Water: The Indispensible Resources Fresh Water Supply Surface Water Contamination Sustainable Water Usage

The World’s Water Only 2.5% of the worlds water is fresh water 70% of that is in the form of ice caps and glaciers, and most of the remaining is groundwater Surface water is by far the most used source Only 0.3% is in the form of lakes and rivers

Surface Water Pollution People often build cities around fresh water sources, but often neglect to take care of the resource Municipal wastewater may contain human waste, detergents, and solvents Agricultural chemicals like herbicides and pesticides leak into surface water Industries such as oil refineries, pulp mills, and chemical factories release waste into rivers and oceans

Effects of Surface Water Pollution Toxic waste such as mercury have been found in whales and polar bears in the arctic Beluga whales in the St. Lawrence River are threatened by pollution from human, industrial, and agricultural waste Victoria's raw sewage is pumped out to the Juan de Fuca Strait at a rate of 130 million liters per day. dump all of its untreated waste (including pesticides, street runoff and pharmaceuticals) into the ocean.

Increased Populations are the Main Threat to the World’s Fresh Water Falling groundwater tables and diversion of surface supplies for crop irrigation are the main causes of shortages The Nile River in Africa, Ganges River in India, Yellow River in China, Colorado River in the US run dry or almost before reaching the ocean

Water Shortages Threaten Global Food Production About 36% of the world’s harvests come from irrigated croplands Depleted rivers threaten those crops US, China, and India are all facing reduced groundwater supplies These countries produce half of the world’s food supply

Unsustainable Water Programs In the latter half of the 20th century, new well drilling technologies and techniques allowed farmers to tap groundwater in aquifers beneath the land The main problem is that, unlike surface water, aquifers are not rapidly replenished Leads to drilling deeper for more water, but deeper wells can tap arsenic and other minerals

Using Water Efficiently Rainwater harvesting can be done on a large and small scale Used to water small private gardens and large irrigation projects Low energy sprinkler systems and drip irrigation direct water to plant roots and reduce consumption Individuals reducing consumption at home Low flow toilets and showers Fines for people who waste

Bottled Water: A Disguised Danger In production: plastic bottles which are derived from crude oil. It can take up to 3L of water to produce 1L of water. In transportation: Transportation of bottled water around the world requires burning of fossil fuels In landfill and the litter stream: Only 5% of bottles are recycled. Take up to 1000 years to break down. They often end up in the sea, killing marine life that mistake them for food.