Chapter 9 Water Resources

Usable Water is Rare “Water, water everywhere nor any drop to drink…” ~ Samuel Taylor Coleridge 1798

 Agriculture- the largest use of water around the world.  Over the last 50 years, the amount of water used for irrigation throughout the world has doubled because of the increase in human population. Agriculture, Industry and Household Needs

 Irrigation techniques- Hydroponic agriculture - crops grown in fertilized water and no soil. Agriculture, Industry and Household Needs

 Industry- the second largest user of water worldwide. Processes include:  hydroelectric plants.  cooling and condensing steam.  processing of metals. Agriculture, Industry and Household Needs

 Households- the third largest user of water worldwide. Agriculture, Industry and Household Needs

 Water ownership  Water ownership - people can have rights to water use, but they do not own the water.  Water conservation  Water conservation - using techniques such as more efficient water fixtures, faucets and washing machines. The Future of Water Availability

 Streams, rivers, ponds, lakes and wetlands. Surface Water Productivity in a lake: (we’ll cover these more later)  Oligotrophic- low amounts of nutrients such as phosphorous and nitrogen.  Mesotrophic- a moderate level of productivity  Eutrophic- high levels of productivity

Watershed  the area of land that is drained by a river system Surface Water

 Levees  Levees - an enlarged bank built up on each side of the river.  Dikes  Dikes - similar to a levee but built to prevent ocean waters from flooding adjacent land. Altering the Availability of Water

We have over 1,400 miles of levees in the Delta!

 Dams  Dams - a barrier that runs across a river or stream to control the flow of water. Altering the Availability of Water  Fish  Fish ladders- a set of stairs with water flowing over them that have been added to some dams to help migrating fish such as salmon get upstream.

Los Vaqueros Reservoir Marsh Creek Reservoir Contra Loma Reservoir Altering the Availability of Water  Reservoir  Reservoir - the area where water is stored behind the dam.

 Aqueducts  Aqueducts - canals or ditches used to carry water from one location to another. Altering the Availability of Water The Pont du Gard aqueduct was constructed by the Romans in the 1st century AD

 Desalination  Desalination - removing the salt from salt water to obtain fresh water. Altering the Availability of Water