Conserving water

Conserving water

by Judy Hutton

​Water conservation is everbodies responsibility

​Water conservation is the practice of using water efficiently to reduce unnecessary water usage. Water conservation is important because fresh clean water is a limited resource, as well as a costly one.

Water is a Limited Resource

We learned that water is a limited resource. This means there is only a small amount available and we can not make more. 

We must conserve our water or we could run out of usable water.

CONSERVATION is the prevention of wasteful use of a resource.

RESOURCES are materials or substances such as water, soil, minerals, and forests

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is a way of conserving water?

• leave the water running while you brush your teeth

• use the hose to wash the car

• use a full load in the washing machine

• take a long shower

Multiple Choice

Why do we need to conserve water?

• We do not need to conserve water

• Water is limited and we may run out

• There is a lot of water- so we do not need to worry about conserving it

Multiple Choice

Keeping the water running while you brush your teeth wastes a lot of water.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Which of these is the best way to wash your car and conserve water?

• In your driveway with a hose

• drive it into a lake

• at a carwash that recycles water

Multiple Choice

Which is the best way to wash dishes and conserve water?

• In a sink with running water

• to load the dishwasher full and then run it

Water Distribution

• ​Salt water Oceans (98%)

• ​Fresh water (2%)

• Fresh water storage: Ice (87%), Groundwater (12%), Surface Water; River systems and Watersheds (1%)

Where we get fresh water?

Aquifers - a body of rock or sediment that can carry a lot of water and allows water to flow

Groundwater- water found in the spaces between rock particles below Earth’s surface.

Permafrost- layer of water that is frozen in the soil in polar regions

Fresh surface waters- Includes rivers, streams, and lakes

What are water quality and supply?

Water Quality - is a measure of how clean or polluted water is.

Potable water- Water that is suitable to drink

Water Supply - is the availability of water.

What threatens our fresh water quality?

Water Pollution is when waste or other materials is added to water that is harmful to organism that use it or live in it.

Multiple Choice

What is water quality?

• It describes the condition of the water

• It is the continuous movement of water on, above, and below the surface of the Earth

• It is the property of containing salt

• It is the total amount of suspended solids.

Multiple Choice

Why is water important?

• Water is vital for life

• Water affects and drives Earth's climate and weather.

• Water shapes Earth's surface

Aquifers

Most of our drinking water is in the form of ground water and located in underground layers called aquifers.

Multiple Choice

Which water source is the easiest to use?

• ice

• groundwater

• surface water

Multiple Choice

Which water source is the most reliable to use?

• ice

• groundwater

• surface water

Water Use & Management

• Use Categories: Agriculture, Industrial, Residential

• Agricultural use is mostly for irrigation

• Industrial use is largely for cooling equipment

• Residential use is largely showering & flushing

• Two major Water Management projects: Dams/Reservoirs & Canals/Aquaducts

Multiple Choice

Globally the largest user of freshwater is

• residential

• industry

• agriculture

Multiple Choice

The least efficient agricultural irrigation technique is

• overhead sprinklers

• water filled ditch

• drip irrigation

Multiple Choice

The MOST efficient irrigation method is

• water filled ditches

• drip-irrigation

Multiple Choice

This image here is a

• reservoir

• dam

• aquaduct

Water Pollution

• Point source vs Nonpoint source

• Pathogens, Chemicals, Heavy Metals, Organic Matter

• Wastewater Treatment

Types of Water Pollution

• Thermal Pollution: kills fish due to lack of O2

• Groundwater: difficult to see/notice and even more difficult to clean

• Ocean Pollution: 85% from land and ships/cities are legally allowed to dump treated wastewater

Biomagnification

• The process of pollutants becoming magnified as they move up a food chain.

• Mercury is the most dangerous heavy metal in fish.

• Large fish like, swordfish should only be consumed 2-3 times a year

• Small fish like sardines/cod can be eaten weekly.

Multiple Choice

Groundwater pollution is easy to remove.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Most oil pollution in the ocean comes from

• land

• leaking oil tankers

Multiple Choice

Which of the following fish would likely have the largest amount of Mercury.

• shrimp

• salmon

• shark

• tuna

Multiple Choice

What type of soil would allow for more infiltration?

• Clay rich soil

• Sand rich soil

• Silt rich soil

• Plastic soil

Multiple Choice

Which type of soil would allow for the least infiltration?

• Clay rich soil

• Sand rich soil

• Silt rich soil

• Sand and silt rich soil

Multiple Choice

Why is ground water recharge important to people in dry areas?

• to refill wells

• to empty wells

• to add water to rivers

• to add water to lakes

Multiple Select

choose the effects of wasting water

• decrease of animals

• clean rivers

• shortage on food

• decrease of plants

Multiple Select

Choose the ways to save water

• Wash fruits in a bowl

• waste water

• take shorter showers

• turn off tap after each use

• throwing rubbish to the seas

Water Pollution

Bio indicators

Other factors of water quality

• Bio-indicators, such as native plants and animals, are used as indicator species to assess the health of a body of water. They cannot tolerate pollution.

• The dumping of chemicals can cause a change in pH. 1-6 is acidic, 7 neutral, and 8 is basic.

• Turbidity is a measure of how cloudy a body of water is. The higher the turbidity, the less dissolved oxygen.

Open Ended

If a body of water is hypoxic (low or no oxygen) what do you think will happen to the bio indicators in that body of water?

Multiple Select

Which ones are examples of Point Source water pollution?

• A wrecked oil tanker spilling oil into the ocean.

• Oil found in runoff in a parking lot.

• Salt contamination found in a river after snow melts.

• A factory dumping industrial waste into a river.

• Trash found floating in a river after a storm.

Multiple Select

Which ones are examples of Non-point Source water pollution?

• Fertilizer found in runoff from sprinklers.

• Oil found in runoff in a parking lot.

• Salt contamination found in a river after snow melts.

• A factory dumping industrial waste into a river.

• Trash found floating in a river after a storm.

Multiple Choice

Which statement is correct?

• Point source pollution is the most damaging to the environment because you cannot find out where it is coming from and stop it.

• Nonpoint source pollution is the most damaging the environment because you can find out where it is coming from and stop it.

• Nonpoint source pollution is the most damaging to the environment because you cannot find out where it is coming from and stop it.

• Point source pollution is the most damaging the environment because you can find out where it is coming from and stop it.

Multiple Choice

Point source contaminants come from industrial, commercial, and residential areas.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Nonpoint pollution often originates as precipitation and collects contaminants as it travels across the ground until it becomes polluted.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

What type of water pollution comes from an obvious source?

• Point source

• Chemical source

• Nonpoint source

• Carbon source

Poll

Which source of pollution is the most damaging to our environment?

• Non-point Source Pollution

• Point Source Pollution

Multiple Choice

What type of water pollution comes from multiple sources and is not easily identified?

• Point source pollution

• Chemical source pollution

• Nonpoint source pollution

• Carbon source pollution

Multiple Choice

________children die every day from diseases associated with unsafe drinking water.

• 4,500

• 3,800

• 6,800

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is NOT an example of point-source pollution

• oil that is escaping from a damaged tanker

• heavy metals that are leaching out of an underground mine

• water runoff from residential lawns

• untreated sewage that is accidentally released from a wastewater treatment plant

Multiple Choice

_________is pollution from a distinct location, like a factory or sewer pipe.

• Point-source pollution

• Non-Point-source pollution

Multiple Choice

when snow-melt runoff picks up pollutants along its path, this an example for

• Point-source pollution

• Non-Point-source pollution

Nitrates and phosphates

They are essential plant nutrients. They enter into water by run off containing fertilizers. They cause algal blooms. Algal blooms lead to less dissolved oxygen by blocking sunlight from penetrating the water.

Multiple Choice

Why does the increase of producer type organisms decrease the amount of oxygen?

• Only producers on the bottom of the system make oxygen.

• Only the producers at the top of the lake get oxygen.

• Producers don't make oxygen.

• The fertilizers chemically react with oxygen in the water.

Multiple Choice

What is the original cause of eutrophication?

• Too many predators

• Too many herbivores

• Excess fertilizer

• Too much oxygen

Multiple Choice

What happens in Eutrophication?

• A massive die-off of organisms due to low oxygen.

• An net increase in oxygen.

• A changing of a land biome from fertilizer.

Multiple Choice

After analyzing data collected from a pond, there is a significant decrease in dissolved oxygen. Which most likely caused the decline?

• an increase in minerals

• an increase in sediment

• an increase in algae growth

• an decrease in fish population

Open Ended

List one source of eutrophication

Multiple Choice

In the process of eutrophication, dissolved oxygen levels decrease in water bodies because of ______

• Decomposition of dead organisms

• Evaporation

• Drought

Multiple Choice

One example of petroleum products is __________

• Pesticides

• Plastic

• Heavy metals

Dissolved oxygen and temperature

Cool water holds more dissolved oxygen. The max temperature that water can be and still be healthy is 35 degrees Celsius. As temperature increases, dissolved oxygen decreases.

Multiple Choice

Thermal pollution has a harmful effect on aquatic environments because

• water has been circulated around power-plant generators

• it increases the number of disease-causing organisms in aquatic environments

• it reduces the amount of dissolved oxygen in aquatic environments

• it decreases the nutrient levels in aquatic environments

Multiple Choice

Water thermal pollution means

• Water pollution due to the decrease of water temperature

• Water pollution due to the increase of water temperature

• Water pollution due to the increase of water salt content

Multiple Choice

Why do algae blooms happen?

• there are too many nutrients in the water

• there are too many fish in the water

• there is not enough turbidity in the water

• all of these options

Multiple Choice

phosphate can get into water because of what substances causing water pollution?

• cleaning products

• fertilizer

• sewage

• all of these options

Multiple Choice

Which does an increase in eutrophication indicate to scientists studying a body of water?

• an increase in fertilizer runoff

• a decrease in pollutants from farm runoff

• an increase in the health of the body of water

• an increase in oxygen levels in the body of water

Multiple Choice

Which aspect of fertilizer pollution would have the greatest negative impact on an aquatic ecosystem?

• Nitrates poison the water that fish breathe through their gills.

• Microorganisms in the water absorb all the oxygen, suffocating animals

• Aquatic animals increase, adding producers to the food chain and feeding fish.

• Algal blooms deplete the oxygen and block the sunlight from penetrating a body of water.

Multiple Choice

Which would most affect the health of fish in a local pond?

• The daily release of hot water into the pond from a local factory.

• A storm temporarily stirring up water and sediments in the pond.

• The occasional erosion of sediments into the pond from a nearby field.

• A slight increase in the number of people who fish in the pond for food.

Multiple Choice

Which is most likely to happen when river water temperature rises above 95 F?

• The water will become polluted.

• The dissolved oxygen levels will increase.

• There will be decreased evaporation from the river.

• The dissovled oxygen levels will decrease.

Multiple Choice

Which organism would make a good bioindicator?

• an organism that is endangered

• an organism that is tolerant of slight physical or chemical changes

• an organism that has reached its carrying capacity in the ecosystem

• an organism that is not sensitive to slight physical or chemical changes

Multiple Choice

Which glass contains water with high turbidity?

• Glass 1

• Glass 2

Multiple Choice

What is pH?

• The property of containing salt

• The measure of the amount of oxygen that is dissolved in water

• The amount of suspended solids in water

• The measurement of the acidity or basicity of water

Multiple Choice

What is dissolved oxygen?

• The property of containing salt

• The amount of suspended solids

• The measure of the amount of oxygen that is dissolved

• Describes how acidic or basic water is

Multiple Choice

What law regulates water pollution, including sewage systems?

• Pollution Control Act

• The Clean Water Act

• Safe Drinking Water Act

Multiple Select

Why do we need to conserve water? (You may select more than one answer)

• To save on the water bill

• There is a lot of water

• It a limited sources

• To have enough clean water in the future