1. WATER RESOURCES Chapter 9
“It is not until the well runs dry that we know the worth of water”
- Ben Franklin

3. “Liquid Capital” Why is Water Important?
*Regulates climates, makes up cells, dilutes pollutants, sculpts the earth’s surface, etc.
*Availability of water is one of the major problems the world faces this century!

4. Availability- LESS THAN 3% FRESHWATER
Less than 1% of freshwater available to humans
© Brooks/Cole Publishing Company / ITP

5. WATER VOCAB Watershed (drainage basin):
The region draining into a river, river system, or other body of water.
Surface water: freshwater on the Earth’s surface. Lakes, Rivers, wetlands, etc.
Groundwater: water that sinks into the soil and is stored.
Aquifers: water–saturated layers of soil or rock through which groundwater flows. Water that is available for use.

6. Watershed and Aquifers

7. Recharging of Aquifers
Aquifers are naturally recharged by precipitation.
slow process-ground water moves ~ 3 feet/year
Removing ground water faster than it is replenished disrupts the water cycle. Resulting in dry streams, lakes, etc.

8. Ogallala Aquifer
Ogallala is the world’s largest aquifer and allowed many parts of the U.S. (arid regions) to become fertile farming areas. Water is being removed 8-10x faster than its natural recharge rate.

9. Aquatic Life Zones (Aquatic Biomes)
Characterized by the amount of NaCl dissolved in the water- Marine or Freshwater.

10. Freshwater Life Zones Cover less than 1% of earth’s surface. Types:
Lentic- Flowing water - streams, and rivers
Lotic- Still water - ponds, lakes, wetlands

11. Freshwater Ecological and Economic Services
Climate moderation
Nutrient cycling
Flood control
Habitats
Waste treatment
Economic
Food
Hydroelectricity
Transportation
Recreation

12. Lakes and Ponds Zones
Littoral zone- top shallow layer along the shore,  biodiversity.
Limnetic zone- surface/open water, main photosynthetic
layer. Plankton, fish
3. Profundal zone-cool and dark layer,  D.O
4. Benthic zone- bottom layer. Decomposers.

13. Lakes- Classifying
Oligotrophic- Low Productivity due to low nutrients (P and N)
Mesotrophic- Moderate Productivity
Eutrophic- High Productivity due to excess nutrients from natural processes.

14. Importance of Freshwater Wetlands
Originally considered “WASTELANDS”.
Majority of wetlands are privately owned.
Clean Water Act helps to restore/protect as well as other incentives.

15. Ecological role of Wetlands
Purify water, Habitats for many species, & Prevent soil erosion and flooding

16. Florida Everglades
Largest restoration project.

17. Saltwater/Marine Life Zones
Includes oceans, estuaries, coral reefs
Ecological importance:
- CO2 sinks
- high biodiversity
- algae provides most of the world’s supply of oxygen

18. Estuaries/Coastal Wetlands
Enclosed body of water formed where seawater mixes with freshwater from rivers/streams
“ Marine Nurseries”- MAJOR COMMERCIAL VALUE
Temperature and salinity vary
Important in filtering pollutants and sediments.

19. Water Shortages Causes: Dry climate Drought Water stress
a period in which precipitation is lower and evaporation is higher than normal
Water stress
increasing demand for limited resource
© Brooks/Cole Publishing Company / ITP

20. Potential areas for water wars By 2025. Competition for water for
Wash.
Montana
N.D.
Oregon
Potential areas
for water wars
By 2025.
Competition for
water for
urban growth,
irrigation,
recreation, etc
Idaho
S.D.
Wyoming
Neb.
Nevada
Utah
Colo.
Kansas
California Ok
N.M.
Texas
Highly likely conflict potential
Substantial conflict potential
Moderate conflict potential
Unmet rural water needs

21. Ways to Increasing Water Supply
1. Build more dams and reservoirs
2. Transport surface water in from
other areas
3. Desalination (salt H20 to fresh H2O)
4. Reduce water use-
- import more food and cut down on meat (5200
gal H2O to produce 1 lb beef)
- cut down on driving (6000 gal of H2O to refine 1
gal of gasoline)
- buy recycled goods.
Which of these seems the most realistic?

22. Dams
800,000+ dams currently restrict the world’s rivers- electricity, flood control, & recreation
Positive: Storage of water for human use.
Negative:
Slows downstream flow and disrupts reproductive cycle of many fish. Ex: Salmon difficulty swimming upstream and get caught in turbines.
Pooling of water behind dams caused a rise in water temperature unfavorable for many fish
FISH LADDERS- reduce impact on
migrating fish
© Brooks/Cole Publishing Company / ITP

23. Pros and Cons of Dams and Reservoirs

24. Three Gorges Dam Yangtze River dammed- 1.3 mi wide, 610 ft high.
Reservoir it created flooded towns and displaced people.
Positives- creates 18.2 million kWh renewable energy.

25. Desalination
Process of removing salt from salt water to make it suitable for drinking.
Cons against plants:
1. Energy intense
2. Waste product- where to dump????
-Ocean- increases salinity- effects ecosystems
-Land- contaminate groundwater supplies.

26. World Wide Water Use 70%- Agriculture
* 1 metric ton grain (2200 lbs) requires
264,000+ gallons of water.
* livestock use ~11X more water.
20%- Industry
10% Household (toilet flushing, laundry)
* Avg person in U.S. uses 157 gal/day
Avg person in Kenya uses 11 gal/day

27. Agriculture 65% efficient 70-80% efficient 75-95% efficient

28. Access to Potable Drinking Water
15% of world’s population (~1 BILLION people) do not have access to clean water. Those areas have high percentage of illness and deaths due to WATER-BORNE diseases.

30. Increasing Water Efficiency
increase efficiency of irrigation (~40% is wasted with old techniques- flooding)
use recycled water (Gray water)
treat gray water from showers and washing machines- reuse for water plants and washing cars
fix leaky pipes
water–saving toilets, faucets, and shower heads
xeriscaping
plant drought–tolerant vegetation in residential communities located in arid and semi–arid areas

31. Gray Water/Grey Water
-Household wastewater from kitchen sinks, dishwashers, bathroom sinks, tubs and showers. - Can be used for irrigation, washing cars but not for consumption or bathing.