several days (This was the 13th time it was on fire in 100 years - burning made its way to Time magazine which gave it national attention. ) This story was single-handedly responsible for the 1972 Clean Water Act: “restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation's waters.” The goal was to have all surface water safe for swimming and fishing by 1983. We did not meet this goal! We have cleaned up more lakes and rivers, and this led the way for more water quality regulations.